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PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. ZE ’EV MESHEL/TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY

DESERT WORSHIP. At the desert site of Kuntillet ‘Ajrud in northeastern Sinai, several Hebrew inscriptions have been found that mention the Israelite God Yahweh. This pithos features five standing human figures, identified by their raised arms as worshipers. An inscription (not pictured) written to the right of the scene reads, in part, “I have blessed you by Yahweh of Teman and his Asherah. May he bless you and may he keep you and may he be with my lord [forever].” Here, as in the Hebrew Bible, Teman appears to refer to the desert regions south of Judah. The inscription, therefore, provides evidence that some ancient Israelites associated Yahweh with the desert south.