A newly analyzed inscription found in Sinai, Egypt, has stirred new debate among scholars after a language researcher claimed it may include the words, “This is from Moses.” The carving, located near an ancient turquoise mine in the south-central region of the peninsula, was photographed using high-resolution imaging technology that brought faded markings into clearer view.
The markings belong to a group of rock-cut writings known as Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions. These early alphabetic characters were first documented in 1904 and are believed to date back to around 1800 BCE.
The particular panel under review, labeled Sinai 357 and located across from Mine L, includes stacked characters that independent researcher Michael Bar-Ron interprets as the Hebrew phrase zot m’Moshe—translated as “This is from Moses.”
Bar-Ron shared his findings on The Humble Skeptic podcast, noting that his reading has received support for further review from Egyptologist David Rohl and Pieter van der Veen, a lecturer at the University of Mainz. The phrase, if confirmed, could represent one of the earliest written references to Moses and offers potential support for connections to the biblical Book of Exodus.
Prayers to El and erased goddess names mirror Exodus imagery
Nearby inscriptions discovered during the same survey include appeals to the Hebrew deity El and signs that the names of Egyptian goddesses—particularly Hathor, also known as Baʿalat—were deliberately scratched out. These patterns resemble the account in Exodus 32, where the worship of a golden calf sparked a religious rupture.
The findings come from a field report released by the Patterns of Evidence project, which has been documenting ancient inscriptions across the region.
The team also announced that modern scanning tools, including structured light imaging, have expanded the known set of inscriptions to more than 20. The full catalog is expected to be released as open-access 3D models later this year.
Inscriptions follow the Exodus route and include themes of freedom
Scholars note that the geographical spread of the script—from Egypt to Sinai and into Canaan—roughly mirrors the journey described in the Book of Exodus. Some of the vocabulary found in the newly translated texts also includes terms related to slavery and deliverance, adding circumstantial weight to the theory that a Semitic population once fled Egypt.
However, not all researchers are convinced. Experts such as Philippa Steele caution that the shapes of ancient characters alone cannot determine meaning or language. She argues that conclusions based solely on letter forms are not reliable.
Bar-Ron has submitted his 213-page manuscript, titled Proto-Thesis, to Ariel University for academic review. Meanwhile, Patterns of Evidence researchers are planning to take micro-core samples behind the key panels to test for pigment or tool markings, pending approval from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Other teams are also preparing to rescan Sinai 357 using advanced imaging to determine whether the proposed letter sequence is evidence of human inscription or simply a natural feature in the stone.
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