ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR DIE ALTTESTAMENTLICHE WISSENSCHAFT
Abstract
The article discusses an Aramaic ostracon dated to the 5th century BC, which was found at Elephantine during the French excavations in 1908. This fragmentary ostracon mentions the theonym Jahweh Saba'ot (yhhsb't). This god is rarely attested at Elephantine, and only in blessing formulae; whereas in this ostracon, the god plays an important role: he is said "to bind" a woman. This "bond" was already interpreted by Dupont-Sommer as "sterility" : this hypothesis is discussed and developed, since both the syntax and the semantics of the passage seem to suggest that the text refers to a ritual of purification.
