Reinterpreting the Obscure Biblical Hebrew Lexeme העצ (Ẓo‘e) in Arad Ostracon 16

This article deals with an obscure Biblical Hebrew (BH) wine-associated lexeme, ẓo‘e (העצ). The lexeme appears five times as metaphors in the biblical Books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, reflecting consistency in the contemporary Judahite vernacular. The translations of these occurrences vary greatly, suggesting that the idiom may have fallen out of use after the Babylonian conquest in 586 BCE. The lexeme also appears on Arad Ostracon 16 (AO 16), which derives from the late Iron Age fortress of the same name. It was recently discovered thanks to the application of advanced technologies to the ostracon’s verso, revealing the lexeme עצה, hẓ‘. In this article, we endorse the newly deciphered reading of AO 16 but reinterpret its content, offering new insight into wine handling in late Iron Age Judah.