The bulla of Eliakim son of Yehozarah is a fired clay seal impression recovered from excavations at Tel Lachish, dated on paleographic and stratigraphic grounds to the 8th century BC, placing it within the late Iron Age IIB period of the Kingdom of Judah. The impression preserves a two-line Hebrew inscription reading 'belonging to Eliakim son of Yehozarah,' following the standard Northwest Semitic onomastic formula common to administrative bullae of this era. Bullae of this type were used to seal papyrus documents, and their survival typically results from archival fires that hardened the clay while destroying the organic material they once secured. The name Eliakim (meaning 'God will establish') was widespread in Judahite administrative and household contexts during this century. The biblical record introduces an official named Eliakim son of Hilkiah, identified as palace administrator under Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:18; Isaiah 22:20–24), a figure whose name is distinct from the patronymic on this seal. Consequently, mainstream scholarship does not identify this bulla's owner with the Hezekiah-era official of Isaiah 22; the patronyms differ, and no direct correspondence can be responsibly claimed. The artifact nonetheless attests the widespread use of the name Eliakim in Judahite administrative circles during the 8th century BC and confirms the administrative practices—seal usage, document archiving—implied by the biblical narratives of this period. Lachish itself is prominently featured in accounts of Sennacherib's 701 BC campaign (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37), lending the site exceptional historical salience. Sources: Israel Antiquities Authority excavation reports (Tel Lachish); Nahman Avigad and Benjamin Sass, *Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals* (1997); *Israel Exploration Journal*; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
This bulla illustrates the sophisticated seal-based bureaucracy operating in Judah during the 8th century BC, corroborating the administrative infrastructure reflected in the biblical narratives of the Judahite monarchy. Though its owner cannot be equated with the Eliakim of Isaiah 22, it enriches the documentary context for understanding official titles and scribal culture at a site central to biblical history.