Writing on wooden sticks is attested
from the ancient world, especially from ancient South Arabia (modern day
northern Yemen). There are about seven thousand inscriptions, known as
minuscule inscriptions, that appear on wooden sticks and are written in Old
South Arabian. Dating from the end of the tenth century BCE through the fifth
century CE, the minuscule inscriptions consist of writing carved on sticks and
palm leaf stocks that are about 4–8 inches in length; these inscriptions
consist of letters, legal documents, name lists, writing exercises, and records
from religious practices (Drewes and Ryckmans 2016; Drewes et al. 2013, 201;
Stein 2005, 183–84). Stein (2005, 184) contends that such wooden pieces would
have been the most common form of communication in ancient South Arabia due to
the affordability and availability of such material. The process of writing on
a stick as depicted in Ezek 37:15–20 may be comparable to the practice of
engraving sticks with writing as was done in ancient South Arabia. This process
involved etching words on a wooden stick with a metal tool or a stone point
that was suitable for incising wood (see figure 4.7). We should note, however,
that the writing depicted in Ezek 37 is comparable to the minuscule
inscriptions only in regard to the process of carving words on a wooden stick.
In content and length, the writing in Ezek 37 is quite different from the
minuscules. The former consists of a couple names, whereas the latter involve
lengthier texts. (Philip Zhakevich, Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel: A Study
of Biblical Hebrew Terms for Writing Materials and Implements [History,
Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant; University Park, Pa.:
Eisenbrauns, 2020], 121)
Here is figure 4.7 referenced above:
Do note, I am not using this to support the common LDS interpretation of Ezek 37; I am pretty adamant that it is not a direct prophecy of the Book of Mormon, something I have discussed on this blog; on this, see:
The use of לוּחַ in the text of Ezekiel 37:16 of Targum Jonathan
