By 1491 BC, Hebrew was sufficiently developed for the Ten Commandments (presumably written in Hebrew, although possibly in Egyptian heiroglyphs) to be written by God on Sinai. The earliest Hebrew inscriptions still existing date from approximately 1000 BC, shortly before the rise of the Kingdom. Hebrew was abandoned for non-religious texts during the [[Babylonian exile]] in favor of Aramaic, and remained so until [[Diaspora]] of 135 AD, when Jews began to use Hebrew more to keep in touch with their identity while among non-Jews. | By 1491 BC, Hebrew was sufficiently developed for the Ten Commandments (presumably written in Hebrew, although possibly in Egyptian heiroglyphs) to be written by God on Sinai. The earliest Hebrew inscriptions still existing date from approximately 1000 BC, shortly before the rise of the Kingdom. Hebrew was abandoned for non-religious texts during the [[Babylonian exile]] in favor of Aramaic, and remained so until [[Diaspora]] of 135 AD, when Jews began to use Hebrew more to keep in touch with their identity while among non-Jews. |