Question
In Biblical times, could ordinary Jews read and write?
Answer
There’s not much detail in the sources about instruction in reading and writing in Biblical times. It’s possible that in the average home, instruction was oral. But an interesting piece of evidence for widespread literacy is the story in Judges 8:14, where Gideon captured a young man who was able to write out a list of the names of the 77 leaders of his town. Some further material can be found in the early sections of the article EDUCATION (Jewish) in the Encyclopedia Judaica.