The Great Isaiah Scroll 31:5 to 33 :1
Physical Characteristics:This is the eighth strip of leather to be added to the scroll and this one has the distinction of being the shortest thus far and contains only two pages rather than the usual 3 or 4 pages. All the leather is in good condition on this page but the stitching appears to be a resewing which was more clumsily done than the original. The red marks are my own editorial marks and I apologize for misplacing some of them which you will no doubt find.
Paragraphs and Spatiums:
Paragraphs end on lines 3 (vs. 31:6), line 8 ends chapter 31.; Line 18 ends 32:8; line 30 is the end of 32:19; A new paragraph is indicated for 32:20 indicating that chapter 33 begins in Q with 32:20 and not 33:1 There is only one spatium to mark the beginning of 32:5 in line 13..
Smudges:
There are smudges that could be finger prints made by a careless editor. In lines 12 - 14 at the right some words appear in darker ink and what appears to be finger print smudges in the space between the lines. A similar smudge on darkened letters is in line 27 where a possible fingerprint also appears. There is what seems to be an unmistakable finger print on page 44 where there are links to other pages with finger prints on them.
Editorial marks:
There are editorial marks in the right margin. 32:1-8 is marked as an important section by two X's in the margin. A line is drawn under the 1st word of line 31 which is a paragraph beginning noted above in 32:20. Two alephs have been added by an editor to correct spelling. These are in lines 6: 2nd word; and line 19: 2nd word.
Variations in Q from the Masoretic Text:
Line 2: between 3rd and 4th words. Q ends verse 5 after the 3rd word and the next word (4th) is the first word of verse 6. 3rd word Q = ve-haphliyt M = ve-himliyt" (he will preserve it.) Line 2 ; 6th word; Q = a redundant word repeating word 5 already written .
Line 6: 2nd word: In Q this is an example of a mistake more likely made by one listening to a reader. Earlier examples have been given that indicate copying from a manuscript. The two words "lo" ' and " 'adam" are run together as "lo'adam" in Q and an editor has added the missing aleph above the line.
Line 10: 1st word: Q spells "kemachbeh" (final he) and M = "kemachbe' " (final aleph). 3rd word Q = "vesetherim" There are several dots by the mem indicating an editor marked it as a mistake and M = "vesether." See use of dots in the introduction for more on dots as corrections. 8th word: Q = "be-tse:l" (in the shadow of) and M = "ke-tse:l" (as the shadow of).
Line 14: 8th word: A different reading: Q = "chashav" (think or account) and M = "y'aseh" (he will do) Thus Q = "in his heart he will think iniquity" and M = "in his heart he will work iniquity." The meaning is the same but the reading differs.
Line 16: 4th word: Addition of conj. "ve" in Q changes the reading of the sentence. Q = ve-hu' " and M = "hu' ". M makes the pronoun the subject of the 1st verb and Q makes it the subject of the 2nd verb. 8th word: M has a qere for kithuv and Q agrees with Qere " 'aniyiym" rather than " 'anoviym."
Line 17: 3rd word Q = plural " 'ebyoniym" and M = singular " 'ebyon."
Line 19: 2nd word: an editor corrected an elided aleph above the line. This word is spelled correctly in line 21: 4th word just two lines down. and again in line 30: 3rd word.
Line 20: 5th word: Q has an article on this word not in M.
Line 21 1st word: Q = a final yod is missing from the negative "be-liy"
Lines 21 and 22: the last four words of verse 11 in Q are much different than those corresponding in M. The M reading is ve'orah va-chagorah 'al chalatsayim ("and be nude and put a girdle on your loins") The Q reading for the same is "ve-'oru chagarnah ve-saphadnah 'al ha-chalatsiym." ("and be nude and put a girdle and a sign of mourning on your loins") Q has fem pl and M = fem sing but Q "saphadnah" has no counterpart in M. "Saphad" means a "wailing" so here probably means a piece of sackcloth attatched as a loin cloth to a girdle as a sign of mourning. Perhaps the Q scribe wanted to show that the girdle included sufficient material for modesty.
Line 22: last word: Q = "chemdah" and M = "chemed."
Line 25: last word: Q = adds prep. lamed to " 'adariym" not in M.
Line 26: next to last word: M has a qere for kithuv. Kithuv = "ve-carmel" and Qere = "ve-ha-carmel" Q = agrees with kithuv (no article).
Line 27: 6th word: Q = "carmel" and M = "be-carmel."
Line 28: 3rd word: Q = "le-shalom" and M = "shalom."
Line 30: last word: Q = "ha-ya'ar" (the forest) and M = "ha- 'iyr" (the city).
Line 31: 1st word: Q = suf. 2mpl "kemah" and M = "kem."
Last word on page: Q has a double kaf, not in M.