The Great Isaiah Scroll 14:29 to 16:14
Paragraphs and spatium: There is only one paragraph gap in line 5 which marks the end of chapter 14. Chapter 15 begins on line 6. There is no paragraph or spatium to mark the beginning of chapter 16, the first word of which is the fifth word of line 17 where I have placed a paragraph symbol and an arrow in the right margin. There is an indentation that is often considered a paragraph mark in line 20 but this is in the midst of vs 16:3 and does not mark a break in thought although it is linked to the following verse in thought flow. A second indentation that marks a paragraph is in the last line (31) and is the beginning of vs 16:13. The spatium of line 23 begins vs 16:6.Editors additions between the lines: Line 1 4th word find a yod; line 3 4th word find a yod; line 10 last word find a yod; line 15, last word find a yod?, line 24 2nd from last word find a yod?. line 26 2nd from last word find a waw; line 27 3rd word find an aleph, line 30 7th word find a yod; line 30 has a "loose" yod or waw before the next to last word.
Different from Received text spellings and words: Line 1 4th word has an extra kaph and ends with "he" instead of yod.; line 4 6th word is modad instead of bodad; and 10th word is "malkey" (kings of) instead of "mal'akey" (messengers of).
A serious omission: in line 26 at the asterisk mark I have inserted there marks the omission of 2/3 of verse 8 and 1/3 of verse 9. "gephen shivmah" are the last words before the asterisk in verse 8 and the next word in Q is the word after the same "gephen shivmah" in verse 9 in the received text. Thus a common scribal mistake is made when eyes return to the same word on the page that has just been copied but a line or two below. There is nothing to indicate this omission by later editors. From the first page of notes I here insert: In the "lapse" or "gap" of 16:8-9 the "Qb" text has a space left in the text, to mark the omission, which is unmarked in the Great Isaiah Scroll. When I translated the Qumran scroll about two years ago I added these comments to the translation:
"The copiest or scribe must have been copying from another manuscript [rather than listening to a reader] and ended at "gephen shivmah" in verse 8, his eyes then returned to the page at "gephen shivmah" midway in verse 9 and then copied the rest of verse 9 and proceeded on to verse 10 leaving out the words, between the two "gephen shibmah" entries, that comprise 2/3 of verse 8 and 1/3 of verse 9."Another omission and confused reading is in line 30 beginning with the last word of line 29. The received text has the word "nila'ah" (he is weary) : but not Q which has "u-b'a" (and he came). M reads "Moab is wearied upon the high places and he comes to his temple..." Q reads "and Moab comes upon the high places and he comes to his temple (lit. holy place)
Variations of Q text from M:
Line 3: 4th word an unkown mark over the 4th word.
Line 6: (6th word) Q = "iyr" city and M = "ar" (City instead of proper name. (8th word) has an added waw conj.
Line 7: last word Q = Medeba spelled with final he instead of aleph.
Line 8: Last word Q = 3f suf and M = 3m suf.
Line 9: (3rd from last word) Q = "yehayeleyl" and M = "yeyeleyl."
Line 11: (2nd word) Q = omits "final "he" in M.
Line 14: (1st word) Q = " 'ehaya' " a misspelled 1cs and M = "hayah" 3ms. (3rd from last word) Q = "m" missing from pl. abs. ending. (next to last word) Q = 3fs verb and M = 3ms verb.
Line 14: last 3 words This may illustrate the human trait of making a typographical mistake. Notice the Q scribe has made the M iym pl abs. ending to a yod m. pl construct ending. It appears he mistook the mem in what ever he was copying from, for a tau, which he attached to the next word which does not have a tau in M. Q also omits the he article on "arabiym>" Compare:Q = M =
Line 18: 4 th word should be hayah but seems to have an extra mark that looks like a p and this is also a good example of Q scribe making it difficult to know if he ment to write aleph or he at the end of this word.
Line 19 vs 16:3 3rd word Q = "heviyv" (omits aleph) and M = "havi'iy."
Line 23, vs 16:6: (4th from last word) Q adds aleph to M's "gar."
Line 24 vs 6: (2nd and 5th words) 2nd: Q = "laken" (therefore) and M = "lo' ken" (a negative except or not). (vs 7) 5th word; Q adds "l'o" (not), a word not in M.
Line 26 vs 8 and vs 9: at the asterisk: an omission and different reading cited above as "serious omission." See there
Line 26 vs 16:9: 2nd word: Q omits medial yod found in M. 5th word: Q adds final "he' not in M.
line 27: vs 16:10 next to last word; Q has final yod not in M.
Line 28:
Line 29 vs 16:12 4th from last word: Q = yihyeh" imp 3ms and M = "ve-hayah" conj + pf. 3ms.
Line 30: vs 16:12 1st word: Q has confused omission from M cited above as "another omission" where see.
Line 31 vs 16:14 last word: Q = "H" missing from YHWH.
Go to next "Q" scroll page Chapter 16:14: to 18:7