Physical Characteristics: This is the last of four pages in the fifth section of the scroll. The seam at the left of the page shows considerable repair and deterioration. About one third way down there is a small horizontal offset and clumsy repair for a few inches down from there. There is some surface chipping at the top left but no words are influenced. The tear that begins on this page and travels diagonally down on the preceding page has distorted the first word, with the second letter (a waw) possibly lying obliquely to the mem. The waw with which the word should end is written above the last lamed. The rest of the letters on this page are all legible.

Paragraphs and spatiums: The paragraphs that follow blank spaces begin on this page on line: 13 = 24:16; line 21 = 24:21; line 26 = 25:1. Line 32, the end of the page is the end of a paragraph and verse 25:5. The next page therefore is a new paragraph corresponding with the first word of 25:6. The spatium on line 11 does not correspond with a verse break but its presence means the scribe thought it did, but the spatium of line 23 is the beginning of vs 24:23..

Omission of a word? The text in M has the word earth ('arets) which should appear in Q after the last word of line 2. Q omits this word. There are no other omissions on the page.

Variations and additions of Q from M:

Line 1: In Q the word "'am" (people) which should be the 3rd word in this line was left out and is edited above the line to conform with the reading in M.
Line 2: 1st word: "'avru" (they pass over) has a yod lightly edited over the beth making the word "'aviyru" a 5th stem causitive, (they cause passing over or transgression). 2nd word: Q = "toroth" nfpl (laws) M = same word with holem, Q adds waw to confirm plural form.
Line 3: 1st word: Q omits aleph = "ve-yishmu" and M = "vey- y'eshmu."
Line 18: last word: Q edits in waw which is in M.
Line 19: 2nd word: Q = "ha-'arets" and M = " 'arets." 4th word: Q = final aleph and M = final "he."
Line 20: 1st word: Q = "ve-naphal" 3ms pf. and M = "ve-naphlah" 3fs pf.; 3rd word: Q editor inserted waw but original agrees with no waw in M.
Line 22: 6th word: Waw missing: Q omits conj. waw which is in M in first word of vs 24:22. Q = " 'asphu" and M = ve-'assephu."
Line 26: 4th word: There appears to be a yod edited above the 2s suffix kaph. Q often adds a "he" to 2ms suffixes and a yod to 2fs suffixes. The addition of yod here would be a mistake since the suf is masc.
Line 26: 2nd from last word: spelling. Q adds final "he." see next note.
Line 27: 6th word: Q again adds final "he." The "he" is added to the end of 2ms verbal form to show that it is an open syllable. Without the "he" the form might be confused as 2fs. If it were 2fs the Q scribe usually adds a yod. The same addition is seen in line 29 below. See introduction for an explanation of these forms and links to other illustrations of this usage.
Line 28: 1st word: Q editor corrected an omitted "pe" from The same error and correction was made on the preceding page in the next to last word on line 20 (page 18) which is the last word of vs 23:13.
Line 28: This line has a number of editorial dots that are not easily explained. Some may belong to the next line. The 2nd word "'armon" (palace) is confused. The mem and waw seem to be overwritten with each other and the nun is not written as final nun and seems almost to be part of the next word "zariym" (strangers).
Line 29: 3rd from last word: Q adds final "he" to 2ms of hayetha. See notes above on lines 26, 27.

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