Physical Characteristics:

This is the 1st page on the 16th strip of leather that makes up the scroll..  It is in fairly good condition although there is some fading in the lower quarter of the page. The seam at the right has been repaired to draw the seam back together. This had to be done by those who were preparing the scroll for photographs since the last page (page 49) shows the seam all the way open from the top of the page to 4/5 of the way to the bottom. Thus a modern hand is responsible for retacking the seam at the top. How much of the repair on the scroll seams were done by modern hands is impossible to tell in this study. The top margin is in good condition but the bottom margin has suffered some chipping of the edge of the leather. There are some "split" lines in the left side of the whole length of the page . See the introduction for the origin of these lines. There are other faint lines in the middle of the page that appear to be associated with wrinkling of the page during rerolling the scroll at some time in the past.

 Editorial marks:

There is a set of two horizontal strokes that set off the passage from 61:10 through 62:9 as a passage that was important to the editor. Notice that the passage begins in the last two verses of chapter 61 and from there the section is marked as one paragraph by the original scribe. The paragraph division does not follow the chapter division.

 Editorial additions to the text:

 There are very few editorial additions on this page and the one that is found is not needed. There is a yod edited into the first word on line 19. This word "Jerusalem" is not consistently spelled with the yod.

Q Scribal Spelling:

 Last word in line 13 adds yod to 2fs suf. In lines 14 and 15 yod is added 3 times to "k" to indicate 2fs suf. Yod added to 2fs verb in line 16: 2nd word and line 20: 8th word. Aleph is added to some words where it is not needed on this page. There are also additions of aleph as final letters and "he" as final letters where they are not expected which is frequent in Q.

 Variations in Q from the Masoretic Text:

 Line 1: 6th word Q = an extra word not found in M. It has already appeared in this verse as the next to last word on the last page.
Line 2: 6th word: Q = "tiqr'a" 2nd stem imp 2ms (you shall be called) and M = "tiqare 'u" 2nd stem imp 2mpl (you shall be called).
Line 4: 3rd and 4th words: Q reverses the order of these words from the order they appear in M. Q = "mishneh be-'aretsam" and M = "be-'aretsam mishneh" 5th word: Q = "tiyrshu" imp 2mpl (you shall possess) and M = "yiyrashu" imp 3mpl (they shall possess.
Line 5: 3rd word: Q = "son 'eh" fem sing part. (hating) and M = "son 'e" masc sing part (hating) last word: Q = "la-kemah" prep + pronoun suf 2mpl (to you) and M = "la-hem" prep + pronoun suf 3mpl (to them).
Line 6: 3rd word: Q = "zar'akemah" n + suf 2mpl (your seed) and M = "zar 'am" n + suf 3mpl (their seed). 4th word: Q = "ve-tse'ayseykemah" cj + n mas pl cs + suf 2mpl (your offspring) and M = same with "hem" 3mpl suf (their offspring).
Line 9: 3rd word: Q = "ke-kohen" prep + noun (as a priest) and M = "yekahen" imp 3ms(he robes [himself])
Line 10: 4th and 5th words: Q = "YHWH 'elohiym" and M = "'adonay YHWH"
Line 11: 3rd word: Q = " 'e charish" verb imp 1cs (I will [not] be silent) and M = " 'echesheh" v. imp 1cs (I will [not] hold my peace)
Line 12: 2nd word: Q = "tib 'ar" imp 3fs (she burns) and M = "yib 'ar" 3ms (she burns) 5th word: Q = "tsadaqniy" n + suf. 1cs (my righteousness) and M = "tsadqek" n + suf 2fs (your righteousness). 9th: word: Q = "ve-qar'u" imp 3pl (they shall call) and M = "ve-qor'a" cj + part (and calling)
Line 14: next to last word: Q = 'yiqra'u" imp 3mpl (they shall call) and M = "yiqqare' " 2nd stem imp 3ms (it shall be called) KJV translates 2fs. (you shall be called).
Line 15: next to last word: Q = "ke-ba 'ul" prep + pf 3ms (as he marries) and M = "kiy yib'al" cj + imp 3ms (as he marries)
Line 16: 4th word: Q = "u-mashosh" cj + part (and rejoices) and M = "u-yashosh" cj + imp 3ms (and he rejoices)
Line 17: 7th word: Q = a spatium following this word and a word that is found in M is missing: "tamiyd" (always) . The spatium may mark the missing word but it is more likely just a space in the thought flow that is marked.
Line 18: 9th and 10th words: Q = a redundancy of extra words not found in M.
Q = " 'ad yakiyn" with euphonic nun (until he establish) which also just precede these
Line 19: 2nd and 3rd from last words: Q reverses the order of these words from the order they follow in M.
Line 20: next to last word: Q = " 'im" not found in M
Line 21: 4th word: Q = "shem" (name) non in M. Last word: Q = " 'amar 'eloheyik" pf 3ms + n + suf 2fs (your God says) M does not have these words. and M = " 'avru" (pass over) 2 times but Q only one time. in next line.
Line 23: last two words and line 24 1st word: Q = "hanagaph 'imaru be-'amiym" [the stones are] (the stroke [which] they speak against the people) and M = an altogether different reading M = "hariymu nas 'al ha 'amiym" (they raise an ensign over the people)
Line 26: 1st word: Q = "yiqra 'u" 2 stem imp 3mpl (they shall be called) and M = "yiqar 'e" 2 stem imp 3ms. (it shall be called)
Line 29: 7th word: Following this word there is a large omission of text that is found in M but not in Q. The words that are translated "for I will tread them in my anger and trample them in my fury and their blood shall be sprinkled on my garments" are missing from the Q text. Then the Q text continues on to parallel the M text . There is nothing to indicate the omission of so large a group of words which seem vital to the full description in chapter 63 of the one treading the winepress.

 Last line: 4th from last word: The Q text reads "ga'altiy"  (I apologize for the red mark which I inserted into the text.) This verse and this word are controversial in the M text because of the Aramaic spelling in the M text which is  The Hebrew spelling is "higaltiy" . For the importance indicated by the different form used in the Q text see my commentary on this passage in Isaiah 63:3. Click here for several examples of Aramaic spelling in Q. But "ga 'altiy" is not one of them.

Go to next "Q" scroll page Chapter 63:4 to 65:4

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