Column VIII

The Great Isaiah Scroll 8:8 to 9:11

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Physical Characteristics: This is the third strip of leather to be sewn into the scroll and this strip also contains four pages before the next splice. All the text on this page is readable at the top of the page where there is less disintegration. But there is a lacuna at the bottom with a few words missing and a distortion at the bottom left margin. There appears to be an attempt to repair a tear in the lower left. Several words extend into the left margin; more than has been the norm.

 Although minor, there are many variations between the Q text and the Masoretic on this page. these are noted below

 Paragraphs and Spatiums: There is an indentation with a horizontal scribal mark which is repeated encompassing two lines which mark this as an important section Lines 2 and 3 (verses 9 and 10) also are set off as a separate paragraph. And line 4 is the first word of verse 11. Beside the paragraph of lines 2 and 3 there are more indications of breaks in thought or spatiums than on most pages. There are spatiums on lines 6, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 25 and 26. However these on this page do not correspond to current versification as have the spatiums looked at thus far. Especially is this so at the important juncture between the end of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9. Thus the break in line 6 does not correspond to current versification which begins verse 13 three words before the spatium in line 6. Verse 16 begins in the spatium of line 9. Line 12 begins with an indented spatium and a horizontal mark. It is the first word of verse 8:19. The spatium of line 15 is in the middle of the current verse 21. And the spatium in line 17 is in the midst of the verse which is 8:23 in Hebrew and 9:1 in KJV and other English versions. The beginning of KJV chapter 9 is the next to the last word in line 16. This spatium in line 17 is midway through 9:1. (After the spatium are the words "The first time.") The spatium of line 19 conforms to current versing and marks the beginning of Heb. verse 2 and English verse 3. Line 21 has the spatium marking the beginning of Heb vs 3 and Eng vs 4. Line 22 has Heb. vs 4 and Eng vs 5. Line 23 has Heb 5 and Eng. vs 6. Line 26 ends with a spatium which is the end of Heb. vs 6 and Eng. vs 7. Eng vs 8 begins on the next (26) line.

 Horizontal Scribal marks: Marks which set off passages appear between .lines 1, and 2; 3 and 4; 9 and 10; line 12; 19 and 20. There is a "resh-like" mark at the right of line 9.

 Immanuel:

Immanuel is written as two words in the masoretic text. 
Immanuel is written as one word in the Qumran Scroll. 
The name appears at the end of line 1 and again at the end of line 3. In the received text (Masoretic) it is written as two words "i'manu - el" literally meaning "with us-God" or God with us. In every occurrence of the word in the Q text it is written as one word "I'manuel" (including 7:14; 8:8 and 8:10) indicating accepting the phrase as a proper name. Including the last word in line 3 (8:10) which is translated "God is with us" by all texts but is recognized as a name rather than a phrase by Q. See my commentary on this verse.

 Letters added between the line: There is a "he" (article) added to the 4th word on line 2. "ve-a'ziynu" becomes "ve-ha-a'ziynu" in Q. In line 10 over and before the 2nd word (penayv) the accusative "e'th" is edited in which does not appear in the Masoretic. In line 12 a waw is added above the word "ha-a'both." There is a waw or yod above the next to last word in line 16. This is elaborated in the next note. The 2nd from last word in line 9 has an extra stroke inserted (may be a waw) just after the heth which is in the first word of verse 8:17. In line 25 a yod is added to the first word noted also below. In line 27 there is an ayin added above the 4th word.

Variations of Q from Masoretic:

Line 4: There is an article in the Masoretic on the word yad (7th word) and conjunctive waw on the next word "yasirnu" which is not in Q.
Line 5: 2nd word is a 2nd mas plu imperative (Ye shall not say). The Masoretic has a euphonic nun which is not in Q.
Line 6: There is different versification noted above between the received text and Q. In Q the words "eth YHWH tsabaoth" belong to the end of verse 12 and in the Masoretic they are the first words of verse 13.
Line 7: 2nd word: This is the first word in verse 14. M = "ve-hayah" cj + pf 3ms (and he shall be). Q = the original scribe wrote cj + 3fs pronoun "ve-hiy'" a later editor placed a yod between the waw and the "he" making imp 3ms "va- yehiy'" (and he shall be) with aleph ending.
Line 10: 5th from last word begins verse 18. Masoretic has "hineh" [hnh] (behold) Q uses a'nah (aleph nun he).
Line 11: Singulars instead of plurals: 4th word is "le-othoth" (for signs) in the Masoretic for which Q does not have the plu "oth" ending and it is "le-oth" (for a sign). And the next, the 5th word Masoretic has this word as a masc. plu. "iym" while Q uses fem sing "ath" as "u-le-mophat" instead of "u-le-mophtiym."
Line 15: (vs 21) 5th word 1st stem "ve-tiq-tsaph" in Q is 7th stem "ve-hith-qats-tsaph" in the Masoretic.
Line 16: a waw conj. missing in Q from the 5th word may be indicated by a scribal mark which is not complete enough to be certain. The next to last word in this line has been commented on. It is the first word in vs 23 in Heb and the 9:1 in Eng. Kiy lo in Q; the "lo" is lamed waw (to him or it) while in Masoretic it is lamed aleph a negative. The last word on line 16 is misspelled in Q it has two "pe"s and the waw comes after instead of before the ayin.
Line 16 next to last word: This word in Q is kiy-lo spelled kaph yod lamed waw. It is from the words "kiy l'o" (for- not) This construction in the Masoretic which begins Chapter 9:1 in Eng. is "kiy l'o" (kaph yod - lamed aleph) .
Line 18: 1st word: Q = "hikbiyd" This most important word in understanding the total scheme of Isaiah is completely covered in my comments on Isaiah 9 in my commentary.
last word: kaph is obliterated from "choshek" (darkness.)
Line 19: 6th word, Interestingly the word translated "valley of the shadow of death" is written as one word, therefore a proper name: "tsalmaweth."
last word: is a good example of Q scribe adding "he" to a verb, in this case, 5th stem pf 2ms "hirbiyta" (you multiplied.) The "he" is added to show that the word ends in an open syllable and has 3 rather than 2 syllables. Also seen in the next note. See Introduction for more discussion on the addition of "he" by Qscribes.
Line 20: 3rd word: Q adds final "he" to the word "higaltah" (you increased) and in the 4th word "simcha" (joy) for the same reason described in ther last note.
Line 21: 3rd word begins vs 3 Heb, Eng vs 4. The word "kiy" has a superfluous yod in Q.
Line 22: 2nd word is Midian spelled "midiym" in Q and "midiyn" in the masoretic.
Line 25, 1st word: "ha-misrah" has a yod over it which would make it to be pronounced "ha mi siy rah" Masoretic has no added yod. This is the second word of verse 6 (Eng. 7) and it begins the line making the first word of the verse the last in the line above. Thus no break in thought is recognized by the Q scribe between vss 5 and 6 (Eng. 6 and 7).
Line 25: next to last word: in the Masoretic is aleph tau he (o'thah) which is accusative fem "it." The Q reading is aleph waw tau waw (o'tho) which is accusative masc. "it."
Line 26: last word and end of line: The tau of the word "zoth" (this) is obscured by what may be an ink mark or chipping of the page. But the major anomaly here is an attempt at an editorial addition in the margin extending from the last letter of line 26 to the the bottom of the page. The letters are too faded to read but a tsade is easily read just above the last letter of line 28.
Line 27: 3rd word "YHWH" in Q read "adonai" in Masoretic. A reminder: There are numerous times that yod and waw are added as vowels in Q to words which have holem and hireq pointings in Masoretic. These additions of waw and yod are purposely not pointed out unless they are added by an editor between the lines.
4th word: Ayin left out of "Jacob" is added above the line.
Last word; M = "ve-yoshev" (and the inhabitant) and Q = an obliterated ending of this word which is confused by a faded editorial notation (see line 26 note above) There is an omission of the beth associated with unexplainable marks at the end of this word. It may have been a beth + a plural ending as "ve-yoshvey" (and the dwellers) but in any case the beth is missing in Q.
Line 29 4th from last: Name of Rezin has aleph added to the name. making an extra syllable "Retsiyan."
The last word on the page the word "peh" (mouth) appears to have a stroke over it. It is likely a yod but may be a mark indicating a superfluous waw in the word between the "pe" and the "he."

 

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