F — Bible Interpretation

Part 5

and resembles partly the style of the 'rewritten Bible' such as the Genesis Apocryphon, and partly the 'plain', or peshat, interpretation of the rabbis. The subject of the second excerpt is the blessing of Judah, i.e. the tribe in which David originated. The sectarian commentator emphasizes that the royal power will belong for ever to the descendants of David, thereby implying that all non-Davidic rulers, such as the contemporary Hasmonaean priest-kings, unlawfully occupy the throne. If so, the composition best fits to the first half of the first century BCE. Only four tiny fragments of 4Q253 are extant. Fr. I mentions the ark. Fr. 3, col. I contains a citation from Mal. iii, 16—18. This is the only translatable excerpt. Fifteen mostly insignificant scraps of 4Q254 correspond partly to the Noah story and partly to the blessings of the Patriarchs. Only frs. I and can be translated. Fr. I, lines 2—4 overlap with 4Q252 ii, 1.6. For the editio princeps, see G. J. Brooke, DJD, XXII, 185—212, 217—36. 4Q252, fr. I I In the four hundred and eightieth year of the life of Noah came their end. And God said, My spirit shall not abide in man for ever and their days sball be determined to be one hundred and twenty years - until the end of the Flood. And the waters of the Flood arrived on the earth in the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month— on the first day of the week —on the seventeenth. On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights until the twenty-sixth day of the third month, the fifth day of the week. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days —until the fourteenth day of the seventh month, the third day of the week. And at the end of a hundred and fifty days, the waters had abated— two days, the fourth and the fifth day, and on the sixth day - the ark came to rest on the mountains of Hurarat,

on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month, the first day of - the fourth day of the week—and the tops of the mountains appeared. At the end of forty days ― after the tops of the mountains had been seen ― Noah opened the window of the ark - on the tenth day of the eleventh month. And he sent forth the dove to see if the waters had subsided, but she did not find a resting-place and returned to him to the ark. He waited another seven days and again sent her forth. She came back to him with a plucked olive leaf in her beak —this is the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the first day of the week. And Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. At the end of another seven days, he sent forth the dove and it did not return again —this is the first day of the twelfth month, the first day of the week. At the end of three weeks after Noah had sent forth the dove which did not return to him any more, the waters dried up from the earth and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. This was the first day of the first month. And it happened in the six hundred and first year of the life of Noah, on the seventeenth day of the second month that the earth was dry - on the first day of the week. On that day Noah went forth from the ark at the end of a full year of three hundred and sixty-four days, on the first day of the week, on the seventeenth of the second month vacat on and six vacat Noah from the ark at the appointed time of a full year vacat And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers. But he did not curse Ham but only his son, for God had blessed the sons of Noah. And let him dwell in the tents of Shem. He gave the land to Abram, his beloved. Terah was one hundred and forty-five years old when he went forth from Ur of the Chaldees and came to Haran. Now Abram was seventy years old and for five years Abram dwelt in Haran. And afterwards Abram went forth to the land of Canaan. Sixty-five years.. the heifer and the ram and the goat.. the torch of ] fire when it passed over..

Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz son of Esau and she bore to him Amalek, whom Saul smote as He said to Moses, In the last days you will wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven. Blessings of Jacob Reuben, you are my first-born, the firstfruit of my strength, pre- eminent in pride and pre-eminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have pre-eminence; you went up to your fathers bed; you have defiled his couch.. Its interpretation is that he rebuked him because he slept with Bilhah, his concubine, and he said, 'My first-born.. Reuben is the firstfruit..' The sceptre shall not depart from the tribe of Judah.. xlix, 10. Whenever Israel rules, there shall not fail to be a descendant of David upon the throne. For the ruler's staff is the Covenant of kingship, and the clans of Israel are the divisions,95 until the Messiah of Righteousness comes, the Branch of David. For to him and his seed is granted the Covenant of kingship over his people for everlasting generations which he is to keep.. the Law with the men of the Community, for.. it is the assembly of the men of.. Genesis Commentary C Fr. I

.. which he says.. on the doors and.. And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers. Frs. 5—6 And he bowed his shoulder to bear and became a slave at forced labour. Its interpretation.. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path that bites the horse's heeIs.. Genesis Commentary D Fr.3 On the seventeenth of the month.. Noah went out of the ark at the appointed time year by year.. a raven and it went out and returned to announce to the 1ast generations.. before him, for the raven went out and returned.. Commentaries on Isaiah Translatable fragments of four commentaries on Isaiah were discovered in Cave. A fifth is too mutilated to be rendered into English. The first document alludes to the defeat of the Kittim and expounds the renowned messianic prophecy of Isa. xi. It is related to 4Q285. The second and the third deal with the Jewish opponents of the sect. The

fourth, relying on Isa. liv, identifies the Community as the New Jerusalem. They may all be assigned to the first century BCE. A small fragment from Cave represents a commentary on Isa. i, I, but with no continuous text. For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 11—30. Frs. 8-10.. and the tallest trees shall be cut down and the lofty shall be felled with the axe, and Lebanon through a powerful one shall fall. Its interpretation concerns the Kittim who shall crush the house of Israel and the humble.. all the nations and the valiant shall be dismayed and their hearts shall melt. And that which he said, The tallest trees shall be cut down, these are the valiant of the Kittim.. And that which he said. The heart of the forest shall be felled with the axe, they.. for the war of the Kittim. And Lebanon through a powerful one shall fall. Its interpretation concerns the Kittim who will be given into the hand of his great one.. when he flees from before Israel.. vacat And there shall come forth a rod from the stem ofJesseand a Branch shall grow out of its roots. And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of thefearof the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or pass sentence by what his ears hear; he shall judge the poor righteously and shall pass sentence justly on the humble of the earth. Interpreted, this concerns the Branch of David who shall arise at the end of days.. God will uphold him with the spirit of might, and will give him a throne of glory and a crown of holiness and many- coloured garments.. He will put a sceptre in his hand and he shall rule over all the nations. And Magog.. and his sword shall judge all the peoples.

And as for that which he said, He shall not judge by what his eyes see or pass sentence by what his ears hear: interpreted, this means that.. the Priests.. As they teach him, so will he judge; and as they order, so will he pass sentence. One of the Priests of renown shall go out, and garments of.. shall be in his hands.. 4Q162 For ten acres of vineyard shall produce only one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but one ephah. Interpreted, this saying concerns the last days, the devastation of the land by sword and famine. At the time of the Visitation of the land there shall be Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after strong drink, to those who linger in the evening until wine inflames them. They have zither and harp and timbrel and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the work of the Lord or see the deeds of His hand. Therefore my people go into exile for want of knowledge, and their noblemen die of hunger and their multitude is parched with thirst. Therefore Hell has widened its gullet and opened its mouth beyond measure, and the nobility of Jerusalem and her multitude go down, her tumult and he who rejoices in her. These are the Scoffers in Jerusalem who have despised the Law of the Lord and scorned the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the Lord was kindled against His people. He stretched out His hand against them and smote them; the mountains trembled and their corpses were like sweepings in the middle of the streets. And His wrath has not relented for all these things and His hand is stretched out still. This is the congregation of Scoffers in Jerusalem.. 4Q163 Thus said the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, 'You shall be saved by returning and resting; your strength shall be in silence and trust.' But

you would not. You said, 'No. We will flee upon horses and will ride on swift steeds.' Therefore your pursuers shall be speedy also. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee till you are left like a flagstaff on top of a mountain and like a signal on top of a hill. Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore He exalts Himself to have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice. How blessed are all those who wait for him!. This saying, referring to the last days, concerns the congregation of those who seek smooth things in Jerusalem.. who despise the Law and do not trust in God.. As robbers lie in wait for a man.. they have despised the words of the Law.. O people of Zion who live in Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. At the sound of your crying He will be gracious to you; He will answer you when He hears it. Although the Lord gives you bread of oppression and water of distress, your Teacher shall be hidden no more and your eyes shall see your Teacher.. 4Q164 Behold, I will set your stones in antimony. Interpreted, this saying concerns.. all Israel is like antimony surrounding the eye.

And I will lay your foundations with sapphires. Interpreted, this concerns the Priests and the people who laid the foundations of the Council of the Community.. the congregation of His elect like a sapphire among stones.

And I will make all your pinnacles of agate. Interpreted, this concerns the twelve chief Priests who shall enlighten by judgement of the Urim and Tummim.. which are absent from them, like the sun with all its light, and like the moon..

And all your gates of carbuncles. Interpreted, this concerns the chiefs of the tribes of Israel.. Commentaries on Hosea Two fragmentary manuscripts include exegeses of Hosea. In the first, the unfaithful wife is the Jewish people led astray by her lovers, the Gentiles. The second refers cryptically to 'the furious young lion', mentioned also in the Commentary on Nahum, and to 'the last Priest who shall.. strike Ephraim'. For the editio princeps, see J. M. Allegro and A. A. Anderson, DJD, V, 31—2. 4Q166 She knew not that it was I who gave her the new wine and oil, who lavished upon her silver and gold which they used for Baal. Interpreted, this means that they ate and were filled, but they forgot God who.. They cast His commandments behind them which He had sent by the hand of His servants the Prophets, and they listened to those who led them astray. They revered them, and in their blindness they feared them as though they were gods.