Hyrcanus [...] in the bitterness of the day [...] Kittim.
Cave 4 Hebrew manuscripts. Published in DJD XXVII (Cross, Eshel et al., Qumran Cave 4.XX: Poetical and Liturgical Texts, Part 2, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997). Qimron composite edition, pp. 791–795.
Three brief, severely fragmentary manuscripts that together constitute the most direct historical testimony in the Dead Sea Scrolls to the Hasmonean civil war and Pompeian conquest of Jerusalem. 4Q331 names Shelamzion — Salome Alexandra (r. 76–67 BCE), the last Hasmonean queen. 4Q332 names Hyrcanus (Hyrcanus II) and the Kittim, the sectarian code-word for the Romans, in what appears to be a datable historical notation framed around priestly course calendrics. 4Q333 names Aemilius — almost certainly Aemilius Scaurus, Pompey's legate in Syria (65–62 BCE) — and records that Aemilius killed.
These texts are not pesharim — they do not comment on scripture through a sectarian lens. They appear to be raw historical notes: chronicle entries recording specific events under specific rulers, organized by the priestly calendar system. Their survival is accidental; their witness is irreplaceable.
4Q331 — Fragment 1, Column 2
(Only partially legible column. Priestly and royal context, no continuous narrative.)
[...] the whole [...]
[...] Yohanan [...]
[...] to Shelamzion [...]
4Q332 — Fragment 1
(Date formula — events recorded by calendar month and priestly year.)
[...] in the fourth [year...] in the sixth month [...] the seventh [...]
[...] he came [...] in the month [...] the twentieth [...]
[...] in the twenty-[...] month of the seventh [year...] the seventh [...]
[...] and he caused to return [...] the people [...]
[...] and also [...] and [...] the wretched of [...]
[...] the bitterness of the days [...]
4Q332 — Fragment 2
(Historical record of Hyrcanus and the Kittim.)
[...] he gave [...] in the night of [...]
[...] to receive it [...] for [...]
[...] that it was in the month when Hyrcanus came to [...] Zion [...]
[...] Kittim [...]
[...] in the bitterness of the day [...]
[...] Hyrcanus [...] killed [...] the people of [...]
4Q332 — Fragment 3
(Hyrcanus again, killing narrative.)
[...] sought [...]
[...] the Kittim killed the [...]
[...] in the knowledge of [...]
4Q333 — Fragment 1
(Aemilius Scaurus — Roman legate.)
[...] twenty [...]
[...] Aemilius [...]
[...] in the seventh month [...]
[...] that he was [...] indeed [...]
[...] the whole [...]
Aemilius killed [...].
4Q333 — Fragment 2
(Context of killing among the people of Judah.)
A man of Judah [...].
[...].
Colophon
Sources: 4Q331 (4QHistorical Text B), 4Q332 (4QHistorical Text C), 4Q333 (4QHistorical Text D), Cave 4, Qumran. Published in DJD XXVII: Qumran Cave 4.XX (Cross, Eshel, Larson, Levy, Milik, Qimron, Strugnell, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997). Qimron composite edition used for source text (pp. 791–795).
Historical context: The three figures named are:
- Shelamzion (שלמציון) = Salome Alexandra (Shlom Tzion), Hasmonean queen, r. 76–67 BCE. Her reign was regarded favorably by the Pharisees but is ambiguous in the DSS corpus.
- Hyrcanus (הרקנוס) = Hyrcanus II, son of Salome Alexandra. After her death (67 BCE), Hyrcanus and his brother Aristobulus II fought a civil war; Hyrcanus eventually prevailed with Roman support, becoming High Priest under Pompey.
- Aemilius (אמלאיוס) = Aemilius Scaurus, Pompey's legate in Syria (65–62 BCE), the first Roman governor of the province. He intervened in the Hasmonean civil war, taking bribes from both sides, and his killing activities in Judea are recorded in Josephus (Ant. 14.2–3; War 1.6).
The Kittim (כתיאים), the sect's standard code for Rome, appear alongside Hyrcanus — placing this fragment squarely in the crisis of 63–62 BCE, the Pompeian conquest year. The phrase "in the bitterness of the day" (במרירי יום) echoes Lamentations 1:4 and the sectarian vocabulary of communal suffering under foreign domination.
Translation: New Tianmu Anglican Church (AI-assisted). Translated from Hebrew. The Qimron PDF uses custom font encoding; all translatable phrases are apparatus-confirmed or directly readable Unicode Hebrew. Highly lacunose lines (fewer than 3 readable words) are omitted. Lacunae marked [...]. Fragment numbering follows DJD XXVII.
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