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Communal Confession — Source Text

✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦

The Hebrew of 4Q393 (with 4Q392 as printed), line by line as Qimron prints it. The English translation, printed with this same Hebrew, is on the page Communal Confession.

Source Text: תפילה (4Q393 + 4Q392)

The Hebrew as printed in Qimron, vol. 3, pp. 156–159. Square brackets enclose gaps and Qimron's restorations. ◦ marks an illegible letter. A dot above a letter (ׄ) marks a damaged letter read with confidence, a small circle above (֯) a doubtful reading, and a bar above (̄) a letter that could also be read as a similar one. Line numbers follow the edition. Other signs: ⟦ ⟧ a gap at an indirect join, ⸢ ⸣ damaged skin or faded ink, ( ) an erasure, * a corrected or corrupt word, ^ ^ a word above the line.

קטע 1

1 ]וׄמׄמלׄכות[ ואת]

2 [דרך ל]בׄוׄ הׄ[ג]יד אישׄ ה֯א֯ל֯הים ולא לסור מכׄ[ל חוקיו ללכת ימין ושמאל]

3 [ו]בבריתו תׄדׄבק נפשנׄוׄ וׄלׄ[דר]וׄש דברי פיה֯[ו כי אדו]נ֯יׄ אלהיׄ[ם] ב֯שׄמׄיׄםׄ

4 ממעל ולחקר דרכי בני האדם [ו]אין סתר מׄלׄפׄנו הׄוא בׄרא חשךׄ [והא]וׄר לו

5 וׄבמעונתו אור אׄוׄרתם וכל אפלהׄ לפנו נחה ואין עמו להבדיל בׄיׄן האור

6 לׄחשך כי לבני [אד]ם֯ הבדילם לאׄ[ור] יוׄמם ובשמש לילה ירחׄ וכוכבים

7 ו֯עמו אור לאיןׄ חקרׄ ואין לדעתׄ[ מה ה]וא כי פלא֯[י]ם כל מעשי אל, אנחנו

8 בשר הלוא נשכיל כמה עמנו לעׄ[שות נפ]לׄאׄות וׄמ֯פׄתים לאיןׄ מׄספר

9 [כי ב]מרום [עמו ר]ו֯חוׄת וברׄקים [במעונתו מ]שרתׄי דבׄיׄ[ר] מׄלפנו יצׄאׄים, המו֯ן֯

10 [גשמים ]ל֯[ ]

קטעים 6–9*

1 ]⸢◦ ◦◦◦◦ם⸣ ◦[ ]

2 ]ת אדמה ויאבי[דם ]

3 [ ו]⸢[י]⸣כל מן הארץ ואׄ◦⟦ ⟧א֯נׄוׄ ל֯תתׄ⟦ ⟧◦[ ]◦[ ]

4 ]◦ב אשר כמוה לא⟦היתה מן ⟧ה֯ע֯ו֯לם, בׄא֯⟦רץ מדבר⟧ וצמאון[ כלכלנו]

5 [ כא]ב לבׄנׄוׄ ו֯כׄצפור לאפ⟦רוחה ודרו⟧ר לקנה נפ⟦ ⟧ץ֯ אשרׄ לא[ ]

6 ]◦ י̄עוף⟦ ⟧◦ לאׄין כׄמׄוׄהׄ⟦ ⟧⸢ ◦ ⸣לׄ אד֯[ ]

7 [ כנש]רׄ יׄדׄאה פׄ⟦רש כנפיו וישאנו ⟧לׄ[ ]

8 ]ל֯[ ]

קטעים 2+5+12 א (= 4Q393 קטע 1 א)

1 ]◦נׄן

2 ]◦א

3 ]◦מת

4 ]◦◦

5 [ ]

6 [ הכביד פר]עׄוׄהׄ [ל]בבוׄ אׄ[ ]

7 [ פר]עׄו באתוׄתׄ ובמפׄתׄיׄם ◦⟦ויבא עליו נג⟧ו֯עים

8 [אשר לא נעשו ב]כ֯ל ממלכה עד הׄיׄום הזה וׄיׄפׄד֯⟦נו מידו ⟧ה֯ו֯ציאנו

9 [ממצרים לימים ]ל֯אין חקר, במיׄםׄ עז֯ים דׄרׄך֯ בק֯⟦ע, בתהום ⟧רׄבה

10 [כסה פרעו, יטבי]עׄנו במצוׄלת כׄמו אבׄ⟦ן ויוליכנו במדבר וי⟧כלכלנו

(שוליים תחתונים)

קטע 12 ב (= 4Q393 קטע 1 ב–2)

1 ]שמׄע א֯לׄו֯ה֯י֯נ֯ו֯[ ]

2 והׄ◦◦⟦ ⟧מׄי⸢ ⸣למען תצדק בדבׄר֯[י]ך֯

3 וׄתׄ⟦זכה בשופ⟧ט֯כה ה֯נה בעונותינו נס⸢כׄנׄ[ו]⸣

4 ^[ח]ו֯ל֯ל֯[נו]^ בׄח֯⟦טאותינו ⟧ק֯שי ערף, אלוהינו הׄסתר

5 פׄניׄךׄ מחטׄ⟦אותינו וכול ⟧עונוׄת֯ינו מחה ורוח חׄדשהׄ

6 בׄרא בנו ⸢וׄכׄונ֯ן֯⸣ בקׄרבׄנׄו֯ יצר אמונות, *ולפשעׄיׄם דׄרׄכׄיׄך

7 וחטאים השב אליך וׄ⟦רו⟧חׄ נשברה מלפניך תמ֯ך֯ ב֯עׄל

8 עלׄ פי עמך למען נ֯חׄ[לת]ךׄ ו⸢ת֯⸣מו⸢ךׄ⸣ על סלׄ[ע רגלם מ]ט֯ו

9 גׄוׄים וממלכות יׄוׄבׄ⟦דו ⟧ל֯[ ]רׄ[ ]

10 ⸢◦◦רׄ⸣בׄ◦◦םׄ ו֯ה֯פ֯[ו]שׄע[ים ]

11 לעמיכה למעׄןׄ [ ]◦◦[ ]

(שוליים תחתונים)

קטע 13 (= 4Q393 קטעים 3+7)

01 ]◦ח י[ ]

1 ]תׄ כיא[ ]◦◦[ אתה]

2 [הוא אלוהי]נ֯ו האל *הׄנׄא֯מ֯ן שומׄרׄ [ה]בׄרית ו֯הׄחסד לאהׄב֯⟦יו ולשמ⟧רי מצו[תיו]

3 [שמעה ]קׄ[ו]ל מושה, אל תעזוב עמך [ו]נׄחׄלתך וׄאל ללכת איש בשרירות לבו

4 [הר]ע, ⸢כ֯[י]⸣ רצונך אלוׄהי רׄב֯ הׄוׄא *וׄתע[ז]וׄב עמך ונחלתך ואל ללכת איש

5 בׄשררו⸢ת֯⸣ לבו הרע מ֯י אׄזׄרׄ כח ועל מי תאיר פנׄיך ולאׄ יׄטהרוׄ ויתקדשו

6 ויתרו⸢מׄ⸣מו למעלה לכול אתה הוא יהוה בחרתה באבותינו למקדם,

7 תעמיד⸢נ֯⸣ו לשאריתׄ להם לתת לנו הקימות לאברהם לישראל ולהוריש

8 לׄ[פ]נ֯יהםׄ[ גוים גדולים] גבורי(ם) החילׄ ועׄצומיׄ כח לתׄתׄ לנו בתים מלאים

9 [כול טוב ובורות חצובים ומקו]יׄ מים כ֯רמים וזיתים ו֯[נ]חׄלת עׄם [נכר]

10 [ אברה]םׄ ⸢י֯צ֯חׄקׄ [וי]עׄק֯⸣[וב ]

קטע 14 (= 4Q393 קטע 4)

1 ]ך֯[ ]

2 ]⸢◦◦ ⸣צק[ ]

3 ]⸢◦אׄ⸣נו אל[ו]הׄיׄנ֯ו֯ יׄה[ ]

4 [ל]⸢ע֯יׄנ֯⸣נו עשיתה כ[ ]

5 [אלו]הׄי אברׄהם ישחקׄ[ ויעקוב]

6 ]◦[ ]◦◦לׄ[ ]

Source Colophon

Transcribed from the rendered pages of the CC BY 4.0 composite edition (Zenodo, 2020) of Elisha Qimron, The Dead Sea Scrolls: The Hebrew Writings, vol. 3 (Jerusalem: Yad Ben-Zvi Press, 2015), pp. 156–159. Qimron's introduction: the work was written by two scribes in the Herodian period. 4Q393 has a fragment with two columns from two sheets, the first column in one scribe's hand and the second in another's, and the text of the first column runs together with fragment 2 of 4Q392. The first editor, Daniel Falk, recognized that the fragments belong to one scroll but held that the scroll contained two works, and so separated texts that he himself grants complete each other; the 2000 edition that Qimron cites as ג״ט corrected this. Qimron presents the fragments as one work and orders the large fragments by content: the first hand opens with God's wonders in creation, in the Exodus and in the wilderness, and the second continues with confession of sin and a plea for God's mercies and salvation. He thinks the first scribe's fragment preserves most of the opening and the small fragments after it belong with it. His fragment numbers differ from Falk's: the fragment written by both scribes is numbered 12 by its place in the work, and the following fragments are numbered to match, with Falk's numbers in parentheses. He leaves out 4Q392 fragment 3, because its reading is problematic and it seems to speak in the first person singular, not the first person plural used elsewhere in the work. First edition: Daniel Falk, from a draft edition by Strugnell, DJD XXIX, pp. 23–61. Menahem Kister, in a study Qimron cites as "Or", re-edited the first fragment and explained its meaning and importance.

Qimron's notes, in brief:

  • Fragment 1, line 2: "[the way of] his heart" means the law of God. "The man of God declared" is a new reading; the first edition read lhḥyd. "Going right or left" is compared with the Community Rule 1:15.
  • Line 3: nafshenu, "our soul", might also be read nafsham, "their soul"; the last letter is a waw with its head cut off. "And to seek" stands for "and they will seek"; compare Kister. The dalet of "words" is clear in photograph 41.426, and Ariel and Yadin suggest that the bet of "in the heavens" is visible in photograph B-295493.
  • Line 4: "and to search" means "and he searches", as Kister reads. Seter seems to be a passive participle, "in a hidden place"; compare the Temple Scroll 66:4. The first edition read [w']wr where Qimron restores "and the light".
  • Line 5: orathom means "the divine light", as Kister explains. Naḥah means "rests, lies idle".
  • Lines 5–6: God has no need to divide light from darkness; he divides them only for human beings. Compare 2 Chronicles 26:18.
  • Line 6: Kister holds that the original text read "for light by day the sun, and by night the moon and stars", and explains how the text became corrupt. Qimron suggests the text may be kept if "for li[ght]" is restored as "to gi[ve light]", as the Targum of Jonathan renders Jeremiah 31:35; the sense would be that the sun gives light by day, and by night the moon and the stars. Compare Genesis 1:14–16.
  • Line 8: the first edition read "in what" for "how much"; see Kister. "To d[o]" might also be "to in[crease]". The sense is "how many wonders God does for us".
  • Lines 9–10: the restorations are new. For "inner shrine" compare the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, first song, line 4. "A roar" is written in the margin; compare Jeremiah 10:13. The first edition read hm'[rwt], "the lights".
  • Fragments 6–9: the fragments are combined as the first edition suggested, p. 42. The restorations proposed there are doubtful in syntax and sense, but the bird images give the combination some reason. Line 2: compare Genesis 47:19. Line 3: "[and he] destroyed" is compared with Pesher Habakkuk 13:2–4, "and on the day of judgment God will destroy all … from the earth"; another restoration is [ʾ]kl, and Ariel and Yadin propose "and he wiped out all". Line 5: "and a swal]low" is a new reading after Psalm 84:4; a trace of the letter before "that" is visible in photograph 41.800. Line 7: compare Jeremiah 48:40 and 49:22.
  • Fragments 2+5+12a, line 6: the first edition read [pr]'h. Line 7: if the reading and restoration are right, this too is a phonetic spelling of the name Pharaoh. The first edition read [n]g'ym where Qimron reads [ng]w'ym; traces of the waw are visible in photograph 41.427. Line 9: "[for days] beyond searching" as in the Hodayot 16:18; "beyond" follows photograph 42.507. The first edition read mdrk for "a way", but the mark before the dalet cannot be identified as a letter in any photograph.
  • Fragment 12b, line 1: "Hear, our God" as Ariel and Yadin read it in photograph B-295484; the skin is warped and blurred. Compare Daniel 9:17.
  • Line 2: the first edition restored "and the evil in your eyes I have done" from Psalm 51:6, but the remaining letters do not fit. Lines 2–4, "so that … we were brought forth", follow Psalm 51:6–7; the first letters of "we were brought forth" are written in the margin.
  • Line 3: the first edition read tz[kh]. Qimron restores "when you judge", or "in [your judg]ment", or "[your judg]ment". Nesakkenu means "we were formed".
  • Lines 4–6: "hide … faithfulness" follows Psalm 51:11. Line 4: the first edition read bṭ[m't]; "stiff" is read as Ariel and Yadin read it. The first edition took the leg of the qof for the upright stroke of the lamed of [kwl] in line 5, but the position of the trace does not fit.
  • Line 6: *"and for transgressors your ways" seems to be a corruption of "and teach transgressors your ways"; see the first edition's reference to Psalm 51:15. The word may also serve as a second object of "set firm".
  • Line 7: the first edition read w'[l rw]ḥ. Tmk, "uphold", might also be tzk; the first edition read thdp. For b'l the first edition read 'l, but a command form is needed here.
  • Line 8: for 'l py compare 'ullefu, "they fainted", in Isaiah 51:20; one may read 'ullefe or 'illefe, referring to the broken spirit, and the text may be corrupt. The first edition read ḥr[wnk r]b for "your inheritance", and "and continually on [your] forg[iveness]" for "and support on the ro[ck their feet]".
  • Lines 8–9: "[they tot]tered … will per[ish]" is compared with Psalm 46:7, "nations raged, kingdoms tottered". The first edition read [bṭḥ]w … ywm[rw], and Ariel and Yadin read wypl[w], "and they fell", for "will per[ish]".
  • Line 10: no reading yet proposed for ◦◦r b◦◦m fits the traces and the syntax; the first edition read "and in their words", and Ariel and Yadin suggest "and I will mix them". "And the trans[gress]ors" is read as Ariel and Yadin read it; compare line 6.
  • Fragment 13, line 2: "our God" is restored from Deuteronomy 7:9 and other sources; see the first edition. In *"faithful" the letters are corrected and the he is added in the space between the words. Compare Nehemiah 9:32, "and now, our God, the great, mighty and awesome God, keeping the covenant and the kindness". The first edition read [h'lwhy]m.
  • Line 3: the qof of "voice" is clear in photograph B-294943. The first edition read "[you commanded] Moses", but there is a space before the lamed, and in photograph 41.427 a vertical stroke before the lamed fits a qof, not an aleph. For "hear the voice of" compare Deuteronomy 33:7 and Psalm 64:2. "And let no one walk" means "so that he will not walk".
  • Lines 3–5: the text seems to be corrupt; the repetitions do not make sense. Lines 3–4, "and let no one … evil": compare Jeremiah 11:8.
  • Line 4: the first edition read "as your will"; the yod is rubbed away entirely and little of the kaph remains; see photograph 41.427. For "great" the first edition read h[y]h. *"And you abandon" is a corruption of "do not abandon", and what follows is a mistaken repetition of line 3.
  • Line 5: the first edition read w'zr; the mem is rubbed away, but its base appears in photograph 41.427. In "be made pure" the waw may have been erased; the yod appears in photograph B-294943.
  • Line 6: "above all" means "more than all human beings"; see the parallels the first edition cites. For "you chose our fathers from of old" compare the Damascus Document ("for God did not choose them from of old") and Nehemiah 9:7, "you are the LORD God who chose Abram".
  • Line 7: the syntax is garbled. Line 8: "before them" or "their sons"; "to give" and "full" follow photograph 41.427. Line 9: "[foreign]" or "[many]"; the gap fits a short word.
  • Fragment 14, line 4: "[before] our eyes" is a new reading; compare Joshua 24:17, "and who did these great signs before our eyes".

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