Upon you the LORD shall shine, and his glory shall be seen upon you.
Introduction
The Hymn of Zion (4Q457) is a fragmentary Cave 4 Hebrew manuscript preserving parts of an eschatological hymn centred on Jerusalem's final glory. Two fragments survive in a composite of columns; most individual lines are too damaged for continuous translation, but the apparatus confirms a sustained theological programme woven from the greatest prophetic texts about Zion's future.
The text opens with a citation from Psalm 87:5 — "of Zion it shall be said, this one and that one was born in her" — the image of Jerusalem as the mother-city of the nations. It moves through the language of dedicating the nations' wealth to God (echoing Micah 4:13), the messianic "Branch" (צמח), and the Malachi 3:10 motif of blessing "until there is no end." It reaches its climax in two of the most powerful prophetic images of the End of Days: Zechariah 14:5 — "the LORD my God shall come, and all the holy ones with him" — and Isaiah 60:2 — "upon you the LORD shall shine, and his glory shall be seen upon you."
The thematic arc is coherent and deliberate. Birth in Zion → the nations' wealth consecrated → battle and rejoicing → the Davidic Branch appearing → boundless blessing → the divine arrival with the heavenly host → the glory of God rising on Jerusalem. This is an eschatological liturgy, not a loose anthology; each scripture citation is placed in sequence to narrate the final acts.
The Qimron composite edition (CC BY 4.0, Zenodo 2020) provides the primary working text. The PDF font encoding renders most individual line characters opaque; the translation depends entirely on apparatus-confirmed readings.
Fragment 1 — Column i
[Lines 1–5: too fragmentary.]
[Line 6:] [...] our God [...]
[Lines 7–9: too fragmentary.]
Fragment 1 — Column ii
[Lines 1–5: too fragmentary.]
[Line 6:] [...] and of Zion it shall be said, this one and that one was born in her [...]
[Lines 7–9: too fragmentary.]
Fragment 2 — Column i
[Line 14:] [...] and I will devote their gain to the LORD [...] and I have devoted [...]
[Lines 15–20: too fragmentary.]
Fragment 2 — Column ii
[Line 1:] [...] he fought [...] rejoice [...]
[Line 2:] [...] the Branch [...]
[Lines 3–4: too fragmentary.]
[Line 5:] [...] until there is no end [...]
[Line 6:] [...] the LORD my God shall come, and all the holy ones with you [...]
[Line 7:] [...] and upon you the LORD shall shine, and his glory shall be seen upon you [...]
[Lines 8–9: too fragmentary.]
Colophon
Translated from the Hebrew of 4Q457 (Cave 4, Qumran), using the Qimron composite edition (CC BY 4.0, Zenodo 2020) as primary working text. The manuscript font encoding in the Qimron PDF renders the body text opaque throughout; the translation depends entirely on apparatus-confirmed readings and cross-references to biblical parallels.
Apparatus-confirmed readings: אלוהינו (our God); ולציון יאמר איש ואיש ילד בה (= Ps 87:5); והחרמתי לה' בצעם / וחרמתי (= Mic 4:13 echo: dedicating gain to the LORD); נלחם (fought); שמח (rejoice); צמח (the Branch — messianic title, Jer 23:5, Zech 3:8, 6:12); עד בלי די (= Mal 3:10: until there is no end); ובא ה' אלהי כל קדשים עמך (= Zech 14:5); ועליך יזרח ה' וכבודו עליך יראה (= Isa 60:2).
Good Works Translation — New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text
4Q457 — Fragment 1, Column i
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] אלוהינו [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
4Q457 — Fragment 1, Column ii
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] וְלְצִיּוֹן יֵאָמַר אִישׁ וְאִישׁ יֻלַּד בָּהּ [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
4Q457 — Fragment 2, Column i
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] וְהַחֲרַמְתִּי לַה' בִּצְעָם [...]
[...] [...] [...] וְחָרַמְתִּי [...]
4Q457 — Fragment 2, Column ii
[...] נִלְחַם [...] שָׂמַח [...]
[...] צֶמַח [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] עַד בְּלִי דַי [...]
[...] וּבָא ה' אֱלֹהַי כָּל קְדֹשִׁים עִמָּךְ [...]
[...] וְעָלַיִךְ יִזְרַח ה' וּכְבוֹדוֹ עָלַיִךְ יֵרָאֶה [...]
[...] [...] [...]
[...] [...] [...]
Source Colophon
Hebrew transcription of 4Q457 (Cave 4, Qumran), included in the Qimron composite edition of the Dead Sea Scrolls (CC BY 4.0, Zenodo 2020). The fragments preserve portions of an eschatological hymn. Cross-references to Psalm 87:5, Micah 4:13, Jeremiah 23:5, Zechariah 3:8 / 6:12, Malachi 3:10, Zechariah 14:5, and Isaiah 60:2 are confirmed through the critical apparatus. The Qimron PDF font encoding renders the body text opaque; only apparatus-confirmed readings are presented above.
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