Isaiah 53 from the dead sea scrolls

[The Rogue Tomato]

I thought you'd find this interesting. The source is here. I've read that the DSS version is close to the LXX. I haven't compared them, myself.

Isaiah 53 from Scroll 1Q Isaiaha

1 Who has believed our message?

To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no good looks or majesty.

When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised,

and rejected by men;

and a man of suffering,

and acquainted with disease.

He was despised as one from whom men hide their face;

and we didn’t respect him.



4 Surely he has borne our sickness,

and carried our suffering;

yet we considered him plagued,

struck by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought our peace was on him;

and by his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray.

Everyone has turned to his own way;

and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.



7 He was oppressed,

yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth.

As a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he didn’t open his mouth.

8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment;

and as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living

and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

9 They made his grave with the wicked,

and with a rich man rich people in his death;

although he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.



10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him.

He has caused him to suffer.

When you make his soul an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring.

He will prolong his days,

and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light and be satisfied.

My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;

and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great,

and he will divide the plunder with the strong;

because he poured out his soul to death,

and was counted with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sins of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.



Isaiah 53 from Scroll 1Q Isaiahb

1 Who has believed our message?

To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no good looks or majesty.

When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised,

and rejected by men;

a man of suffering,

and acquainted with disease.

And he was despised as one from whom men hide their face;

and we didn’t respect him.



4 Surely he has borne our sickness,

and carried our suffering;

yet we considered him plagued,

struck by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions.

And he was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought our peace was on him;

and by his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray.

Everyone has turned to his own way;

and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.



7 He was oppressed,

yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth.

As a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he didn’t open his mouth.

8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment;

and as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living

and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

9 They made his grave with the wicked,

and with a rich man in his death;

although he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.



10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him.

He has caused him to suffer.

When you make his soul an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring.

He will prolong his days,

and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light[1] and be satisfied.

My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;

and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great,

and he will divide the plunder with the strong;

because he poured out his soul to death,

and was counted with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sins of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors their transgressions.



Isaiah 53 from Scroll 4Q57 Isaiahc

1 Who has believed our message?

To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

He has no good looks or majesty.

When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised,

and rejected by men;

a man of suffering,

and acquainted with disease.

He was despised as one from whom men hide their face;

and we didn’t respect him.

[..]

6 All we like sheep have gone astray.

Everyone has turned to his own way;

and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

[..]

8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment;

and as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living

and stricken for the disobedience of my people?



Isaiah 53 from Scroll 4Q58 Isaiahd

8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment;

and as for his generation,

who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living

and stricken for the disobedience of my people?

9 They made his grave with the wicked,

and with a rich man in his death;

although he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.



10 Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him.

He has caused him to suffer.

When you make his soul an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring.

He will prolong his days,

and Yahweh’s pleasure will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul,

he will see the light[1] and be satisfied.

My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself;

and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great,

and he will divide the plunder with the strong;

because he poured out his soul to death,

and was counted with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sins of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

 

[The Rogue Tomato]

Another interesting deviation from the Masoretic text is that the DSS (Deuteronomy? I forget) says God apportioned the land according to the sons of God, not according to the tribes. IMO, this implies that he assigned the lands for the tribes and put protecting angels there.

 

[Johann]

Another interesting deviation from the Masoretic text is that the DSS (Deuteronomy? I forget) says God apportioned the land according to the sons of God, not according to the tribes. IMO, this implies that he assigned the lands for the tribes and put protecting angels there.

The Jewish non-Christian writings that can be used to determine 1st century Jewish thinking are as follows:

The Septuagint (LXX) translation of the OT [250 BC]. This translation of the Hebrew OT (into Greek) was done by Jewish scholars of pre-Christian date.

In some cases they 'smuggled' THEIR interpretations into the translation. In some of these cases, they make their messianic interpretations EXPLICIT, by putting them INTO THE TRANSLATION.

By comparing the Hebrew OT passage with the LXX version of the same passage, we can sometimes uncover messianic interpretations of OT passages--indicating messianic expectations in pre-Christian Jewry.

Jewish Apocrypha - almost all of the material of these 15 books was written in the 1st/2nd centuries BC., and as such give us visibility into the thoughts of 1st century Judaism.
Jewish Pseudepigrapha - many of these writings pre-date, or are contemporaneous with, the NT. As such they represent writings/sentiments present in 1st century Judaism.

Dead Sea Scrolls - these writings ALL either pre-date the NT or are contemporaneous with it. As such THEY represent writings/sentiments present in 1st century Judaism (and often anti-Pharisaic, I might add--with a wink at James Still).
The works of Philo and Josephus--both are either pre-NT or simul-NT. They will give us some data on messianic expectations.

The Targums. These were Aramaic translations of the Hebrew OT, that apparently circulated during the time of Jesus (e.g. there are Targums of Job and Lev. in the Dead Sea Scrolls). Although these documents were written down AFTER the NT period, these represent typically VERY ancient understandings of OT passages. If the Targums interpreted OT passages messianically, this generally indicates that ancient Jewry had messianic expectations. We also know that targums circulated BEFORE the NT times, since some of them were found at Qumran.
Hebrew Bible, as interpreted by early (tannaic) rabbinical writers, as they wrote commentaries on OT passages. If the earliest rabbis interpreted OT passages messianically, then this is strong evidence that the sources THEY used--1st century rabbis--held messianic expectations.) Like the targums, although these documents were written down AFTER the NT period, these often represent VERY ancient understandings of OT passages.
Historical data on messianic claimants. If we find "early, frequent, and easy" popular acceptance of messianic claimants (esp. of varying shapes, colors, and sizes...) this will constitute data as to the popular expectation of messianic figures.

The Septuagint (LXX) translation of the OT. [LTJM:121]

Gen 49.10 (Hebrew):The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.

WITH the LXX version: A ruler shall not fail from Judah, or a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of the nations.

Num 24.7 (Heb): Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. "Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.

WITH the LXX version: There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of God shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.(!)

Num 24.17 (Heb): "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.

WITH the LXX version: I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.

Ps 72.5,7 (Heb): He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations....In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. WITH the LXX version: And he shall continue as long as the sun, and before the moon forever...In his days shall righteousness spring up; and abundance of peace till the moon be removed.

Ps 110.3 (Heb): Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy majesty, from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. WITH the LXX version: With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendors of thy saints: I have begotten thee from the womb before the MorningStar.

Is 9.6 (Heb): For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

WITH the LXX version: For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the Messenger/Angel of the Great Council. (cf. the Targum: "the Angel of the Face"!)

J.