4QInstruction

4QInstruction

Matthew J. Goff
Series: Wisdom Literature from the Ancient World
Copyright Date: 2013
Published by: Society of Biblical Literature
Pages: 388
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5hjgmx
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  • Book Info
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    4QInstruction
    Book Description:

    The wisdom tradition of ancient Israel, represented in the Hebrew Bible by Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes and in the Apocrypha by Ben Sira and the Wisdom of Solomon, is also well-attested in the texts from Qumran. 4QInstruction (1Q26, 4Q415–418, 4Q423), the largest wisdom text of the Dead Sea Scrolls, is considered a sapiential text primarily because of its explicit and insistent pedagogical nature. To make this significant wisdom text more widely available, this volume offers a critical edition, translation, and commentary on the main fragments of 4QInstruction. It examines particular texts of 4QInstruction as well as broader issues, including its date, genre, main themes, and place in Second Temple Judaism. Finally, in order to contextualize this pivotal work, 4QInstruction’s relationship to the sapiential and apocalyptic traditions is also explored.

    eISBN: 978-1-58983-783-6
    Subjects: Religion

Table of Contents

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  1. Front Matter (pp. i-vi)
  2. Table of Contents (pp. vii-viii)
  3. Acknowledgments (pp. ix-x)
  4. Abbreviations (pp. xi-xiv)
  5. A Note on the Critical Text (pp. xv-xvi)
  6. Introduction (pp. 1-30)

    4QInstruction (1Q26, 4Q415–418, 4Q423), also known asmusar le-mebin, is the longest sapiential text found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. There has been a great deal of interest in this composition in recent years.¹ 4QInstruction was officially published in 1999 in DJD 34 by John Strugnell and Daniel Harrington.² 1Q26 was originally published in DJD 1, which appeared in 1955.³ Strugnell correctly suggested in August 1955 that 1Q26 might be part of a larger sapiential text, perhaps written by the Qumran sect, which is represented by four manuscripts from Cave 4, now numbered 4Q415–418.⁴ By 1959 the basic...

  7. Text, Translation, and Commentary (pp. 31-308)

    1 Like a father honor your fa[ther-in-l]aw. …

    2 Do not depart from his heart and …

    3 all the day long and in his bosom (is) [your] cove[nant…]

    4 lest you neglect a ho[ly] covenant …

    5 And one who is hostile to you (lit. “your soul”) and …

    6 a w[i]fe fore[ver…You will no longer live]

    7 in the house of [your] ori[gins]. Rather in your covenant you [will be faithful … You will become]

    8 an object of praise in the mouth of all men …

    9 … from the house of (your) birth...

  8. Bibliography (pp. 309-332)
  9. Index of Ancient Sources (pp. 333-364)
  10. Index of Modern Authors (pp. 365-371)

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