SCRIBAL PRACTICES AND APPROACHE S ... - Emanuel Tov

Scribal Practices and Approaches Reflected in the Texts from the Judean Desert 93
Nonbiblical Scrolls
H: 4QH c (4Q429) with 12 lines (cf. 4QpapH f [4Q432]) is much smaller than 1QH a (41, 42 lines).
S: 10–27 lines, while 1QS has larger dimensions.
4QMMT: 11–20 lines.
D: 20–25 lines.
4QShirShabb: 4QShirShabb a (4Q400) and MasShirShabb contain 21 and 26 lines respectively as opposed to 50
lines in 4QShirShabb d (4Q403).
4QInstr: 21–29 lines.
4QprEsth ar (4Q550): 7, 8 lines.
Since the number of lines differs in these scrolls containing the same compositions, it is to be
expected that they were written in different layouts, and that the words appearing at the
beginning of each line differed from copy to copy. This discrepancy also entailed differences in
the indication of open and closed sections in such parallel manuscripts (ch. 5a3 and TABLE 4).
Exceptions are the pairs 4QDan a /4QDan b and 4QShirShabb a (4Q400) 2 1–2/4QShirShabb b
(4Q401) 14 i 7–8 as described in ch. 2i and further:
4QD a (4Q266) 1a–b 22 r‚p‚a. The scribe wrongly wrote a word which should be written at the beginning of the
following line. This mistake probably indicates that the column of the scribe’s Vorlage had the same width as the
present copy.
4QD a (4Q266) 11 15 wm[ tway_ rçaw jltçmhw wmwlç çwrdy rçaw. The scribe wrongly copied this word from the
same position in the previous line, continuing the correct text upon crossing out the word. This mistake probably
indicates that the column of the scribe’s Vorlage had the same width as the present copy.
Margins
All texts written in scrolls and on single sheets were copied with clearly indicated margins on all
sides, with the exception of tefillin that used all the available space for writing. This pertains also
to small scraps such as 4Q339 (4QList of False Prophets ar), which has clearly recognizable
margins (top, bottom, left).
In b. Shabb. 116a, any margin (top, bottom, and intercolumnar margins, as well as uninscribed
spaces at the beginning and end of the scroll) is named ˆwylg.
Top and bottom margins. The margins in the Qumran scrolls are usually of the same size
within each sheet, although they may differ between sheets due to slight differences in the size of
the leather. In the Qumran leather and papyrus texts, the bottom margins are usually larger than
the top margins (TABLE 19). This is also the case with the SP manuscripts (Crown, Samaritan
Scribes, 74–5 and idem, “Samaritan Scribal Habits,” 175–7). In some Qumran scrolls the two
margins are identical and in others, a larger top margin is made. No rule can be defined for content
differences between the scrolls reflecting the two types of margins; different conventions must
have been followed by scroll manufacturers. Large bottom margins enabled easy handling of the
scroll, and as such, they were prescribed for Scripture by rabbinic sources, see b. Menah≥. 30a
(cf. Massekhet Sefer Torah 2.4):
çlç hfmlm ˆyçmwjbw tw[bxa ytç bjwr jwyr almk πdl πd ˆybw tw[bxa ‘g hl[mlm jpf hfmlm ˆwylg rw[yç
ldwg bjwr jwyr almk πdl πd ˆybw tw[bxa ytç hl[mlm tw[bxa
The width of the bottom margin shall be one handbreadth , of the top margin three
fingerbreadths , and of the intercolumnar margin two fingerbreadths . In the books of the Torah the bottom margin shall be three fingerbreadths , the top margin two fingerbreadths , and the inter-columnar margin a thumb-breadth
. 139
Likewise, y. Meg. 1.71d and Sof. 2.5 prescribe two fingerbreadths above the text and
three below for all the books of Scripture, except the Torah. The discussion in these
139 The calculations are quoted from Yadin, Temple Scroll, I.16.