The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The ... - josephprestonkirk

GEORGE J. BROOKE 313
when he slept with Bilhah his concubine. And he [s]aid, ‘Y[ou] are [my]
firstbo[rn ] Reuben, he was the firstfruits of …’ [… (4Q252 4.3–7) 70
Here something of the formal structure of pesher is clearly visible. The
passage has an overall title, “Blessings of Jacob,” which suggests that the
compiler of 4Q252 had in mind that much in the blessings of Jacob
remained unfulfilled and was to be completed in the life and experiences
of the community. After the title, the lines explicitly cite the scriptural
text. In this instance the text of Gen 49:3–4a seems to be furnished with
a text in a slightly different form from that in the MT or Samaritan
Pentateuch. The interpretation is introduced formally by the technical
phrase “Its interpretation is that” (r#) wr#p, ps ]rw )s ]r); 71 the term pesher
strongly suggests a link with the tradition of interpreting dreams in
Daniel and elsewhere. Just as Daniel interpreted dreams, so the Qumran
interpreter of these unfulfilled texts shows how their meaning will be
made real. In the instance cited here, the focus of the interpretation is a
retelling of the scriptural text, but in the following sentences one would
expect to discover how the author related the text to the audience’s present
experiences. The chief characteristic of prophetic exegesis is just such
identification.
Though such identification of items in the prophetic text or blessing
may seem arbitrary to the modern reader, this is actually far from the
case since the Qumranites understood Scripture to be providing a pattern
for all aspects of the community’s life and experiences. The following
example makes this clear by suggesting how the biblical extract and the
interpretation are linked:
Alas for [those who say] to wood, “Wake up!” “[Bestir!”] to dumb [sto]ne—
[it will teach! Though indeed it be plated with gold and silver, there is no
spirit at all within it! But the Lord is in His holy palace;] hush all earth, at
His presence! Its prophetic meaning concerns all the nations who worship
“stone” and “wood”; but on the Day of Judgment, God will eradicate all
the idolaters and the wicked from the earth. (1QpHab 12.14–13.4) 72
This closing section of the Habakkuk Pesher contains the explicit citation and
then the interpretation of Hab 2:19–20. Much in the biblical text is simply
reused in the interpretation. The identification that takes place is merely
that the text will become true on the day of judgment; this commentary
70. Trans. Brooke, “Commentary on Genesis A,” 204.
71. A comprehensive listing of the various forms of these formulae is provided by
Casey D. Elledge, “Exegetical Styles at Qumran: A Cumulative Index and Commentary,”
RevQ 21 (2003–4): 165–208.
72. Trans. Brownlee, Midrash Pesher of Habakkuk, 212.