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

288 QUMRAN COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND TERMINOLOGY
that in the Rule of the Community, perfect (Mymt) conduct is expected from
every member of the community. 12 The word hd( is used only once in
the Rule of the Community (1QS 5.20), in the phrase #dwq td(, equivalent
with dxy; the phrase occurs twice in the Rule of the Congregation (1.9, 12–13).
(3) lhq
In the Rule of the Congregation and the Damascus Document the community is
sometimes referred to as lhq or lhqh (1QSa 1.25; CD 7.17 par. 4QD a
[= 4Q266] frag. 3 col. 3, line 18; 11.22; 12.6 par. 4QD f [= 4Q271] frag.
5, col. 1, line 21; 14.18 par. 4QD a [= 4Q266] frag. 10, col. 1, line 11,
4QD d [= 4Q269] frag. 11, col. 1, line 1); in the Rule of the Congregation one
also finds l) lhq (2.4). 13 There are no occurrences of the term in the
Rule of the Community. In the Deuteronomistic literature, the term lhq designates
the cultic community of Israel, and sometimes the divine name is
attached (hwhy lhq Num 16:3; 20:4; or Myhl) lhq Neh 13:1). In pre-
Deuteronomic literature the term is used rarely, but in Num 22:4 it is
applied to the large camp of Israel. 14
(4) hnxm
In comparison with dxy and hd(, the term hnxm which is particularly
frequent in the Damascus Document, appears to be different, for it seems to
lack almost completely the type of theological attributes attached to dxy
and hd(. Naturally, the term hnxm has a background in the Hebrew
Bible, where Israel is portrayed as a “camp” during its pre-Canaanite
12. 1QS 1.8; 2.2; 3.9; 8.9, 10, 18, 20, 21; 9.2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 19.
13. Actually, the manuscript reads hl) lhqb; it is to be corrected to l) lhqb.
14. Overall, there is no discernible difference in meaning between the terms hd(
and lhq in the Hebrew Bible; see Pope, IDB 1:670, and Jacob Milgrom, Leviticus
1–16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (AB 3; New York: Doubleday,
1991), 242–43. Milgrom suggests that “the alternation between hd( and lhq in legal
material may be due to editorial activity” (243). He argues that “…hd( is an ancient
technical term for the sociopolitical body that was called into session by Israel’s tribal
chieftains whenever a national transtribal issue arose. Once the monarchy was firmly
established, though, there was no further need for the hd( and, indeed, the term does
not occur even once in writings that can be dated at the end of the monarchy, such as
Deuteronomy or Ezekiel” (242). “Thus it can be suggested that once hd( fell into
desuetude, subsequent redactors of P had no other choice but to substitute lhq for it,
the very word that usurped its place. Out of reverence for the text, however, they did
not replace every hd( but only once or twice in each pericope, so that the reader
would know that the term he knew as lhq originally read hd( (243).