Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered - The Preterist Archive

closes.
Column 5 moves on to Judah. The exegesis it contains has to be considered the climax of the work
and for our purposes, exegesis generally at Qumran. Nor are we any longer in the realm of Biblical
rewrite or condensation, but exegesis pure and simple. This takes as its starting point Jacob's blessing
on Judah in Gen. 49:10: 'The Sceptre shall not pass from Judah, nor the Staff from between his feet
until the coming of the Shiloh to whom the peoples will gather.'
In an exegesis of the most far-reaching eschatological significance, Column 5.1 interprets 'the
Sceptre', also mentioned in the Star Prophecy in Num. 24 - the 'Star' and the 'Sceptre' are equivalent -
in terms of the Government. It will be recalled that the latter prophecy is also interpreted, as we have
seen above, in the Damascus Document. Though the first part of the exegesis of the Shiloh Prophecy
is missing from the present document, it is clear that this is to involve a Davidic descendant, i.e.
someone from 'the seed' of David mentioned in Line 5.5, which was so important in Christian
Messianic expectations we've mentioned. In 5.2 the 'Staff or 'Law-Giver' (the Mehokkek ) in the
Shiloh Prophecy is interpreted in terms of 'the Covenant of the Kingdom'. In Lines 3 -4, the 'feet' in
this prophecy are interpreted as the leaders or military commanders of Israel and finally, most
significantly of all, 'Shiloh' is distinctly identified as 'the Messiah of Righteousness'. That he is to be a
descendant of David is made explicit in Line 5.5 as we have seen.
This Mehokkek or 'Staff' is also mentioned in another prophecy from Num. 2 1:18. Like the Star
Prophecy from Num. 24 that follows it, this too is interpreted in the Damascus Document (vi.3 - 11).
In Column vii. 2 0 of the Damascus Document, the 'Sceptre' referred to in the Star Prophecy is
definitively interpreted in terms of the Nasi ha--'Edah/'the Leader of the Community', the subject of
the text by that name in Chapter 1.
In the interpretation of the Mehokkek prophecy that precedes it, 'Damascus' is mentioned, from which
the Damascus Document takes its name. So are 'the penitents of Israel', who are also mentioned in the
exegesis of Ezekiel's 'sons of Zadok' prophecy two columns prior to this in Column iv. These
'penitents' - called 'the Priests' in the Column iv exegesis - 'go out from the land of Judah' in both
exegeses 'to dwell in the land of Damascus'. The 'Staff' is delineated as the 'seeker after the Torah';
and the 'well', which he digs in the Num. 21 reference, is again 'the Torah'. The 'staves' in Num. 21,
i.e. the Laws, are what they (the Mehokkek's followers) are commanded to walk in 'during all the Era
of Evil' until 'the One who pours out Righteousness (Yoreh ha-Zedek) arises (or stands up) at the end
of days.'
Here the 'Messiah of Righteousness', i.e. Mashiah ha-Zedek resonating with Yoreh ha-Zedek above
and other equally pregnant usages, is definitely identified with 'the Branch of David'. But this
expression is also mentioned in the Messianic Leader (Nasi) text in Chapter 1 above. This now brings
all these usages full circle, including the Nasi ha-'Edah ('the Leader of the Community') called 'the
Star' in CD, vii above. As we have seen, too, 'peoples' in the Shiloh Prophecy above is in some sense
an important eschatological usage at Qumran. In the present text in Line 5.4, it gives way to 'His
people', 'the Covenant of whose Kingdom was given unto him (i.e. the Messianic 'Branch' or 'Star')
forever'.