Željko Stanojević
Institute for Hebrew Language and Literature, Belgrade
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0717-6184
Abstract
This study offers a philologically grounded analysis and English translation of Column 7 of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa), covering Isaiah 7:15–8:8. The research focuses on orthographic structure, scribal intervention, and textual organization within the Qumran manuscript tradition. Special emphasis is placed on the interaction between consonantal variation, orthographic expansion, and syntactic irregularities, as well as on the role of graphic and editorial markers preserved in the manuscript.
The analysis situates the Qumran text in relation to the Masoretic Text, identifying both systematic orthographic tendencies and meaningful textual divergences. In addition to the analytical component, the study presents a structured English translation that preserves the manuscript’s internal features and reflects its linguistic particularities.
Keywords
Great Isaiah Scroll; 1QIsaa; Qumran; Dead Sea Scrolls; Biblical Hebrew; Qumran Hebrew; Isaiah 7–8; orthography; textual criticism; scribal practices; Hebrew linguistics; manuscript analysis; Masoretic Text
Description
This study represents the seventh analytical unit within an ongoing comprehensive project dedicated to the full philological examination of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa). Column 7 is approached through an integrated methodological framework combining textual criticism, Hebrew linguistics, and manuscript analysis.
The research examines both the physical and textual dimensions of the column, including structural segmentation, spacing conventions (spatia), and visible traces of scribal activity such as corrections, insertions, and marginal notation. Particular attention is devoted to the functional role of these features in organizing the text and potentially reflecting underlying syntactic or rhetorical structures.
Orthographic patterns—including consonantal variation, suffix expansion, and deviations in verbal morphology—are systematically analyzed in comparison with the Masoretic Text. The study also considers the broader linguistic profile of Qumran Hebrew, including the use of matres lectionis and indications of non-standardized orthographic practices.
The work includes a carefully aligned English translation of Isaiah 7:15–8:8, preserving key textual markers and reflecting the manuscript’s internal structure. This translation is intended to serve both as a philological tool and as a transparent representation of the textual phenomena present in 1QIsaa.
Access
Primary scholarly version (DOI):
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19594321
Open repository version (HCommons record):
https://works.hcommons.org/records/xss31-psq69
OSF project version:
https://osf.io/9f8mr/overview
Citation
Stanojević, Željko. The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran (1QIsaa): Orthographic and Scribal Features, Analysis, and Translation — Column 7 (Isaiah 7:15–8:8). Zenodo, 2026.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19594321
Project Context
This study forms part of a large-scale research project dedicated to the systematic analysis of all fifty-four columns of the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa). Each column is treated as an independent yet methodologically integrated unit, contributing to a comprehensive reconstruction of the scroll’s orthographic system, scribal practices, and textual development.
The project aims to provide a consistent philological framework applicable across the entire manuscript, enabling comparative analysis and deeper insight into the transmission of the Isaiah text in the Second Temple period.
Related Studies
– Previous Column 6:
https://zeljkostanojevic.hcommons.org/column-6-the-great-isaiah-scroll-from-qumran-1qisaa-orthographic-and-scribal-features-analysis-and-translation/
– Research Project Overview:
https://zeljkostanojevic.hcommons.org/the-great-isaiah-scroll-from-qumran-1qisaa-research-project-overview/