Friday, December 31, 2021

Kerry Muhlestein on the Textual Variant between Isaiah 21:8 in the Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls

Isa 21:8 in the KJV reads:

 

And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights.

 

Abegg, Flint, and Ulrich, in their The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, render the verse as:

 

The lookout shouted, O Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and am stationed at my post throughout the night.

 

"A lion" in the MT translates ‎אריה. This is an example of a seemingly small variant resulting in an important change. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaa) reads הראה and results in a more consistent text than the later MT. As Kerry Muhlestein notes:

 

The line translated as “a lion” is probably a mistake that crept into the text over time. The Dead Sea Scrolls preserve the text with one letter different in the word, which makes the translation “one who watches” rather than a “lion.” This makes much more sense in the context and is probably the correct translation. In this case, the watchman reports that he has been fully diligent in his duty. Since watchmen are symbols of those whom God has sent to warn others, and in this case may serve as a symbol of Isaiah himself, it is important to note that the things being seen from afar are being faithfully reported. (Kerry Muhlestein, Learning to Love Isaiah: A Guide and Commentary [American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, Inc., 2021], 181, emphasis added)

 

This also agrees with the NET note to Isa 21:8:

 

The Hebrew text has, "the lion," but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה‎‏‎ ('aryeh, "lion") is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה‎‏‎ (haro'eh, "the one who sees"), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. Isa 21:6.