4Q106

4Q106(or4QCant^a) is one large and three small fragments from three columns of a scroll containing portions of theSong of Songs(3:4-5, 7–11; 4:1–7; 6:11?-12; 7:1-7) inHebrew.It is one of three scrolls found in Cave 4 atQumranthat have been reconstructed as copies of the Song of Songs. These, and6Q6from Cave 6, comprise the total witness to the Song from theDead Sea Scrolls,known so far.

Description

Theparchmentof 4Q106 is tan in colour.The text is bordered by a top margin of 1.3 cm, bottom margin of 1.5 cm and an inter-column margin averaging 1.1 cm. There is clear evidence of vertical, but not horizontal ruling. Unidentified fragment 6, which is thought to derive from 4Q106 does show evidence of horizontal ruling, which would explain the extremely regular writing of this manuscript. Ada Yardeni, in a private communication toEmanuel Tov,dated the manuscript as earlyHerodian.

Contents

The large fragment and one of the small fragments provide the bulk of the surviving text — from column II. The two other small fragments are from columns I and III. What can be reconstructed from column I is:Song 3:4–5

• [^3:4... I grasped him and did no]t let him go until[I brought him to my mother's house, and into]
• [the room of the woman who conceived me.⁵I charge y]ou daughters[of Jerusalem...]

From column II can be read:

• Song 3:7–4:6

From column III can be read:

• Song 4:7;Song 6:12–7:7

See also

• List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts
• 4Q107= 4QCant^b
• 4Q108= 4QCant^c
• 6Q6= 6QCant
• Tanakh at Qumran

Literature

• Yardeni, Ada.The Book of Hebrew Script.The British Library: London, 2002.ISBN1-58456-087-8.

External links

• Emanuel Tov.'A Categorized List of All the "Biblical Texts" Found in the Judean Desert.'Dead Sea Discoveries8(2001): 67-84.
• 4Q106 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library