Expert: Edward Bode - 3/12/2007

Question
Hello. I'm having a hard time actually understanding the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the question of translating the Old Testament. My understanding is that before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the earliest surviving Hebrew Old Testament manuscript was the Masoretic Text dating from the 10th century AD or so. I was also under the impression that the earliest surviving Septuagint manuscripts dated from the 300s AD or so. What did the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about the respective reliability of the Septuagint and the Masoretic text in transmitting the original text of the Old Testament?

Answer
I just read an article concerning Ps 145:13, which in the DSS does have the phrase [already found in the Greek]: The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.  That phrase, missing in King James Version, is now restored to its original and deserved place, thanks to the DSS.  I thought that you might be interested in this specific instance of DDS affecting the Old Testament Jewish text of the tenth century.

I am not an expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls[DSS].
I am not aware of any significant or major impact of the DSS on correcting the critical text of the Old Testament.  New critical editions and also contemporary translations do make note of the DSS readings at the appropriate verses.  Some clarifications or suggestions for specific verses do appear in such publications.
Also, keep in mind that the DSS are incomplete in regard to the OT and the condition of the scrolls varies widely.
Also, the scrolls have helped to elucidate the tendencies of various manuscript traditions that existed at the time of the DSS.  As I recall, DSS offers support for some Greek manuscript readings that differ slightly from the Masoretic.
I apologize for not being able to help more than these brief remarks.
If you have a specific question about a passage, I would try to research the matter for you.
Best wishes, Johann, in your efforts to understand the written word of God.