The Redaction History of the Sinai Pericope (Exod 19–24) and its Continuation in 4Q158

The paper offers a redaction critical analysis of two central passages from Exod 19–24, namely the people’s reaction subsequent to the revelation of the Decalogue (Exod 20:18–21 par. Deut 5:22–31) and the covenantal ceremony in Exod 24:4–8. As a result, it can be shown that there is a continuous line of development leading from the earliest literary layers of the biblical text to the version represented by 4Q158. The elaborate text of the Qumran witness thus becomes perceptible as yet a further stage in the complex redaction history of the Sinai Pericope.