Are there למשכיל Sections in the Hodayot?: Evidence from Cave 4 (1)

This essay evaluates a proposal that one comes across in much of the secondary literature on the Hodayot: namely, that the collection of hymns preserved in 1QHa is comprised of smaller sets or groups that are each demarcated by a למשכיל heading. This proposal is examined in light of the comparative evidence for the arrangement of hymns in the Cave 4 manuscripts, especially 4QHa (4Q427) and 4QHe (4Q431). The analysis shows that the proposed למשכיל groups from 1QHa fail to obtain across the Cave 4 manuscripts, and it is suggested instead that the למשכיל incipits simply served as headings for the particular hymns with which they are paired.