מתמוטטים, כושלים, נידחים ושבויים: עיוני סמנטיקה ופירוש בדימויי החטא במגילות

This paper examines four metaphors for sin in Second Temple Period literature: נידח ושבוי ,כושל ,מתמוטט (tottering, stumbling, banishment, and captivity). A similar semantic shift may be noted in relation to all four—that is, a move from concrete meanings to spiritual applications concerning the heart of a human being. The first section of the paper is devoted to the root M-W-T.̣ In the Bible, this verb usually describes failures in the earthly sphere. Nevertheless, in Second Temple Period literature, מתמוטט (one who totters) designates an evil-doer; he stands in contrast to the righteous, who are protected by a fortress that prevents them from staggering. The chiasmus in the fourteenth column of the Thanksgiving Scroll between the spiritual breakdown of the sinners and the fortress of the righteous proves that the fortress provides protection from negative spiritual influences; notwithstanding its concrete descriptions, which appear to be marshalled as a defense against attempts by the enemies of the righteous to harm them. The second section is devoted to an examination of the use of the root K-Š-L in the descriptions of disease, stumbling, and captivity in the Thanksgiving Scroll. After treating passages in which the metaphors of disease and stumbling seem to refer to spiritual collapse, I discuss two cases in which it is difficult to determine whether these metaphors describe physical weakness, spiritual weakness, or perhaps both simultaneously. The final section deals with a new reading by Alexey Yuditsky and Esther Haber in the Melchizedek Pesher (11Q13). This reading sheds new light on the portrayal of Belial. Belial is described as one who “pushes away” the righteous from the ways of the Torah. After this, Belial acts as (מדיח) a creditor, collecting the debts accrued due to their sins. These debts are them from the inheritance of Melchizedek (מדיח) redeemed by banishing and the lot of light, and into the lot of darkness, as Belial’s prisoners (שבויים).