The Significance of the Motif of the King in 4QMMT

The paper discusses four motifs of the king in 4QMMT: (1) blessings and curses in the history of the monarchy (C 18–20); (2) call to reflect on the deeds of the kings of Israel (C 23b–24); (3) call to study the writings related to King David (C 10); and (4) call to reflect on David’s deeds (C 25–26). The analysis of these motifs leads to the conclusion that they were not only intended to show the addressee the kings of Israel as role models, but by intertwining them with quotations from the Book of Deuteronomy, they were also to serve as historical evidence that would testify to the veracity of the blessings and curses foretold in the Law (Deut 28–30), and as a result, underline the seriousness of the situation in which the Law was still not properly obeyed in Israel.