Scripture Citations as an Internal Redactional Control: 1QS 5:1-20a and Its 4Q Parallels

This article first deconstructs the internal arguments proposed by Sarianna Metso for the priority of the 4QS b,d textual tradition in relation to 1QS 5:1-20a. It then constructs its own internal argument for the priority of 4QS b,d on the basis of the scriptural citations present in 1QS 5:1-20a but absent in 4QS b,d . It is argued that each citation (Zeph 1:6 in 1QS 5:11; Lev 22:16 in 1QS 5:14-15; Exod 23:7 in 1QS 5:15; Isa 2:22 in 1QS 5:17) is employed with due regard for its original context and is anticipated by key vocabulary that is without parallel in 4QS b,d . The consistency of this redactional pattern suggests the priority of 4QS b,d since it is easier to explain how the unparalleled citations and vocabulary could have been added to the S textual tradition than it is to explain how both the citations and vocabulary could have been eliminated from it.