Star from Jacob, a Sceptre from Israel

Balaam's Oracle as Rewritten Scripture in the Dead Sea Scrolls

The fourth Balaam oracle (Numbers 24.17-19) appears in four separate Dead Sea Scrolls. But how it is used and understood remains puzzling and challenging. All four scrolls agree that the biblical text is a living artifact and endorse its authority. But they disagree on what it may mean to the audience of their own day. They adjust, rephrase and rework the biblical text according to their own needs and for the benefit of their audience. Following the twists and turns in this process of interpreta... (Læs mere)