BYU ScholarsArchive

Article Title

Chiasmus in the Text of Isaiah: MT Isaiah versus the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)

Authors

Donald W. Parry

Keywords

BYU Studies, Chiasmus, Isaiah, Isaiah scrolls

Abstract

The Isaiah scrolls are significant finds, signaling one of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. The Qumran caves, located near the northwestern area of the Dead Sea, yielded twenty-one copies of the book of Isaiah—two from cave 1, eighteen from cave 4, and one from cave 5. An additional copy (making a total of twenty-two copies) of Isaiah was discovered south of Qumran in a cave at Wadi Murabba‘at. Scholars have labeled these scrolls as follows: 1QIsa^a, 1QIsa^b (1Q8), 4QIsa^a-r (4Q55–4Q69b), and 5QIsa (5Q3). All twenty-two copies of Isaiah are written in Hebrew. Most of these scrolls are severely damaged and fragmented, owing to long-term exposure to the elements.

Recommended Citation

Parry, Donald W. (2020) "Chiasmus in the Text of Isaiah: MT Isaiah versus the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 59: Iss. 5, Article 7.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol59/iss5/7