Biblical Hebrew Forum

[bhebrew AT shields-online.net]

Dear Rolf,

Thanks for your reply. There are a few points which need to be considered.

1. A distinction should be made between אדון and ××“×•× ×™. The latter 
is used primarily of Yhwh and it is thus apparent that there is a graphic 
distinction between the use of a simple title and the term associated with 
Yhwh.

2. Your assessment that ××“×•× ×™ is always a title in the DSS seems overly 
subjective. If you were to substitute ××“× ×™ for יהוה in many places in 
the Tanak it would also make sense as a title in spite of the fact that it 
substituted for a name—the clauses make just as much sense either way. 
However, there are good grounds for doubting your dismissal of the validity 
of this substitution (I'll expand in the points below). You seem only willing 
to concede the substitution if the DSS employ an extensive quotation from the 
Tanak, but scholars widely acknowledge a far broader range of intertextual 
relationships exist beyond extensive verbatim quotation. At the very 
least—were you seeking to be more objective—you would need to claim that 
the evidence could be fairly interpreted either way. Beyond this, however, 
there is more evidence which I think swings things in favour of the notion 
that ××“×•× ×™ is used in place of יהוה in at least some of the DSS.

3. Your assessment of the use of אל as a substitute for יהוה could 
easily be applied with similar results to ××“×•× ×™. How do you decide that 
a particular use of אל is replacing יהוה? Only instances where there 
are quotations or allusions to biblical passages would provide adequate basis 
for drawing the conclusion that אל is functioning as a substitute.

4. The situation in most of the references I cited previously is that the 
books never use the tetragrammaton yet use ××“×•× ×™ in contexts which are 
strongly reminiscent of phrases in the Tanak which do use it, and where the 
Tanak does not use ××“× ×™.

5. Of the texts I cited, a number do not use אל or similar forms at all 
(specifically, 4Q521, 4Q507, 4Q435, 4Q508, 1Q34bis, 4Q434, 4Q577, 4Q527, 
4Q526, 4Q384). These are clearly not using אל as a substitute for יהוה.

6. You seem to assume that the texts are consistent in their use of alternate 
forms as graphical substitutes for יהוה.

In the end, then, I think there are clear idications that ××“×•× ×™ is used 
in a number of places among the DSS sectarian literature as a substitute for 
יהוה.

Regards,

Martin Shields.