NOTES ON DIVINE NAME AVOIDANCE IN SCRIP-

TURAL UNITS OF THE LEGAL TEXTS OF QUMRAN

DONALD W. PARRY
Brigham Young University

Many of the legal texts I of Qumran contain scriptural units 2 from the
Hebrew Bible which may be connected to each other by quotation, ref-

I For a bibliography on publications dealing with legal materials see the subject index
of F1orentino Garcfa Martfnez and Donald W. Parry, A Bibliography of the Finds in the
Desen of Judah 1970-95 (Leiden: E. J. BrilI, 1996); see also Elisha Qimron and John
Strugnell, eds., Qumran Cave 4. V: Miq$at Ma'ase Ha Torah [Discoveries in the Judaean
Desert X], 46-57, Qumran Cave 4, (Oxford: C1arendon Press, 1994) 124-130.
2 The Rule of the Community, for example, "is grounded upon the Hebrew Bible" in
the manner that it continually cites or echoes scripture (E. Qimron and J. H. Charlesworth,
"Rule of the Community", Hebrew, Aramaie, and Greek Texts with English Trans-
lations,Vol I. Rule ofthe Community and Related Documents red. J. H. Charlesworth; J.
C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck)IWestminster John Knox: Tübingenl Louisville, 1994]3); sim-
ilarly, the "Hebrew Bible is frequently quoted by CD ... land] beyond the explicit quota-
tions from the Hebrew Bible, CD is thoroughly informed by it (J. M. Baumgarten and D.
R. Schwartz, "Damascus Document (CD)", Hebrew, Aramaie, and Greek Texts with
English Translations, Volume 2. Damascus Document, War SerolI, and Related
Documents red. J. H. Charlesworth; J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck)IWestminster John
Knox: TübingenlLouisville, 1995], 7).
A number of scholars have written concerning the usage of the Bible in the Qumran
literature, inc\uding the following: J. G. Campbell, The Use ofScripture in the Damascus
Document 1-8, 19-20, (BZAW 228; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1995); J. Carmignac, "Les
citations de I' Ancien Testament, et specialement de Poemes du Serviteur, dans les
Hymnes de Qumrän". RevQ 2 (1960) 357-394; J. A. Fitzmyer, "The Use of Explicit OT
Quotations in Qumran Literature and in the NT", NTS 7 (1960) 297-333 (reprinted in
Essays on the Semitic Background ofthe New Testament [London: Chapman, 1971]3-58);
R. Gordis, "Virtual Quotations in Job, Sumer and Qumran", VT 31 (1981) 410-27; M. H.
Gottstein, "Bible Quotations in the Sectarian Dead Sea Scrolls", VT 3 (1953): 79-82; C.
Roth, "The Subject Matter of Qumran Exegesis", VT 10 (1960) 51-65; G. Vermes,
"BibIical Interpretation at Qumran", Eretz-1srael 20 (1989) 184-191; idem, "BibIical
Proof-Texts in Qumran Literature", JSS 34 (1989) 493-508; F. F. Bruce, Biblical Exegesis
in the Qumran Texts (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1959); D. Dimant, "m'?'Jo'? ~iPO ]'::J
PfDOi n'i::J n'?'Jo::J iii,m 10 mC!lC!l'~" ("The Hebrew Bible in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Torah
Quotations in the Damascus Covenant".) "Sha'arei Talmon": Studies in the Bible,
Qumran and the Ancient Near East Presented to Shemaryahu Talmon, (ed. M. Fishbane
and E. Tov; Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1992) Hebrew Section 113-22; H.
Gabrion, "L'interpretation de I'Ecriture dans la Iitterature de Qumrän", ANRW /l, 19.1
(1979) 779-848; B. J. Roberts, "Bible Exegesis and Fulfilment in Qumran", Words and
438 DONALD W. PARRY

erence, allusion, echo, source, influence, text linkage, association, infer-

ence, hint, paraphrase, reminiscence, repetition, suggestion, intertextual-
ity, telling/retelling, or imitation. 3 Although the Qumran sectarians were
thoroughly versed in the Hebrew Bible, they were programmatic in
avoiding usage of the Tetragrammaton4 in their legal documents. 5 This
contrasts sharply with the prophetie and religious texts of the Hebrew

Meanings: Essays Presented to David Winton Thomas (ed. P. R. Ackroyd and B. Lindars;
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968) 195-207; G. J. Brooke, Exegesis at
Qumran: 4QFloriiegium in Its Jewish Context (Sheffield: JSOT, 1985); and D. Dimant,
"Qumran Sectarian Literature", Jewish Writings ofthe Second Temple Period. Apocrypha.
Pseudepigrapha, Qumran Sectarian Writings, Philo, Josephus 2; (ed. M. E. Stone;
AssenIPhiladelphia: Van GorcumIFortress, 1984) 483-550.
3 These terms are used by authors of recent publications who wish to denote various
connections between specific expressions in the Hebrew Bible that correspond with
expressions in other religious texts, such as the Mishnah, the New Testament, and many
of the the Dead Sea Scrolls. I used the same terms in the opening paragraph of my forth-
coming article "Retelling Samuel: Echoes of the Books of Samuel in the Dead Sea
Scrolls", RevQ 16. For a review of the literature on the subject of retelling the Bible, see,
for example, A. Chester, "Citing the Old Testament", It is Written: Scripture Citing
Scripture. Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars (ed. D. A. Carson and H. G. M.
Williamson; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988) 141-169; L. Eslinger,
"Inner-Biblical Exegesis and Inner-Biblical Allusion: The Question of Category", VT 42
(\992) 47-58; P. S. Alexander, "Retelling the Old Testament", It is Written: Scripture
Citing Scripture, Essays in Honour of Barnabas Lindars, 99-121 ; P. C. Beentjes,
"Inverted Quotations in the Bible: A Neglected Stylistic Pattern", Bib 63 (\982) 506-523;
Y. Hoffman, "The Technique of Quotation and Citation as an Interpretive Device",
Creative Biblical Exegesis: Christian and Jewish Hermeneutics through the Centuries,
(JSOT 59; ed. B. Uffenheimer and H. G. Reventlow; Sheffield: JSOT, 1988) 71-80; B. M.
Metzger, "The Formulas Introducing Quotations of Scriptures in the NT and the Mishna",
JBL 70 (\951) 297-307; M. J. Bernstein, "Introductory Formulas for Citation and Re-
Citation of Biblical Verses in the Qumran Pesharim: Observations on a Pesher Tech-
nique", DSD I (\994) 30-70; E. Osswald, "Zur Hermeneutik des Habakuk-Kommenturs",
ZA W 68 (1956) 243-56; and G. W. Savran, Telling and Retelling: Quotation in Biblical
Narrative (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988).
4 On the form and meaning ofthe name Yahweh, see R. de Vaux, "The Revelation of
the Divine Name YHWH", Proclamation and Presence: Old Testament Essays in Honour
of Gwynne Henton Davies (ed. J. I. Durham and J. R. Porter; Richmond, VA: John Knox,
1970) 48-75; G. R. Driver, "The Original Form of the Name 'Yahweh,'" ZAW 46 (\928)
7-25 ; S.Mowinckel, "The Name ofthe God ofMoses", HUCA 32 (\961) 121-133; W. H.
Schmidt, "Der Jahwename und Ex 3,14" Textgemäss: Aufsätze und Beiträge zur Herme-
neutik des Alten Testaments Festschrift für Ernst Wünhwein 70 (ed. A. H.J. Gunneweg
and O. Kaiser; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck, I979) 123-138; C. R. Gianotti, "The Meaning of
the Divine Name YHWH", BSac 142 (\985) 38-51; W. H. Brownlee, "The Ineffable
Name of God", BASOR 226 (1977) 39-46; J. Kinyongo, Origine et signification du nom
divin Yahve iI la lumiere de recents travaux et de traditions semitico-bibliques (Bonn:
Peter Hanstein, 1970).
5 For the sake of brevity I have limited my research to the texts abbreviated CD, I QS
and4QMMT.