Overview
1QIsa-a is one of the seven scrolls found in Qumran Cave 1 in 1947. It contains the whole Book of Isaiah, chapters 1-66, in 54 columns written on parchment, 7.34 m long. The Israel Museum lists it as HU 95.57/27, property of the Government of Israel, displayed in the Shrine of the Book.
Its text is 'generally in agreement with the Masoretic or traditional version codified in medieval codices, such as the Aleppo Codex, but it contains many variant readings, alternative spellings, scribal errors, and corrections' (Israel Museum record). Its spelling is very full (many vowel letters), and in the second half the orthography and morphology differ from the first.
There is a physical break in the middle: a three-line blank at the bottom of column 27 and a sheet join between columns 27 and 28. Popovic, Dhali and Schomaker (2021) found by computer analysis of letter shapes that two main scribes wrote the two halves, with the switch at columns 27-29.
What the text says (summary)
Contains the entire Book of Isaiah (chs. 1-66) in 54 columns; the text follows the same book and order as the medieval Masoretic codices, with many variant readings, fuller spellings, scribal errors and corrections (Israel Museum record).No public-domain translation of the scroll's own variant text has been located for this entry
What the evidence shows
- 54 columns, all 66 chapters of Isaiah (Israel Museum record).
- Length 734 cm; height 22-25 cm per museum, c. 26 cm average per Popovic et al. 2021.
- Radiocarbon: 2128 +/- 38 BP (ETH-6651) and 2141 +/- 32 BP (AA-14984), both from column XXXIX.
- Three-line blank at the foot of column 27 and a sheet join between columns 27 and 28.
- Orthography and morphology change in the second half; blank spaces left in the second half (Popovic et al. 2021).
- Handwriting analysis: two main scribes, transition at columns 27-29 (Popovic et al. 2021).
- Many variant readings, spelling differences, errors and corrections relative to the medieval Masoretic codices (Israel Museum record).
Open questions
- One scribe or two: older palaeographic debate asked whether differences between the halves are normal variation of one hand; Popovic, Dhali and Schomaker (PLOS ONE 16, 2021) report statistically significant writer difference with a phase transition in columns 27-29 and conclude two main scribes who closely mirrored one another's style.
- Absolute date: Jull et al. (Radiocarbon 37, 1995) give a 2-sigma radiocarbon range whose larger probability block is 250-103 BC but which also allows 356-291 BC (24%); the palaeographic date (Cross: c. 150-125 BCE) sits inside the later block. Popovic et al. (PLOS ONE 20, 2025) find their style model dates both halves to the same period, 180-100 BCE, i.e. neither half is significantly later.
- How close to the Masoretic Text: the Israel Museum record describes the text as 'generally in agreement' with the medieval Masoretic codices 'but' with 'many variant readings'. The critical edition (Ulrich & Flint, DJD XXXII, 2010) lists the variants; whether they are 'minor' is an evaluation, not a measurement, and is left to the variant lists.
Since 2024
- 2025-06Popovic et al. publish the 'Enoch' model trained on 24 radiocarbon-dated scrolls; it dates both scribal halves of 1QIsa-a to the same period, 180-100 BCE, and finds scroll dates generally older than traditional palaeographic estimates. [4]
Sources
- Israel Museum, Jerusalem - The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls, 'The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa a)', accession no. HU 95.57/27 link museum record
- A. J. T. Jull, D. J. Donahue, M. Broshi, E. Tov, 'Radiocarbon Dating of Scrolls and Linen Fragments from the Judean Desert', Radiocarbon 37:1 (1995) 11-19, DOI 10.1017/S0033822200014740 link study
- M. Popovic, M. A. Dhali, L. Schomaker, 'Artificial intelligence based writer identification generates new evidence for the unknown scribes of the Dead Sea Scrolls exemplified by the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)', PLOS ONE 16:4 (2021) e0249769, DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0249769 link study
- M. Popovic, M. A. Dhali, L. Schomaker, J. van der Plicht, K. L. Rasmussen, J. La Nasa, I. Degano, M. P. Colombini, E. Tigchelaar, 'Dating ancient manuscripts using radiocarbon and AI-based writing style analysis', PLOS ONE 20:6 (2025) e0323185, DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0323185 link study
- E. Ulrich and P. W. Flint, Qumran Cave 1.II: The Isaiah Scrolls, Parts 1-2, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XXXII (Oxford: Clarendon, 2010) link editio princeps
Corrected from the earlier edition of this page
- Old entry: 'Textually identical to Masoretic Text' / 'virtually identical'. The Israel Museum's own record says it 'contains many variant readings, alternative spellings, scribal errors, and corrections' while being 'generally in agreement' with the Masoretic codices.
- Old entry: 'confirms the remarkable accuracy of transmission'. That is an evaluation; the measurable facts are the variant readings and spellings listed in DJD XXXII.
- Old entry: 'Script: Hebrew'. Language is Hebrew; the script is the Jewish square script of the Hasmonaean type (Popovic et al. 2021).
- Old entry: 'Dimensions: Approximately 7.3 meters long'. Confirmed: 734 cm (museum); add height 22-25 cm and 54 columns.
- Old entry: date 'c. 125 BCE' given as fact. It is the palaeographic/museum figure; radiocarbon gives 335-122 BCE (1 sigma) and the 2025 AI model 180-100 BCE.
- Old entry: 'Matthew 3 (John the Baptist quoting Isaiah)'. In Matt 3:3 the evangelist quotes Isa 40:3 about John; John himself quotes it in John 1:23.
2024–2026 check incomplete: limited: 2024-2026 check done via Crossref and PLOS only after the web-search quota ran out; news outlets not swept