Text Critical Notes on 4QJoba

Several commentaries on the book of Job have appeared since the publication of 4QJoba in 2000. Yet none has taken its readings into consideration in the exegesis of the passages represented therein. It is the purpose of this study, therefore, to reexamine the variants in 4QJoba, assess their value for the textual criticism and exegesis of the book, and consider the relationship of the ms to the mt and other Vrss. This article contends that 4QJoba does not strictly belong to the text tradition represented by the mt and that in several cases it preserves readings that are at least viable if not even superior to what one finds in the mt, including at 31:15; 36:23, 24; 37:1, and 37:2.