ARIEL FELDMAN

THE REWORKING OF THE BIBLICAL FLOOD

STORY IN 4Q370

Prominent among the non-biblical Qumran scrolls published in the last

decade are the texts reworking the Hebrew Bible.1 Some of these previously
unknown compositions rewrite sections of the book of Genesis, including
the Flood story found in Genesis 6-9.2 This paper is concerned with the
reworking of the Flood narrative in one of these scrolls, 4Q370, entitled
Admonition Based on the Flood.
Like the majority of the scrolls found in the 4th cave of Qumran, 4Q370
is fragmentary. Its photographs,3 as well as the plate, on which it is
currently exhibited,4 contain two fragments. One of them is very small,
preserving a single word (, Israel). Although this fragment is
found on the plate accompanying the official publication of 4Q370,5 it is
not included in the edition of the text.6 The study of this fragment reveals
that it cannot be joined to the other one.7 In fact, their attribution to the
same scroll is doubtful on codicological8 and paleographic9 grounds. The

* This paper is a slightly reworked version of a Hebrew article to be published in

Meghilot 5-6 in honor of Prof. Devorah Dimant.
1
For a brief discussion of these texts see G.J. Brooke, Rewritten Bible, in
Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, ed. L.H. Schiffman - J.C. VanderKam (2 vols.;
Oxford: Oxford University, 2000), 2.777-781.
2
Among these are 4Q370 (Admonition Based on the Flood), 4Q422 (Paraphrase of
Genesis and Exodus) and 4Q464 (Exposition on the Patriarchs).
3
PAM 41.865; 42.369; 42.506; 43.369.
4
Mus. Inv. 341.
5
C. Newsom, 4Q370. 4QAdmonition Based on the Flood (Pl. XII), in Qumran Cave 4.
XIV: Parabiblical Texts: Part 2, ed. M. Broshi et al. (DJD 19; Oxford: Clarendon, 1995),
pp. 81-84.
6
This fragment is also missing in the preliminary edition of 4Q370 in C. Newsom, An
Admonition Based on the Flood, RevQ 13/1-4 (1988), pp. 23-43, as well as in idem,
4Q370(4QAdmonFlood), in Parabiblical Texts, ed. D.W. Parry - E. Tov (DSSR 3; Leiden:
Brill, 2005), pp. 576-578. It is also not included in F. Garca Martnez - E.J.C. Tigchelaar,
The Dead Sea Scrolls: Study Edition (2 vols.; Leiden: Brill, 1997-98), 2.732.
7
As was done on PAM 42.369, 43.369 and on the plate, Mus. Inv. 341.
8
Near the right edge of the fragment a vertical line ruled by a pointed instrument is
found. Although it is not visible on the photographs, it can be seen on the fragment itself.
This seems to be a right margin mark. In the large fragment of 4Q370 no ruling, either of
lines or margins, can be observed. Among the scrolls found in Qumran, some were not ruled
at all, while in others irregular margins ruling is found (see E. Tov, Scribal Practices and
Approaches Reflected in the Texts Found in the Judean Desert [STDJ 54; Leiden: Brill,
2004], pp. 58-59, 60). If this small fragment belongs with 4Q370, this manuscript falls into
the second category and the tiny fragment comes from the one of the unpreserved columns

Hen 29(1/2007)

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second fragment is relatively large, preserving the remains of two columns.

The first column, in which nine lines of the text have survived, reworks the
biblical Flood story. The second column, two thirds of which are lost,
contains a narrative and admonitory remarks.10 While the admonition
alludes to various biblical passages, it does not refer to the Flood. Although
the precise relation between the reworked Flood account and the text found
in the second column is difficult to reconstruct due to 4Q370s fragmentary
state, a certain linguistic and contextual affinity between the two columns
may be observed. Both refer to the examples of the past, be it the Flood
(column i) or the Exodus (column ii, line 711). Furthermore, both columns
warn of the rebellion against God, employing the Hebrew verb .12
While the contents of the second column, as well as its relation to column i,
also deserve a detailed treatment, the main focus of the present study is the
Flood story in the first column.
Various aspects of the biblical Flood account, as retold in 4Q370, were
addressed by Carol Newsom,13 Florentino Garca Martnez,14 Moshe
Bernstein15 and Gabriel Barzilai.16 Yet, the unique reworking of the Flood
story in 4Q370 deserves further study. This paper analyzes the additions
introduced by 4Q370 into the biblical Flood narrative and explores the
various techniques employed in rewriting the biblical text.
Before proceeding to a detailed analysis, an overview of the Flood story,
as retold in 4Q370 column i, is fitting. As far as we can judge, the
beginning of the composition has not been preserved. The fragment opens
with the description of an abundance of food generously provided by God
to all living beings. It is followed by his invitation to eat, become satisfied

________________________
with the ruled right margin. However, due to the paucity of the material, we are unable to
decide whether the original manuscript was ruled throughout or only sporadically.
9
In the opinion of Ada Yardeni (private correspondence), while the script of the small
fragment resembles that of the large one, the possibility of its being written by a different
scribe cannot be ruled out. I wish to thank Dr Yardeni for looking into this issue.
10
As was demonstrated by Carol Newsom (Admonition, pp. 95-96), the text of this
column displays a close affinity to a sapiential composition 4Q185.
11
See the restoration proposed by Newsom (ibid. pp. 96-97).
12
While in the first column this warning is implied by depicting the Flood generation as
being punished for their rebelliousness (line 2), in the second column the addressees are
admonished not to rebel against Gods words (line 9).
13
Newsom, Admonition, pp. 87-95.
14
F. Garca Martnez, Interpretations of the Flood in the Dead Sea Scrolls, in
Interpretations of the Flood, ed. F. Garca Martnez - G.P. Luttikhuizen (Themes in Biblical
Narrative 1; Leiden: Brill, 1998), pp. 86-108 (here pp. 95-99).
15
M.J. Bernstein, Noah and the Flood at Qumran, in The Provo International
Conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls: Technological Innovations, New Texts, &
Reformulated Issues, ed. E. Ulrich - D.W. Parry (STDJ 30; Leiden: Brill, 1999), pp. 199-231
(here p. 211).
16
G. Barzilai, Offhand Exegesis: Passing Allusions to Interpretation of the Book of
Genesis, as Found in the Dead Sea Scrolls (PhD diss., Bar-Ilan University, 2002), pp. 191213 (Hebrew).

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

31

and bless his name. However, the ungrateful Flood generation refused to
bless God and rebelled against him (line 2). Lines 3-6 depict the judgment
and the punishment of the sinners in the Flood, while the survival of Noahs
family is referred to in line 7.17 It is followed by Gods covenant with Noah
and the promise not to bring another Flood on the earth in the future (line
8). The reference to heavens and water in line 9 implies that it also
deals with the Flood story, though too little has been preserved to
reconstruct its contents.
The following discussion will focus on four aspects of this account: 1.
the abundance of food and the rebellion, 2. the judgment of the Flood
generation, 3. the description of the Deluge, 4. the death of the strong
ones in the Flood. These will be analyzed according to the order of their
appearance in the text.
The Abundance of Food and Humans Rebellion against God
The first column opens with the description of food generously provided
by God to all living (line 1):18
] [
S
S [ ]

X
19

[And] he crowned the mountains with pr[oduce and pou]red

out food upon them. And with good fruit he satisfied every
soul
The imagery of the mountains overflowing with produce found in this
line is reminiscent of several biblical passages (Ezek 36:8; Joel 4:18; Amos
9:13; Ps 72:16; 147:8-9; cf. also Is 27:6). However, the expression
( to crown the mountains with produce) is not attested to in
the Hebrew Bible. As was already noted by Newsom, it appears, with slight
differences, in the Hymn to the Creator, a psalm-like composition
preserved in 11QPsa XXVI, 9-15.20 There it is employed in the description
of Gods creation works (line 13):
While Newsom, Admonition, 90, reads in line 7: ]

[ ]Y, the reading ei  ] [
] 
 , which may be restored as ]
 ei (  ] [And[ ]his [son]s in the ar[k), seems to fit
17

better the evidence.

18
The text and translation of 4Q370 are those of Newsom. In those few instances, where
a different reading is proposed, the reasons are elaborated in the footnotes.
19
Newsom, Admonition, p. 90 reads  ] [ , yet the fragment and the
photographs reveal no traces of waw and shin. The reading suggested here is in accord with
the preliminary transcription prepared by John Strugnell, as preserved in R.E. Brown et al.,
Preliminary Concordance to the Hebrew and Aramaic Fragments from Qumran II-X
(5 vols.; Gttingen: Published privately, 1988), vol. 4, p.1910.
20
Newsom, Admonition, p. 91.

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Theme Section / Sezione monografica

(He crowns the mountains with produce, good food for all the living).21
Given the verbal similarities between these two formulations, it is possible
that one is dependent on the other,22 or that they both rework an unknown
common source. While establishing the precise relation between the two is
out of the scope of this paper, it is interesting to note 4Q370s usage of a
phraseology attested only in an extra-biblical source.
The description of the mountains adorned with produce is followed in
4Q370 by another expression of Gods generosity:
 [
(and pou]red out food upon them). While the verb ( to pour23)
appears frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the locution ( to pour
out food) is not attested to in the biblical parlance. Instead, the expression
( to give food) is used (Ps 104:27; 145:15; Job 36:31).
Undoubtedly, this unusual usage emphasizes the abundance of food
provided for the Flood generation. If the expression

(upon
them) refers to the living beings, ( every soul), it may be rendered
literally, on their faces, suggesting that the provisions were poured
straight into their mouths. Thus Gods generosity stands in sharp contrast
with antediluvians ungratefulness justifying their severe punishment in the
Flood.
While the noun signifies food in general,24 4Q370 states
specifically that the antediluvians were nourished by ( produce),
namely produce of the fields ( ; cf. Deut 32:13; Ezek 36:30),
and ( good fruit). This seems to be in line with Gen 1:29-30,
where the humankind is given every seed-bearing plant and every tree
that has seed-bearing fruit for food.25 According to Gen 9:3, the eating of
the flesh was allowed only after the Flood (Gen 9:3), and 4Q370
appropriately does not include it in the antediluvians diet.
As a result of Gods generous provision every soul was satisfied. The
words ( he satisfied every soul) seem to allude to Psalm
145:16, depicting God as providing sustenance to all his creatures:
( You give it openhandedly, feeding every
creature to its hearts content). Interestingly, not only the phrase
but also the expression seems to be reworked in the
first line of 4Q370. After describing the profusion of food, says 4Q370:

21
The Hebrew text is cited according to J.A. Sanders, The Psalms Scroll of Qumrn
Cave 11 (11QPsa) (DJD 4; Oxford: Clarendon, 1965), pp. 47, 90. The English translation is
by Garca Martnez - Tigchelaar, Study Edition, vol. 2, p. 1179, with slight changes.
22
Newsom, Admonition, pp. 91-92, suggests that 4Q370 is dependent on the Hymn to
the Creator. She is followed by Garca Martnez, Interpretations, pp. 97-98; Barzilai,
Offhand Exegesis, p. 193 n. 495.
23
W. Baumgartner - L. Khler - M.E.J. Richardson - J.J. Stamm, The Hebrew and
Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (5 vols.; Leiden: Brill, 1994), pp. 1629-1630.
24
Ibid. 47.
25
If not otherwise specified, the new JPS translation is quoted.

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

33

 / ][
][ 

It was observed that Qumran scribes usually wrote the supralinear

additions above26 or (in some cases) a little after27 the place where these
were intended to be inserted into the text. Therefore, while the insertion of
after is also contextually possible,28 it is suggested to
read here:29
 / ][

][ 

Let all who do my will eat and be satisfied, said Y[H]WH,

And let them bless my [hol]y name
As was noted in previous research,30 the triad of verbs , ,
alludes to the biblical command found in Deut 8:10:
( When you have
eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has
given you, NIV). The author of 4Q370 expanded this biblical verse by
adding the phrase ( all who do my will). While the
locution is attested elsewhere (Ps 40:9; 103:21; Ezra 10:11), the
phrase seems to be a reworking of the expression
Tov, Scribal Practices, p. 226. See, for instance, 1QHa XII[IV], 24; 11QTa LXI, 11.
See 11QTa LXVI, 4.
28
Thus Garca Martnez and Tigchelaar, Study Edition, vol. 2, p. 733; M.O. Wise, A
Sermon on the Flood. 4Q370, in M.O. Wise - M. Abegg - E. Cook, The Dead Sea Scrolls: A
New Translation (San Francisco: Harper, 1996), pp. 330-331 (esp. p. 330); Barzilai,
Offhand Exegesis, p. 205. I was not able to find an example of a supralinear addition
written before the place where it should be introduced into the text. However, if this
placement were adopted, one could read here (taking the last letter of as waw, ,
his will):  /  ][
( ][And with good fruit he satisfied every soul, all who do his will. Let them
eat and be satisfied, said Y[H]WH, And let them bless my [hol]y name). In this way
Gods direct speech opens with a verb, which is in line with the syntax of 4Q370, frequently
placing a verb in the beginning of a clause (cf. column I: xh[ ][line 1], , p[[ line
3], [ line 4], [   ][ line 6], column ii : [ line 2], [ line 3], [ line 8]).
Since the verbs, , are jussives, this reading may be supported also by the
fact that in the biblical Hebrew a jussive in an optative sentence is usually placed before the
subject (P. Joon - T. Muraoka, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew [2 vols.; Subsidia Biblica
14; Rome: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 1991] par. 155/l, p. 580). Contrast the readings and
translations proposed by Garca Martnez - Tigchelaar, Study Edition, vol. 2, p. 733; Wise,
Sermon, p. 330.
29
This reading is preferred also by Newsom, Admonition, p. 91. She suggests that the
scribe avoided writing the addition above the space between the words and
because of the two lamed letters found in these words.
30
Newsom, Admonition, p. 93. Barzilai, Offhand Exegesis, p. 205.
26
27

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Theme Section / Sezione monografica

found in Ps 145:16. In this way the description of Gods generosity

is linked to the ensuing invitation to eat and become satisfied.

While the noun 31 in Ps 145:16 may be interpreted as referring to
Gods favor and goodwill,32 some ancient and modern commentators take it
as referring to the desire of all living beings, satisfied by God.33 This
second meaning of is attested in the same psalm, vs. 19:
( He fulfills the wishes of those who fear Him). It is possible that
the author of 4Q370 also understood the word in Ps 145:16 as a
desire, yet reworked it as referring to the will of God himself. Thus the
reworked version of Deut 8:10a: Let all who do my will eat and be
satisfied . . . And let them bless my [hol]y name makes clear that in order
to enjoy Gods generosity one should do his will. Furthermore, it
encourages all those doing Gods will to bless him for the food provided.
Reworking Deut 8:10a the author of 4Q370 introduced several other
changes. Adapting this verse to the direct speech, he rewrote the verbs as
jussives34 and replaced the phrase ( YHWH your God) with
the expression ( ][ my holy name).35 However, the most
intriguing modification is the application of Deut 8:10a to pre-Sinaitic
circumstances. This seems to indicate that our author viewed the command
to bless God for the provision of food as an eternal principle. Furthermore,
the exhortation to bless the Creator for the sustenance provided, as found in
4Q370, may indirectly testify to the existence of such a practice in the days
of its author. In fact, this practice is well attested in the Second Temple
literature, including Qumran texts.36 In this regard it is interesting to
31
For a general discussion of in the Hebrew Bible see G.J. Botterweck H. Ringgren, Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977),
vol. 13, pp. 625-629; cf. Baumgartner - Khler Richardson - Stamm, The Hebrew and
Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, pp. 1282-1283.
32
Thus Vulgate translates it as a blessing. Rashi interprets it as appeasement,
reconciliation (see M.I. Gruber, Rashis Commentary on Psalms [The Brill Reference
Library of Judaism 18; Leiden: Brill, 2004], pp. 19, 753). See also translations by M.
Dahood, Psalms III: 101-150 (AB; Garden City: Doubleday, 1970), p. 335; H.-J. Kraus,
Psalms 60-150, trans. H.C. Oswald (A Continental Commentary; Minneapolis: Fortress,
1993), p. 546.
33
Thus in Peshi
ta, Targum, Kimi and Ibn Ezra. Cf. F. Delitzsch, Psalms (Commentary
on the Old Testament; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, rep. 1984), p. 391; M. Buttenwieser, The
Psalms (The Library of Biblical Studies; New York: Ktav, 1969), p. 848; L.C. Allen, Psalms
101-50 (Word Biblical Commentary; Waco: Nelson, 2002), p. 366.
34
Newsom, Admonition, p. 92.
35
For this locution see e.g. Lev 20:3; Ezek 20:39. The expression ( to
bless his holy name) is found in Ps 145:21.
36
For the obligatory prayer before the communal meal in the Qumran community see
1QS VI, 4-6. According to 1QSa II, 20-21, this practice is to be observed by the community
also in the age to come. Josephus, Jewish War 2:131, reports of the Essene practice to say a
blessing before, as well as after the communal meal. According to Moshe Weinfeld, 4Q434 2
may preserve a text of a grace said in the house of a mourner. M. Weinfeld, Grace after
Meals in Qumran, JBL 111/3 (1992), pp. 427-440. The blessing before eating is mentioned

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

35

observe, that two Qumran scrolls containing passages from Deuteronomy,

known to be used for liturgical purposes, include also Deut 8:5-10 (4QDeutj
V, 1-12; 4QDeutn I, 1-8).37 As was suggested by Moshe Weinfeld, its
inclusion seems to be related to the practice to say a grace after meals.38
Significantly, in the Rabbinic literature the obligation to say a blessing after
a meal is also derived from Deuteronomy 8:10 and this verse is quoted in
the traditional Jewish prayer (Birkat ha-Mazon).39
Gods generous invitation to eat and be satisfied, paraphrasing Deut
8:10, is contrasted in 4Q370 with the antediluvians ingratitude:

But look! Then they have done what is evil in my eyes,

said YHWH
Although the phrase ( )( to do what is evil in the
eyes of YHWH) is frequently found in the Hebrew Bible (e.g. Num 32:13;
Deut 4:25), given the context, it seems to allude here to Gen 6:5:
( The Lord saw how great was mans
wickedness on the earth). 4Q370 goes on to elaborate what was the evil
committed by the Flood generation:
][

And they rebelled against God in their d[ee]ds

The verb 40 employed here means to behave rebelliously.41
Several biblical passages warn of the danger of prosperity, for the one

________________________
also in Matt 14:19; 15:36; Mark 6:41; 8:6, 7; Luke 9:16; 24:30; John 6:11, 23 and Sib. Or.
4:25.
37
See J.A. Duncan, 4QDeutj, in Qumran Cave 4. IX: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges,
Kings, ed. E. Ulrich et al. (DJD 14; Oxford: Clarendon, 1995), pp. 77-79, 85; S.W.
Crawford, 4QDeutn, ibid., pp. 117-123.
38
Weinfeld, Grace after Meals, pp. 428-429.
39
t. Ber. 6:1; Mek. R. Ish. Pis
a [Bo] 16; b. Ber. 48b; y. Ber. 7a. Deut 8:10 is cited
(according to some rites) in the second blessing (Birkat Ha-Are, Blessing of the Land)
included in the traditional Jewish prayer after the meal. For the different versions of this
blessing see L. Finkelstein, The Birkat Ha-Mazon, JQR 19 (1928-29), pp. 211-262.
40
is parsed as a 3rd ms. pl. wayyiqtol of in hipil. While in the Masoretic
Text this verbal form is spelled as ( Ps 78:56), the addition of alef in 4Q370 may be
explained as a mater lectionis for the vowel a. See Newsom, Admonition, p. 94. The
bibliography cited there should be supplemented with E. Qimron, Medial Alef as a Mater
Lectionis in the Hebrew and Aramaic Documents from Qumran in Comparison with Other
Hebrew and Aramaic Sources, Leonenu 39 (1975), pp. 133-146 (Hebrew).
41
Baumgartner - Khler - Richardson - Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the
Old Testament,, pp. 632-633.

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Theme Section / Sezione monografica

enjoying abundance is prone to rebelling against God (e.g. Deut 32:15).

Thus the command to eat, become satisfied and bless God in Deut 8:10 is
followed by an exhortation: Take care lest you forget the Lord your God
beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget your Lord your
God (Deut 8:11-14). The result of the failure to heed this counsel is
described in Neh 9:25-26, using the verb :
( They ate, they were filled, they
grew fat; they luxuriated in your great bounty. Then, defying You, they
rebelled).
Humans rebellion is not mentioned explicitly in the biblical Flood
account, describing their sins in general terms: great was mans
wickedness on earth, the earth became corrupt, the earth was filled with
lawlessness, all flesh had corrupted its ways on the earth (Gen 6:5, 11,
12).42 Similarly, the author of 4Q370 did not elaborate what precisely were
the d[ee]ds ( )][committed by the Flood generation.43
However, using the verb he made clear that these constituted a
rebellion against God. Among the crimes attributed to the Flood generation
in the Second Temple writings, there are offences which, though not called
a rebellion, are tantamount to it. Thus, according to 1 En 7:1; 8:1, 3,
rebellious angels taught humans arts and sciences revealed to the heavenly
beings only. Their application by men constituted a rebellion against the
divine order.44 Similarly, in the Animal Apocalypse this angelic teaching
led the bulls, representing humans, to a behavior contradicting their natural
course of life (1 En 86:2).45 Revolt against God is implied in Jub 5:2, 3,
stating that all living beings corrupted the course prescribed for them by the
Creator.46 The notion of rebellion underlies Josephus description of the
antediluvians as no longer rendering to God His due honors (Ant. 1:72;
cf. 1:100).47 Interestingly, while the reference to the giants death in line 6

42

As noted also by Barzilai, Offhand Exegesis, pp. 194ff.

The basic meaning of * in the biblical Hebrew is neutral, deeds
(Baumgartner - Khler - Richardson - Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old
Testament,, p. 614). At times it may figure in a negative sense, denoting wicked deeds (Is
3:8; Ps 106:29; cf. 4Q374 2 ii 3). This seems to be the case here. The unusual orthography
( ][with yod between the two lamed letters), as restored by Newsom,
Admonition, p. 91, is based on Ketiv in Zech 1:4 [Qere ( ]cf. also
[in 4Q381 46a+b 6). This restoration was suggested since the lacuna may contain
more than two letters. On in Zech 1:4 see H.G. Mitchell et al. (eds.), Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi and Jonah (ICC; New York: C. Scribners Sons, 1912), p. 114.
44
See D. Dimant, The Fallen Angels in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Apocryphal
and Pseudepigraphic Books Related to Them, (PhD diss.: The Hebrew University, 1974), pp.
55-56 (Hebrew).
45
Ibid. pp. 82-83.
46
See M. Segal, The Book of Jubilees: Rewritten Bible, Redaction, Ideology and
Theology, (PhD diss., The Hebrew University, 2004), pp. 97-98.
47
Quoted from H.S.J. Thackeray, Josephus: Jewish Antiquities, Books I-IV (LCL;
London: Heinemann, 1967), p. 35.
43

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

37

suggests that the author of 4Q370 was familiar with a version of the Fallen
angels legend, his description of the antediluvians sin does not allude to it.
Although depicted as rebelling against God, as is also implied in 1 Enoch
and Jubilees, human rebellion in 4Q370 is of a different nature; that of
ingratitude.48
While 4Q370 is the only Second Temple composition depicting Floods
generation as enjoying abundance49 and rebelling against God,50 this
tradition is well attested in the Rabbinic sources.51 Thus, according to the t.
Soah 3:6, The generation of the Flood acted arrogantly before the
Omnipresent only on account of the good which he lavished on them.52
Gen. Rab. 34:1 clarifies what kind of good was lavished on the Flood
generation and states explicitly that they rebelled: Said R. Isaac,53 What is
it that made them rebel against me? Was it not because they sowed but did
not reap? For R. Isaac said, Once every forty years they would sow a
crop.54 In the Midrash the notion of the antediluvians prosperous life and
rebellion is frequently supported by Job 21:7-15, describing the well-being
of the wicked in spite of their open defiance of God.55 The application of
48
In light of the aforementioned sources, as well as those mentioning giants
rebelliousness (discussed below), it seems difficult to accept the claim that the depiction of
the Flood generation as rebels, sinning against God himself, is very rare in the Jewish
writings of the Second Temple period, as suggested by Barzilai, Offhand Exegesis,
pp. 196ff.
49
Newsom, Admonition, p. 92; Garca Martnez, Interpretations, pp. 97-98, interpret
4Q370 I, 1-2 as a telescoped account of human history from the creation to the Flood. This
interpretation is based on the assumption that 4Q370s description of the prosperity is
dependent on the Hymn to the Creator (11QPsa XXVI, 13). Since the parallel text appears
in the Hymn in the context of creation, it is assumed that 4Q370 I, 1 also refers primarily to
the profusion of food given to all living at creation. While the relation between these texts
requires further study, 4Q370 clearly juxtaposes the description of the abundance to that of
the Flood. Therefore, it seems that interpreting it as applying primarily to the Flood
generation better fits the evidence.
50
Cf. Philo, Questions and Answers on Genesis, 1:89. Note also a tradition preserved in
Pseudo-Clementine Homilies 8:15 (4th century C.E.), according to which the giants born to
the daughters of men (Gen 6:1-4) were nourished by God by means manna rained upon them
from above (referred to by Newsom, Admonition, p. 93).
51
Noted also by Newsom, Admonition, p. 93. See a discussion by L. Ginzberg,
Legends of the Jews (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 20032), pp. 138-141, esp.
n. 15.
52
t. Soah 3:6. J. Neusner, The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew: Third Division
Nashim (The Order of Women) (New York: Ktav, 1979), vol. 3, p. 156. Cf. Num. Rab. 9:24.
See also the notes of S. Lieberman in Tosefta Ki-fshua: Part VIII: Order Nashim (New
York: The Jewish Theological Society of America, 1973), p. 638.
53
R. Isaac Nappaha, Palestinian amorah from the 3rd century C.E.
54
J. Neusner, Genesis Rabbah: The Judaic Commentary to the Book of Genesis*&&& A
New American Translation (Brown Judaic Studies 105; Atlanta: Scholars, 1985), vol. 2,
p. 12. Cf. Tan
. Bereshit 13; Tan
. (Bubers ed.) Bereshit 40.
55
The passages cited in note 52 may be supplemented with the following sources (the list
is not exhaustive): Mek. R. Ish. Beshala
[Shira] 2; Midrash Tannaim to Deut 11:16 (cf.
32:15); b. Sanh. 108a; Gen. Rab. 36:1; 38:1; Lev. Rab. 4:1; 5:1; 7:1; Deut. Rab. 43, 318;

38

Theme Section / Sezione monografica

the passages from the book of Job to the Flood generation is in line with a
rabbinic saying (Gen. Rab. 26:7): If Job had come only for the purpose of
spelling out the things that the generation of the Flood did, that would have
been enough.56 In contrast, 4Q370, at least the portion that had survived,
does not link the description of the prosperity and rebellion to Job.
Rewriting the Flood account, it introduces this tradition without attempting
to support it by another scripture. Perhaps, the link to Job 21 in the
Rabbinic sources is a later development, while 4Q370 represents an earlier
stage in the process of growth of this tradition.
This discussion has shown that the first two lines of 4Q370 contain a
tradition which is not found in the biblical Flood story. Therefore it is not
surprising that the language employed there by 4Q370 relies on different
biblical passages (and, probably, an extra-biblical source), but not on the
Flood account itself.57 How was this tradition introduced into the rewritten
Flood narrative? As noted, the expression ( they have done
what is evil in my eyes; line 2) alludes to the ( mans
wickedness) of Gen 6:5. Thus this tradition clarifies the nature of the
wickedness that led to the humans destruction in the Flood.
The Judgment of the Flood Generation in 4Q370
The description of the antediluvians ingratitude in 4Q370 is followed
by their judgment (line 3):
[ ]X
X X
S S

[X ]X

58

And YHWH judged them according to [al]l their ways and

according to the thoughts of the [evil] inclination of their
heart.

________________________
Eccl. Rab. 2:1; Pesiq. Rab Kah. A
arei 26; Tan
. Bereshit 13; Beshala
12; A
arei 1; Tanh).
(Bubers ed.) Bereshit 40; Noah 16, 24, 27; A
arei 2; Ag. Ber. 78; Yal. Shimoni Noah, 58;
Midrash Hag. to Gen 6:13.
56
Neusner, Genesis Rabbah, 1:288. There are several other passages from Job applied to
the Flood generation in the Rabbinic literature. For a discussion see E. Slomovic, The Book
of Job and the Midrash on the Flood and Sodom-Gomorrah Narratives, Proceedings of the
Rabbinical Assembly of America 41 (1979), pp. 167-180 (esp. pp. 171-174).
57
Newsom, Admonition, pp. 88-89, suggests that the description of abundance found
in lines 1-2, as well as the fragment 1 in whole, is influenced by the language of Ezek 36:1933. However, since none of the locutions adduced to support this proposal is unique to Ezek
36, it seems difficult to prove that the author of 4Q370 alludes to Ezek 36:19-33 utilizing this
prophesy of comfort in order to describe the antediluvian reality (applying Urzeit-Endzeit
typology).
58
As can be observed on the fragment and its photographs (PAM 42.369; 42.506), there
is no space between lamed and dalet. Although Newsom refers to this fact (Admonition,
p. 91), she does not represent it in her transcription. For other instances of writing two words
in one in 4Q370 1 see [ line 1], [ line 6]).

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

39

This line alludes to the verses 5 and 12 of Gen 6. The phrase

][ refers to Gen 6:12:

( When God saw how corrupt the

earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth). The expression
 ]
 is taken from Gen 6:5:
( The Lord saw how
great was mans wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his
mind was nothing but evil all the time).
These verses, related both in content (describing humans corruption)
and language (beginning with the , and he saw), are reworked
together also in 1 En. 8:2 and Jub 5:3. However, their use in 4Q370 is
unique in several respects. First, the verb ( and saw) appearing in
both verses, is replaced in 4Q370 with the verb ( and judged).
The judgment of the Flood generation is not mentioned explicitly in the
biblical account. It may well be assumed that this addition, along with the
emphatic statement that the antediluvians were judged according to their
ways and thoughts, serves to justify their severe punishment by the Flood.
Secondly, the biblical phraseology ,59 which is a construct
chain, is rephrased in 4Q370 with noun as a nomen regens and
and as nomina recta. This reworking emphasizes the word .
Interestingly, the same alteration is attested to in other texts from Qumran,
predominantly those assigned to the sectarian literature.60 While this
deserves further study, the depiction of the Flood generation as being
judged not only for their wicked deeds but also for their bad thoughts seems
to be unique to the reworking of the Flood story in 4Q370.
The Description of the Flood
The description of the judgment is followed in 4Q370 by the execution
of Gods verdict:
]/ [ Z ]

And he thundered against them with [his] strength.

[And] all foundations of the ear[th] [t]rembled
While Gods thunder and earths trembling are absent from the biblical
Flood story, both elements are common in the descriptions of theophany in

59
This locution appears also in 1 Chr 29:18 ( ) and, in an
abbreviated form, in 1 Chr 28:9 () .
60
CD II, 16[=4Q270 1 I, 1]; 1QS V, 4, 5; 4Q286 7 II, 7-8; 4Q417 1 II, 12. The
expression is found in 4Q381 76-77 2; 4Q525 7 4.

40

Theme Section / Sezione monografica

the Hebrew Bible (e.g. 1 Sam 7:10; Ps 29:3; 68:9; Job 37:5).61
Significantly, they appear also in the context of Gods future war against all
the nations (Is 24:18-20; 29:6). Hence, it is not surprising that in the Second
Temple writings Gods thunder and earths tottering are frequent in the
eschatological war descriptions (cf. As. Mos. 10:4; Sib. Or. 3. 669, 675),
such as the one found in 1QHa XI[III], 34-35: . . .
i( For the God thunders with the roar of his
strength . . . and the everlasting foundations shall melt and quake62).
In fact, the phrase ]p[[( And] all foundations of the
ear[th] [t]rembled) alludes to the account of the future punishment in Is
24:18-20: ...( And earths
foundations tremble . . . The earth is swaying like a drunkard).63 As noted
by Newsom, the reference to Is 24:18-20 is by no means accidental.64 The
description of the calamity that will overtake the earth opens here with an
allusion to the Genesis Flood story (verse 18):
(The floodgates of the heavens are opened, NIV; cf. Gen 7:11). Thus,
while Is 24:18 describes the future catastrophe employing the language of
the Flood narrative, 4Q370 seems to introduce into its Flood story the
elements of the eschatological war.65 It is possible that the explicit mention
of the judgment in our scroll is also related to this attempt to depict the
Flood in terms of the eschatological events, since the judgment of the
wicked is also an important element of the future Day of the Lord in the
Hebrew Bible (Joel 4:12; Dan 7:26) and in the second Temple sources (e.g.
1 En 90:20-27; 92:15).
The relation between the biblical Flood and the eschaton is reflected in
various ways in the Second Temple writings. Thus, the description of the
future paradisaic conditions in 1 En 10:16-11:2 employs the language of the
Flood narrative.66 On the other hand, the post-Flood conditions are depicted
61
Noted by Newsom, Admonition, p. 94. On theophany see T. Hiebert Theophany in
the OT, in D.N. Freedman (ed.), The Anchor Bible Dictionary (6 vols.; New York,
Doubleday, 1992), vol 6, pp. 505-511.
62
Hebrew text and translation are from M. Abegg et al., 1QHa, in Parabiblical Texts,
ed. D.W. Parry - E. Tov (DSSR 5; Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2005), pp. 2-76 (here p. 25).
63
Noted also by Newsom, Admonition, p. 94. Is 24 is usually attributed to the
apocalyptic chapters of this book (24-27). See O. Kaiser, Isaiah 13-39, trans. R.A. Wilson
(OTL; London: SCM, 1973), pp. 190-91; H. Wildberger, Isaiah 13-27, trans. T.H. Trapp (A
Continental Commentary; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997), pp. 445ff.
64
Ibid.
65
This tendency may also be reflected in other ancient sources reworking the biblical
Flood story. Thus, the description of the Flood in 1 En 89:4, 8 introduces mist and darkness
(cf. Joel 2:2; Zeph 1:15), while the reworking of the Flood narrative in Sib. Or. 1:217-220
mentions, along darkness and Gods thunder, also hurricanes (cf. Is 29:6; Mic 1:3; Zech
9:14). Cf. P. Tiller, A Commentary on the Animal Apocalypse of 1 Enoch (Early Judaism and
Its Literature 4; Atlanta: Scholars, 1993), p. 267.
66
For a discussion see L. Hartman, An Early Example of Jewish Exegesis: 1 Enoch
10:6-11:2, Neotestamentica 17 (1983), pp. 16-26 (esp. pp. 16-23); G.W.E. Nickelsburg, 1
Enoch 1 (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), pp. 226-228.

41

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

in Jub 5:12 in terms of the eschatological new creation (cf. 1 En 90:38).67 In

1 En 93:4 the Flood is named the the first end, followed by the second,
eternal judgment (91:15).68 Antediluvians careless involvement in the
mundane activities serves in the Gospels as warning to those living in the
last generation (Matt 24: 38, 39; Luke 17:26-27).69 In 2 Pet 2:5-6, 9 the
Flood is used as an example of Gods ability to save the righteous and to
punish the wicked, which will be demonstrated on a larger scale in the
future judgment.70
How does 4Q370 introduce these new elements into the rewritten Flood
story:
[ Z ]

[ Z ]
S  

][/
X S [S ]
]
S

And he thundered against them with [his] strength. [And] all

foundations of the ear[th] [t]rembled. [And wat]ers broke
forth
from the depths. All the windows of the heavens were opened,
and all the depth[s] were overflowed [with] mighty waters
The author of 4Q370 inserted Gods thunder and earths trembling before
the reworking of Gen 7:11b
( On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst apart and
the floodgates of the sky broke open). The reworked text may suggest that it
is the thunder of God, directed against the wicked, that opens the floodgates
of the sky, while earths shaking causes the great deep to burst apart. Thus
the two elements foreign to the biblical Flood narrative are interwoven into its
rewritten version.
The reworking of Gen 7:11b in lines 4-5 is also interesting from several
points of view. First, this biblical passage is rewritten here twice:

Gen 7: 11b

  Z[

4Q370 I, 4-5

][X

X S [S ]

67

On this verse see Segal, The Book of Jubilees, pp. 121-123.

Quoted from Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch 1, pp. 434-435.
69
See J. Schlosser, Les jours de No et de Lot, Biblica 80 (1973), pp. 13-36 (esp. 1568

25).
70
On the Flood of Fire in the Rabbinic literature (e.g. t. Taaniot 2:13; Mek. R. Ish.
Amaleq [Yitro] 1) see L. Ginzberg, The Flood of Fire, HaGoren 9 (1912), 35-51 (Hebrew).

42

Theme Section / Sezione monografica

There is no other example of the double reworking of a biblical source

in 4Q370. It could have been employed here to emphasize the tremendous
amount of waters gathered to punish the wicked. Notably, the first
reworking of this text employs the vocabulary of the verse itself, while the
second one introduces expressions taken from other biblical books (Exod
15:10; Zech 1:17; Eccl 11:3). Interesting is the use of the phrase
(mighty waters), borrowed from the Song of the Sea (Exod 15:10):
( You made Your wind blow,
the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the majestic waters).71 While
in 4Q370 the waters of the Flood are described using a locution taken from
the Song of the Sea, in the Hebrew Bible an opposite case is found. An
expression, which may be easily interpreted as referring to the Flood, is
employed by Is 51:10 while describing Israelites passage in the Red Sea:

It was you that dried up a Sea, the waters of the great deep;
that made the abysses of the Sea a road the redeemed might
walk
The original meaning, with which the phrase ( the great
deep) might have been invested, has no bearing on this discussion.72 Being
found in a parallel with the expression ( the abysses of the Sea)
it is easily interpreted as alluding to the Red Sea.73 Isaiahs usage of the
locution in this context might have contributed to the
establishing of a link between the Flood story ( , Gen 7:11) and
the miracle at the Red Sea. In fact, both stories describe Gods punishment
of the wicked by water and the miraculous deliverance of the chosen ones.74

71
See also Ps 93:4. It is possible that the replacement of the biblical expression
with a word , occurring twice in the reworked version of this verse, is also
influenced by the language of the Song ( appears in Exod 15:5, 8). On the other hand,
it may also be related to the frequent (14 times) use of the plural of in the Hebrew Bible
(see Deut 8:7; Is 63:13; Ps 106:9). Cf. a similar locution in Pr 3:20:

(By his knowledge the depths burst apart).

72
On this verse see C. Westermann, Isaiah 40-66 (OTL; London, SGM, 1969), pp. 240243; J. Blenkinsopp, Isaiah 40-55 (AB; New York: Doubleday, 2002), pp. 330-333.
73
Cf. its usage in the reconstructed text of the 4QWorks of God (4Q392 2+4Q393 1 I, 910) in D. Falk, 4Q392. 4QWorks of God, in Qumran Cave 4.XX: Poetical and Liturgical
Texts. Part 2, ed. E. Chazon et al. (DJD 29; Oxford: Clarendon, 1999), pp. 25-44 (here p.
35).
74
Significantly, the Sages had also interpreted certain verses in the Song of the Sea as
referring to the generation of the Flood. See the interpretation of Exod 15:1 in Mek. R. Ishm.
Beshala
[Shira] 2 (cf. Tan
. Beshala
12) and Exod 15:6 in Mek. R. Shim. Bar Yo
ai
Beshala
to Exod 15:6 (cf. Yal. Shimoni Beshala
, 246).

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

43

This notion of the water as Gods instrument of punishment might have

been alluded to by 4Q370s use of the expression ` n.
The Death of the Strong Ones in the Flood
The description of the Deluge is followed in 4Q370 by the list of those
who died in the Flood (line 6):
76

[   ][  ]75 ][ ]

[ ][

Therefore, everyone wh[o was on] the dry ground was

[wiped out]: man and [cattle and every ]bird, every winged
thing, died. And the str[ong one]s77 did not escape
The expression ] [ suggests that 4Q370 reworks here
Gen 7:22-23:
.

All those in whose nostrils was the merest breath of life, all
that was on dry land, died. All existence on earth was blotted
out - man, cattle, creeping things, and birds of the sky; they
were blotted from the earth
Rewriting these verses the author of 4Q370 summarized their contents,
avoiding the repetitive style of this source. Reworking the list found in v. 23
he replaced the phrase ( birds of the sky), with a synonymous
expression (][ and every] bird, every winged thing),
borrowed from Gen 7:14. Furthermore, he dropped one kind of the animals
included there, ( creeping things). However, the most intriguing
75
Newsom Admonition, 91, reads ]

. However, there is a space between lamed
and alef, as may be seen on the fragment and its photographs.
76
Newsom (ibid.) reads  ], but no traces of a second letter are found on the
fragment and the photographs.
77
Newsom, Admonition, p. 91, translates giants. Since Since the relation between
][mentioned here and the of Gen 6:4, described in the Second Temple
writings as giants, has to be established first, it is suggested to render ][as the
strong ones (see F. Brown - S.R. Driver - C.A. Briggs - J. Strong - H.F.W. Genesius, The
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English lexicon: With an Appendix Containing the
Biblical Aramaic. Coded with the Numbering System from Strongs Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible [Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996], p. 150; Baumgartner - Khler Richardson - Stamm, The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 172).

44

Theme Section / Sezione monografica

alteration introduced here by 4Q370 is an inclusion of group that is not

mentioned in the Hebrew Bible among those who died in the Flood:
( ][the strong ones). Since humanity is labeled in this list as
, one may conclude that the group called ][does not refer to
humans. Undoubtedly, it refers to the descendants of the sons of God and
daughters of men, named in Gen 6:4: . The syntax of 4Q370
suggests that its author wanted to emphasize their death in the Flood. For
instead of simply adding them to the list, he wrote a separate close:
][ . Where did the author of 4Q370 learn of their death
in the Flood? And why did he add them to the list of the punished,
emphasizing that they have not escaped the destruction?
The answers to these questions may be found in the traditions about the
fallen angels and their descendants, that have developed on the basis of the
enigmatic passage found in Gen 6:1-4.78 In the Second Temple writings
are usually considered to be giants (CD II, 19; 1 En 7:2; Jub 5:1;
Bar 3:26; Ant. 1:72). These giants, whose very birth was a result of the
angelic rebellion against God (cf. 1 En 15:3-7), are frequently depicted in
these sources as rebels trusting in their might (CD II, 20-21; Sir 16:7; Wis
14:6; 3 Macc 2:4). Thus, for instance, in Sir 16:7:
( MS A; He forgave not the princes of old
rebelling against their yoke in their might).79 The appellation
(princes of old), as well as the reference to their might, strongly suggests
their identification with ( the heroes of old,
the men of renown) of Gen 6:4.80 The unique phraseology
(note the use of as in 4Q370 I, 2) may be read with Dimant as

( rebelling against their yoke),81 while the yoke here refers to Gods
sovereignty.82
78

For a detailed analysis of these traditions see Dimant, The Fallen Angels, passim.
The Hebrew text according to The Book of Ben-Sira (Jerusalem: The Academy of the
Hebrew Language, Shrine of the Book, 1973), p. 23. The English translation is by P.W.
Skehan, A.A. Di Lella, The Wisdom of Ben Sira (AB; New York: Doubleday, 1987), p. 268,
adapted to the reading proposed here. MS B reads here: 232 ( rebelling in
their might).
80
Thus understood their Vorlagen the Greek and Latin translators of Sirach, translating
here: giants.
81
Dimant, The Fallen Angels, pp. 141-144. Cf. the expression ( to throw off
the yoke) attested in the Rabbinic literature (see in M. Jastrow, A Dictionary of the
Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature [New York:
Pardes, 1950], p. 1050). The reading found in MS B: 232 ( rebelling in their
might), according to Dimant, is secondary, since it replaces a more difficult reading of MS
A. Dimants reading avoids emending of the text, e.g. , proposed by Israel Lvi and
Michael Segal. I. Lvi, LEcclsiastique ou, La sagesse de Jsus, fils de Sira (Paris: Leroux,
1898), p. 115. M.-Z. Segal, The Complete Book of Ben-Sirah (Jerusalem: Mosad Bialik,
1997), p. 89 (in Hebrew, verse 9 according to his edition). Menachem Kister suggested to
read the version found in the MS B as

(those thrown down): see M. Kister, A

Contribution to the Interpretation of Ben Sirah, Tarbiz 59 (1990), pp. 303-378 (here pp.
327-328).
79

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

45

Several traditions regarding giants death are found in the Second

Temple sources. While according to one of them, they died by a sword
(1 En 10:9; Jub 5:9), other sources speak of their destruction in the Flood
(CD II, 19-21; Wis 14:6-7; 3 Macc 2:4). In the Animal Apocalypse the
giants die first by sword and later those who survived are destroyed in the
Flood (1 En 88:2; 89:6). While the majority of the contemporaneous
sources speak of giants death before or during the Flood, a tradition found
in the work attributed to Pseudo-Eupolemus,83 reports of giants who
survived the Flood. This tradition is attested also in the Rabbinic
literature.84
The mention of the giants death in the Flood in 4Q370 may imply that
its author alludes to the aforementioned tradition, according to which they
were destroyed by the Deluge. Their addition to the biblical list may refer to
the tradition depicting them as rebelling against God, for, according to
4Q370, the generation of the Flood was punished for their rebellion. But
how is the emphatic description of their punishment to be explained?
According to one opinion, it reflects 4Q370s polemic against the tradition
claiming that not all the giants died in the Flood.85 While this is possible,
this statement may be better understood in view of the traditional depiction
of as mighty giants. Stating emphatically that the strong ones did
not escape, 4Q370 made clear that their height and strength did not prevent
their death in the Flood. In fact, the language seems to refer to
Jer 46:6: ( The swift cannot get away, the
warrior cannot escape) or to Amos 2:14:
( Flight shall fail the swift, the strong shall find
no strength, And the warrior shall not save his life), declaring that even the
strong ones will not escape from Gods punishment (cf. also Ps 33:16, 17).
Given the relation between the depiction of the Flood in 4Q370 and the
descriptions of the eschatological war in the Hebrew Bible, it is probably
not incidental that these verses appear in the context of Gods war against
the nations (Jer 46:10)86 and his future punishment of the wicked ones
among his own people (Amos 2:16).87

________________________
82
Interestingly, the generation of the Flood is convicted in 2 En 34:1 for refusing to carry
the yoke that God has placed on them.
83
These fragments are preserved in Preparatio Evangelica 9:17:2-3; 9:18:2 of Eusebius.
For the text and discussion see C.R. Holladay, Fragments from Hellenistic Jewish Authors
(4 vols.; SBLTT 20; Pseudepigrapha Series 10; Chico: Scholars, 1983), vol. 1, pp. 157ff.
84
See Tg. Yer. to Gen 14:13; Deut 3:11; b. Zeba
. 113b; b. Niddah 61a; Gen. Rab. 41:8;
Deut. Rab. 11:10; Pirqe R. El. 23.
85
Barzilai, Offhand Exegesis, pp. 207-213.
86
On Jer 46:10 and its setting see R.P. Carrol, Jeremiah (OTL; London: SCM, 1986),
pp. 759-765, esp. pp. 763; W.L. Holladay, Jeremiah 2 (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress,
1989), pp. 318, 320.
87
On Amos 2:14 and its context see J.L. Mays, Amos (OTL; London: SCM, 1969),
pp. 43-45, 54; S.M. Paul, Amos (Hermeneia; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1991), pp. 76, 95-97.

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Theme Section / Sezione monografica

How is the allusion to the tradition of the giants death introduced into
the rewritten Flood story? In is interesting to compare the technique
employed by 4Q370 with that of CD II, 19-21, which also deals with the
destruction of the Giants in the Flood:

and so too their sons, who were as high as the lofty cedars
and whose corpses were as mountains. For all flesh which was
on dry land fell, for they died and were as if they had not
been88
In order to support the death of the giants by the scripture, the author of
CD referred to same verse used by 4Q370, namely Gen 7:22. CD borrowed
from it the collocation ( all that was on dry land) and
reworked it together with a phrase found in the previous verse, Gen 7:21:
( And all flesh . . . perished). The general expression all
the flesh was utilized by him as a proof that the giants had also died. On
the other hand it alludes to the word ( flesh) in Gen 6:4
( The Lord said, My breath
shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh).89 In the
contemporaneous sources this verse was sometimes interpreted to refer
particularly to the giants (1 En 10:10; Jub 5:7-8).90 In contrast, the author of
4Q370 did not bring any biblical proof for the giants death in the Flood.
Rewriting the Flood story he simply added them to the biblical list of the
punished.
Conclusion
The main objective of this paper was to explore the reworking of the
biblical Flood account in 4Q370. Analyzing the retelling of this biblical
story in this scroll, various additions and alterations were noted and
discussed. Although, these diverse changes resist a neat classification, they
may be assigned to two main categories: 1. expansions using non-biblical
materials (e.g. abundance and rebellion; giants death), 2. allusions to the
motives found in other biblical texts (e.g. description of the Flood in terms
of the eschatological war and judgment; the Egyptians destruction in the
88
The text and translation are from J.M. Baumgarten - D.R. Schwartz, Damascus
Document, in The Dead Sea Scrolls: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English
Translations (The Princeton Theological Seminary Dead Sea Scrolls Project; Tbingen:
Mohr-Siebeck, 1995), pp. 4-57 (here pp. 15-16).
89
See Dimant, The Fallen Angels, p. 149.
90
Ibid. p. 69.

Feldman - The Reworking of the Biblical Flood Story in 4Q370

47

Red Sea). These new elements are introduced into the reworked Flood story
by means of allusion to the language of the main biblical text (e.g.
abundance and rebellion), or by interweaving it into the rewritten biblical
passage (e.g. Gods thunder, earth trembling, giants death). Various
procedures utilized in rewriting the biblical text itself were also noted:
summarization, repetitive reworking, merging of related passages and
paraphrasing using synonymic biblical expressions.
The interweaving of the biblical text with exegetical traditions, as well
as the techniques employed to this end in 4Q370, are by no means unique to
it. Found in the Hebrew Bible itself,91 they are attested in the various
Second Temple writings. Therefore, the retelling of the Flood story in
4Q370 belongs with a wider phenomenon of reworking the Bible in the
Second Temple period. However, this study has also pointed to the unique
features of 4Q370s Flood account. Thus, it confirms the antiquity of the
tradition, according to which the Flood generation rebelled against God
while enjoying an abundance of food. Furthermore, while the perception of
the biblical Flood as a model of the eschatological judgment is reflected in
several Second Temple writings, 4Q370s depiction of the Flood in terms of
the future Day of the Lord provide another peculiar illustration of this
notion. Though 4Q370s fragmentary state precludes any definite
conclusions, this feature of the Flood description may explain why this
story was reworked in the scroll. Viewing the Flood as a paradigm of the
future judgment, the author of 4Q370 might have employed the different
features of this biblical story, e.g. the destruction of the wicked, for
paraenetic purposes.

91

On this issue see, for instance, A. Rof, Phases in the Creation of the Biblical Books
in the Light of Qumran Biblical Scrolls, in Fifty Years of Dead Sea Scrolls Research, ed. G.
Brin - B. Nitzan (Jerusalem: Yad Ben-Zvi, 2001), pp. 127-139.