A Note on the Qumran Version of Isa 5:18

Abstract This article discusses a potentially difficult reading that occurs in the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa a ) in Isa 5:18, namely, the word ‮ השי ‬‎. This manuscript is the oldest Hebrew copy of the book of Isaiah, dating from the second half of the second century BCE . The reading ‮ השי ‬‎ was previously thought to be the result of a scribe’s error (written instead of ‮ השו ‬‎ “deceit, worthlessness, vanity,” cf. ‮ השוא ‬‎ in the Masoretic Text). The article discusses alternative explanations for this reading: a) the form of the noun ‮ שֶׂה ‬‎ “sheep, goat,” b) the form of the noun ‮ שַׁי ‬‎ “tribute.”