Singing and Meditation in the Seventh Song of the Sabbath Sacrifice: The Semantic Overlap of ‮רנן‬‎ and ‮הגה‬‎ in the “Cycle of Summons” (4Q403 1 I 36–37)

What is it about?

This is a study of an ancient Jewish hymn discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls as part of a collection known as the "Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice," dated by scholars to the late first century B.C.E. By closely analysing some of the language of the hymn, this study discovers that the performance of joyful singing was considered to be a means of meditating on the knowledge of God, and an embodied way of experiencing divine presence. These findings also add to our historic understanding of the meaning of specific Hebrew verbs, and have a bearing on the meaning of similar language used in canonical texts of the Bible.

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Photo by Konrad Hofmann on Unsplash

Photo by Konrad Hofmann on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study adds to our understanding of the history of Jewish liturgy in antiquity, Jewish thought and practice in Judea around the time of the birth of Jesus and the emergence of Rabbinic Judaism, and to our understanding of the meaning of specific Hebrew terms in antiquity. It also has a bearing on the interpretation of specific biblical passages, particularly in the Psalms (eg Psalm 63), but also extending as far as the New Testament (eg Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:18–19). These insights contribute to our understanding of historic Jewish and Early Christian theology, and to mystical practices and spiritual experience in late Second Temple Judaism.

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