What Is 4QNarrative and Poetic Composition (2Q22; 4Q371–373a) About?

Abstract 4QNarrative and Poetic Composition (2Q22; 4Q371–373a) is difficult to characterize. It is attested in five manuscripts with only a few overlaps, it contains a mixture of prose and poetry, and the largest fragments do not seem to be united by an overarching theme. The best-preserved fragment, 4Q372 1, is about Joseph while others seem to echo traditions around either Moses or David. In this article, I do a few things: 1) I review the cases that have been made for seeing Moses or David in the background of these smaller fragments; 2) I add evidence to the case for David; 3) I suggest that both figures are invoked as part of the text’s anti-Samaritan polemic; 4) I suggest that Joseph is tied to these figures by means of the tradition of Jacob’s vision at Bethel.