Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)
The only complete biblical book among the Dead Sea Scrolls, copied around 125 BCE
Found 1947 — Ta'amireh Bedouin; bought by Metropolitan Athanasius Yeshue Samuel of St Mark's Monastery, sold in 1954 via a Wall Street Journal advertisement to Yigael Yadin for Israel
Where Qumran Cave 1 (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from c. 150–100 BCE · Hasmonean · Late Second Temple copy of the 8th-century prophet
Now at Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
How Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) was found
One of the original seven scrolls from Cave 1, found wrapped in linen inside a jar.
What it is
A parchment scroll 7.34 m long made of 17 sheets, containing all 66 chapters of Isaiah in 54 columns of Hebrew. It is the best-preserved of all the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Why it matters for the Bible
It is about a thousand years older than the Aleppo and Leningrad codices, yet its text agrees with the traditional (Masoretic) Isaiah in nearly every verse, with differences mostly in spelling and small wording. This is the strongest single piece of evidence that the Hebrew Scriptures were transmitted faithfully. Key messianic passages such as Isaiah 7:14, 9:6 and chapter 53 are present in full, copied more than a century before Yeshua (Jesus).
The Hebrew word: ye-shoo-AH
יְשׁוּעָה
יְשׁוּעָה is pronounced ye-shoo-AH and means salvation, the word at the root of the names Isaiah and Yeshua (Strong's H3444).
People this discovery connects to
- Isaiah — יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (ye-shah-YAH-hoo) — YHVH is salvation
Places
- Zion — צִיּוֹן (tsee-YONE) — Jerusalem's fortress hill
Events
Transmission of the book of Isaiah · Messianic expectation in the Hasmonean period
Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) in Scripture
2 Kings 19:2 First mention of Isaiah in Scripture.
Isaiah 7:14 The 'almah shall conceive' prophecy reads the same in the scroll as in the Masoretic Text.
Isaiah 53:5 The suffering servant chapter is preserved intact in a scroll copied before Yeshua's birth.
Questions people ask
What is Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)?
A parchment scroll 7.34 m long made of 17 sheets, containing all 66 chapters of Isaiah in 54 columns of Hebrew. It is the best-preserved of all the Dead Sea Scrolls.
When was Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) discovered?
It was found in 1947 by Ta'amireh Bedouin; bought by Metropolitan Athanasius Yeshue Samuel of St Mark's Monastery, sold in 1954 via a Wall Street Journal advertisement to Yigael Yadin for Israel, at Qumran Cave 1.
Where is Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) today?
Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) relate to?
2 Kings 19:2, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 53:5.
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