Abstract:

The incomplete phrase ] פרשנו מרוב הע [ from 4QMMT is often read as
פרשנו מרוב העם . Translated as “we have separated ourselves from the multitude/
majority of the people,” this line stands at the heart of many discussions
concerning the composition of 4QMMT and is allegedly the Qumran community’s
self-perception of their relationship with the other Jewish fractions,
specifically referring to their schism with the rest of the nation.
Based on a philological study of the components of this line I propose
the following alternative reading: פרשנו מרוב הע[מים [. I argue that considering
the intertextual relationships between 4QMMT with the relevant passages
from Deuteronomy and Ezra, and examining the uses of the root פרש in the
relevant contexts in the Targumin and in rabbinic texts that this alternative
reading should be the default one, or at least as plausible as the common one.
Consequently, I examine how this reading should influence our understanding
of the nature of 4QMMT.