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1QpHab

Commentary on Habakkuk

About this book

Column 7

1 And God told Habakkuk to write down the things that are coming upon⁠ 2 the last generation, but the completion of the age he did not make known to him. 3 And as for what it says, “so that the one who reads it may run,”⁠ 4 its interpretation concerns the Teacher of Righteousness, to whom God made known 5 all the mysteries of the words of his servants the prophets. “For there is yet a vision 6 for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie.” 7 Its interpretation: that the last age will be prolonged, and it will go beyond all 8 that the prophets have spoken, for the mysteries of God are wondrous. 9 “If it delays, wait for it, for it will surely come and will not 10 be late.” Its interpretation concerns the men of truth, 11 those who observe the Torah, whose hands do not slacken from the service of 12 the truth when the last age is drawn out over them, for 13 all the ages of God come in their order, as he decreed 14 for them in the mysteries of his prudence. “Behold, puffed up, not upright, 15 [is his soul within him.”] Its interpretation: that they will double upon themselves 16 [their sins, and they will not] be accepted at their judgment […] … […] 17 [… “But the righteous will live by his faithfulness.”]

Texts in conversation

Compare 1QpHab 7:1 and Matthew 24:36

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · New Testament

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Summary

The Dead Sea Scrolls commentary on Habakkuk, a “pesher” or interpretive commentary, says that secret knowledge of the end of the age was given to the Teacher of Righteousness. In Matthew, Jesus similarly says that secret knowledge is known only to God.

Passages

1QpHab 7:1

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation · Commentary on Habakkuk
1 And God told Habakkuk to write down the things that are coming upon 2 the last generation, but the completion of the age he did not make known to him. 3 And as for what it says, “so that the one who reads it may run,” 4 its interpretation concerns the Teacher of Righteousness, to whom God made known 5 all the mysteries of the words of his servants the prophets. “For there is yet a vision 6 for the appointed time; it speaks of the end and does not lie.” 7 Its interpretation: that the last age will be prolonged, and it will go beyond all 8 that the prophets have spoken, for the mysteries of God are wondrous. 9 “If it delays, wait for it, for it will surely come and will not 10 be late.” Its interpretation concerns the men of truth, 11 those who observe the Torah, whose hands do not slacken from the service of 12 the truth when the last age is drawn out over them, for
175–100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1QpHab

Matthew 24:36

New Testament
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it—not even the angels in heaven—except the Father alone. 37 For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... The blindness of those deemed wise is a motif found elsewhere in the Old Testament (compare Isaiah 29:14) and in Qumran (e.g., 1QS 11:6). The word νήπιος, used to refer to “the simple” is found in the LXX of Psalm 18:7; 114:6; 118:30 (compare among “infants” in Wisdom of Solomon 10:21). The contextual evidence supports a positive view of becoming like a child to inherit the kingdom of God (compare 18:1–4 and compare 5:5). It should be noted, moreover, that people have a responsibility and a choice to be infants if they want to receive Jesus’ revelation (verses 20–24; 28). With regard to the content of the revelation that is disclosed to the little ones, it might include the eschatological knowledge which can be linked to the presence of the Kingdom of God. “Many Jews believed that the great redemption would be heralded by revelations concerning the time of the Messiah’s coming and other secrets ‘hidden since the foundation of the world’” (compare Psalm 78:2; 1QpHab. 7:1–5; 11:1–2). This also forms the underlying strands of the idea in 11:27, but the revelation’s tense is shifted to the present ..."
Juheon Kim, “Christology of Q and Wisdom: The Case Study on the Johannine Thunderbolt Pericope” (diss., Chongshin University, 2015), 44–45.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Comments

  • What does 1QpHab 7 stand for? I gather Q = Qumran, and Hab = Habakkuk.

    Douglas, June 15, 2025

  • Douglas, the p stands for "pesher", indicating that 1QpHab is a kind of commentary on Habakkuk found with the Dead Sea Scrolls.

    Daniel, June 18, 2025

1QpHab 7:1 and Matthew 24:36

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