Heaven and Earth Will Obey Messiah - 4Q521
By Pinchas Shir
This is an excerpt from a scroll found in one of the Qumran caves. It belongs to the first century BCE and was penned by one of the scribes in the Dead Sea region. Though only portions of the entire scroll survived, this passage is very legible. The remarkable part of this text is that here Messiah is a person who commands heaven and earth, heals the sick and even resurrects the dead. These were some key Messianic expectations of Jews in Qumran. Compare this text with how Yeshua was described in Luke 7:22.
1 [for the heav]ens and the earth will listen to his anointed one (Messiah),
2 [and all th]at is in them will not turn away from the precepts of the holy ones.
3 Strengthen yourselves, you who are seeking the Lord, in his service! [Blank]
4 Will you not in this encounter the Lord, all those who hope in their heart?
5 For the Lord will consider the pious, and call the righteous by name,
6 and his spirit will hover upon the poor, and he will renew the faithful with his strength.
7 For he will honor the pious upon the throne of an eternal kingdom,
8 freeing prisoners, giving sight to the blind, straightening out the twis[ted.]
9 And for[e]ver shall I cling [to those who h]ope, and in his mercy […]
10 and the fru[it of …] … not be delayed.
11 And the Lord will perform marvelous acts such as have not existed, just as he sa[id,]
12 [for] he will heal the badly wounded and will make the dead live, he will proclaim good news to the poor
13 and […] … […] he will lead the […] … and enrich the hungry. (4Q521)
