Psalms Not Found in the Bible: Additional Psalms Found Among the Dead Sea Scrolls

Earlier, I shared some apocryphal psalms found among some early Greek and Syriac Psalters, with some attestation among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here, I share additional Psalms found primarily among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Many of these are fragmentary and incomplete, and are presented here wherever possible. The psalms presented in this collection are found among various Psalters, and does not represent every Psalm found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

 

The following Psalms are from the Great Psalms Scroll (11QPs).

This first is a Catena included following Psalms 135–136, offering a longer ending which follows Psalm 136:26. Although this Catena reworks material found in Psalm 118, it is unlikely to be an alternate form of the Psalm because it appeared previously in the Psalm Scroll and is its own composition.[1]

The Catena

^118:1O give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good,
for his steadfast love endure forever!

^118:15Listen to the shouts of joy and victory in the tents of righteousness:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly,
^118:16 the right hand of the Lord is lifted high,
the right hand of the Lord has wrought strength!”

^118:8It is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in humans.
^118:9It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to put confidence in princes.
^118:XIt is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in a thousand people.

^118:29O give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Praise the Lord!

 

The following is a new Psalm that affirms God’s kindness and asks for His protection.[2]

Plea for Deliverance

¹For a maggot cannot praise you,
nor a worm recount your mercy.
²But the living can praise you,
all those who stumble can praise you,
³when you reveal your mercy to them,
and when you teach them your justice.
⁴For in your hand is the soul of every living being;
the breath of all flesh you have given.
⁵Deal with us, O Lord, according to your goodness,
according to your great compassions,
and according to your many righteous acts.

⁶The Lord has heard the voice of those who love his name
and has not deprived them of his mercy.
⁷Blessed be the Lord, who performs righteous deeds,
crowning his pious ones with mercy and compassions.
⁸My soul cries out to praise your name,
to give thanks with shouts for your merciful deeds,
⁹to proclaim your faithfulness —
of praise of you there is no end!

¹⁰I was near death for my sins,
and my iniquities had sold me to Sheol;
¹¹but you saved me, O Lord,
according to your great compassion,
and according to your many righteous acts.
¹²Indeed I have loved your name,
and in your shelter I have found refuge.

¹³When I remember your power my heart is brave,
and I lean upon your mercies.
¹⁴Forgive my sin, O Lord,
and cleanse me from my iniquity.
¹⁵Bestow on me a spirit of faith and knowledge,
and let me not be dishonored in ruin.
¹⁶Let not Satan rule over me,
nor an unclean spirit;
¹⁷neither let pain nor the evil inclination
take possession of my bones.

¹⁸For you, O Lord, are my praise,
and in you I hope all the day long.
¹⁹Let my brothers rejoice with me and my father’s house,
who are puzzled by your graciousness.
[ . . . Fore]ver I shall rejoice in you.

 

The following new Psalm invokes blessings on Jerusalem, looks forward to the defeat of her enemies, and looks forward to her righteousness. AS the community at Qumran had left Jerusalem because they believed that the temple priesthood had become corrupted, it is possible this Psalm was used to look forward to their eventual return to Jerusalem.[3]

The Apostrophe to Zion

¹I remember you for blessing, O Zion;
with all my strength I have loved you.
May your memory be blessed forever!

²Great is your hope, O Zion,
that peace and your expected salvation will come.
³Generation after generation will dwell in you
and generations of pious ones will be your splendor:
⁴those who yearn for the day of your salvation
that they may rejoice in the greatness of your glory.
⁵At your glorious abundance they will suckle,
and in your magnificent squares they will scamper.
⁶You will remember your prophets’ acts of devotion,
and you will glory in the deeds of your pious ones.

⁷Let violence be purged from your midst;
let falsehood and deceit be cut off from you.
⁸Your children will rejoice in your midst
and your precious ones will be united with you.
⁹How they have hoped for your salvation,
how your perfect ones have mourned for you.

¹⁰Your hope does not perish, O Zion,
nor is your longing forgotten.

¹¹Who is the one to have ever perished (in) righteousness,
or who is the one to have ever survived in his iniquity?
¹²A person is tested according to his path;
everyone is awarded according to his deeds.
¹³All around your enemies are cut off, O Zion,
and all your foes have been scattered.
¹⁴Your praise is a pleasant odor, O Zion,
ascending throughout all the world.
¹⁵Many times I remember you for blessing;
with all my heart I bless you.
¹⁶May you attain to everlasting righteousness,
and may you accept the blessings of the glorious ones.

¹⁷Accept a vision described for you,
and dreams of prophets sought for you.
¹⁸Be exalted and spread out, O Zion!
Praise the Most High, your savior:
let my soul rejoice in your glory!

 

The following new Psalm has thematic connections to Psalm 104, as both draw on Genesis 1. This Psalm is considered a Wisdom Psalm, praising the Lord as the Creator.[4]

Hymn to the Creator

¹Great and holy is the Lord,
the holiest of the Holy Ones
from generation to generation.

²Glory precedes him
and following him is the rush of many waters.
³Grace and truth surround his presence;
truth and justice and righteousness are the foundation of his throne.
⁴Separating light from deep darkness,
he established the dawn by the knowledge of his heart.
⁵When all his angels had saw this they sang aloud;
for he showed them what they had not known:
⁶he crowns the hills with fruit,
perfect food for every living being.

⁷Blessed be he who has made the earth by his power,
who has established the world in his wisdom.
⁹In his understanding he spread out the heavens,
and brought forth [the wind] from [his] st[orehouses].
⁹He made [lightning bolts for the rai]n,
and caused mist[s] to rise [from] the end [of the earth].

 

The following note asserts Davidic authorship for the Psalms, and Abegg et al. believe this is included to assert that the arrangement of the compositions of the Great Psalm Scroll were inspires by God. While it certainly appears to imply the compositions are inspired, nothing is actually said about the arrangement as found in the Great Psalms Scroll. Notably, the Great Psalms Scroll elsewhere includes David’s last words, as recorded in 2 Samuel 23:7.[5]

David’s Compositions

²And David, son of Jesse, was wise, and a light like the light of the sun, and a scribe, ³and discerning and perfect in all his ways before God and men. And the Lord gave ⁴him a discerning and enlightened spirit. And he wrote ⁵three thousand six hundred psalms; and songs to sing before the altar over the whole-burnt ⁶perpetual offering for every day, for all the days of the year: three hundred and sixty-four; ⁷and for the sabbath offerings, fifty-two songs; and for the offering of the New ⁸Moons and for all the days of the festivals, and for the Day of Atonement: thirty songs. ⁹And all the songs that he uttered were four hundred and forty-six, and songs ¹⁰for making music over the possessed: four. And the total was four thousand and fifty. ¹¹All these he uttered through prophecy which had been given him from before the Most High.

 

The following Psalms have been found in Cave 4 (Scroll 4QPS). The following Psalms are highly eschatological (that is, dealing with the end times) The Eschatological Hymn offers praises to God in this context, and the Apostrophe to Judah appears to be anthological, drawing on many previous words and phrases found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible.[6]

 

The Eschatological Hymn

⁴many [. . . ] and let them praise ⁵the name of the Lord.
[F]or he comes to judge ⁶every ac[ti]on,
to remove the wicked ⁷from the earth,
[so that the children of] iniquity will not ⁸be found.

[And] the hea[v]ens [will give] their dew,
⁹and there will be no searing dro[ught within] their [b]orders.
And the earth ¹⁰will yield its fruit in its season,
and will not ¹¹cheat of its [pro]duce.
The ¹²fruit trees [will…] their vines,
and [. . . ] will not cheat of its […].
The ¹⁴oppressed will eat,
and those who fear the Lord will be satisfied […]

 

The Apostrophe to Judah

⁵[…] Then let the heavens and earth give praise together;
⁶then let all the stars of twilight give praise!

⁷Rejoice, O Judah, in your joy;
⁸be happy in your happiness,
and dance in your dance.
⁹Celebrate your pilgrim feasts,
fulfill your vows,
for no longer ¹⁰is Belial in your midst.
May your hand be lifted up!
¹¹May your right hand prevail!
See, enemies will ¹²perish,
and all evildoers will be scattered.

But you, Lord, are forev[er];
¹⁴your glory will be forev[er and ev]er!

¹⁵[Pra]ise the Lord!

 

The following three fragments are taken from the 11QApocryphal Psalms scroll found at Qumran. These three psalms are accompanied with Psalm 91 and were used for exorcising demons.[7]

The First Exorcism Psalm

On Expelling Demons

Col. 1

¹[…]

²[…] and the one who weeps for him

³[…] the curse

⁴[…] by the Lord

⁵[…] dragon

⁶[…] the ear[th…]

⁷[…] exor[cis]ing […]

⁸[…] to […]

⁹[…] this […]

¹⁰[…] to the demon […]

¹¹[…] he will dwe[ll…]

The Second Exorcism Psalm

Trusting in the Lord for Protection

Col. 2

^1-2[…of] Solomon. He will invo[ke…]

³[… the spi]rits
and the demons […]
⁴[…] These are [the de]mons.
And the p[rince of enmi]ty […]

⁵[… I]srael […] the a[byss…]

⁶[…] the gre[at…]

⁷[…] his people […] healing

⁸[…] leans [upon] your name,
and calls […]

⁹[… He says to Is]rael,
“Hold fast ¹⁰[to the Lord, …]
[who made] the heavens ¹¹[and the earth,]
[and all that is in them,]
[w]ho separated ¹²[light from darkness…]”

Col. 3

¹[…] the depth[s]

² the earth and […] the earth.

Who m[ade these signs]
³and won[ders on the] earth?
The Lord, it is he
[who] ⁴made the[se through] his [power],
who summons all [his] an[gels]
⁵[and] all the [holy] offspri[ng]
to st[a]nd before [him, …]

⁶ [all the hea]vens and [all] the earth
[...] who committe[d] sin against ⁷[all humani]ty,
and [evil] against all pe[ople.]
[But] they know ⁸his [wonder]ful
[…] which they do not […].

If they do not ⁹[desist] out of fear of the Lord
from [… and] from killing the soul of ¹⁰[…] the Lord,
and [th]ey will fear tha[t] great [spell].
¹¹”One of you [puts to flight] a thou[sand.”]
[…] servants of the Lor[d…]
¹²[…g]reat and […]

Col. 4

¹[… and] great is […] adjuring [you…]

²and the great […]
the mighty and […]

³all the earth […]
the heavens and […]

⁴May the Lord smite you with a [might]ty bl[ow]
in order to destroy you […],
⁵and in his fierce wrath [may he send] against you
 a powerful angel [to carry out] ⁶his [entire com]mand,
who [will show no] mercy to you,
wh[o…]

⁷[…] against all these who [will send] you [down]
into the great abyss
⁸[and to] deepest [Sheol],
and who […, and there] you shall lie,
and darkness ⁹[…] very much […].
[No lon]ger on the earth

¹⁰[…] forever and […]
by the curse of des[truction…][8]

¹¹[…] the fierce anger of the L[ord]
[… in] darkness for a[ll]
¹²[…] affliction […] your gift […]

Col. 5

¹[…] ²which […]
and those possessed by [demons…]
³those crushed [by….]
[Ra]phael has healed [them.]

[Amen, Amen, Selah].

The Third Exorcism Psalm

The Lord Has Power to Strike Down Demons

Col. 5

⁴A Psalm of David. Again[st… An incanta]tion in the name of the Lor[d. To be invoked at an]y time ⁵to the heav[ens.]

[For] he will come to you at nig[ht],
and you will [say] to him:
⁶”Who are you?
[Withdraw from] humanity
and from the offspring of the ho[ly one]s!
For your appearance is one of ⁷[vani]ty,
and your horns are horns of illu[si]on.
You are darkness, not light,
⁸[wicked]ness, not righteousness […]
the commander of the army, the Lord,
[will bring] you [down] ⁹[into] deepest [Sheo]l,
[… the] two bronze [ga]test th[rough which n]o ¹⁰light [can enter],
and [the] sun [will] not [shine for you]
tha[t rises] ¹¹[upon the] righteous to […”]
And] then you will say, [“…]
¹²[… the right]eous, to come […]
for a de[mon to] harm him, […]
¹³[… of tr]uth from […]
[because] he has righ[teousness […]
¹⁴[…] and […]”

 

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[1] These are found in Martin Abegg, Jr., Peter Flint, and Eugene Ulrich (trans.), The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible: The Oldest Known Bible Translated for the First Time into English (New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1999), 569–570. All citations from these fragmentary psalms will be silently altered to better show the verse format.

[2] Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 573.

[3] Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 576–577.

[4] Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible,582–583.

[5] Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 583–584.

[6] The following two hymns are found in Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 588–589.

[7] The following three Psalms are found in Abegg et al., Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, 539–541.

[8] Or Abaddon.