B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

Right now the reading doesn’t seem to make sense either way. The text is given in two versions:

Kethiv: מלכם תדכאו עמי ופני עניים תטחנו  נאם אדני יהוה צבאות

Qere: מה לכם תדכאו עמי ופני עניים תטחנו  נאם אדני יהוה צבאות

Is there textual evidence from the DSS for either reading? Other MSS?

Karl W. Randolph.

The Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa) agrees with the Kethiv although there is some difficulty in reading the complete word (you can see that the first two letters are Mem Lamed).

Here is a link to a high resolution photo of the Great Isaiah Scroll: http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/isaiah#3:15

I suspect that since the reading of the Kethiv could be confused as "their king", the Qere clarifies this by spelling it out with the interrogative, preposition and the pronominal suffix meaning "why are you".

Both DSS with Isa 3:15 agree with the Ketiv rather than Qere regarding the division of the first word.
1QIsa^a has
מלכמה תדכאו עמי ופני עניים תטחנו נואם יהוה ‸אדוני‸ צבאות
4Q56 (4QIsa^b) has
מלכֿםֿ ת֯דֿכֿאו עמי

Thanks, Mark and Ken, for the information.

The next question, what does it mean?

The LXX “τι υμεις αδικειτε τον λαον μου και το προσωπον των πτωχων καταισχυνετε” making it a question. I can see where the Qere comes from.

Does the word מלכם come from the word מלך or is it a compound prefix מ and ל on the suffix כם emphasizing that it is from the leaders from whom come the oppression of “my people” and “the poor”?

Karl W. Randolph.

It's a compound word made of the interrogative מ (with defective spelling), preposition ל (lamed of interest) and pronominal suffix כם. It seems to me to be a derogatory, rhetorical question of abasement -- "What are you doing crushing my people?"

The Qere seems to be an attempt to prevent the idea that the root word is מלך

Ken, or anyone, why does the Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsa) have the final He spelling for the first word in Isaiah 3:15?
MT Kathiv = מלכם‬
MT Qere = מה־לכם‬
DSS 1QIsa = מלכמה‬

It is not unusual to find extra הs on the end of words in Qumran Hebrew. See my https://www.academia.edu/1739015/Qumran ... cal_Hebrew