4Q120 facts for kids

This image shows a piece of the 4Q120 scroll. It's from around 100 BCE and has parts of Leviticus chapter 4.

This is a close-up of the scroll. It shows the special name for God in verse 27.

4Q120 is an ancient scroll fragment. It is a very old copy of parts of the biblical Book of Leviticus. This important scroll was discovered in a cave at Qumran, near the Dead Sea. Experts believe it was written around 100 years before Jesus was born. It is also known by other names like pap4QLXXLev^b.

What is 4Q120?

4Q120 is a Septuagint manuscript. The Septuagint is a very old Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. It was made many centuries ago. This specific scroll, 4Q120, is listed as Rahlfs-No. 802 by a scholar named Alfred Rahlfs. Studying its writing style, called paleography, helps us know how old it is.

The Name of God in the Scroll

This scroll is special because of how it writes God's name. In some parts of the Bible, God's special name is written using four Hebrew letters, called the Tetragrammaton. In 4Q120, this name is translated into Greek as "Ιαω" (pronounced Yah-oh).

You can see this in two places in the scroll:

• Leviticus 3:12 (on a piece called fragment 6)
• Leviticus 4:27 (on a piece called fragment 20)

Here are the Greek words from the scroll, showing "Ιαω":

Lev 4:27 [αφεθησεται ]αυτωι εαν[ δε ψυχη μια]
[αμαρτ]η[ι α]κουσιως εκ[ του λαου της]
[γης ]εν τωι ποιησαι μιαν απ[ο πασων]
των εντολων ιαω ου πο[ιηθησε]

Lev 3:12–13 [τωι ιαω] ¹² εαν δ[ε απο των αιγων]
[το δωρ]ον αυτο[υ και προσαξει εν]
[αντι ι]αω ¹³ και ε[πιθησει τας χει]

Where is 4Q120 Now?

Today, the 4Q120 scroll is kept safely. You can find it at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.

See also

In Spanish: 4Q120 para niños