Objection · Case 03 · Reliability of Scripture

Shorter, excerpted texts means the Qumran Song of Songs is missing chunks of the book. That’s a difference, not a match.

One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.

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Response

The excerpted copies omit sections deliberately, apparently for study or liturgical use, the way a modern devotional booklet might. The portions they contain agree with the later text. Excerpting is a fact about how the book was used, not about how it was transmitted, and the two should not be confused.

About this exhibit

This objection is to Song of Songs.

About 4 copies of Song of Songs were found. Some are shorter, excerpted texts.

Under Claim 02: The Dead Sea Scrolls show the Old Testament text was copied with remarkable stability across about a thousand years, alongside a documented plurality of text forms.