The Oxyrhynchus Papyri, Part 73

Gen. 6, P. Ryl. I 3 ([you shall not fear original: "ου φοβηθ]ηση"]): you shall not be afraid of the fear original: "ου φοβηθηναι οι απο φοβου" XVI 1928 (οι meant as ου or η? [ed. pr.]): you shall not fear and from fear original: "ου φοβη[θη]ση και απο φο[β]ου" P. Laur. IV 141: I will not fear from fear original: "ου φ[ο]βηθησομαι απο φοβου" P. Duke inv. 778.

A downward-pointing arrow symbol used as a section or line marker.

1–2 [from the ar]row flying |[c. 5] . . Spacing shows that the papyrus omitted something. The full text as printed in Rahlfs runs from the arrow flying of the day, from the thing traveling in darkness, from the collision, etc. The space and traces at the beginning of 2 would allow us to restore either (1) [in darknes]s or, as Dr Coles suggests, (2) [of the da]y ⸫?. If (1) is right, the scribe jumped from -menou to -menou; if (2), from apo to apo. For the possible dicolon at verse-end, see 5 n.

Rahlfs’s text is that of a substantial group of manuscripts, with P. Vindob. G 348, BKT VIII 13 (but traveling original: "τιαπορευομενου"), P. Gen. 6, P. Duke inv. 778 (and probably BKT VIII 12 also, since the text breaks off with the first two letters of the participle tra[veling]). Another group, with XVI 1928 (but traveling original: "διαφορευομενου"), XVII 2065, P. Laur. IV 141 (but in darkness original: "εν σκοτια") and P. Ryl. I 3, reverse the word order at the end of verse 6a, in darkness traveling, the word order found in the Massoretic Text, supported by a witness from Qumran, 4QPs^b (see E. Ullrich et al., Qumran Cave 4, DJD XVI (Oxford 2000) 27). Note also that a leather roll from Qumran, 11QPsAp^a, presents a transposition between 6.1 and 6.2; see P. W. Flint, The Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls and the Book of Psalms (Leiden 1997) 94.

If 4931 2 is to be restored as [in darknes]s, we can assume that the scribe’s exemplar had the word order traveling in darkness; if [of the da]y ⸫?, it provides no evidence.

Note the spelling flying original: "πετομενους" in P. Gen. 6 and P. Ryl. I 3.

2–3 collision: so Rahlfs, XVII 2065, P. Ryl. I 3: collision original: "συμπωματος" XVI 1928. At the end of 2 after symp, an apparently accidental dot at mid-height occurs.

5 -nou. The space before [ ] he will fall suggests that a blank was left to mark the beginning of a new verse; and some unexplained ink after -nou, in the upper and lower parts of the writing space respectively, may represent a dicolon to mark the end of the previous verse. Cf. 10 n.

he will fall: so Rahlfs, XVI 1928, P. Vindob. G 348 (but he will fall original: "πεσιται"), P. Gen. 6, and apparently P. Duke inv. 778 (he will fall original: "πεσι[ται]"): he will fall original: "πεσειτ]ου" P. Ryl. I 3.

6 side of yours: so XVI 1928 (side), P. Vindob. G 348 (side), XVII 2065 (side), BKT VIII 13 (side), P. Ryl. I 3 (side), P. Duke inv. 778 (side): the same form is recorded in the apparatus of the edition by R. Holmes and J. Parsons, Vetus Testamentum graecum cum variis lectionibus, iii (Oxford 1823), as a variant transmitted by nine twelfth/thirteenth-century manuscripts: side of yours Rahlfs and P. Gen. 6. Since side is so widely attested, we should not take it as a mechanical error of haplography but as an example of a general tendency to decline third-declension neuters in -os as second-declension masculine; see Gignac, Grammar ii 43–4.

7–8 thousand: and ten thousand: so Rahlfs, P. Vindob. G 348, BKT VIII 13, P. Gen. 6, XVII 2065, P. Duke inv. 778 (thousands and ten thousands): thousand and ten thousand XVI 1928: ten thousands and ten thousands P. Ryl. I 3 (a slip).

9 of you. This reading takes a high trace of ink as the end of the right-hand prong of Y. There are other apparent traces, and perhaps we should consider of you ⸫? or of you ⸫?; the dicolon here would mark the end of a stichos line of verse; see 5 n.

towards you: so Rahlfs, BKT VIII 13, P. Lugd.-Bat. xxv 10, XVII 2065: towards you P. Ryl. I 3 (haplography of sigma): towards you XVI 1928 (mechanical error).

10 This line ends short by two average letters. Perhaps a blank was left to mark the end of the verse. But there is also a practical consideration: the scribe could not have fitted the next word, except, into the remaining space without severe compression and could not divide it. This may also apply to the end of 11.

<-D. COLOMO->