For King Jonathan or Against Him? The Use of the Bible in 4Q448

E. Main

Examination of the biblical passages quoted in this text, which was taken by its original editors to be a prayer for the sake of King Jonathan (presumably Yannai Alexander), leads us to the conclusion that it in fact denounce the king. This conclusion ma y relieve scholars of the necessity of explaining the relationship of this Qumran text to others which denounce him.