Manuscript Overview
Summary
Psalm 118 — 'the stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone' (cited at Matt 21:42 / Mark 12:10–11 / Luke 20:17 / Acts 4:11 / 1 Pet 2:7). 11QPsᵃ places this psalm between Pss 109 and 104 in its alternative ordering and combines it in a 'Catena' composition with Ps 136 — illustrating the scroll's tendency to recombine psalmic material.
Notable Variants
11QPsᵃ ordering and catena composition. 11QPsᵃ presents an alternative ordering of Psalms 91–150 that differs substantially from the MT. The scroll's preserved sequence (with apocryphal compositions intermingled): Pss 101, 102, 103, 109, 118, 104, 147, 105, 146, 148, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 119, 135, 136, Catena (combining 136 and 118), 145, 154 (apocryphal), Plea for Deliverance (apocryphal), 139, 137, 138, Sirach 51:13–30 (in modified form), Apostrophe to Zion (apocryphal), 93, 141, 133, 144, 155 (apocryphal), 142, 143, 149, 150, Hymn to the Creator (apocryphal), David's Last Words (2 Sam 23), David's Compositions (a prose colophon), Pss 140, 134, 151A, 151B. The order reflects either a liturgical/devotional collection (so Sanders's classic 1965 thesis) or a genuine alternative Psalter (so subsequent scholars). The DSS does not resolve which thesis is correct.
Manuscripts
11QPsᵃ (11Q5), 4QPsᵇ (4Q84)
Scroll Condition
11QPsᵃ preserves substantial text including the cornerstone verse.
The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
The cornerstone verse ('the stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone') tracks MT. Cited at Matt 21:42 / Mark 12:10–11 / Luke 20:17 / Acts 4:11 / 1 Pet 2:7 as Christological proof-text.
11QPsᵃ col. VIII
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD' tracks MT. Cited at the Triumphal Entry (Matt 21:9 / Mark 11:9 / Luke 19:38 / John 12:13).
11QPsᵃ col. VIII