A Break Through in Book of Jasher Research
Proof of the Ancient Origin of the Book of Jasher

By James Trimm

 

One major stumbling block in Book of Jasher research has been the lack of real evidence that the Book of Jasher (the one that we have) is truly ancient. There has been no hard evidence to prove that this Book of Jasher existed prior to 1625.

But now the proof has been found!

In the Masoretic Text and Septuagint of Gen. 5:18 has “And Jared lived one hundred and sixty two years”. But the Book of Jasher 2:37 has “And Jared lived sixty two years”. Amazingly this agrees with the Samaritan Pentateuch of Gen. 5:18.

How could the Book of Jasher and the Samaritan Pentateuch share the same scribal error? How could this reading have made its way into the Book of Jasher? If the Book of Jasher were a late compilation made in the Middle Ages, it would certainly have simply copied from the Masoretic Text. Surely a Jewish writer in Europe in the Middle Ages would not have copied data from the Samaritan Pentateuch. This is clear evidence for the ancient origin of the Book of Jasher.

There is also a similar scribal error in Jasher 5:13 where Methuselah begets Lamech at eighty seven. In the Masoretic Text this number is given as one hundred and eighty seven. In the Septuagint it is given as one hundred and sixty seven, and in the Samaritan Pentateuch as sixty seven.

Here the reading agrees with the Samaritan Pentateuch in omitting “one hundred” but agrees with the Masoretic Text in reading “eighty seven”. The Book of Jasher is clearly part of the ancient textual tradition here, and not simply borrowing from the Masoretic Text.

Finally we have the proof that the Book of Jasher that we have is of ancient origin!

 

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