August 24 - Dead Sea Scroll vs Massoretic Text

In comparing the Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah with the Massoretic text Josh McDowell wrote;

The impact of this discovery (of the Dead Sea Scrolls) is in the exactness of the Isaiah scroll (125 BC) with the Massoretic text of Isaiah (916 AD) 1,000 years later. This demonstrates the unusual accuracy of the copyists of the Scripture over a 1,000 year period.

Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only 17 letters in question. Ten of these are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense. Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as, conjunctions. The remaining 3 letters compose the word “light,” which is added in verse 11, and does not affect the meaning greatly. Futhermore, the word is supported by the Septuagint Isaiah. Thus, in one chapter of 166 words, there is only one word (of three letters) in question after 1,000 years of transcription and this word does not significantly change the meaning of the passage. – Josh McDowell, The Evidence Deserves a Verdict (2017)