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COURTESY OF THE LEON LEVY DEAD SEA SCROLLS DIGITAL LIBRARY / ISRAEL ANTIQUITIES AUTHORITY

In the most complete manuscript of the book of Samuel from Qumran (4QSam^a), 2 Samuel 3:2–5 begins on this fragment’s seventh line of text. It is preceded by a “closed” break, which looks—and functions—much like the indentation at the beginning of a paragraph. Then the section concludes with an “open” break, which leaves the remainder of the passage’s final line empty before the main narrative resumes on the following line.