Samaritan Pentateuch
An independent Hebrew text tradition diverging from the proto-MT c. 4th century BCE
About This Tradition
The Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) is an independent Hebrew text of the Torah maintained by the Samaritan community. It diverged from what became the Masoretic Text around the 4th century BCE and contains approximately 6,000 variant readings. While the majority are orthographic or grammatical, several hundred are theologically significant — particularly those redirecting sacred geography toward Mount Gerizim and harmonizing parallel passages.
TCR documents the significant variants below: where the SP and MT agree, there is nothing to report. Where they differ, both readings are presented with notes on textual and theological significance. The SP sometimes agrees with the LXX against the MT, which can indicate an older reading.
Genesis contains roughly 1,900 SP variants against the MT, the majority orthographic or grammatical. The theologically significant variants cluster around patriarchal chronology (where SP frequently agrees with the LXX against MT), harmonistic additions that import parallel passages, and the identification of sacred geography. SP Genesis also includes several expansions drawn from Exodus and Deuteronomy, inserted to smooth narrative flow.
Exodus in the SP contains some of the most extensive expansions in the entire Pentateuch. The plague narrative receives systematic harmonistic additions where God's commands to Moses are supplemented with Moses' execution reports (and vice versa). The Decalogue in Exodus 20 is the site of the SP's distinctive 10th commandment mandating worship at Gerizim. Altar-command passages throughout the book receive Gerizim insertions.
Leviticus contains the fewest significant SP variants of any Pentateuchal book. The majority of differences are orthographic (plene vs. defective spelling) or involve minor grammatical adjustments. Because Leviticus is primarily legal-ritual material with little narrative, SP's characteristic harmonistic expansions and Gerizim insertions have less opportunity to operate. The sanctuary is referred to as the 'tent of meeting' throughout, which both traditions share.
Numbers in the SP contains a moderate number of significant variants, primarily in the Balaam oracles (Num 22-24), census figures, and the itinerary sections. SP continues its harmonistic program by inserting fulfillment reports where MT has only commands, and it makes several adjustments to the Balaam narrative that affect theological interpretation. Some census numbers differ between SP and MT.
Deuteronomy is THE critical book for Samaritan Pentateuch studies. It contains the highest density of theologically significant variants, including the central Gerizim commandment in the Decalogue (Deut 5), the 'has chosen' vs. 'will choose' sanctuary formula that appears over twenty times, and the single most famous SP variant — Deuteronomy 27:4 where MT reads 'Ebal' but SP reads 'Gerizim.' Deuteronomy is where the Samaritan-Jewish textual divergence carries the greatest theological weight, because Deuteronomy's centralization theology directly determines where legitimate worship may occur.