
A photograph of 11Q10 Targum of Job was on display in the Qumran exhibit. The original fragment was discovered in Qumran Cave 11 in 1956 and comprises one rolled portion of the original scroll as well as a number of fragments, all of which date to 150–100 B.C. The manuscript includes text from the book of Job, chapters 17–42, as we know them today in the Old Testament.
The Targum of Job, a translation (targum in Hebrew) of the book of Job from the Hebrew language into Aramaic, was necessary because of the shift in the common language of the Jews from Hebrew to Aramaic during the period of the exile, in the time of the prophet Jeremiah and the priest Ezra. The translator was quite free in his translation, frequently using synonyms or expressions that differ from what is found in the traditional Hebrew text. Thus the translation is a different version of the original, a common occurrence in translated works.
Many targums have survived through the ages, but as with most of the Qumran finds, this one is very old and quite distinctive. A transcription of the Targum of Job was first published in 1971 by Dutch scholars.