Exorcising Belial? Subtitle: Rethinking 11Q11 v 4 - vi

11Q11 as a whole is usually characterised as a magical rite intended for exorcistic use. 11Q11 v 4 - vi 3 contains one of the better preserved compositions in this collection. Scholarly consensus holds that this unit, which for ease we call 'the Belial psalm', is an exorcistic incantation with which the victim addresses the demon Belial directly in a mocking tone. This paper argues that this interpretation is highly problematic on contextual, lexical, and textual grounds. I propose that this psalm should instead be read as a plea for divine assistance: the psalm entreats God to address Belial before empowering an angel to imprison him in Sheol. This reconstruction and interpretation resolve the main difficulties presented by existing interpretations.