In the Dead Sea Scroll “A” of Isaiah both the Hebrew letters waw and yohdh are similar in appearance. This was the style around the first and second centuries B.C.E., but in later periods the yohdh was noticeably smaller than the waw. This is just one example of how a study of the writing style can help in dating a manuscript.

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Hebrew lettering styles differed at various periods of manuscript making. These differences aid scholars to date manuscripts. Notice the distinctions in these two examples:

[Artwork​—Hebrew characters]

Divine Name from Isaiah Scroll “A” (c. 100 B.C.E.)

Divine Name from Manuscript Dated 895 C.E.