The Temple Scroll does something no other Dead Sea Scroll attempts—it rewrites biblical law. And one of its most striking revisions concerns the Israelite king.
(Deuteronomy 17:14-20) already sets limits on kingship: the king must not accumulate too many horses, wives, or gold, and he must write a copy of the Torah and read it "all the days of his life." The Temple Scroll takes these modest requirements and transforms them into a comprehensive constitution for the monarchy—the most detailed royal law in any ancient Jewish text.
The scroll's king must be a native-born Israelite, never a foreigner. He must not marry a foreign wife. He may take only one wife in his entire lifetime—a radical restriction compared to the polygamy practiced by biblical kings like David and Solomon. If his wife dies, he may remarry, but only a woman from his own clan. The text seems designed to prevent precisely the kind of royal excess that the biblical narratives describe and condemn.
The king is also subject to a council of thirty-six men—twelve priests, twelve Levites, and twelve tribal leaders—who must approve all decisions regarding war. The king cannot unilaterally declare war, raise an army, or divide plunder. He must consult the High Priest, who inquires of God through the Urim and Thummim, the sacred oracular stones described in (Exodus 28:30).
The Temple Scroll's vision of kingship is not anti-monarchical—it is anti-tyrannical. The king exists, but he is bound by Torah, accountable to a council, and subordinate to the priesthood. He reads the law every day. He obeys it every day. He is not above the covenant. He is its most conspicuous servant.