This term refers to manuscripts that contain the first five books of the Bible, the only part of Scripture that the Samaritans recognized as sacred writings. (See SAMARITANS.) The text is, not a translation, but a transliteration of the original Hebrew Pentateuch into Samaritan characters mixed with Samaritan idioms. The Samaritan characters are a version of early Hebrew script.

The oldest existing manuscripts of the Samaritan Pentateuch date from the 9th and 11th centuries C.E. However, the origins of these texts extend much further into the past. Scholars estimate that this version was first produced sometime between the fourth and second centuries B.C.E. Copies of these manuscripts were passed from generation to generation among the Samaritans, independent of Jewish copyists.

The Samaritan Pentateuch is useful because it contains some variations from the Hebrew Masoretic text that correspond to readings in other manuscripts, such as in the Greek Septuagint. At times, these variations help to clarify the meaning of certain Bible verses. For example, at Ge 4:8, the Samaritan Pentateuch, as well as other ancient versions, includes the phrase “Let us go over into the field.” That phrase is missing in available Hebrew manuscripts.​—For more information regarding the Samaritan Pentateuch, see study note on Joh 4:20.