Cave 4 was discovered in August 1952, and was excavated on 22–29 September 1952 by Gerald Lankester Harding, Roland de Vaux, and Józef Milik.

"[5] Within what he called "limited scope of evidence", Patrick W. Skehan describes it "as a considerable reworking of the original LXX to make it conform both in quantity and in diction to a Hebrew consonantal text nearly indistinguishable [...] from that of MT.

[4] Meyer states that the fact that ΙΑΩ appears with the same script in the fragments indicates that the same scribe wrote the name, and does not support Johann Lust of an original Κύριος.

[9][10] Emanuel Tov claims the use here of Ιαω as proof that the "papyrus represents an early version of the Greek scripture" antedating the text of the main manuscripts.

On the basis of the available evidence, the analysis of the original representation of the Tetragrammaton in Greek Scriptures therefore focuses on the question of whether the first translators wrote either κύριος or Ιαω.

"[12] Tov wrote: "this papyrus represents an early version of Greek Scripture, as shown by several unusual renderings, including the transliteration of the Tetragrammaton as Ιαω, instead of its translation as κύριος in the later Christian manuscripts of the Septuagint.

The evidence for this position includes the scribe/translator of 4Q120, the educated users of the onomastica (surely lower-class Jews would have no need for onomastica), and more broadly, if we include Jews who used a similar pronounced form of the name Ιαω, attention should be given to the documentary, diplomatic, and priestly uses of YHH/YHW at Elephantine, the liturgical use of YH[W] in P. Amherst 63, and the administrative context of the Idumean ("House of YHW") Ostracon.

[19][20][21] Text according to A. R. Meyer: Lev 4:27 [αφεθησεται ]αυτωι εαν[ δε ψυχη μια] [αμαρτ]η[ι α]κουσιως εκ[ του λαου της] [γης ]εν τωι ποιησαι μιαν απ[ο πασων] των εντολων ιαω ου πο[ιηθησε] [22] Lev 3:12–13 [τωι ιαω] 12 εαν δ[ε απο των αιγων] [το δωρ]ον αυτο[υ και προσαξει εν] [αντι ι]αω 13 και ε[πιθησει τας χει] [23] Romanization of Meyer: Lev 4:27 [aphethēsetai ]autōi ean[ de psychē mia] [hamart]ē[i a]kousiōs ek[ tou laou tēs] [gēs ]en tōi poiēsai mian ap[o pasōn] tōn entolōn iaō hou po[iēthēse] [22] Lev 3:12–13 [tōi iaō] 12 ean d[e apo tōn aigōn] [to dōr]on auto[u kai prosaxei en] [anti i]aō 13 kai e[pithēsei tas chei] [23]