In the West, Christians have used the Masoretic Text (MT) since Jerome chose to use it as the basis for his Latin Vulgate Bible Old Testament. The Eastern Orthodox Church, to their credit, never deviated from the Septuagint (LXX). The LXX is a much older translation than the MT (285 BC compared to hundreds of years after Christ), was the predominant source used and quoted by the New Testament writers, and was translated from Hebrew before any animosity toward Christ could influence it. Notwithstanding, because of the power of tradition, it is quite difficult for many to think of it as a more trustworthy version. Sadly for us Christians and the world in general, the MT has obscured or omitted many texts that clearly refer to Christ.
Jesus taught us that all scripture points to him (John 5:39). Therefore, any translation that gets in the way of our seeing Christ is suspicious.
Doing a side by side comparison of the LXX and the MT makes this obfuscation obvious. I have observed that most of the significant changes that pertain to Christ take place in prophetic passages, rather than historical ones. Here is an example. The Septuagint version I am using is the Lexham English Septuagint 2nd Edition, which I prefer. It is available in print or digitally through Logos Bible Software.
| Masoretic Text | Septuagint | Significance |
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8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s sons shall bow down to you. 9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Genesis 49:8–10 (NASB95) |
8 Judah, may your brothers praise you; may your hands be upon the back of your enemies. The sons of your father will revere you. 9 A cub of a lion, Judah; from a shoot, my son, you went up. After lying back, you slept like a lion and like a cub. Who will stir him up? 10 A ruler will not cease from Judah, and one who leads from his thighs, until the things laid away for him come, and he is the expectation of nations. Genesis 49:8–10 (LES2) |
The MT and LXX agree that Judah is associated with a lion. This is significant regarding Christ, who is descended from the line of David, who was descended from Judah. (Luke 2:4, 3:23-38) Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah in Revelation 5:5. The promise that a ruler will not cease from Judah’s line cannot refer to the kings of Judah because that line of rulers came to an end, unless one considers the eternal rule of Jesus the Messiah. David was a type of Christ. Being prophetic, that king of Judah foresaw the coming of the Lord. (Psalm 110:1) The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that the child in her womb, that was conceived by the Holy Spirit, would “be great, and he will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33) What the MT translates as “until Shiloh,” whose meaning is uncertain, the LXX translates “until the things laid away for him come,” which makes much more sense, especially regarding Christ. The last part of verse 10 in the MT reads, “to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” The MT uses an unusual Hebrew word “am” which means paternal people or family. The LXX, on the other hand, says that this one, Christ, will be the “expectation of the nations.” The LXX uses the Greek word “ethnos,” which corresponds to other verses that predict that the Messiah or Christ will become a blessing to all nations. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. Luke 2:10 (NKJV) Eventually every knee will bow to him, which corroborates the claim of the MT. (Philippians 2:10-11) |
| Both the MT and LXX point to Christ is the above passage, but the LXX makes it plainer, especially in the very last phrase. | ||
Conclusion
If you want to know more about why Christians should prefer the Septuagint to the MT, click on this link.The Eastern Orthodox Church had the wisdom to retain the LXX for its Old Testament scriptures. As for me, I now rely on the LXX. It was Paul’s standard for Old Covenant truth and is quoted in the New Testament. That makes it good enough for me.
