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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12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) |
12 “Honor your father and mother, so that it may be well for you and so that you may be long-lived upon the good land that the Lord your God is giving to you. Exodus 20:12 (LES2) |
The LXX contains the phrase, “so that it may be well for you,” which the MT leaves out here but includes in the recap of the law given in Deuteronomy 5:16. Paul quotes this verse from the LXX in Ephesians, showing that he relied upon the Septuagint. 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” Ephesians 6:1–3 (NKJV) Deuteronomy 5:16 is worded very differently; so, he did not quote from there. |
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13 “You shall not murder. 14 “You shall not commit adultery. 15 “You shall not steal. 16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:13–16 (NKJV) |
13 “You shall not commit adultery. 14 “You shall not steal. 15 “You shall not murder. 16 “You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor with a false testimony. Exodus 20:13–16 (LES2) |
It is quite interesting that the MT and LXX arrange these laws in different order. Why? Interestingly, when Jesus recites these commandments to the rich young ruler, he lists them in the order found in the MT. (Matthew 19:18) |
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17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17 (NKJV) |
17 “You shall not desire the wife of your neighbor; you shall not desire the house of your neighbor, or his field or his male servant nor his female servant or his ox or his beast of burden, or any animal of his, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17 (LES2) |
The MT and LXX change the order of the first two prohibitions. The LXX adds “or his field” and “nor any animal of his.” |
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I am not sure what to make of these differences. Matthew 19:18 is one of the less common times that the MT is quoted by the New Testament author. The LXX is used 70 to 80 percent of the time according to what I have read. Paul quoted from the LXX. |
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.
