I hope you will journey with me in rediscovering the beauty of God’s Word in the Septuagint (LXX). In 285 BC, the LXX was translated from paleo-Hebrew by 70 Jewish translators into Greek, the language of most of the civilized world at that time. Due to its pre-Christ and pre-fall of Jerusalem date, the LXX cannot be accused of being influenced by any underlying animosity toward Christ or Christianity or desire to elevate Judaism’s claim to God’s blessings or the promised land. Most Christians believe the Masoretic Text (MT), upon which our English Old Testament is based, is written in the original Hebrew, but it too is a translation from the ancient and by then dead paleo-Hebrew Phoenician pictograph script into the modern Hebrew block script derived from Aramaic. The Masoretes completed it between 600 t0 1000 AD, by which time the Jews had become hostile to the Christian message, which shows up in various omissions, changes, and obfuscations of verses and passages that clearly point to Christ in the LXX.
Jesus taught us that all scripture points to him (John 5:39). As a rule, the Septuagint more clearly points to Jesus than does the MT.
In the West, Christians have not questioned the MT since Jerome chose it as the basis for his Latin Vulgate Old Testament. The Eastern Orthodox Church, to their credit, never deviated from the Septuagint, preserving it for later generations to rediscover. Because of the power of tradition, it is quite difficult for many of us in the West to think of the LXX as being more trustworthy than the MT, but I have found that a side-by-side comparison indicates otherwise.
In this series of articles, I have undertaken to illustrate the similarities and differences between the MT and LXX by examining various passages. Below is another example. The Septuagint version I am using is the Lexham English Septuagint 2nd Edition. It is available in print or digitally through Logos Bible Software. Occasionally I reference Brenton’s translation, which is a good one, but the English is somewhat dated.
| Masoretic Text | Septuagint | Significance |
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1 Help, LORD, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. Psalm 12:1 (NKJV) |
2 Save me, O Lord, because the holy one has come to an end, because the truths have diminished from the sons of humans. Psalm 11:2 (LES2) |
I believe in the LXX this is a prophecy about Jesus and the church; whereas, the MT is written from the perspective of natural Israel. This will inform how I approach it. I believe the “holy one” is Jesus, and this is a reference to his death on the cross. He is the Truth. When he perished, truth died, too. |
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2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; With flattering lips and a double heart they speak. 3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things, 4 Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?” Psalm 12:2–4 (NKJV) |
3 Each person spoke vanities to his neighbor. deceitful lips spoke in heart and in heart. 4 May the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips and a boasting tongue, 5 those who said, “We are powerful with respect to our tongue; our lips are from us. Who is our lord?” Psalm 11:3–5 (LES2) |
The MT and LXX essentially agree in this passage. The most interesting thing to me is how important surrendering the tongue to God is. I believe this is why our salvation requires us to confess that Christ is the Lord. (Romans 10:9-10) It also sheds light on the importance of speaking in tongues, which is a surrender of our tongue to the Holy Spirit which allows us to pray and praise God perfectly. |
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5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, Now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.” Psalm 12:5 (NKJV) |
6 “From the distress of the needy, and from the groaning of the poor ones, I will now stand up,” says the Lord. “I will set him in salvation; I will speak openly for him.” Psalm 11:6 (LES2) |
This verse declares the resurrection of Christ, which is our salvation. The Greek word for “stand up” in the LXX is the same one used for Christ’s being risen, which agrees with the MT. The LXX says that God will set the poor one in “salvation,” which is the Greek word soteria, from which Savior is derived. I believe God speaks openly for us, declaring that we belong to him, just as a bridegroom proudly declares that his wife is his by covenant (and vice versa). The gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s seal proving his ownership. (2 Corinthians 1:22) |
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7 You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever. 8 The wicked prowl on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men. Psalm 12:7–8 (NKJV) |
8 You, O Lord, will guard us, and you will preserve us from this generation and for eternity. 9 The ungodly ones walk around in a circle. According to your height you treated with much care the sons of humans. Psalm 11:8–9 (LES2) |
The MT promises God will preserve “them,” but the LXX says he will preserve “us.” Perhaps this is because the MT is written from natural Israel’s perspective and knows that salvation is for “them,” the born again ones, but the LXX is written from the church’s viewpoint, for which salvation is for “us.” Just a thought. In the New Covenant, our salvation and life is eternal. The LXX mentions the presence of evil ones who are going nowhere fast, but God treats us with much care. |
Conclusion
If you want to know more about why Christians should prefer the Septuagint to the MT, click on this link. In another article, I share some of the things I have so far learned by making this comparison. As for me, I now prefer the LXX. It was Paul’s and the other apostles’ standard for Old Covenant truth, was used by synagogues in Jesus’s day, and is most often quoted in the New Testament. That makes it good enough for me.
