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 |
|
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:1 (NKJV) |
1 The word that came to Isaiah son of Amoz about Judea and about Jerusalem: Isaiah 2:1 (LES2) |
The MT says that Isaiah “saw” the word of prophecy, but the LXX says that it “came to” him. Little changes to God’s Word add up. |
| 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2–3 (NKJV) | 2 That the mountain of the Lord will be evident in the last days, and the house of God will be at the top of the mountains, and it will be raised above the hills, and all the nations will come to it. 3 And many nations will go and will say, “Come on and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and into the house of the God of Jacob; and he will proclaim his way to us, and we will walk in it.” For a law will come out from Zion and a word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2–3 (LES2) |
Next the MT says that “the mountain of the Lord shall be established on top of the mountains,” indicating Israel’s rise to prominence and perhaps rule over the nations. The LXX, on the other hand, says that “the mountain of the Lord will be evident in the last days and the house of God will be at the top of the mountains.” This is fundamentally different and can best be understood when viewed through the lens of the New Covenant. Isaiah 65:1 says that God made himself evident to those who did not consult him. This refers to God’s making himself known to the Gentiles and Jews by revealing Christ to them. The mountain of the Lord, Mount Zion in the New Covenant, is the church of Christ, the “one new man” composed of Jews and Gentiles, who make up the spiritual house of God. (Hebrews 12:22-24, 1 Peter 2:5) All nations are pouring into God’s spiritual house through the preaching of the gospel. The law that come out from Zion should also be understood in terms of the New Covenant. It is what James called the “royal law” of love (James 2:8) and what Paul called the “law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:2) Starting on Pentecost, the word of the Lord has been proclaimed throughout the world, starting at Jerusalem. |
| 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD. Isaiah 2:4–5 (NKJV) | 4 And he will judge between the nations and will refute a great people, and they will break their swords into plows and their spears into sickles. And no nation will take a sword against a nation, and they will no longer study to make war. 5 And now, house of Jacob, come, let us go to the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2:4–5 (LES2) | This passage speaks of the new heavens and earth which will become a reality following Christ’s second coming. In the meantime, God is calling the house of Jacob and the world to go to the light of the Lord, who is Jesus. (John 8:12, 12:46) |
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.
