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 accept the Masoretic Text (MT), upon which our English Old Testament is based, thinking that it 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, most Christians have not questioned the MT since it gradually became the “gold standard” over the centuries since Jerome chose the proto-Masoretic version of the Hebrew scriptures 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 my research indicates otherwise, as does my side-by-side comparison of the two.
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 Hear a just cause, O LORD, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. 2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. 3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. 4 Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer. 5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip. 6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech. Psalm 17:1–6 (NKJV) |
1 Hear, O Lord, my righteous cause. Give heed to my entreaty. Pay attention to my prayer, which is not with deceitful lips. 2 Let my judgment come out from your face. Let my eyes see uprightness. 3 You tested my heart; you observed during the night; you purged me, and injustice was not found in me. 4 In order that my mouth would not speak the works of humans, because of the words of your lips, I guarded against stubborn ways. 5 Establish my steps in your paths, so my steps are not shaken. 6 I cried aloud, because you heard me, O God. Bend your ear to me and give ear to my words. Psalm 16:1–6 (LES2) |
The MT objectifies David’s request, but the LXX keeps it personal. The LXX says that David prayed, not cried out. In verse 2 the MT says that God’s eyes look on upright things. David says, “Let my eyes see uprightness.” Verse 3 in the MT says that God visited David in the night, tried him, and found nothing. It concludes the verse by David’s saying, “I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” The LXX says that God observed him, purged him with fire, and no injustice was found in him. The LXX begins the MT’s verse 4 at the end of verse 3. The Lexham LXX translates verse 4 awkwardly. Brenton has this:
“As for the works of men, by the words of thy lips I have guarded myself from hard ways,” which is close to the MT. The MT and LXX agree in verse 6, except the LXX makes the first clause in the past tense. |
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7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them. 8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, 9 From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. Psalm 17:7–9 (NKJV) |
7 Magnify your mercy, the one who saves those who place their hope upon you from those who have stood against your right hand. 8 Guard me as the apple of your eye. Shelter me in the protection of your wings, 9 from the face of the ungodly who afflicted me. My enemies surrounded my soul; Psalm 16:7–9 (LES2) |
The MT asks God to show lovingkindness by his right hand, but the LXX says that David trusted God to save him from those who resist God’s right hand. The MT and LXX agree in the rest of this passage. |
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10 They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. 11 They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, 12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places. Psalm 17:10–12 (NKJV) |
10 they enclosed themselves with their stiff fat; their mouth spoke arrogance. 11 While casting me out, they now encircled me; they set their eyes to turn me in the earth. 12 They took me up as a lion ready for the prey, and as a cub in the den in hidden places. Psalm 16:10–12 (LES2) |
In verse 11, David says that his enemies cast him out and encircled him, making me think this concerns his being driven from Israel by King Saul’s relentless pursuit. The last part of the verse seems to say that David’s enemies wish to drag him down to the ground. |
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13 Arise, O LORD, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, 14 With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. 15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. Psalm 17:13–15 (NKJV) |
13 Rise up, O Lord. Anticipate them and overthrow them. Rescue my soul from the ungodly with your large sword, 14 from the enemies of your hand, O Lord. Remove them from the earth; distribute them in their life. And their belly was filled with the things you have hidden. They were satisfied with what belongs to pigs, and they left the remainder to their infants. 15 But I will see your face in righteousness. I will be satisfied with the seeing of your glory. Psalm 16:13–15 (LES2) |
I prefer the LXX’s rendering of verse 13, where David asks God to anticipate and overthrow the ungodly with his large sword, not just sword. The MT asks God to deliver David with “your hand,” but the LXX asks God to deliver David from the enemies of God’s hand. The LXX asks God to remove them from the earth, which is left out of the MT. The MT says the ungodly are satisfied with children, but the LXX says “with what belongs to pigs.” The MT concludes the passage by David’s saying that he will be satisfied when he awakes with God’s likeness. The LXX says he will be satisfied with seeing God’s glory. Interesting. It seems that both are true. |
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.
