Comparing MT to the Septuagint (LXX): Genesis Chapter One

In this article, I compare the Masoretic Text (MT) to the Septuagint (LXX) in Genesis Chapter One to help the reader see that there are differences. I plan to extend this series to include several more sections of the Old Testament.

Masoretic Text	Septuagint	Significance
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Genesis 1:1–2 (NASB95)	1 In the beginning, God made the heavens and the earth. 2 But the earth was unseen and unprepared, and darkness was upon the deep. And the spirit of God rushed upon the water. Genesis 1:1–2 (LES2)	Little things matter. God warned us not to add to or subtract from God’s Word. The LXX uses better words to describe the earth in the beginning – unseen and unprepared. The MT adds the word surface to deep. Rushed upon carries a different idea than moving over.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:3–5 (NASB95)	3 And God said, “Let light come into being.” And light came into being. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good. And God made a separation between the light and the darkness. 5 And God named the light day and the darkness he named night. And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:3–5 (LES2)	I see little difference between the MT and LXX in this passage.
6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. Genesis 1:6–8 (NASB95)	6 And God said, “Let a firmament come into being in the midst of the water, and let a separator be in the midst of the water.” And so it happened. 7 And God made the firmament, and God made a separation in the midst of the water that was under the firmament and in the midst of the water that was upon the firmament. 8 And God named the firmament heaven. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the second day. Genesis 1:6–8 (LES2)	The MT uses the Hebrew word raqia for the solid firmament, which the NASB translates as expanse in order to conform God’s Word to the heliocentric theory. The LXX uses the Greek word stereoma, which connotes something solid, just like raqia. The MT makes water plural, but the LXX uses the singular. I suppose this is because before the creation of the firmament on day two, there was simply water, not more than one. After the separation, there were waters above and below. The MT says the upper waters were above the firmament, but the LXX says upon the firmament. The MT leaves out God calling the firmament good.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day. Genesis 1:9–13 (NASB95)	9 And God said, “Let the water that is under the heavens be gathered together into one assembly, and let the dryness appear.” And so it happened. And the water under the heavens was brought together into their assembly, and the dryness appeared. 10 And God named the dryness earth, and the assemblies of the waters he named seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth sprout fodder plants, sowing seed according to kind and according to likeness, and fruit-bearing tree making fruit whose seed is itself in the tree, according to kind in regard to likeness upon the earth.” And so it happened. 12 And the earth brought forth fodder plants, sowing seed according to kind and according to likeness, and the fruit-bearing tree making fruit whose seed is itself in the tree, corresponding to its kind upon the earth. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning, the third day. Genesis 1:9–13 (LES2)	The MT leaves out a repetition in verse 9. Instead of dryness, the MT uses dry land. It also uses gathered instead of assembled, which carries a slightly different connotation. The LXX calls vegetation fodder plants yielding seed according to kind and likeness. The MT leaves out according to kind and likeness. The MT leaves out words in verse 11 concerning fruit trees, too. The MT makes for easier reading, but we are not supposed to omit words that God spoke.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17 God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (NASB95)	14 And God said, “Let luminaries come into being in the firmament of the heavens for illumination of the earth and rule the days and the nights and make a separation in the midst of the day and in the midst of the night. And let them be for a sign and for seasons and for days and for years. 15 And let them be for illumination in the firmament of the heavens so that they might give light upon the earth.” And so it happened. 16 And God made the two big luminaries, the big luminary to have authority over the day, and the little luminary to have authority over the night and the stars. 17 And God placed them in the firmament of the heavens so that they might shine upon the earth 18 and rule over the day and the night and to make a separation in the midst of the light and in the midst of the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day. Genesis 1:14–19 (LES2)	The luminaries or lights were set in the solid firmament to illuminate the earth, but the MT leaves out this phrase and the phrase to rule the days and nights. The MT does include their separating role, however. Both versions call both the sun and moon lights or luminaries, contradicting modern science’s claim that the moon is merely a reflector. The LXX seems to indicate the moon has authority over the stars, but the MT changed the wording to be that God created the stars, which, of course, he did.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. Genesis 1:20–23 (NASB95)	20 And God said, “Let the water bring forth living, creeping things and birds flying above the earth in relation to the firmament of the heavens.” And so it happened. 21 And God made the very large fish and every life of living creeping things that the water brought forth according to their kind and every bird with wings according to kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Increase and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply upon the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day. Genesis 1:20–23 (LES2)	Let the waters teem is quite different from let the water bring forth. The MT adds and let birds fly, whereas the LXX seems to indicate the water also brought forth the birds. The MT says that the birds fly above the earth in the face of the firmament (NKJV), whereas the LXX uses the Greek word kata, which means in relation to, under, or before the firmament. The NASB once again employs eisegesis to make the words agree with the heliocentric lie. The MT uses the words sea monsters. The LXX uses the Greek word ketos, which can mean huge fish or sea monsters.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:24–31 (NASB95)	24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth a living creature according to kind, quadrupeds and creeping things and wild animals of the earth according to kind.” And so it happened. 25 And God made the wild animals of the earth according to kind and the livestock according to kind and all the creeping things of the earth according to their kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 And God said, “Let us make humankind according to our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the livestock and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” 27 And God made humankind; he made him according to the image of God; he made them male and female. 28 And God blessed them, saying, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and gain dominion over it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and all the livestock and all the earth and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth.” 29 And God said, “Look, I have given to you every herb that has sowable seed that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has sowable seed in its fruit will become food for you, 30 and for all the wild animals of the earth and for all the birds of the heavens and for every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth that has soul of life in itself. And all green fodder will be for food.” And so it happened. 31 And God saw everything that he made, and look, it was very good! And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:24–31 (LES2)	The MT uses the word cattle, but the LXX uses quadrupeds, which is a much broader term. For some reason the MT repeats the phrase made them in his own image. In verse 30, the LXX uses the term “soul of life” instead of simply the word life, as is found in the MT.