Here is a direct side-by-side comparison of the Masoretic Text with the LXX. I have concluded that the LXX is much to be preferred over the Masoretic Text, a position from which the Eastern Orthodox Church never deviated. Perhaps, if you take the time to read my comparisons and other articles, you will arrive at the same conclusion.
The Septuagint version I am using is the Lexham English Septuagint 2nd Edition, which is available in print or as part of Logos Bible Software. Occasionally I also use the Brenton translation of the LXX for insight into difficult passages.
If you want to know more, click on the following links.
- Why Christians Should Prefer the Septuagint over the Masoretic Text.
- Some Insights Gained through Comparing the Masoretic Text to the Septuagint
- More side by side comparisons of the Masoretic Text (MT) to the Septuagint (LXX).
| Masoretic Text | Septuagint | Significance |
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13 ‘I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ 14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Joshua 24:13–14 (NASB95) |
13 And he gave you land upon which you did not toil and cities which you did not build, and you settled in them, and vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant you will eat from. 14 And now, fear the Lord and serve him in uprightness and in righteousness, and put away the foreign gods that our fathers served in the region beyond the river and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Joshua 24:13–14 (LES2) |
In verse 14, in the MT Joshua commands the people to serve the Lord in “sincerity and truth.” The LXX says in “uprightness and righteousness.” The MT omits he adjective “foreign” which describes the false gods to which the Israelites remained attached. That is why they had to put them away. Idolatry was a huge problem that continues to this day. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, they rejected God the Father, too. (1 John 2:23) Whatever or whoever the unrepentant Jews worship and serve today is not the God of Joshua. |
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15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” 16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, |
15 But if it is not pleasing to you to serve the Lord, choose for you yourselves today whom you will serve, whether the gods of your fathers in the region of them beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites among whom you live upon their land. I and my household will serve the Lord because he is holy.’ ” 16 And in response, the people said, “May it never happen to us that we should depart from the Lord to serve other gods. 17 The Lord our God, he is God. He brought us up, and our fathers, from Egypt and protected us on the whole way that we went on it, and among all the nations that we passed by. 18 And the Lord drove out the Amorites and all the nations dwelling in the land from our face, but we also will serve the Lord for he is our God.” Joshua 24:15–18 (LES2) |
For some reason, the MT omits the descriptive phrase “for he is holy” in verse 15. In verse 17, the MT adds “from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight.” The rest of the passage agrees. |
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19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 “If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.” Joshua 24:19–20 (NASB95) |
19 And Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord because he is a holy God and he is zealous. He will not forgive your sins and your transgressions. 20 When you abandon the Lord and serve other gods, then coming upon you, he will afflict you and consume you because he did good for you.” Joshua 24:19–20 (LES2) |
This is the extremely important climax to the book of Joshua. After giving them rest in the land of promise, despite their protests, Joshua declared: “You will not be able to serve the Lord.” This is the testimony of the Law of Moses. It cannot save anyone but merely makes clear our inability to serve God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 (NKJV) In verse 20, the MT tries to make Israel’s faithlessness a mere possibility by having Joshua say, “If you forsake the Lord,” but the LXX is more consistent with Joshua’s earlier statement by saying, “When you abandon the Lord.” The natural man, without Christ, cannot possibly please God. Only those who put their faith and allegiance in the one true Righteous One are saved. 36 “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God raised up saw no corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:36–39 (NKJV) The author of Hebrews drew upon this scene when he concluded that Old Covenant Joshua did not lead the Israelites into God’s true rest, which is something that remained for the true Joshua (Jesus) to accomplish. Canaan was only a picture of the spiritual rest that Jesus came to provide. (Hebrews 4:1-11) |
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21 The people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the LORD.” 22 Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the LORD, to serve Him.” |
21 And the people said to Joshua, “No. Rather we will serve the Lord.” 22 And Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves because you have chosen the Lord, to serve him. 23 And now remove the other gods among you and direct your heart to the Lord God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord we serve, and his voice we listen to.” Joshua 24:21–24 (LES2) |
The Israelites remained under the delusion that they were able to serve God if they just tried harder, which is the lie believed by every legalist. Joshua had walked with God for a lifetime and had witnessed Israel’s inveterate idolatry over all those years, which continued to that day. He saw clearly that Israel would certainly fail to serve God, just as every person without Christ must fail. (Romans 3:10) That is why we so desperately need a Savior, the true Joshua – Jesus. |
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25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27 Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance. Joshua 24:25–28 (NASB95) |
25 And Joshua established a covenant with the people on that day, and he gave them law and judgment in Shiloh before the tent of the God of Israel. 26 And he wrote these words in the document of the law of God and took a large stone, and Joshua set it by the terebinth tree in front of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to the people, “Look, this stone is among you to be evidence because it has heard everything that was said to it by the Lord, whatever he spoke to us today, and this will be among you to be a witness at the last day when you should deal falsely with the Lord my God.” 28 And Joshua sent the people away, and they went, each to his home. Joshua 24:25–28 (LES2) |
The MT locates the place of the covenant as Shechem, but the LXX says it was before the tent of God in Shiloh. This is significant. Both locations are important in Israel’s history. Since I have already decided that the LXX is the original and the MT derives from later textual changes designed to enhance Israel’s status and defame Christ, I assume Shiloh is what was in the Paleo-Hebrew. This is a faith matter since no one can prove which is true. Shechem was a place where previous covenants were made, but Shiloh became the central place of worship in the time of the judges, which immediately follows Joshua’s death. Verse 28 serves as an resounding “thud” to the story of the Israelites that began in Genesis. One would expect Joshua to throw the biggest celebration in Israel’s history to joyfully give thanks to God for taking his people from bondage to their promised land, but that was not the case at all. Instead everyone went home with Joshua’s words ringing in their ears. They were left with the stinging rebuke and warning that they were incapable of serving God, which is where the Law leaves us all. |
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29 It came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash. Joshua 24:29–30 (NASB95) |
29 And it happened after that and Joshua son of Nun, servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and twelve years. 30 And they buried him at the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah in Mount Ephraim from the north of the mount of Gilead. 30a There they put with him as a memorial, at the place that they buried him there, the flint swords by which he circumcised the sons of Israel at Gilgal when he brought them out from Egypt just as the Lord directed them. And there they remain until this very day. Joshua 24:29–30a (LES2) |
We see that the MT claims Joshua lived 110 years, but the LXX says 112. I know of no particular importance to associate with that disparity. The big difference in this passage is the MT omits verse 30a which is in the LXX. It is reasonable to assume that such a memorial would have been made for one so great in Israel’s history. The true Joshua also has a memorial called the Lord’s Supper. This book ends with Joshua’s death. The gospels end with the true Joshua’s resurrection. |
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31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Joshua 24:31 (NASB95) |
31 And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders as many as had experienced the time with Joshua and as many as had seen all the deeds of the Lord, as many as he did for Israel. Joshua 24:31 (LES2) |
The MT says Israel remained loyal to God through the days of Joshua and the elders who survived him. The LXX says those elders “experienced the time with Joshua.” Spending time with Joshua (Jesus) was transformative, just as was the case for the twelve apostles. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, it was said of them – 13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NASB95) This passage in Joshua illustrates that God has no “grandchildren,” only sons. We cannot live off of someone else’s faith or experience with God. Each person must seek and find God for himself or herself. We all must be born again. (John 3:7) |
Summary: The Book of Joshua ends with a resounding thud. Instead of a great celebration of God’s faithfulness to Israel, it concludes with Joshua’s scathing prophecy that Israel would not be able to serve the Lord. The Law of Moses and self-effort can save no one. The good news of the gospel is that Jesus, the true Joshua, fulfilled the Law for us. If we put our faith in him, we can be made right with God and enter God’s rest for eternity.
