The Septuagint (LXX) — What Is It?
The Septuagint (Latin Septuaginta — “seventy”, or LXX for short) is a translation of the books of the Old Testament made in the 3rd–2nd centuries BC from Hebrew into ancient Greek by seventy (72) Jewish translators.
Besides this Greek text, there is a text in Hebrew — the Masoretic text.
The Masoretic text is the text of the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament in Hebrew, to which vowel points were added in the 7th–10th centuries AD. What are vowel points? Simply put, they are various strokes and marks over the words which make it possible to read a word correctly, indicating the vowel sounds missing from it and the peculiarities of reading. These marks are called diacritics. Since the Hebrew text consisted only of consonants, only one who knew the tradition of reading (Tradition) could read it correctly. The vowel points were placed in order to give the text a single, unambiguous reading.
The Septuagint is important because it is a text of the Jews themselves, prepared before the Jewish people rejected Jesus as the Christ and God. That is, at that time there was not yet any need to understand Scripture in such a way that less and less room would remain in it for the Lord Jesus Christ. One must also keep in mind that any translation is always an interpretation. In this case, the Septuagint is an interpretation-translation made by native bearers of the language and the tradition, from Hebrew, which few could read, into Greek, which was understood by many.
(Note: English translations of the Old Testament, such as the NKJV and NRSV, are made from the Masoretic text. Therefore, below the Septuagint readings are translated directly from the Greek.)
Virgin or Young Woman
The evangelist Matthew refers to Isaiah’s prophecy about the birth of Christ from a virgin:
“Behold, the virgin (Greek: παρθένος) shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matt. 1:23)
According to the Septuagint, Christ was to be born of a Virgin:
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin (Greek: παρθένος) shall conceive and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Immanuel” (Is. 7:14, LXX)
And according to the Masoretic text, Christ is born of an unmarried young girl: Hebrew עַלְמָ֗ה [al-maw’]. This is how the NRSV renders it:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel” (Is. 7:14, NRSV)
Staff or Head of the Bed
The Apostle Paul, in the epistle to the Hebrews(!), recalls how Jacob bowed down on the top of his staff:
“By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff (Greek: ῥάβδου)” (Heb. 11:21)
According to the Septuagint, Jacob bowed down on the top of his staff:
“And he said, ‘Swear to me.’ And he swore to him. And Israel bowed down upon the top of his staff (Greek: ῥάβδου)” (Gen. 47:31, LXX)
And according to the Masoretic text, Jacob bowed down on the head of the bed: Hebrew מִּטָּֽה [mit-taw’]:
“Then he said, ‘Swear to me.’ And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed” (Gen. 47:31, NKJV)
Cainan in the Genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ
The evangelist Luke gives the genealogy of the Savior, mentioning Cainan between Shelah and Arphaxad:
“the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke. 3:35-38)
In the Septuagint Cainan (130+330 years) is present. He was begotten by Arphaxad, and he begot Shelah:
“and Arphaxad lived, after he had begotten Cainan (Greek: Καιναν), four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died. And Cainan lived a hundred and thirty years and begot Shelah. And Cainan lived, after he had begotten Shelah, three hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters, and died” (Gen. 11:13, LXX)
In the Masoretic text Arphaxad (35+403 years) immediately begot Shelah, and there is no Cainan at all:
“Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah. After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters” (Gen. 11:12-13)
A similar situation is described a chapter earlier: Gen. 10:22,24.
“Recovery of Sight to the Blind” or “the Opening of the Prison to Those Who Are Bound”
The evangelist Luke points to the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah, quoting it according to the Septuagint:
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD” (Luke. 4:18-19)
In the Septuagint at this place stands the phrase “recovery of sight to the blind” (Greek: τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν):
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me; He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of recompense, to comfort all who mourn” (Is. 61:1-2, LXX)
And in the Masoretic text it is “the opening of the prison to those who are bound”: Hebrew אֲסוּרִים פְּקַח ־ קֽוֹחַ ׃ [aw-sar’ pek-akh-ko’-akh]:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn” (Is. 61:1-2, NKJV)
Moreover, in the Masoretic text the same phrase turns out to be repeated in different words: “to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound”.
They Pierced the Hands and Feet, or a Lion Mauls Them?
The Septuagint contains a prophecy about Christ:
“For many dogs have surrounded me, a congregation of evildoers has enclosed me, they pierced my hands and my feet” (Ps. 21:16, LXX)
The later Masoretic text (Ps. 22:17) does not contain the words about the piercing of the hands and feet of Christ. Instead, there is the word “lion” (כָּאֲרִי — “like a lion”). The verb “maul”, meanwhile, is not in the text at all, and it is unclear how the actions of a lion relate to the hands and feet.
However, “pierced” is nevertheless correct. In the ancient Qumran scroll 4Q88[2] it is confirmed that the hands and feet were pierced. This is also how the NKJV renders it:
“For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet” (Ps. 22:16, NKJV)
Besides, there is one more prophecy that He was pierced. It is mentioned here:
“And again another Scripture says, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’” (John. 19:37)
The reference is to this place:
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn” (Zech. 12:10)
“וְשָׁפַכְתִּי עַל ־ בֵּית דָּוִיד וְעַל ׀ יוֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם רוּחַ חֵן וְתַחֲנוּנִים וְהִבִּיטוּ אֵלַי אֵת אֲשֶׁר ־ דָּקָרוּ וְסָפְדוּ עָלָיו כְּמִסְפֵּד עַל ־ הַיָּחִיד וְהָמֵר עָלָיו כְּהָמֵר עַֽל ־ הַבְּכֽוֹר ׃” (Zech. 12:10)
דָּקָ֑רוּ
דקר — to pierce, to stab through; and to be stabbed, pierced.
The Qumran scroll 4Q80[1] confirms that He was pierced.