Translating Scripture from Greek

For everything there is a time, and a right time for every matter under heaven: a right time to give birth, and a right time to die; a right time to plant, and a right time to pluck up what is planted; a right time to kill, and a right time to heal; a right time to tear down, and a right time to build; a right time to weep, and a right time to laugh; a right time to mourn, and a right time to dance; a right time to throw stones, and a right time to gather stones; a right time to embrace, and a right time to be far from embracing; a right time to seek, and a right time to lose; a right time to keep, and a right time to throw away; a right time to tear, and a right time to sew; a right time to keep silence, and a right time to speak; a right time to love, and a right time to hate; a right time for war… Show Notes None. See Also None. Further Reading None. Parental Warnings None.

In this final episode of the Septuagint (LXX) series, we discuss what needs to be done to produce a proper translation of the LXX in English. This a technical episode, but a vital one. There should exist in every language spoken by a Christian nation a definitive version of the Scriptures in that language, and in this episode we provide the structure and the mechanics by which that can be achieved. This will be a years-long project, and it will have to be undertaken by other men. Until then, we have provided links to a number of existing English translations in the show notes, infra. Any existing version of the LXX in English is certainly better than all of the extant copies based on the rabbinic text. Show Notes English Septuagint Translations: Brenton Hardcover [English and Greek] PDF Lexham (2nd) Hardcover Logos NETS Hardcover PDFs Thomson, Charles Archive.org PDF [free] Logos [not free] The Ancient Christian Study Bible (coming 2027) See Also The Göttingen Septuagint Further Reading Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International The Canterbury Tales in Middle English and Modern English Parental Warnings None.

This episode is our closing argument for the Septuagint (LXX) and its proper place as the Word of God — the Scripture of the Early Church, the Apostles, and Christ Himself. Once you have finished this episode, you will need to decide for yourself if you believe the argument as presented or if you intend to double down on the ‘Hebrew’ the rabbis smuggled into the churches. The question is one of fidelity to God and to His Word, and it is a question that will split the churches, that will sift the wheat from the chaff. “But I and my household will serve the Lord, because He is holy.” Show Notes Romans 2:24 → Isaiah 52:5 Romans 3:4 → Psalm 51:4 (LXX Psalm 50:6) Romans 9:25b → Hosea 2:23 Romans 9:27 → Isaiah 10:22 Romans 9:27-28 → Isaiah 10:22-23 Romans 9:29 → Isaiah 1:9 Romans 9:33; 10:11 → Isaiah 28:16 Romans 10:18 → Psalm 19:4 (LXX Ps 18:5. . Romans 11:10 → Psalm 69:23 (LXX Ps 68:24. ... Romans 11:26b → Isaiah 59:20 Romans 11:27 → Isaiah 27:9 (with Isa 59:21) Romans 11:34 → Isaiah 40:13 Romans 12:19 → Deuteronomy 32:35 Romans 14:11 → Isaiah 45:23 Romans 15:12 → Isaiah 11:10 1 Corinthians 2:16 → Isaiah 40:13 ... 1 Corinthians 14:21 → Isaiah 28:11-12 1 Corinthians 15:54 → Isaiah 25:8 1 Corinthians 15:55 → Hosea 13:14 1 Corinthians 1:31 and 2 Corinthians 10:17 - Jeremiah 9:24 2 Corinthians 4:13 → Psalm 116:10 (LXX 115:1) Galatians 3:10 → Deuteronomy 27:26 Galatians 3:13 → Deuteronomy 21:23 Ephesians 4:26 → Psalm 4:4 (LXX 4:5) Ephesians 5:31 → Genesis 2:24 Philippians 1:19 → Job 13:16 Philippians 2:10-11 → Isaiah 45:23 2 Thessalonians 1:9 → Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21 2 Timothy 2:19a → Numbers 16:5 ... Hebrews 1:6 → Deuteronomy 32:43 (LXX expanded line) Hebrews 1:10-12 → Psalm 102:25-27 (LXX 101:26-28) Hebrews 3:7-11 → Psalm 95:7-11 (LXX 94:7-11. ... Hebrews 8:8-12 → Jeremiah 31:31-34 (LXX 38:31-34) Hebrews 10:5-7 → Psalm 40:6-8 (LXX 39:7-9) Hebrews 10:37-38 → Habakkuk 2:3-4 Hebrews 11:21 → Genesis 47:31 ... Hebrews 12:5-6 → Proverbs 3:11-12 James 4:6 → Proverbs 3:34 1 Peter 2:6 → Isaiah 28:16 1 Peter 2:9 → Exodus 19:6 (phrase) 1 Peter 2:22 → Isaiah 53:9 1 Peter 4:18 → Proverbs 11:31 1 Peter 5:5 → Proverbs 3:34 (as in James 4:6) Revelation 2:27, 12:5, 19:15 - Psalm 2:9 See Also None. Further Reading None. Parental Warnings None.

In this episode and the next, we cover the places where the New Testament cites the Old Testament and there is a difference between the Septuagint (LXX) and the rabbinic text. In this first (of two) episodes, we cover citations from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts; in the next episode, we will cover Romans through Revelation. By the sheer weight of the evidence, it will become undeniable that the New Testament authors were reading and citing the Septuagint — not some supposed ‘Hebrew’ edition (that, in fact, no longer existed at the time of the composition of the New Testament). The Septuagint was the Bible of the Apostles; it was the Bible of the early Church; it was the Bible that God miraculously preserved — as He promised He would; and it should be our Bible today. Show Notes Verses Vorlage over LXX Matthew 2:15 → Hosea 11:1 Matthew 8:17 → Isaiah 53:4 Matthew 26:31 → Zechariah 13:7 (also Mark 14:27) Matthew 27:9-10 → Zechariah 11:12-13 (with elements from Jeremiah 19; 32) Mark 1:2 → Malachi 3:1 (also Luke 7:27) John 19:37 quoting Zechariah 12:10 Romans 11:35 quoting Job 41:11 (MT 41:3) LXX over MT Matthew 1:23 → Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 3:3 → Isaiah 40:3 Matthew 3:17 (Mark, Luke) → (Genesis 22:2, 12, 16) Matthew 17:5 (Mark, Luke) Matthew 4:15-16 → Isaiah 9:1-2 (MT versification 8:23-9:1) Matthew 11:10 → Malachi 3:1 (also Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27) Matthew 12:18-21 → Isaiah 42:1-4 Matthew 13:14-15 → Isaiah 6:9-10 Matthew 15:8-9 → Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 19:5-6 → Genesis 2:24 Matthew 21:16 → Psalm 8:2 (LXX 8:3) Matthew 24:29 → Isaiah 13:10, 34:4 Luke 2:23 → Exodus 13:2 Luke 3:4-6 → Isaiah 40:3-5 Luke 4:18-19 → Isaiah 61:1-2 (with Isa 58:6) John 12:38 → Isaiah 53:1 Acts 2:26 → Psalm 16:9 (LXX 15) Acts 7:14 → Genesis 46:27; Exodus 1:5 Acts 7:42-43 → Amos 5:25-27 Acts 8:32-33 → Isaiah 53:7-8 Acts 13:41 → Habakkuk 1:5 Acts 15:16-18 → Amos 9:11-12 (and the closing clause of v. 18) See Also None. Further Reading None. Parental Warnings None.

The rabbis made a number of different kinds of edits to their version of what some call ‘Scripture’ (i.e., the Rabbinic or Masoretic Text). In some places, they fiddled with numbers, in some they changed names, and in still others they deleted entire sections of the text. In this final episode of the Old Testament portion of the Septuagint series, we examine the changes the rabbis made to the timelines (particularly the genealogies), the Book of Job, the Book of Esther, and a few other miscellaneous matters. The next two episodes will round out the LXX series with an examination of how the New Testament uses the Old (to the surprise of none, Jesus and the Apostles used the Septuagint), and then the final episode in the series will give a roadmap for where we, as the Church, go from here. Show Notes Esther: LXX and MT Compared See Also Letter: Origen to Africanus Luther on the Rabbinic Book of Esther Further Reading Esther (Brenton) Esther (NETS) [PDF] Calendar Systems: Anno Domini Anno Mundi Byzantine Calendar “Setting the Record Straight on the Primeval Chronology of the Septuagint (Part 2)” One example of differing chronologies (not an endorsement) Pyramids and Sea Creatures in the Limestone [Just an interesting read.] Parental Warnings None.

As between the Septuagint (LXX) and the rabbinic text (MT), there are significant differences in the books that comprise the wisdom literature (i.e., Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon). These differences range from changes in diction through distortions and corruptions to outright additions and deletions (one should think of the warning in the Book of Revelation). Out treatment here is not (and is not intended to be) comprehensive — there are centuries of work ahead of the Church; rather, we intend to drive home the point that the only Christian reaction is to abandon and anathematize the ‘Hebrew’ passed to us by the rabbis in favor of the Greek passed to us by Christ, the Apostles, and our faithful forebears — and, most importantly of all, preserved by God, as He promised. Christ, the Apostles, and the early Church all unanimously held that the Septuagint is, indeed, the very Word of God. In this fifth episode in the (now) nine-episode LXX series, we examine differences between the LXX and the MT in the wisdom books (largely focusing on Proverbs). This is the second of three episodes dealing specifically with the Old Testament differences between the LXX and the MT. This is, of course, not our closing argument, for we will be making that in the two episodes that deal with the New Testament and how it treats the Old Testament. Show Notes X thread on differences in Proverbs See Also Full Interview with Will Spencer [This will probably trigger as a download in your browser, and it is ~750MB.] Further Reading None. Parental Warnings None.

As between the Septuagint (LXX) and the rabbinic text (MT), there are significant differences in many verses that deal with Christology. The MT is not always ‘less Christological’, for that would have been a poor-quality trap, but the proper hermeneutic for determining the text of Scripture is not ‘more Christology’; rather, the right hermeneutic is quite simply: What is Scripture and what does it say? Christ, the Apostles, and the early Church all unanimously held that the Septuagint is, indeed, the very Word of God. In this fourth episode in the (now) nine-episode LXX series, we examine Christological differences between the LXX and the MT. This is the first of three episodes dealing specifically with the Old Testament differences between the LXX and the MT. This is, of course, not our closing argument, for we will be making that in the two episodes that deal with the New Testament and how it treats the Old Testament. Show Notes Isaiah 7:14 Psalm 22:16 Psalm 2:10–12 Isaiah 6:8–10 Isaiah 9:6 Isaiah 53:5–6 Zechariah 12:10 Psalm 40:6–8 Amos 9:11–12 Deuteronomy 32:43 Isaiah 53:8–9 Isaiah 11:10 Psalm 23 See Also Lexham LXX Brenton LXX Further Reading Isaiah 53 Parental Warnings None.

The story of how Hebrew was smuggled into the Western Church is long and complicated; it spans centuries and involves hundreds of men. In this episode, we have narrowed down the story to a handful of key figures who played pivotal roles. At many points in this timeline, Christian men could have stood up and defended the inspired Greek of the Septuagint, but essentially none did so. At any point in this timeline, Christian men could have stood up and repudiated the wicked use of the Hebrew, but only two did so — both former (converted) Jews. Satan does not have the limitation of a lifespan of but eighty or so years, and he does not sleep or grow tired; the story of Hebrew is the story of Satan’s long-term plan to undermine and collapse the Western Church, and, with her, Christendom. In this second-half of the historical portion of the Septuagint series, we cover the history of the Western Church (from, roughly, Jerome to the Reformation) with regard to how Hebrew came to be used as the basis for the Old Testament. Notably, this history of the Septuagint is almost devoid of any actual use of the Septuagint by the men whose lives and actions make up the narrative, because we, like the Israelites of the Old Testament, left the Word of God sitting in a basement, abandoned and largely forgotten — and, worse, we accepted a corrupted counterfeit from rabbis and made it the basis of our translations. Mercifully and according to His promises, God preserved the Greek for us, and so we can undo the foolishness of centuries past — a topic we will take up in the last episode in this series. Show Notes None. See Also None. Further Reading “Johannes Reuchlin (1455–1522): A Unique Philosemitic Public Intellectual” “Johannes Reuchlin: A Voice of Humanism and Esoteric Wisdom” [This site is full of things we categorically recommend against — it is linked for the sole purpose of this one article on Reuchlin.] Parental Warnings At the end of the episode, Luther is quoted and the quote includes the words “whore” and “slut”.

The Word of God has been preserved — miraculously — down through the ages, faithfully transmitted forward from past generations to us. This is according to God’s promises, and yet God nowhere (in the Old Testament) says which language He will use to accomplish this. Many have long claimed that God used Hebrew to do this, but the Hebrew language was never a true written language until the 20th century and, above and beyond this, the Hebrew language was dead for more than two thousand years. How, then, did God preserve His Word? He caused it to be translated into Greek — the Septuagint (LXX). It was the Septuagint that was used by our forefathers in the faith, by the Apostles, and by Christ Himself. In this first of our four-part (really five-part) series on the Septuagint, we cover the history of the Hebrew language and the history of the LXX up until about AD 1000; we trace how the so-called “Masoretic Text” was infiltrated into the Church by those who deny Christ, curse His sheep, and serve another master, and how, tragically, Christians failed to prevent this and permitted the MT to supplant the LXX; and we begin to make our case for a return to the Word of God as He has preserved it and as the Church has always received it — in Greek, as the Septuagint. Show Notes None. See Also Against the Judaizers Further Reading Letter of Aristeas [Wikipedia] Greek and English Although we do not (yet) have an English translation using the LXX that we unreservedly recommend, we recognize that some will want a version for the sake of comparison. This is one option: The Lexham English Septuagint The Brenton edition can be found in several places online. Parental Warnings None.

All men have limitations — be they physical, intellectual, or something else. One such limitation is a thing we call, in the technology fields, a “context window”. In essence, a context window is the amount of relevant information that a man can hold in his mind at a given moment. In a conversation, it is the history of the conversation (along with any previous history from prior conversations, et cetera); in a relationship, it is the entire history of that relationship. In all cases, only to the extent such information can be held in the mind. Some questions call for a small context window (e.g., a bar fight may require only ten or twenty minutes of context to understand) and some questions call for a significantly larger context window (e.g., the current state of the Western Church is a matter of millennia). Not all men are equally suited to handle all matters — a man can be competent or incompetent with regard to a particular question or a particular discussion. In this preliminary episode leading into our upcoming series on the Septuagint (LXX), we discuss the concept of a context window and how it plays into the LXX specifically and many issues in our daily lives generally. Show Notes None. See Also None. Further Reading What Is a Context Window? [YouTube] Parental Warnings None.