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Notable Differences between
the Masoretic and the Septuagint
Post-Apostolic Church
INTRO
This is the third video in a series on the
Septuagint. If you haven't already,
please see the introduction video.
In this video, we will summarize the Old
Testament books that are in the Septuagint but not in the Masoretic, look at notable
additions within books in the Septuagint which are not in the Masoretic, look
at some differences in the content of the two, and look at one problem with the
Septuagint. Click here if you wish to
jump to one of these sections.
Throughout this video, even though I will
call the extra content in the Septuagint "additions," I am not implying
that the extra content should not belong there.
It is just as possible
for the Septuagint to have "additions" as it is for the Masoretic to
have "subtractions." It is not
the goal of this video to establish whether or not these books are inspired, canon,
or if they belong in the Bible. The goal
is merely to explain the history of these two manuscript families, the differences
between them, and the beliefs of the early Christians who commented on the
differences. Let’s begin.
ADDITIONAL BOOKS
While the Masoretic Text contains 39 books,
the Septuagint contains 62. Let's take a
brief look at each of these additional books that are found in the Septuagint.
1 Esdras.
This is composed of the last 2 chapters of 2Chronicles, all of Ezra, a
portion of Nehemiah, and a little more than 2 additional chapters. These 2 additional chapters give a back story to Zerubbabel. They explain how Zerubbabel was one of King
Darius of Persia's three bodyguards, how he and his other bodyguards had a
context with each other, how Darius declared Zerubbabel the winner, and how
Darius sent him to become governor in Judea.
These events occurred in March or April, 520 BC and would be placed
between Ezra chapter 1 and 2.
Tobit.
This story occurs around 680 BC, about 70 years after Jonah. It is about a Naphtali family who were taken
into exile by the Assyrians and lived in the capital city of Nineveh
Judith.
This story is about Judith, an unmarried heroine who, during a time of
war, entered the enemy camp and cut off the head of Nebuchadnezzar's general,
Hologernes. This took place during the
time of the Assyrians or the Babylonians or the Persians. Dating this work is next to impossible. The people mentioned in the book were real
people who lived anywhere within a 150-year window (500-350 BC). In fact, the
very first words of the book show a chronological problem. They read,
It was the twelfth
year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great
city of Nineveh
Of
course, Nebuchadnezzar did not rule in Nineveh ,
the capital of the Assyrians whom he had conquered, but in Babylon
1 Maccabees.
This historical book covers the Jewish revolts against the Greeks between
the years 170 and 134 BC. It explains how the Greek
Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, came to Jerusalem
2 Maccabees.
Similar to 1 Maccabees, this book is another work describing the events surrounding
the Greeks and Judas Maccabeus. 2
Maccabees covers 185 to 160 BC. The book begins before 1 Maccabees
and gives much more detail regarding the persecutions under Antiochus Epiphanes
as explained in 1 Maccabees chapters 1-7.
The author said that this
work is an abridgment of a five-volume work by Jason of Cyrene. Jason may have been a Greek but he was
probably a Hellenistic Jew. At least 4
early Christian writers refer to 2 Maccabees, and it is quoted more often than
1Macc, specifically chapters 6 and 7. These famous chapters are about two
of the many martyrdoms of Jews who willingly died horrific deaths during the
genocide of Antiochus Epiphanies in 167 BC.
One was an elder named Eleazar and the others were seven brothers and
their mother. The early Christians,
namely Cyprian, looked to these martyrs and their unwavering commitment to God
in the face of the most gruesome deaths imaginable as great examples of faith,
because the Christians also faced horrific persecutions and sufferings at the
hands of the Romans.
3 Maccabees.
This book is more like a prequel, occurring about 50 years before 1 and
2 Maccabees. It describes the
persecutions of the Jews under Ptolemy IV Philopator, the Greek king of Egypt
Because of the chronology of the first three
Maccabean books, the best way to read them is in reverse order.
Psalm 151.
The preface to this psalm reads, "This psalm is a genuine one of
David, though [it] exceeds the usual number, composed when he fought in single
combat with Goliath." The psalm is seven
verses long.
Prayer of Manasseh. This one-chapter book is Manasseh's prayer which
he prayed after he repented of the very horrible sins he committed which are
recorded in 2Chronicles 33:1-16. The Prayer of Manasseh is
usually included after 2Chronicles 36 as the last chapter of 2 Chronicles. The prayer is fully quoted in the Apostolic
Constitutions book 2 which dates to the 200s AD.
Wisdom.
This book’s style is both poetic and prophetic. It has a strong emphasis on obedience and is
rich in its teachings on the immortality of the soul. According to the Muratorian Fragment, a Christian document from around AD 170,
this book was written by the friends of Solomon in his honor. Because of this, the book is often called “Wisdom of Solomon.” The early Christians highly regarded this
book. It was quoted once and referred to once by Clement of Rome
who was a student of the apostles Paul and Peter. The book has many, many, many passages that
are echoed in the New Testament. For
example, there is imagery that was later used by Paul such as the armor of
God. In fact, Wisdom appears to contain Messianic
prophecies that are fulfilled in the New Testament. Wisdom 8:10-11 is a prophecy of Jesus as a young boy in the temple [Luke
2:41-52]. It reads,
Because of her
[Wisdom] I shall have glory among the multitudes and honor in the presence of
the elders, though I am young. I shall
be found keen in judgment, and in the sight of rulers I shall be admired. (Wisdom 8:10-11 (NRSV))
And Wisdom 2:17-20 is a prophecy of what
Jesus' enemies said when they arrested and killed Him [(Matt 27:39-44 (Acts
8:32-35, Is 53:7-8) (1Pet 2:22-23, Is 53:5-9)].
It reads,
Let us see if his
words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if
the righteous man is God's child, he [God] will help him, and will deliver him
from the hand of his adversaries. Let us
test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and
make trial of his forbearance. Let us
condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be
protected. (Wisdom 2:17-20 (NRSV))
Sirach.
This was written by Jesus, son of Sirach, a very learned Jewish teacher
in Jerusalem
Do not seek to become
a judge. (Sirach 7:6 (NRSV))
Jesus
builds upon this, saying,
Do not judge. (Matt 7:1 (NRSV))
Sirach also wrote,
Do not babble in the
assembly of the elders, and do not repeat yourself when you pray. (Sirach 7:14 (NRSV))
Jesus
builds upon this, saying,
When you are praying,
do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will
be heard because of their many words.
(Matt 6:7 (NRSV))
Sirach also wrote,
Fruit discloses the
cultivation of a tree; so a person’s speech discloses the cultivation of his
mind. (Sirach 27:6 (NRSV))
This is
echoed by Jesus saying,
A good tree cannot
bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit…. You will know them by their fruits…. What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the
heart, and this is what defiles. (Matt
7:18, 7:20, 15:18 (NRSV))
And
there are many more like these.
Baruch.
This book was written by Baruch, the servant of Jeremiah. The book places Baruch in Babylon Jerusalem , Jeremiah and Baruch went to Egypt (Jer 43:4-7), but Baruch made it to Babylon Jerusalem
Letter of Jeremiah. The beginning of this letter reads,
A copy of the letter
that Jeremiah sent to those who were to be taken to Babylon
This
places the book around the last destruction of Jerusalem
Psalms of Solomon. These 18 psalms are not part of any official
canon of Scripture today. But they have
been found in the Greek Septuagint and the Aramaic Peshitta. The actual author of the psalms is
unknown. They are called the Psalms of
Solomon because psalm 17 in this work is very similar to Psalm 72 of the book
of Psalms which is attributed to Solomon.
4 Maccabees.
Like the Psalms of Solomon, 4 Maccabees is not part of any official
canon of Scripture today. It was written
after 160 BC and probably before 70 AD. This
philosophical book is about the greatness of reason over emotions. In the author’s own words,
Now when God
fashioned human beings, he planted in them emotions and inclinations, but
at the same time he enthroned the mind among the senses as a sacred governor
over them all. To the mind he
gave the law; and one who lives subject to this will rule a kingdom that is
temperate, just, good, and courageous.
(4Macc 2:21-23 (NRSV))
The author uses the incredible accounts of
the martyrdoms from 2 Maccabees to prove his arguments about how reason
overcomes emotions. The same philosophical
rejection of emotions in favor of the human will was found in Stoicism. But instead of making secular arguments as a
Stoic would have done, the author delivers a beautiful marriage between
Stoicism and Judaism.
ADDITIONS TO BOOKS
Now
let's look at books that have some notable additions within them.
Genesis.
About Genesis 1:8, Origen wrote,
In Genesis, the
words, "God saw that it was good," when the firmament was made, are
not found in the Hebrew. And there is a
large dispute among them [the Jews] about this.
(Origen. AD 235. ANF, vol 4, page 387.)
Take a look in your Bible and see if the
second day is the only day where it does not say that it was good. But as Origen noticed, the phrase, “and God
saw that it was good,” is found in the Greek.
Esther.
There is much more material in Esther.
It contains the full decrees written by Haman and later by Mordecai in
which they wrote to the Persian Empire
regarding the lawful murder and the lawful self-defense of the Jews. Very significantly, unlike the Masoretic
version which doesn't mention God a single time, the Septuagint version
mentions God numerous times. Origen wrote,
Of the Book of
Esther, neither the prayer of Mordecai nor that of Esther, both fitted to edify
the reader, is found in the Hebrew.
Neither are the letters: the one written to Amman
If these additions interest you, I recommend
reading Esther’s and Mordecai’s prayers.
They give an incredible glimpse into their holy personalities.
Job.
There are additions to Job. Origen
noticed differences throughout Job and wrote,
Through the whole of
Job there are many passages in the Hebrew which are lacking in our copies,
generally four or five verses but sometimes even fourteen and nineteen and
sixteen. (Origen. AD 235.
ANF, vol 4, page 387.)
At the
end of the book, the translator added a lot of information about Job and his
family, giving a timeframe of when Job lived.
From the names given,
it shows that Job was the 5th generation from Abraham and a descendent of Esau,
and Job is the same person as Jobab in Gen 36:33. From another angle, Moses was the 6th generation after Abraham, so Job was only
about a generation older than Moses. The
translator also explained that Job’s wife was from Arabia .
Daniel.
Daniel contains three works within it: (1) Susanna and the Elders, (2) Prayer
of Azariah and the Song of the Three Holy Children, and (3) Bel and the
Dragon. The first is the story of Susanna who is falsely blackmailed
by two lustful elders. Daniel comes to
her defense and the elders are executed.
This probably explains how Daniel became honored by the Jews and taken
into the courts of the Babylonians. The second is a prayer which
Azariah, also called Abednego, prayed while the three of them were in the fiery
furnace. The third is a collection of three stories from when Daniel
was a minister to the Persian king, Cyrus the Great. Two recount Daniel's contests against Persian
idolatry and its priests. The third is
either a re-telling of Daniel in the lion's den, or is event in which Cyrus had
Daniel thrown into another lions' den.
While in the den, strangely, God carries away Habbakkuk by the spirit to
minister to Daniel there.
Sextus Julius Africanus wrote a letter to
Origen saying that he believed the story of Susanna is a forgery and asked
Origen about it. Origen disagreed,
responding,
In
answer to this, I have to tell you what is our duty in the cases not only of
the History of Susanna, which is found in every Church of Christ in that Greek
copy which the Greeks use, but is not in the Hebrew, or of the two other
passages you mention at the end of the book containing the history of Bel and
the Dragon, which likewise are not in the Hebrew copy of Daniel. But there are also thousands of other
passages which I found in many places when I was collating the Hebrew copies
with ours with my little strength.... Of
the copies in my possession whose readings I gave, one follows the Seventy
[Septuagint], and the other Theodotion.
The history of Susanna--which you call a forgery--is found in both,
together with the passages at the end of Daniel. (Origen.
AD 235. ANF, vol 4, page 386.)
Origen went into further detail on why he
believed the Jewish Scriptures do not have these additions while the Septuagint
does. Click here to jump to that quote
in the next video in this series on the Septuagint.
[COMING
SOON; jump to the fourth video in the series]
NOTABLE DIFFERENCES
Now that we have looked at the major
additions, let's look at a few other major differences.
Psalms.
The numbering of the Psalms are different. Psalm 10 and 11 in the Masoretic is a single
Psalm in the Septuagint. Psalm 147 in
the Masoretic is given as Psalm 146 and 147 in the Septuagint. Thus 138 of the 150 psalms are numbered
differently between the two families.
Selah.
Hippolytus noticed the following about the use of "Selah" in
the Psalms. Some Old Testament
translations had "Selah" while other translations had
"ever" as in "forever and ever."
As we have found in
the Seventy [Septuagint], in Theodotion's, and in Symmachus' [translations], in
many psalms, the word diapsalma is
inserted. We endeavored to make out
whether those who placed it there meant to mark a change at those places in
rhythm or melody or [to mark] any alteration in the method of instruction,
thought, or language. However, [this
word] is found neither in Aquila 's
[translation] nor in the Hebrew. But
there, instead of diapsalma (meaning
an intervening musical symphony), we find the word aei (meaning "ever").
(Hippolytus. AD 225. ANF, vol 5, page 201.)
Jeremiah.
The Septuagint's version of Jeremiah is about a tenth shorter and the order
of events of Jeremiah is arranged differently.
There is a link in the description that compares the order between them
and lists the Septuagint’s subtractions.
(https://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/Jeremiah/appendix.html)
Saul and David (1Sam 16-17). One of the most fascinating differences is
found right after David kills Goliath. Saul has hired David as his personal
armor-bearer and harp-player. Here, Saul
is told that David’s father is Jesse of Bethlehem. At the camp where Goliath is taunting the Israelites, David asked Saul if he
could fight Goliath. Then Saul tries to dress David in
his armor but it wouldn't fit. Yet fifteen verses later (1Sam
17:55-58) as David was going out to fight Goliath, Saul asks his general who
David is. And when David returns, David
came up to Saul and Saul asks him who his father is. Why would Saul not recognize his own armor-bearer and harp-player? Why would Saul ask who David is when he had
just had a conversation with him about fighting Goliath? Why would Saul forget David’s father when
Saul had sent a letter to Jesse about hiring David? 1Sam 17:55-58 is a VERY confusing passage. It is found in the Masoretic, yet it is absent from the
Septuagint. Therefore, the Septuagint’s
account about Saul and David is not confusing.
Age of King Ahaziah. Ahaziah’s father was Jehoram. 2Chr 21:20 in the NRSV, which is a true translation
of the Masoretic, reads,
He [Jehoram] was
thirty-two years old when he began to reign; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem
Note that Jehoram was 40 years old when he
died. Ahaziah was his son and succeeded
him as king. Two verses later, 2Chr 22:2 reads,
Ahaziah was forty-two
years old when he began to reign. (2Chr
22:2 (NRSV))
Take a
close look. How old was Jehoram when he
fathered Ahaziah...? If you do the math, Jehoram
fathered his son, Ahaziah, at the age of 2, which is impossible. Yet this is the correct translation from the Masoretic
Text we have today. However, 2Chr 22:2 in the Septuagint reads this way,
Ahaziah began to
reign when he was twenty years old.
(2Chr 22:2 (Brenton))
According to the Septuagint, Jehoram fathered
Ahaziah at the age of 20, which is easily possible. To be fair, it is very possible that both the Masoretic and the Septuagint are
corrupt at 2Chr 22:2. 2King 8:26 gives a
third age of Ahaziah, saying he was 22 years old when he became king (putting
Jehoram's age at 18 when he fathered him).
Both of the Masoretic and the Septuagint agree at 2King 8:26.
PROBLEM WITH THE SEPTUAGINT
The fourth video in this series will explain
why the Septuagint is a more reliable set of Scriptures than the
Masoretic. When it comes to these two families
of manuscripts, it appears that the Septuagint is always superior to the
Masoretic. But is there any passage in
the Septuagint that cannot be genuine? I
have found only one such passage. The genealogy from Adam to the
Flood in Genesis 5 is different. In
fact, the years between the generations are different between all three manuscript
families.
Take a look at this graph. I have compared the Septuagint, in blue, the
Masoretic Text, in yellow, and the Samaritan Pentateuch, in green.
The first set of columns are the years
between the Adam's “birth” and each person's birth. The second set of columns are the years between Adam's birth and each person's
death. The third set of columns are the number of years from the
person's birth until they fathered their firstborn. The fourth set of columns are the number of years from when they fathered their
firstborn until their death. The last set of columns are the
number of years that person lived.
The problem with the Septuagint's genealogy
is that it records that Methuselah died 14 years after the Flood. Could Methuselah have been on the ark? No, because the apostle Peter says the ark
only saved eight people (1Pet 3:20). Therefore,
the Septuagint’s genealogies in Genesis 5 cannot be correct.
Between
the Masoretic and the Samaritan, which one of those is correct? First, if you look at the dates as to when each generation was fathered, the
Samaritan Pentateuch is the most precise.
Most of these men fathered their firstborn in their sixties. The Masoretic Text's pattern is not as consistent; for example, look at Jared
through Lamech. Additionally, notice that the Samaritan Pentateuch says that
Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech all died in the same year as the Flood. Now that is a very interesting pattern!
Because
of the consistency and the preciseness of the Samaritan Pentateuch, perhaps it
is correct. However, Josephus and the Peshitta agree with the Masoretic,
so perhaps it is correct. Which one is correct? I do not know. Perhaps someone who has done more research
can comment on this video.
CONCLUSION
Back to the Septuagint, it is obvious that
it is incorrect in Genesis 5. As far as
I have found, this is the one and only problem with the Septuagint. However, the problem of when Methuselah died
is not a sufficient reason to adopt the Masoretic Text over the
Septuagint. For a mountain of evidence as to why the Septuagint is
superior to the Masoretic overall, see the next video in this series which will
discuss differences in these manuscript families in light of the New Testament
quotations from the Old Testament.
Thank you for watching!
