www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP5hN6CTDz4
Septuagint or Masoretic
– Matthew 6-12
Post-Apostolic Church
INTRO
Happy Septuagint Day! Let’s continue comparing the Hebrew Masoretic
with the Greek Septuagint by going through the New Testament and seeing which
manuscript family the writers used when quoting from the Old Testament. In this video, we will be looking at Matthew
chapters 6 to 12. The running count of verses will continue from the last video.
FESTIVAL OF THE SEPTUAGINT
But
before diving back into the gospel of Matthew, there is another aspect of the
Septuagint’s history that is worth mentioning.
As explained in
previous videos in this series, the Septuagint was universally accepted by the
Jews. One of the ways the Septuagint was celebrated is seen in what
Philo of Alexandria said about an annual festival which occurred in his
hometown of Alexandria, the
same town and exact location where the Septuagint was originally translated. Philo was a Jewish philosopher from the early
first century and wrote the following around AD 40 or before.
Even to this very day,
there is every year a solemn assembly held and a festival celebrated on the
island of Pharos, to which not only the Jews but a great number of persons of
other nations sail across, giving reverence to the place in which the first
light of interpretation shone forth, and thanking God for that ancient piece of
beneficence which was always young and fresh. And after the prayers and the giving of thanks
some of them pitched their tents on the shore, and some of them lay down
without any tents in the open air on the sand of the shore, and [they] feasted
with their family and friends, thinking the shore [was] at that time a more
beautiful abode than the furniture of the king's palace. (Philo of Alexandria. AD 40 or earlier. Works of Philo Judaeus, Moses 2, VII, 41-42.)
This
annual festival occurred while Jesus walked the earth!
MATTHEW 8:17
Matthew 8:17 is about how Jesus would cure
demon possession and the sick. It reads,
That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our
infirmities, and bore our diseases.”
(Matt 8:17 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Isaiah 53:4. The Masoretic reads,
He has borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows. (Is
53:4 (ASV))
While Matthew speaks about infirmities,
weaknesses, and diseases, Isaiah speaks about griefs and sorrows.
The Septuagint reads,
This one bore our sins,
and with respect to us, was grieved. (Is
53:4 (LXX literal))
The Septuagint is very different here. First, it does not use the masculine pronoun
but “this one.” Second, it does not mention anything about infirmities,
weaknesses, or diseases but specifically says that He will bear our sins. This should perk the ears of every
Christian. The Messiah bearing the sins
of the world is not new for the seasoned Christian. How excellent it is for the Septuagint to
explicitly say this! However, it is
different for how Matthew renders this verse.
Third, the Septuagint
does not say that He would carry our diseases or sorrows, but it speaks
of His grief because of us. Now, as for the similarities, the
Septuagint speaks about grief, which Matthew does but the Masoretic does not.
Which Old
Testament family does Matthew follow?
His quotation is different from both the Masoretic and the
Septuagint. As discussed in earlier
videos, this does not cause a serious problem.
But if one had to
choose which of today’s Old Testament more closely matches Matthew’s quotation,
it would be the Masoretic.
[Verses:
16. Both: 7. LXX: 4.
MT: 3.]
MATTHEW 9:13
Matthew 9:13 address a problem with the Pharisees
when they rebuked Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. It reads,
Go and learn what this
means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.
For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. (Matt 9:13 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Hosea 6:6. The Masoretic reads,
I desire goodness
[literally: kindness], and not sacrifice.
(Hos 6:6 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
I desire mercy
[literally: compassion], and not sacrifice.
(Hos 6:6 (literal))
With the Masoretic, is kindness the same as
compassion? Not in this case because the
Hebrew word for kindness
[chesed] is different from the Hebrew word for compassion [racham]. On the Greek side, Matthew uses the exact
same word as the Septuagint [eleos]. In fact, Matthew’s quotation is
letter for letter from the Septuagint.
He is following the Septuagint.
[Verses:
17. Both: 7. LXX: 5.
MT: 3.]
MATTHEW 10:35-36
Matthew 10:35-36 is when Jesus is teaching
about how His coming to the earth will cause people to become enemies. After all, the darkness hates the Light. It reads,
I came to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes shall be they of
his own household. (Matt 10:35-36 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Micah 7:6. The Masoretic reads,
The son dishonors the
father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. (Mic 7:6 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
A son disgraces a
father, a daughter rises up over her mother, a bride over her mother-in-law; a
man’s adversaries are all the men in his house.
(Mic 7:6 (literal))
All manuscripts are in agreement except that
the Septuagint adds “all.” For that
reason alone, we can say that Matthew follows the Masoretic here.
[Verses:
18. Both: 7. LXX: 5.
MT: 4.]
MATTHEW 11:10
Matthew 11:10 is Jesus talking about John the
Baptist and the prophecy he fulfilled.
It reads,
Behold, I sent my
messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you. (Matt 11:10 (ASV))
In the
previous video, it was mentioned that Jesus combined or condensed various
passages into one passage. First, let’s
look at the more well-known Old Testament passage, Malachi 3:1. The Masoretic reads,
Behold, I send my
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. (Mal 3:1 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Behold, I send forth my
messenger, and he shall survey [literally: prepare] the way before me. (Mal 3:1 (Brenton))
As we
see, the Masoretic and Septuagint perfectly agree. So why does Matthew talk about “before your
face” and speak in the second person rather than first person? While the Israelites were receiving the Law from Moses at Mount Sinai, the
Masoretic says at Exodus 23:20,
I am going to send an
angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have
prepared. (Ex 23:20 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Behold, I send out my
messenger prior to your face, in order that he guards you in the way. In that manner, he will introduce you into
the very land which I prepare for you.
(Ex 23:20 (literal))
Let’s
compare these two Old Testament verses and their languages to Matthew. The first difference is Matthew’s mention of “face,” which is only found in the
Septuagint’s Exodus 23:20. The second difference is that
this messenger will prepare the way.
This is not found in Exodus 23:20 but in both the Hebrew and Greek in
Malachi 3:1. So the Hebrew and Greek
agree about the preparation when reading from Malachi. Prepare for who? Matthew speaks in the
second person, which is not found in Malachi.
So the Hebrew and Greek agree when reading from Exodus. The best explanation of what is happening here
is that Jesus is combining and condensing two Old Testament prophecies, one
from Exodus and one from Malachi.
But are
there differences between the Hebrew and the Greek? The only significant difference is the mention
of “your face,” which only appears in Exodus 23:20 in the Septuagint. If someone had to choose which manuscript family Matthew used, it would be the
Septuagint.
[Verses:
19. Both: 7. LXX: 6.
MT: 4.]
MATTHEW 11:23
In Matthew 11:23, Jesus is condemning Chorazin
and Capernaum for their unbelief. He
said,
You, Capernaum, shall
you be exalted unto heaven? You shall go
down unto Hades. (Matt 11:23 (ASV))
Jesus is
combining and condensing Isaiah 14:13,15.
He doesn’t quote from verse 13 about being exalted unto heaven but
obviously refers to it. Jesus does quote
verse 15. The Masoretic reads,
You shall be brought
down to Sheol. (Is 14:15 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You shall descend into
Hades. (Is 14:15 (literal))
The words
for “be brought down” and “descend” are the same between the languages. Same with Hades and Sheol. All the readings agree.
[Verses:
20. Both: 8. LXX: 6.
MT: 4.]
We have looked at 20 verses thus far. 2 verses were found in neither. 8 verses were found in both. 6 verses agreed with the Septuagint. 4 verses agreed with the Masoretic. What could we conclude at this point? We see that, usually, the Masoretic and the
Septuagint agree. We see that the number
of times they disagree is more than the number of times they agree. But we haven’t learned anything conclusive on
whether the Masoretic or Septuagint is the more reliable Old Testament. So let’s continue.
MATTHEW 11:29
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus is saying that His way
is easier than the way of the world and rejection of Him. He said,
Take My yoke upon you,
and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto
your souls. (Matt 11:29 (ASV))
Finding
rest for your souls is a quotation from Jeremiah 6:16. The Masoretic reads,
And you shall find rest
for your souls. (Jer 6:16 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
And you shall find
purification for your souls. (Jer 6:16
(Brenton))
The
Septuagint has the exact same words as what Matthew records, except instead of
“rest,” the Septuagint says “purification.”
For this reason, Jesus
and Matthew follow the Masoretic.
[Verses: 21. Both: 8.
LXX: 6. MT: 5.]
MATTHEW 12:7
Matthew 12:7 is a time when Jesus put the
Pharisees in their place. He told them,
If you had known what
this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned
the guiltless. (Matt 12:7 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Hosea 6:6.
Matthew already quoted from Hosea 6:6 back in
Matthew 9:13. He is following the
Septuagint.
[Verses:
22. Both: 8. LXX: 7.
MT: 5.]
MATTHEW 12:18-21
Matthew 12:18-21 is a direct prophecy from
Isaiah. It reads,
Behold, my servant whom
I have chosen;
My beloved in whom my
soul is well pleased:
I will put my Spirit
upon him, and he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not strive,
nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed shall he
not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment
unto victory.
And in his name shall
the Gentiles hope. (Matt 12:18-21 (ASV))
This is a
prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-4. The Masoretic reads,
Behold, my servant,
whom I uphold;
my chosen, in whom my
soul delights:
I have put my Spirit
upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry, nor
lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed will he
not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth
justice in truth.
…and the isles shall
wait for his law. (Is 42:1-4 (ASV))
Before
moving on, let’s look at some differences.
Matthew says, “chosen”
and “my beloved.” The Masoretic says,
“uphold” (or help) and “my chosen.” Matthew says, “unto
victory.” The Masoretic says, “in
truth.” Matthew says, “In His name shall the Gentiles hope.” The Masoretic says, “The isles shall wait for
his law.”
The Septuagint reads,
Jacob is my servant, I
will help him:
Israel is my chosen, my
soul has accepted him;
I have put my Spirit
upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
He shall not cry, nor
lift up his voice, nor shall his voice be heard without.
A bruised reed shall he
not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench; but he shall bring forth
judgment to truth.
...and in his name
shall the Gentiles trust. (Is 42:1-4
(Brenton))
Let’s
look at the differences between this and Matthew. Matthew says, “Behold.” The Septuagint
says, “Jacob.” Matthew says, “chosen” and “my beloved.” The Septuagint says, “help” and “Israel is my
chosen.” (The Masoretic and Septuagint
agree in “help” and “uphold.”) Matthew says, “streets.” The Septuagint says, “without,” meaning
outside. Matthew says, “unto victory.” The Septuagint says, “to truth.” (Which the Masoretic does also.) Though Brenton’s translation says “Gentiles
trust,” it is the exact same Greek word [elpizo] used in Matthew; Brenton
should have translated it as “Gentiles hope.”
We sure
have looked at a lot of differences here.
We are looking at a total of 4 verses.
When looking at the first 3 verses, it seems that the Matthew follows
the Masoretic. This is seen in the
Septuagint’s “Jacob,” “Israel,” and “without/outside.” And there are those places where the
Masoretic and Septuagint disagree with Matthew.
These are: “uphold and help verses chosen,” “chosen verses beloved,” and
“truth verses victory.” In the first
three verses, the Masoretic has more in-line with Matthew than the Septuagint.
By far,
the most significant difference is the fourth verse. Matthew and the Septuagint perfectly agree letter-for-letter
(except where Matthew says “in” and the Septuagint says “upon”). So regarding the fourth verse of this
passage, the Masoretic doesn’t even come close.
Matthew certainly follows the Septuagint regarding the Gentiles hoping
in Christ’s name.
Because of everything we have analyzed, we
need to split this passage into two quotations, one for the first three verses
and one for the fourth verse. Matthew
follows the Masoretic for the first part and the Septuagint for the second
part.
[Verses:
24. Both: 8. LXX: 8.
MT: 6.]
CREDITS
That is enough for now. But we will continue looking at New Testament
quotations from the Old Testament next year.
Blessings
and so forth.
