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Septuagint or Masoretic
– Matthew 13-19
Post-Apostolic Church
INTRO
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 13 to 19. The running count of verses will continue from the last
video.
MATTHEW 13:14-15
Matthew 13:14-15 is about why Jesus spoke in
parables. It reads,
Unto them is fulfilled
the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, “By hearing you shall hear, and shall in no
way understand; and seeing you shall see, and shall in no way perceive. For this people's heart is waxed gross
[become calloused], and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed. Lest haply [perhaps] they
should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with
their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them.” (Matt 13:14-15 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Isaiah 6:1-2. The Masoretic reads,
Hear you indeed, but
understand not, and see you indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make
their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear
with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be
healed. (Is 6:1-2 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You shall hear indeed,
but you shall not understand; and you shall see indeed, but you shall not
perceive. For the heart of this people
has become gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they
closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. (Is 6:9-10 (Brenton))
Even though some of the words in these
translations are different, all words mean the same thing. All three passages agree. Matthew follows both.
[Verses:
25. Both: 9. LXX: 8.
MT: 6.]
MATTHEW 13:35
Matthew 13:35 is Matthew’s explanation for why
Jesus taught in parables. It reads,
That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth
in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” (Matt 13:35 (ASV))
This is
quotation from Psalm 78:2. The Masoretic reads,
I will open my mouth in
a parable; I will utter dark sayings [puzzles] of old. (Ps 78:2 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
I will open my mouth in
parables: I will utter previews from the beginning. (Ps 78:2 (LXX literal))
Matthew
adds “foundation,” which is not found in the Hebrew nor Greek. This is not a direct quotation. And what things will Jesus utter? Matthew says hidden things. The Masoretic says “puzzles.” The Septuagint says “previews,” which is a
literal translation, but can also be translated “riddles.” It appears that the Masoretic and the Septuagint have the same readings, and
Matthew is loosely translating either of them.
So Matthew is following both.
[Verses:
26. Both: 10. LXX: 8.
MT: 6.]
MATTHEW 15:4
Matthew 15:4 is when Jesus accuses the
Pharisees and scribes for violating the Fifth Commandment. It reads,
For God said, “Honor
your father and your mother,” and, “He that speaks evil of father or mother,
let him die the death.” (Matt 15:4
(ASV))
Jesus
quoting two passages. The first is from
Ex 20:12 (and Deuteronomy 5:16). The
second is from Exodus 21:17. The Masoretic reads,
Honor your father and
your mother… He that curses his father
or his mother shall surely be put to death.
(Ex 20:12, 21:17 (ASV))
In the
Septuagint, Exodus 21 verses 16 and 17 are switched. What this does is places the two verses about
how to treat father and mother next to each other. The Septuagint reads,
Honor your father and
your mother… He that reviles his father
or his mother shall surely die. (Ex
20:12, 21:16 (Brenton))
The ASV
rendering in Matt 15:4 is a literal translation of the Masoretic’s Exo 21:17,
even the ASV translated it differently there.
In short, the Masoretic says, “will die the death.” And the Greek has the same literal meaning,
saying, “the end will be death.” Even though Matthew uses the very
same Greek words found in the Septuagint, all three passages agree. Matthew is following both.
[Verses:
27. Both: 11. LXX: 8.
MT: 6.]
MATTHEW 15:8-9
Matthew 15:8-9 is Jesus’ quotation from Isaiah
about those who negate God’s word because of their traditions. It reads,
This people honor me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, Teaching
doctrines the precepts of men. (Matt
15:8-9 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Isaiah 29:13. The Masoretic reads,
Forasmuch as this
people draw near and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have
removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men
which has been taught. (Is 29:13 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
This people draw near
to me with their mouth and they honor me with their lips, but their heart is
far from me; but in vain do they worship me, teaching the commandments and
doctrines of men. (Is 29:13 (Brenton))
The first
half of the quotation is the same between the manuscripts. Though the second half has the same message,
the words are very different. Without too much analysis, it is
clearly seen that Jesus quoted from the Septuagint.
[Verses:
28. Both: 11. LXX: 9.
MT: 6.]
MATTHEW 16:27
Matthew 16:27 is Jesus speaking about His
Second Coming and what He will do. It
reads,
Then shall He render
unto every man according to his deeds.
(Matt 16:27 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12.
The Masoretic reads,
You render to every man
according to his work. (Ps 62:12 (ASV))
Shall not He render to
every man according to his work? (Prov
24:12 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You will recompense
every one according to his works. (Ps
62:12 (Brenton))
[He] renders to every
man according to his works. (Prov 24:12
(Brenton))
It
doesn’t come out in the translations but the last word is different. In Matthew and the Masoretic, the word should
be translated “actions.” In the
Septuagint, it should be translated “works.”
This is true for both the verse from Psalms and the verse from
Proverbs. Because these words are
synonyms, the meaning is the same. But based on the choice of words,
Jesus is following the Masoretic.
[Verses:
29. Both: 11. LXX: 9.
MT: 7.]
MATTHEW 18:16
Matthew 18:16 is part of Jesus’ teaching on
what to do if your brother sins against you.
It reads,
At the mouth of two
witnesses or three every word may be established. (Matt 18:16 (ASV))
This is
quotation from Deuteronomy 19:15. The Masoretic reads,
At the mouth of two
witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be
established. (Deut 19:15 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
By the mouth of two
witnesses, or by the mouth of three witnesses, shall every word be
established. (Deut 19:15 (Brenton))
When
looking at the original languages, everything appears to have the very same meaning. However, the Masoretic does not have “every”
which does appear in Matthew. Jesus is favoring the Septuagint.
[Verses:
30. Both: 11. LXX: 10.
MT: 7.]
MATTHEW 19:4-5
Matthew 19:4-5 is when Jesus was teaching on
marriage and divorce. He quotes Genesis
twice. It reads,
Have you not read that
He who made them from the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his
wife; and the two shall become one flesh”?
(Matt 19:4-5 (ASV))
The first is a quotation from Genesis
1:27. There is no need to read this from
the Genesis because the Masoretic and the Septuagint are in perfect agreement.
[Verses:
31. Both: 12. LXX: 10.
MT: 7.]
The
second is a quotation from Genesis 2:24.
The same is the case
here. All manuscript families agree.
[Verses:
32. Both: 13. LXX: 10.
MT: 7.]
MATTHEW 19:18-19
Matthew 19:18-19 is Jesus’ conversation with
the rich, young ruler. It reads,
You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother. And You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. (Matt 19:18-19 (ASV))
These are
quotations from Exodus 20:12-16 (and its parallel passage in Deuteronomy
5:16-20) and, secondly, Leviticus 19:18.
Jesus switches the order around, placing “honoring father and mother”
after “not bearing false witness.” In
Exodus and Deuteronomy, “honoring father and mother” appears before “not
killing.” And about bearing false
witness, Jesus does not say “against your neighbor.” Therefore, like so many other times, Jesus
loosely quotes from the Old Testament.
The Masoretic reads,
Honor your father and
your mother… You shall not kill. You
shall not commit adultery. You shall not
steal. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Ex 20:12-16, Lev 19:18 (ASV))
The Septuagint has the reads,
Honor your father and
your mother… You shall not kill. You
shall not commit adultery. You shall not
steal. You shall not bear false witness
against your neighbor…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Ex 20:12-16, Lev 19:18 (Brenton))
Though Jesus changed the order of a couple of
the commandments, everything else reads the same. Jesus is following both.
[Verses:
33. Both: 14. LXX: 10.
MT: 7.]
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.
