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Septuagint or Masoretic
– Matthew 20-22
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 20 to 22. The running count of verses will continue from the last
video.
MATTHEW 21:5
Matthew 21:5 is about
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem as He rode on a donkey. It reads,
Tell you the daughter
of Zion: Behold, your King comes unto you, meek, and riding upon an ass, and
upon a colt, the foal of an ass. (Matt
21:5 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Zechariah 9:9. The Masoretic reads,
Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion. Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: Behold, your king comes unto you. He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and
riding upon an ass, even upon a colt, the foal of an ass. (Zech 9:9 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion. Proclaim it aloud, O
daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, [your] King is coming to you, just, and a Savior. He is meek and riding on an ass, and a young
foal. (Zech 9:9 (Brenton))
We see that Matthew
does not directly quote from Zechariah.
He skips these two phrases, seen here.
(Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Jerusalem… He is just and
Savior/having salvation.) Just
because Matthew does not exactly quote this verse word for word, he is still
quoting Zechariah 9:9 nonetheless.
Since we are looking
at differences between the Masoretic and the Septuagint, there is one
difference. It is the last phrase, “the
foal of an ass,” (which is literally, “the son of a beast of burden”). Matthew and the Masoretic contain
this last phrase, but the Septuagint does not.
Matthew follows the Masoretic.
[Verses:
34. Both: 14. LXX: 10.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW 21:9
Matthew 21:9 is about
what the crowds shouted to Jesus as He rode through Jerusalem. It reads,
Hosanna to the son of
David. Blessed is he that comes in the
name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest. (Matt 21:9 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Psalm 118:25-26. The Masoretic reads,
Save now, we beseech
you, O Jehovah: O Jehovah, we beseech you, send now prosperity. Blessed be he that comes in the name of
Jehovah: We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah. (Ps 118:25-26 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
O Lord, save now: O
Lord, send now prosperity. Blessed is he
that comes in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the
Lord. (Ps 118:25-26 (Brenton))
You may
ask: why does Matthew say Hosanna? What
is Hosanna? It is an Hebrew
and Aramaic compound word that literally means, “save now.” So, for Psalm 118 to say “save now,” this is
the same thing as Hosanna.
The main difference
here is that the Masoretic has the Tetragrammaton, that is, the four letter
Hebrew word for Yahweh or Jehovah, and the Septuagint has “the Lord.” So technically, Matthew is following the
Septuagint. However, it is important to
note that the Tetragrammaton doesn’t appear a single time in the New
Testament. All the New Testament writers
used “the Lord” instead of using the Tetragrammaton. Did the New Testament writers do this because
they were following the Septuagint and not the Masoretic? Did they do this because they were writing in
Greek and not Hebrew? Did they do this
for another reason? It is unfair to say
Matthew is following the Septuagint because he wrote “the Lord” and not the
Tetragrammaton. By the same
token, Matthew uses the Hebrew/Aramaic word for save now, Hosanna. Did he do this because he is following the
Masoretic and not the Septuagint? It is
unfair to say that Matthew is following the Masoretic because Hosanna in Hebrew
is the same thing as “save now” in Greek.
The point is this,
when translations are made and quotations are quoted, there is a degree of room
for the writer to be more literal to the original language or to be more
accurate to the modern language. In this
case, it is too hard to tell whether Matthew is following one family of
manuscripts over another. Therefore, it
is safe to say that Matthew, in his own way, is following both.
[Verses:
35. Both: 15. LXX: 10.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW 21:13
Matthew 21:13 is what
Jesus said when He cleansed the temple.
It reads,
He said unto them, “It
is written: My house shall be called a house of prayer: but you make it a den
of robbers.” (Matt 21:13 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. The Masoertic reads,
For my house shall be
called a house of prayer for all peoples.
(Is 56:7 (ASV))
Is this house, which is
called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it, says Jehovah.
(Jer 7:11 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
For my house shall be
called a house of prayer for all nations.
(Is 56:7 (Brenton))
Is my house, whereon my
name is called, a den of robbers in your eyes? And, behold, I have seen it, says the Lord. (Jer 7:11 (Brenton))
All readings
agree. Jesus follows both the Masoretic
and the Septuagint.
[Verses:
36. Both: 16. LXX: 10.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW 21:16
Matthew 21:16 is about
when the chief priests asked Jesus if He knew the people were calling Him the
Son of David. It reads,
Jesus said unto them, “Yes,
did you never read: Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected
praise”? (Matt 21:16 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Psalm 8:2. The
Masoretic reads,
Out of the mouth of babes
and sucklings have you established strength.
(Ps 8:2 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Out of the mouth of
babes and sucklings have you perfected praise.
(Ps 8:2 (Brenton))
The Masoretic says
that God established (literally, “found”) strength (or power). The Septuagint uses the same words Jesus
said: perfected praise. Jesus follows
the Septuagint.
[Verses:
37. Both: 16. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW 21:33
This
is extremely similar to Isaiah 5:1-2, but this is not a quotation.
MATTHEW 21:42
Matthew 21:42 is about
the parable of the vineyard owner who destroyed the farmers who did not respect
his slaves or his son. The meaning of
the parable is that the people of Jesus’ day would reject Him as the Son of God
in the same way. It reads,
Jesus said unto them, “Did
you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the
same was made the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is
marvelous in our eyes”? (Matt 21:42
(ASV))
This is
quotation from Psalm 118:22-23. The Masoretic reads,
The stone which the
builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This is Jehovah's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. (Ps 118:22-23 (ASV))
In the Septuagint,
Psalm 117:22-23 reads,
The stone which the builders
rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This has been done of the Lord. And it is wonderful in our eyes. (Ps 117:22-23 (Brenton))
The one difference is
that both Jesus and the Septuagint, referring to the rejected stone, say “the
same” has become. The words “the same”
appear in the Greek both in Matthew and in the Septuagint. Because Hebrew is such an ancient language,
it is hard to tell if the words “the same” is implied by the Hebrew. But this is such a minor thing,
it seems fair to give the Hebrew the benefit of the doubt and say that it is
saying the same thing. Jesus follows
both.
[Verses:
38. Both: 17. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW
22:24
Matthew
22:24 is similar to Gen 38:8 and especially similar to Deut 25:5, but it is not
a quotation.
MATTHEW
22:32
Matthew 22:32 is about
Jesus’ answer to the Sadducces on whether there will be a resurrection. It reads,
I am the God of
Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. (Matt 22:32 (ASV))
This is
quotation from Exodus 3:6. The
Masoretic reads,
I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. (Ex 3:6 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. (Ex 3:6 (Brenton))
All readings
agree. Jesus follows both.
[Verses:
39. Both: 18. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW
22:37
Matt 22:37 is Jesus’
greatest commandment. It reads,
You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Deuteronomy 6:5. The Masoretic reads,
You shall love Jehovah your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deut 6:5 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You shall love the Lord
your God with all your mind, and with all your soul, and [with] all your
strength. (Deut 6:5 (Brenton))
First, even though
Brenton’s translation lists “mind” first, this is a mistranslation. The Greek Septuagint contains heart
there. There are two differences.
First, there is the same issue as before regarding the Tetragrammaton
and “the Lord.” As discussed earlier,
this is not a factor in these comparisons. Second, the last thing Jesus said we are to love God with
is your mind. Yet, both the Masoretic
and the Septuagint have something different: your might or your strength. There is no doubt that Jesus said “mind,”
which can also be translated as one’s understanding. Yet, might and strength are completely
different words. Did Jesus replace might
or strength with the mind?
One might
ask, but aren’t we to love God with all those things? Yes! Luke’s gospel also contains Jesus’ greatest commandment. It reads,
You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind. (Luke
10:27 (ASV))
Here,
Jesus exactly quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, adding “and with all your mind” at the
end. So yes, Jesus said that we should
love our God with all these things.
In this case, Jesus is
quoting from both the Masoretic and the Septuagint, yet when it comes to that
last word, Jesus is quoting from neither.
But considering how Luke shares Jesus’ words with us, we can see that,
in the end, He follows both the Masoretic and the Septuagint.
[Verses:
40. Both: 19. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW
22:39
Matthew 22:39 is
Jesus’ second greatest commandment. It
reads,
And a second like unto
it is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt 22:39 (ASV))
This is
quotation from Leviticus 19:18. The Masoretic reads,
You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. (Lev 19:18 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You shall love your
neighbor as yourself. (Lev 19:18
(Brenton))
All readings
agree. Jesus follows both.
[Verses:
41. Both: 20. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
MATTHEW
22:44
This video began with
a verse about Jesus being the Son of David.
The last verse in this video will also be about how Jesus is the Son of
David. Matthew 22:44 is about when the
people asked how the Christ can be David’s son.
Jesus explained this by quoting from the Psalms. It reads,
The Lord said unto my
Lord, “Sit you on my right hand, till I put your enemies underneath your feet.” (Matt 22:44 (ASV))
This is a
quotation from Psalm 110:1. The Masoretic reads,
Jehovah said unto my
Lord, “Sit you at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Ps 110:1 (ASV))
In the Septuagint,
Psalm 109:1 reads,
The Lord said to my
Lord, “Sit you on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Ps 110:1 (Brenton))
Once again, we see another
example of the Masoretic using the Tetragrammaton. In Psalm 110:1, it uses both the Tetragrammaton
as well as “Adonai,” the Hebrew word for “lord.” As you can see here, the American Standard
Version shows this difference. Again, all
readings agree. Jesus follows both.
[Verses:
42. Both: 21. LXX: 11.
MT: 8.]
CREDITS
That is enough for now. But we will continue looking at New Testament
quotations from the Old Testament in August.
Blessings
and so forth.
