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Septuagint or Masoretic
– Luke 1-6
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. We will be looking at Luke chapters 1 to 6. The running count of verses will continue from the last video.
LUKE 1:17
Luke 1:17 is when the
angel Gabriel is speaking to Zechariah about his future son, John. It reads,
And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. (Luke 1:17 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Malachi 4:5-6. The Masoretic
reads,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers. (Mal 4:5-6 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
I will send to you Elijah the Tishbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes; who shall turn again the heart of the father to the son, and the heart of a man to his neighbor. (Mal 4:5-6 (Brenton))
When these readings speak of Elijah, all of them are different. The Masoretic calls him Elijah the prophet. The Septuagint calls him Elijah the Tishbite, which is the full name of Elijah the prophet in 3Kings 17. Gabriel simply refers to him as Elijah, having the spirit and power. It appears that Gabriel is not quoting from Malachi 4:5.
But the next part is a
quotation from Malachi 4:6. The
Septuagint has a different Greek verb for “turn again,” though the two words
mean the same thing. The Septuagint
has “child,” singular, while Luke and the Masoretic have “children,” plural. Because of these things, Gabriel
is following the Masoretic.
[Verses: 71. Both: 41. LXX: 15. MT: 13.]
LUKE 1:50
Luke 1:50 is part of
Mary’s song. It reads,
His mercy is unto generations and generations on them that fear Him. (Luke 1:50 (ASV))
This is a quotation from
Psalm 103:17 in the Masoertic. It reads,
The lovingkindness of Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him. (Ps 103:17 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Psalm 102:17 in the Septuagint. It
reads,
The mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation upon them that fear Him. (Psalm 102:17 (Brenton))
Even though Brenton has translated the word “generation,” the Greek word should have been translated as “age” or “everlasting.” So in this case, by saying “everlasting,” the Septuagint and Masoretic agree. Interestingly, Mary said a different word: generations. While Mary certainly has this verse in Psalms in mind, she is loosely quoting it. In Mary’s song, it doesn’t look like it is her intention to precisely quote from the Old Testament. For example, Mary does this a few times in her song. In Luke 1:76, she makes a very strong reference to Malachi 3:1, but does not quote it. And in Luke 1:78, she makes a very strong reference to Isaiah 9:2, but does not quote it either.
In this case, all the
readings agree, with the exception where Mary says “generations.” Because there is no difference
between the Masoretic and Septuagint, this verse will be counted as following
both.
[Verses: 72. Both: 42. LXX: 15. MT: 13.]
LUKE 2:23
Luke 2:23 is about
when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to
the Lord as the firstborn and to make an offering on behalf of the mother. It reads,
As it is written in the Law of the Lord: Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. (Luke 2:23 (ASV))
This is a reference to
Exodus 13:2. The Masoretic
reads,
Sanctify unto Me all the first-born, whatsoever opens the womb among the children of Israel. (Ex 13:2 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Sanctify to me every first-born, first produced, opening every womb among the children of Israel. (Ex 13:2 (Brenton))
When Luke says, “As it is written,” he is not wrong. What Luke says is true to this verse. In fact, the same thing is said in Exodus 13:12 and 13:15. But Luke is not quoting these verses. When Luke says, “As it is written,” Luke is not talking about the exact words written in Exodus 13 but about the command written in Exodus 13. Because the purpose of this video is to analyze quotations, this verse will not be counted.
About the other possibilities, Exodus 13:12 uses set part instead of holy (which is true for both Masoretic and Septuagint), Exodus 13:15 uses sacrifice and ransom instead of holy. Therefore, I found that Exodus 13:2 best matches Luke 2:23 because 13:2 uses the word for holy.
LUKE 2:24
Luke 2:24 is what Mary
and Joseph offered to God on behalf of the mother, Mary. It reads,
Offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord: A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. (Luke 2:24 (ASV))
This is a quotation from
Leviticus 12:8. The Masoretic
reads,
If her means suffice not for a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves, or two young pigeons. (Lev 12:8 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
If she cannot afford a lamb, then shall she take two turtledoves or two young pigeons. (Lev 12:8 (Brenton))
The only difference is
the word before turtledoves. Luke says “pair”
while the Masoretic and the Septuagint say “two.” This is the only difference, and
it is minor. Luke is following both.
[Verses: 73. Both: 43. LXX: 15. MT: 13.]
LUKE 2:52
Luke 2:52 is about how
Jesus grew up. It reads,
Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from 1Samuel 2:26, about how Samuel grew in the Lord in contrast to Eli’s sons. The Masoretic reads,
The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men. (1Sam 2:26 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
The child Samuel advanced, and was in favor with God and with men. (1Sam 2:26 (Brenton))
Luke adds “wisdom and
stature.” Other than that, all readings
agree. Luke is following both.
[Verses: 74. Both: 44. LXX: 15. MT: 13.]
LUKE 3:4-6
Luke 3:4-6 is about
John’s ministry, which fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy. It reads,
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make you ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. And the crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:4-6 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Isaiah 40:3-5. The
Masoretic reads,
The voice of one that cries, prepare you in the wilderness the way of Jehovah, make level in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. (Isaiah 40:3-5 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low: and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough places plains. And the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Isaiah 40:3-5 (Brenton))
There are a number of differences here. First, Luke and the Septuagint say that the voice will be in the wilderness. The Masoretic says that the way will be made in the wilderness. Second, Luke and the Septuagint tell the people to make straight paths. The Masoretic says to make a highway in the desert. Third, the Septuagint and the Masoretic speak that the glory of God will be revealed. Luke skips that phrase, probably intentionally. Lastly, Luke and the Septuagint say that all flesh will see the salvation of God. The Masoretic says all flesh will see it together.
Across these three
verses, Luke is following the Septuagint.
[Verses: 75. Both: 44. LXX: 16. MT: 13.]
LUKE 4:4
Luke 4:4 is when Jesus
responds to the devil’s temptation on turning stones to bread. It reads,
It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” (Luke 4:4 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Deuteronomy 8:3. The
Masoretic reads,
Man does not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah. (Deut 8:3 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. (Deut 8:3 (Brenton))
This was previously
addressed in another video and is found in Matthew 4:4. Just like in Matthew, Jesus is following
both.
[Verses: 76. Both: 45. LXX: 16. MT: 13.]
LUKE 4:8
Luke 4:8 is Jesus’
response to the devil’s next temptation, offering Jesus all the kingdoms of the
world. It reads,
It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” (Luke 4:8 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Deuteronomy 6:13. The
Masoretic reads,
You shall fear Jehovah your God; and Him shall you serve. (Deut 6:13 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You will fear the Lord your God, and Him only will you serve. (Deut 6:13 (Brenton))
This was previously
addressed in another video and is found in Matthew 4:10. Just like in Matthew, Jesus is following
both.
[Verses: 77. Both: 46. LXX: 16. MT: 13.]
LUKE 4:10-11
Luke 4:10-11 is when
the devil quotes Scripture about how God would protect the Christ. It reads,
For it is written, “He shall give his angels charge concerning you, to guard you;” and, “On their hands they shall bear you up, lest you happen to dash your foot against a stone.” (Luke 4:10-11 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Psalm 91:11-12 in the Masoretic. It
reads,
He will give his angels charge over you. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Ps 91:11-12 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Psalm 90:11-12 in the Septuagint.
It reads,
He shall give his angels charge concerning you. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest at any time you dash your foot against a stone. (Ps 90:11-12 (Brenton))
One difference is that
Luke adds ”to guard you,” which is not found in the Masoretic nor the
Septuagint. This was previously
addressed in another video and is found in Matthew 4:6. Just like in Matthew, Luke and the Septuagint
say “happen” and the Masoretic leaves that out.
Luke is following the Septuagint.
[Verses: 78. Both: 46. LXX: 17. MT: 13.]
LUKE 4:12
Luke 4:12 is about
Jesus’ response to the devil’s last temptation, questioning whether Jesus
really is the Son of God. It reads,
It is said, “You shall not make trial of the Lord your God.” (Luke 4:10 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Deuteronomy 6:16. The
Masoretic reads,
You shall not tempt Jehovah your God. (Deut 6:16 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
You shall not tempt the Lord your God. (Deut 6:16 (Brenton))
This was previously
addressed in another video and is found in Matthew 4:6. Just like in Matthew, Luke is following both.
[Verses: 79. Both: 47. LXX: 17. MT: 13.]
LUKE 4:18-19
Luke 4:18-19 is when
Jesus reads from Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19 (ASV))
This is a quotation
from Isaiah 61:1-2. The
Masoretic reads,
The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon Me, because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor. (Isaiah 61:1-2 (ASV))
The Septuagint reads,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me. He has sent Me to preach glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken in heart, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to declare the acceptable year of the Lord. (Isaiah 61:1-2 (Brenton))
One difference is that Luke and the Septuagint say that Jesus will preach to the poor. The Masoretic says the meek. Another difference is that Luke uses broken (or bruised), but the Masoretic says bound. The rest of this verse is an interesting case in this whole study. We see how Luke includes recovery of sight to blind, which is missing from the Masoretic but found in the Septuagint. Yet Luke includes setting the broken free, which is missing from the Septuagint but found in the Masoretic (though the Masoretic uses a different word: bound).
Even though the mention of setting the broken free is not found in Isaiah 61, these exact words are found about three chapters before, in Isaiah 58:6. Again, this is very interesting. Here are a couple possibilities. First, when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah, He might have taken the phrase about setting the broken free from chapter 58 and inserted it into this list from chapter 61. Again, in the Greek, these are the exact same words. Second, when Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah at chapter 61, both phrases were found there. That is, the Masoretic’s missing phrase of giving sight to the blind and the Septuagint’s missing phrase of setting the broken free… both of these phrases appeared in Jesus’ copy of Isaiah.
Regardless of whether one of these possibilities are true or there is something else going on, the interesting thing here is that, by comparing these passages, both the Masoretic and the Septuagint contain God’s words. Every phrase that Jesus says from Isaiah is a prophecy about what Jesus does as the Christ. For the Septuagint to have recovery of sight to the blind while the Masoretic does not and for the Masoretic to have set free the broken while the Septuagint does not, Jesus shows us that both contain God’s words. It is like Jesus was aware of these differences in Isaiah 61, so Jesus used both manuscript families. As we proceed through this video series, we will see that the New Testament authors favored the Septuagint far more often than the Masoretic. But, let this verse be a reminder that we should not completely throw out that Masoretic. Both have value. Both are the Old Testament.
Therefore, I would like to repeat the purpose of this video series. When we see differences between the Septuagint and Masoretic, we can use the New Testament quotations to discover which reading is more accurate. Sometimes, the Masoretic will be more accurate. Often, the Septuagint will be more accurate. Thanks to New Testament quotations from the Old Testament, we can see the Old Testament more accurately. Pause.
Back to Luke 4:18-19, let’s
revisit the differences. First, Luke and the Septuagint agree that Jesus will preach to the poor,
which is not found in the Masoretic. Second, Luke and the Masoretic have different words for broken
and bound. Third, Luke and the Septuagint say recovery
of sight to the blind, which is missing from the Masoretic. Fourth, even
though Luke and the Masoretic agree about Jesus setting free the broken, the
Septuagint has this phrase three chapters earlier. For these reasons, Luke is
following the Septuagint more than he follows the Masoretic.
[Verses: 80. Both: 47. LXX: 18. MT: 13.]
CREDITS
That is enough for now.
We will continue looking at New Testament quotations from the Old Testament
in the next video.
Blessings and so forth.
