Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jan Britten <janbritten AT yahoo.com>]

From: "Dan Wagner" <Dan.Wagner AT datastream.net>

>and the LXX translator[s] of Isaiah were rather
astute
> in there knowledge of Hebrew as compared to some
other portions of the LXX

It would be nice to be able to think so, but only a
person who has never compared the LXX closely with the
Hebrew could say so. The translation of Isaiah is one
of the worst in the LXX, at best a rough equivalent,
but often struggling to make sense of the original at
all. The translator(s) of Isaiah certainly seem to
have known their Greek better than their Hebrew.

It is not easy to recognise -

"For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us,
whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is
called the Messenger of great counsel: for I will
bring peace upon the princes, and health to him."
(Isaiah 9.6)

Or who would recognise 

"Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! a potsherd
among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say
to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy
work, He hath no hands?"

in

"What excellent thing have I prepared as clay of the
potter? Will the ploughman plough the earth all day?
shall the clay say to the potter, What art thou doing
that thou dost not work, nor hast hands?  (Isaiah
45.9)

These are taken almost at random. It is sufficient to
go through any chapter carefully comparing the two
texts to see that the LXX translator of Isaiah was
quite out of his depth.

Jan Britten



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