Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Septuagint vs. Masoretes/75 vs. 70: How Many Hebrews Did Jacob Lead into Egypt?

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Septuagint vs. Masoretes/75 vs. 70: How Many Hebrews Did Jacob Lead into Egypt?
  • Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:55:35 EST


Oun Kwon:

You wrote: “Yes it says "... And Gera begot Arad". However Huppim IS also
clearly shown in the text as I see it clearly on both. Looking at
_http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/_
(http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/)
(English translation of LXX ) and
_http://www.apostolicbible.com/downbook.htm?pdf=OldTestament.pdf_
(http://www.apostolicbible.com/downbook.htm?pdf=OldTestament.pdf)
(interlinear). Do you happen to have a different version of LXX itself?”

You have raised a fascinating issue. When I look on the Internet, about half
the English translations of the Septuagint version of Genesis 46: 21 have “
Huppim” in there, and about half do not have any “Huppim” in there at all.
Yet
all of the Septuagint versions state that Rachel had 18 descendants. If
Huppim is in there, and Arad is counted, then Rachel would have 19
descendants, by
my count. And even more mysteriously, although I do not read Greek, when I
look at the Greek original of even those translations that have no “Huppim”
in
there, I seem to see a name in Greek that might possibly be “Huppim”.

Are there various versions of the Septuagint, some of which have “Huppim”,
and some of which do not? Or is it, rather, a question of different
translations of a Greek word that might be translated as “Huppim”, or might
be
translated as not being anyone’s name at all? I do not know.

Here are three Septuagint versions in English that show no “Huppim” in the
English translation, which is what I had been relying upon. (I have also
read
on the Internet that there is no “Huppim” in the Septuagint version of
Genesis 46: 21, but I realize that often what one reads on the Internet is
not
true.)

But as to the first translation below, which has no “Huppim” in the English
translation (as you can see), please look at the Greek and see if there might
nevertheless be a “Huppim”, or something like that, in the Greek original.
(I unfortunately do not know how to read Greek. If the Greek letters do not
come through on this post, which will probably be the case, please go to the
Internet cite and look at the Greek.)

1. _http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/physis/septuagint-genesis/46.asp_
(http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/physis/septuagint-genesis/46.asp)

“21 and the sons of Benjamin; Bala, and Bochor, and Asbel. And the sons of
Bala were Gera, and Noeman, and Anchis, and Ros, and Mamphim. And Gera begot
Arad.”

But does the Greek text on this same site have something like “Huppim”?
Here is the Greek text:

“21 υἱοὶ δὲ Βενιαμιν· Βαλα καὶ Χοβωρ καὶ Ασβηλ. ἐγένοντο
δὲ υἱοὶ Βαλα· Γηρα καὶ Νοεμαν καὶ Αγχις καὶ Ρως καὶ
Μαμφιν καὶ Οφιμιν· Γηρα δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Αραδ.”

2. _http://ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint-hyperlinked.html_
(http://ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint-hyperlinked.html)

“46:21 and the sons of Benjamin; Bala, and Bochor, and Asbel. And the sons of
Bala were Gera, and Noeman, and Anchis, and Ros, and Mamphim. And Gera begot
Arad.”

3. _http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/Genesis/46.html_
(http://www.ccel.org/bible/brenton/Genesis/46.html)

“And the sons of Benjamin; Bala, and Bochor, and Asbel. And the sons of Bala
were Gera, and Noeman, and Anchis, and Ros, and Mamphim. And Gera begot Arad.”

4. And here’s a French translation of the Septuagint. Note there’s no “
Huppim”.

http://orthodoxie.club.fr/ecrits/70/gen.htm

“21. Fils de Benjamin : Bala, Bochor et Asbel; fils de Bala : Géra, Noénian,
Anchis, Rhos et Mamphini; Géra engendra Arad.”

Let me add that regardless of the explanation for this apparent contradiction
in the Septuagint version of Genesis 46: 21, my own analysis still stands. I
think that “Huppim” was in there in the original text. If some of the
Septuagint versions have a “Huppim” (a fact of which I was previously
unaware),
that actually strengthens my case that “Huppim” was in the original text. If
some of the Septuagint versions have a “Huppim” but still state that Rachel
had 18 descendants, when in fact on that reading Rachel actually had 19
descendants, that strengthens my case as well, as it shows how the Septuagint
version
cannot square with the actual numbers.

Thank you for raising this fascinating enigma. I myself do not quite
understand where these varying English translations of the Septuagint version
of
Genesis 46: 21 are coming from, with several such translations including
“Huppim”
, and several such translations not including any “Huppim” at all.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois




**************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape.
http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page