Dear Rolf,
When taking beginning Hebrew classes in seminary, we were told that when one
came across YHWH in the reading of the text one was to "say" "adonai." This
was done because the Jews, in not pronouncing the name, just substituted
"orally" with adonai. Thus, the substitution of adonai for YHWH was supposed
to be from early on according to the Masoretic pointing.
Second, comparing the text of Exodus 3:15 has the LXX, translating QEOS for
ELOHIM and KURIOS for YHWH. In fact the text says, "KURIOS hO QEOS" for
"YHWH Elohey."See NIV Triglot Old Testament, Introduction by John R.
Kohlenberger III, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.
Where Kurios for YHWH is found I would also take a look at Exodus 4:4, 6,
10, 11 (KURIE for ADONAI also). There are other examples, but I think that
the texts speak clearly that KURIOS translated both ADONAI and YHWH; QEOS
translated EL, ELOHEY, ELOHIM, etc. It is also interesting to see Ezekiel
use ADONAI YHWH being translated by KURIOS. It is not possible to say
whether KURIOS is translating ADONAI or YHWH or both. In 4:14, the vocative
is used KURIE QEE for ADONAI YHWH.
There is much that we do not know about the transmission of the LXX text
other than it is extremely mixed. We do know that the Law of Moses was
translated by the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus and was well done, but it
became progressively mixed or worse when the rest of the Tanakh was
translated (though it does seem to have been finished by the middle of the
2nd century BCE). I would be very hesitant to postulate anything about how
provenance of the text before or early into the Christian era. In fact, for
its 22 pages of text, Kohlenberger's Introduction of the NIV Triglot Old
Testament is very good. Beyond that we do not have enough information.
En Xristwi,
Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
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