Does anyone know much about this text? Could you give me some information about it? I know that it is a greek translation of a hebrew text, and I know there are some differences between it and the KJV and the MT. I have a friend that is very interested in this text, and some of the things he is saying about it make me feel uneasy but I don't have enough information to really discuss it with him.

Quickly, Yes there are some differences between the LXX (Sept) and the MT (Masoretic Text). The LXX was the popular version of Jesus' day and there are clear quotations by Jesus and the Apostles that follow the LXX rather than the MT. What this teaches is that Jesus and the apostles at least used a "modern" translation of the OT Scriptures on some occasions.

There are some who do not like the implications of this and in recent days it has become popular in some circles to assign the LXX a date late enough to preclude it's use by Jesus and the Apostles. I think it was Peter Ruckman who first alleged that Origin was the translator of the LXX. No great surprise there. In the Preface, the KJV translators tell us that at points they consulted the LXX in their work on the KJV.

A good general article on the KJV (EDIT - SORRY, I meant LXX. Sometimes I can type up to 40 misteaks and minuet!) can be found at:
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/septuagi.htm

This post was last modified: Fri Sep 03, 2004 08:31 AM by RJP.

I am sure RJP will be helping you out with this one very soon!



All joking aside, he would probably be the best person to answer this one.

I know it is the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls almost perfectly agreed with them, but I will wait for RJP to give a better explanation.

In Christ,

Jim

Like I said...........

He beat me to the punch!

Jim

Pesonally, I think it is great when there is enough activity on a DB that people are making posts in close enough proximity that they "beat each other to the punch". I have seen some where nobody posts or replies for days!

It is great for God's people to be in the book and discussing His Word with such diligence and thought! Learning and growth take some work. I believe that when we are studying His Word and sharing, discussing, reviewing and adapting our conclusions that God is pleased.

Mary K S (I just figured that out. Like RaymonJP would be ME. I have been trying to guess at the pronounciation. Jim and Sailorjerry I got figured out OK. Muh-reeks, Mah-reeks... is that Lithuanian, Arabic [veiled face with only eyes peeking out, like the icon right under maryks], Oriental.... duh. You probably think this is funny. I may be slow, but eventually, I sometimes catch on!)

Why don't you invite your friend to this discussion board? I do not see the differences in texts as an indication that we cannot know God's Word, but rather as an indication that whenever man gets His hands into the transmission of the Word he is apt to mess a few things up. By comparing the texts and the versions (at least the ancient ones, not A and B - alexandrius and siniatius) the discrepencies can be pretty much eliminated. And NO major doctrine is at stake in any of them, except the modern NWT (Jehovah's Witness bible, lower case is intentional there).

yep, Mary K S... Mary in KS as well, BTW. Thought it was a fun incidence. Sorry, didn't realize that it was causing pronunciation concerns, much less geographical issues, but yes, I'm sitting here getting a good laugh right now. Hmmm... there is no smiley with a veil on this site!!

My friend doesn't do Internet, doesn't read books except the Bible, doesn't read Greek but prefers an English translation of the LXX to the KJV because of supposed "errors" in translation. I don't understand how he thinks that the LXX has fewer errors than any other version since it is a translation from Hebrew to Greek to English that he is reading. Got to look at the link for a few minutes, but want a good chance to really read over it... it doesn't sound like a big concern except for his determination that all other versions have "errors", from what I've seen so far. Should make interesting reading. Thank you for the info!

Yep, I see the smiley now. But, if you look at it just right it kinda looks like the string that ties the veil across the face with a little loop near where the ear should be. Ya think maybe just a little?

Anyhow, I have a copy of the LXX but have not studied it that much. In spite of all my KJV comments on the other thread, I still do not read much but the KJV.

But on the other hand, my LXX is not a translation into to English. It is Greek only. And I have to work at the Greek. I do not sight read it. And I also agree with you that a translation that has gone through two steps (Hebrew to Greek, Greek to English) is not going to be as accurate as one that has only be translated once.

This friend doesn't read Greek at all. And he's a new Christian who isn't very skilled in the Word yet... He's sincere, but I pray he doesn't come to sincerely wrong conclusions.

Thank you again for all your information!

Just found, downloaded, and installed an English version of the LXX (LXXE) for my Online Bible. Will use it in parallel with my KJV for a while and will let you know what I think!

The Online Bible program is free if you want to get one.
http://www.onlinebible.net

Another good free Bible program is E-Sword at
http://www.e-sword.net

e-sword does not have the LXX in English but does have more foreign language Bibles than Online. It also has the Robinson/Pierpont Byzantine Majority Text, edited by a distant friend of mine (for those who study in Greek). I have been using Online Bible for about 14-15 years or more. E-Sword ("The Word of God with an Electronic Edge") has more modules and commentaries so I use it some too. Just can't bring myself to let go the the computer Bible I have used for so long. The key strokes are second nature for me. Kinda like an old Bible, you know where everything is supposed to be on the page.

I have not actually studied the LXX and the only difference I have myself noticed is in

1Ki 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

1Ki 6:1 ¶ And it came to pass in the four hundred and fortieth year after the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, in the fourth year and second month {1} of the reign of king Solomon over Israel,


A hundred years is added to the lives of the antediluvian patriarchs, making the flood 1,000 years later, or the creation 1,000 years earlier if you prefer.

Hi Folks,

Nice forum.

An excellent 76-page article on the Greek OT is on the web

http://www.floydjones.org/LXX.pdf
The Septuagint: A Critical Analysis - by Floyd Nolen Jones

Shalom,
Steven Avery

In-house forum for defenders of the King James Bible, God's Word
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kingjamesbibledefense

Something interesting about the LXX; Augustine was a LXX only person (not too common today). Interesting that men have been defending a certain translation for a while. This reminds me of what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 1:9 - "there is nothing new under the sun."

Has anyone ever used the LXX in research to see how 3rd century BC Jews interpreted certain passages? It can be very useful to see what was in their minds as far as the OT was concerned. I recommend every theologian has a copy of the LXX since the NT often quotes from it.

The LXX is a corrupt compilation of gathering of corrupt manuscripts.

I already advise you do not post here, the end will only get you banned. Just a suggestion.

I didn't say I like the LXX. I just said it was useful for study certain historic interpretations. I posted this before the warning.