The Septuagint translation of Genesis is widely assumed to be the first book to be translated into Greek. The translation contains many interesting linguistic and exegetical solutions to challenges and difficulties in the Hebrew, as the translator strives to create something for which there is no exact precedent. He produces a Greek which is sometimes elegant and idiomatic, sometimes apparently influenced by Hebrew expressions and syntax. His practice is not always consistent, which indicates, perhaps, feeling his way step by step.