Texts in Conversation
Exodus 22 uses language that likely refers to human judges, but the Greek Septuagint translates it as “gods,” another possible interpretation, which may reflect cultural and theological influences.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 22:28
Hebrew Bible
25 “If you lend money to any of my people who are needy among you, do not be like a moneylender to him; do not charge him interest. 26 If you do take the garment of your neighbor in pledge, you must return it to him by the time the sun goes down, 27 for it is his only covering—it is his garment for his body. What else can he sleep in? And when he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am gracious. 28 “You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people. 29 “Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons. 30 You must also do this for your oxen and for your sheep; seven days they may remain with their mothers, but give them to me on the eighth day.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Exodus 22:27
Septuagint
24 And if you should lend money to your poor brother who is by you, you shall not be hard upon him; you shall not exact interest of him. 25 And if you take your neighbor's garment for a pledge, you shall restore it to him before sunset. 26 For this is his clothing, this is the only covering of his nakedness; in what shall he sleep? If then he shall cry to me, I will listen to him, for I am merciful. 27 You shall not revile the gods, nor speak ill of the rulers of your people. 28 You shall not keep back the first fruits of your threshing floor and press. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. 29 So you will do with your calf and your sheep and your donkey; seven days shall it be under the mother, and the eighth day you shall give it to me.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Contextual translation shows up when a rendering seems to be affected by the immediate surroundings (sometimes triggered by cultural or theological considerations, or by textual difficulties or obscurities) ... A context from the translator's cultural setting may have influenced Exodus 22.27, where theous, 'gods', renders elohim, whereas the immediate context requires 'judges'. Buchner suggests that the translator is making a gracious gesture to his polytheistic milieu; the rendering, however, could be understood as automatic rather than contextual. This example shows how difficult it can be to define a translator's intention ..."
Jennifer M. Dines, The Septuagint (London: T&T Clark, 2004), 123.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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