Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Isaiah 40:5 declares that the Lord’s splendor will be revealed and all people will see it, grounding the vision in a divine decree. The Greek Septuagint translation introduces an additional element not found in the Hebrew by referring to the revelation of God’s “salvation.”
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Isaiah 40:5
Hebrew Bible
3 A voice cries out, “In the wilderness clear a way for the Lord; build a level road through the rift valley for our God. 4 Every valley must be elevated and every mountain and hill leveled. The rough terrain will become a level plain, the rugged landscape a wide valley. 5 The splendor of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it at the same time. For the Lord has decreed it.” 6 A voice says, “Cry out!” Another asks, “What should I cry out?” The first voice responds: “All people are like grass, and all their promises are like the flowers in the field. 7 The grass dries up, the flowers wither, when the wind sent by the Lord blows on them. Surely humanity is like grass.
Date: 7th-5th Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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LXX Isaiah 40:5
Septuagint
3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God. 4 Every ravine shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill be made low, and all the crooked ways shall become straight, and the rough place shall become plains. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall appear, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God, because the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice of one saying, “Cry out!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass; all the glory of man is like the flower of grass. 7 The grass has withered, and the flower has fallen,
Date: 1st Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The translator of Isaiah often ascribed to God σωτήριον, even when this idea was not found in the Hebrew text. For the translation of this verse ... the introduction of new ideas into the translation is often clad in the form of theological ideas, as in the preceding example ..."
* 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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