Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 26 says that when God’s judgments appear, everyone will learn justice. The Greek Septuagint changes “judgments” to “commandments,” adds that they are a light to the earth, and changes it into a command for people to learn justice.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 26:9
Hebrew Bible
7 The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight. 8 Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow. 9 I look for you during the night; my spirit within me seeks you at dawn; for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice. 10 If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed. 11 O Lord, you are ready to act, but they don’t even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind; yes, fire will consume your enemies.
Date: 740–450 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Isaiah 26:9
Septuagint
7 The way of the godly is made straight: the way of the godly is also prepared. 8 For the way of the Lord is judgment: we have hoped in your name, and on the remembrance 9 which our soul longs for: my spirit seeks you very early in the morning, God, for your commandments are a light on the earth: learn righteousness, you that dwell upon the earth. 10 For the ungodly one is put down: he shall not learn righteousness on the earth, he shall not do the truth: let the ungodly be taken away, that he may not see the glory of the Lord. 11 Lord, your arm is exalted, yet they did not know it: but when they know they shall be ashamed: jealousy shall seize upon an untaught nation, and now fire shall devour the adversaries.
Date: 100–1 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In a context that is remarkably similar to sapiential psalmody, the prophet at the Masoretic text of Isaiah 26.9 feels the assurance that 'when your judgements are upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness'. The LXX, however, understands the Masoretic ... as though the verb were vocalized ... This requires the secondary alteration that construes [it] as a vocative, thus producing a hortatory tone which is entirely lacking in the prayer of the Masoretic. Because this transformation has required no consonantal changes, it is an authorized imperativization ..."
David A. Baer, When We All Go Home: Translation and Theology in LXX Isaiah 56–66, JSOTSup 318 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2001), 29.
* 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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