Texts in Conversation
Psalm 22 opens with a cry of abandonment and describes the speaker's distress in abandonment. The Greek Septuagint translation connects this abandonment to their personal sin, an attitude not found in the Hebrew version.
Share:
Psalm 22:1
Hebrew Bible
1 For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”; a psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 2 My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night my prayers do not let up. 3 You are holy; you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
LXX Psalms 21:2
Septuagint
1 FOR THE END, ON BEHALF OF THE HELP OF THE EARLY MORNING, A PSALM OF DAVID. 2 O God, my God, attend to me. For what purpose did you abandon me? Far away from my salvation are the words of my transgressions. 3 O my God, I will cry aloud for days to you, and you will not hear; and during the night, there is nothing for my folly.
Date: 1st Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Search:
Notes and References
"... This version of Psalm 22:2-19 conveys the same themes that appear in the Hebrew texts, but there are features unique to the LXX. Psalm 22:2-19 presents a sufferer’s cry to God for help. The victim speaks to God, saying, “Pay attention to me” (Psalm 22:2). He asks why God has forsaken him (Ps alm22:2). Unlike the Masoretic text, the LXX only addresses God as “my God” (ὁ θεός μου) once. The LXX also adds the phrase, “pay attention to me” (πρόσχες μοι). A word in the final phrase in the LXX additionally differs from the Masoretic. The Masoretic has “words of my screaming (or ‘roaring’)” (שאגתי דברי.(732 The LXX instead reads, “words of my sins” (λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου).” “Sins” is not a typical translation of שאגתי ..."
Winchester, Christopher
Thematic Association in the Gospel of Matthew: Situating Exegesis in the Gospel of Matthew in its Second Temple Context
(p. 303) University of Edinburgh, 2017
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.