Texts in Conversation
Exodus 3 refers to “the God of your father” in the singular, while the Samaritan Pentateuch reads “the God of your fathers” as plural. This difference highlights God’s relationship to Moses, the Masoretic text emphasizes an individual connection while the Samaritan highlights all the ancestors.
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Exodus 3:6
Hebrew Bible
4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Samaritan Exodus 3:6
Samaritan Penteteuch
Samaritan
4 And when the God saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
Date: 130-120 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... From the synopsis it is evident that each line differs slightly from the OT source; however, presently it is part b which interests us. The LXX (also the MT, and Syriac versions) reads singular, while Acts presents the plural ... One could easily account for the difference between Acts 7 and the LXX in terms of the author's redactional activity ... The other solution - related to the source employed - could be seen in view of the plural reading of the Samaritan Pentateuch and its targum. Proponents of Samaritan theories readily appeal to this data. Once again, the textual evidence is impressive and points to a solution beyond the Samaritan traditions ..."
Richard, Earl
Acts 7: An Investigation of the Samaritan Evidence
(pp. 190-208) The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1977
* 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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