Texts in Conversation
Judges 4 describes Deborah's presence alongside Barak without specifying anything about God's intervention. In contrast, the Greek Septuagint says that God will act through Deborah as a mediator rather than intervening directly.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Judges 4:8
Hebrew Bible
7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. I will hand him over to you.” 8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame on the expedition you are undertaking, for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Date: 600–501 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Judges 4:8
Septuagint
7 And I will bring to you to the torrent of Kishon Sisera the captain of the host of Jabin, and his chariots, and his multitude, and I will deliver him into your hands. 8 And Barak said to her, If you will go with me, I will go; and if you will not go, I will not go; for I do not know the day on which the Lord prospers his messenger with me. 9 And she said, I will surely go with you; but know that your honor shall not attend on the expedition on which you go, for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hands of a woman: and Deborah arose, and went with Barak out of Kedesh.
Date: 200–101 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Tags:
Search:
Notes and References
"... At points within LXX Judges there may be a theological issue underlying the translation. The addition at the end of Judges 4:8 is an example: LXX speaks of God intervening through a mediating figure rather than directly accompanying Barak, a type of interpretation that is more common in the Targum of Judges. Something similar may apply to the narrative of Gideon and the angel of the Lord in Judges 6:11-24 ..."
Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, A New English Translation of the Septuagint (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), 199.
* 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.
User Comments
,