Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 64 follows ancient cosmology, describing God tearing open the sky-dome of the heavens and descending while shaking the mountains. The Greek Septuagint removes the language of God descending and only references the heavens being opened.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 64:1
Hebrew Bible
1 If only you would tear apart the sky and come down! The mountains would tremble before you! 2 As when fire ignites dry wood or fire makes water boil, let your adversaries know who you are, and may the nations shake at your presence! 3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.
Date: 740–450 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Isaiah 63:19
Septuagint
18 that we may inherit a small part of your holy mountain. Our adversaries have trodden down your sanctuary. 19 We have become as at the beginning, when you did not rule over us, and your name was not called upon us. If you would open the heaven, trembling will take hold upon the mountains from you, and they shall melt,
Date: 100–1 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
"... In the Septuagint of Isaiah, the issue of “seeing God” is retained in Isaiah 6:1 (“I saw the Lord seated on a throne”) whereas the concept of God’s coming down in Isaiah 64:1 is replaced by the motif of God opening heaven ..."
Martin Meiser, The Septuagint and Its Reception: Collected Essays (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2022), 17.
* 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
,