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In the Hebrew version of Leviticus 26:33, God threatens to actively pursue the people with a sword, unsheathing it while in pursuit. The Greek Septuagint translation removes the unsheathing language and the sense that God is personally using it.
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Leviticus 26:33
Hebrew Bible
32 I myself will make the land desolate, and your enemies who live in it will be appalled. 33 I will scatter you among the nations and unsheathe the sword after you, so your land will become desolate and your cities will become a waste. 34 “‘Then the land will make up for its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate while you are in the land of your enemies; then the land will rest and make up its Sabbaths.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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LXX Leviticus 26:33
Septuagint
32 And I myself will completely devastate your land, and your enemies who live in it will marvel at it. 33 And I will scatter you into the nations, and my pursuing sword will consume you, and your land will be desolate, and your cities will be deserts. 34 At that time the land will be content with its Sabbaths, and throughout the days of its desolation. And you yourselves will be in the land of your enemies; during that time the land will observe its Sabbaths, and the land will be content with its Sabbaths.
Date: 3rd Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Cruelty in God ... in Leviticus 26:33, the LORD’s threat ברח םכירחא יתקירהו (“I will unsheathe the sword against you”) is rendered as καὶ ἐξαναλώσει ὑµᾶς ἐπιπορευοµένη ἡ µάχαιρα (“a sword passing through will consume you”). A sword is coming but the identity of the one who wields it is not specified ..."
* 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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