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In Ezekiel 36, the Hebrew text stresses God's concern for his honor, or his “name”, that has been profaned among the nations, making Israel’s restoration about his reputation. The Greek Septuagint, however, recasts this as an act of pity toward Israel, portraying divine mercy rather than concern for honor and shame.
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Ezekiel 36:21
Hebrew Bible
20 But when they arrived in the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name. It was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they have departed from his land.’ 21 I was concerned for my holy reputation, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake that I am about to act, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy reputation, which you profaned among the nations where you went.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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LXX Ezekiel 36:22
Septuagint
19 and scattered them among the nations and drove them away among the territories. I judged them according to their way and according to their sin. And they entered among the nations where they entered there, and they profaned my holy name when they said, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and they have come from his land. 21 And I had pity on them on account of my holy name, which the house of Israel profaned among the nations wherever they entered there. 22 “On account of this, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I shall act not for you, O house of Israel, but rather on account of my holy name, which you profaned among the nations where you went there.
Date: 1st Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In the Masoretic text of Ezekiel 36:21, the promise of Israel’s return is motivated by concerns of God’s name as in the following verse 22; in the Septuagint, the sparing of Israel is the stated reason which avoids the contradiction to Israel’s history which – from the perspective of the translators – found the continuation in the Holy land ..."
* 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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