Texts in Conversation
Jeremiah 18 says God will not destroy a nation if it turns from sin. The Septuagint uses “repent” for God’s change of course and perhaps teaches that if God can turn from a planned judgment, then nations should be willing to change as well.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Jeremiah 18:8
Hebrew Bible
7 There are times, Jeremiah, when I threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a nation or kingdom. 8 But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong, I will cancel the destruction I intended to do to it. 9 And there are times when I promise to build up and establish a nation or kingdom.
Date: 500–401 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Jeremiah 18:8
Septuagint
7 If I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation, or upon a kingdom, to cut them off, and to destroy them; 8 and that nation turn from all their sins, then I will repent of the evils which I purposed to do to them. 9 And if I shall pronounce a decree upon a nation and kingdom, to rebuild and to plant it;
Date: 100–1 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Whereas the concept of God’s wrath can be justified with respect to pedagogy, the concept of God’s repentance causes difficulties in another way. If God would repent of something, he would be not really wise, he would be less than a Stoic sage ... here are, however, some references where the verb µετανοέω ('repent') is used with God as subject. In Jeremiah 18:8, 10, the translator seemingly makes use of the term for the pedagogical purposes: If God is willing to repent, then human beings should also be willing ..."
Martin Meiser, The Septuagint and Its Reception: Collected Essays (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2022), 22.
* 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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