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In Numbers 16, Moses defends his integrity by saying he has not taken a single donkey from the people. The Greek Septuagint changes “donkey” to “object of desire” to change what was seen as improper or a copying mistake caused by similar Hebrew letters.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Numbers 16:15
Hebrew Bible
14 Moreover, you have not brought us into a land that flows with milk and honey, nor given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Do you think you can blind these men? We will not come up.” 15 Moses was very angry, and he said to the Lord, “Have no respect for their offering! I have not taken so much as one donkey from them, nor have I harmed any one of them!” 16 Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord—you and they, and Aaron—tomorrow.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Numbers 16:15
Septuagint
14 And if you have brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, and have given us an inheritance of field and vineyards, would you have put out the eyes of those men? we will not go up. 15 And Moses was exceedingly indignant, and said to the Lord, Do not take heed to their sacrifice: I have not taken anything desirable from any one of them, neither have I hurt any one of them. 16 And Moses said to Korah, Sanctify your company, and be ready before the Lord, you and they and Aaron, tomorrow.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Daleth and resh interchange frequently in Hebrew manuscripts (see Genesis 49:14; Isaiah 27:2 for the interchange חמר/חמד), so that the translation may be based on such an interchange (in which case the reading of the Masoretic text is preferable [compare 1 Samuel 12:3]). On the other hand, it is not impossible that the translator considered the implication of the Masoretic text inappropriate and deliberately avoided it ..."
Emanuel Tov, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research, 3rd ed. (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2015), 113.
* 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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