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Genesis 47 says Israel bowed at the head of his bed after Joseph swore to bury him in Canaan. The Greek Septuagint says he bowed on top of his staff, because the translator misread the Hebrew consonants, which can mean either “bed” or “staff.”
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 47:31
Hebrew Bible
29 The time for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you say.” 31 Jacob said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” So Joseph gave him his word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Genesis 47:31
Septuagint
29 and the days of Israel drew near for him to die: and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If I have found favor before you, put your hand under my thigh, and you shall execute mercy and truth toward me, so as not to bury me in Egypt. 30 But I will sleep with my fathers, and you shall carry me up out of Egypt, and bury me in their tomb. And he said, I will do according to your word. 31 And he said, Swear to me; and he swore to him. And Israel did reverence, leaning on the top of his staff.
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... the rendering of mittah "bed," a relatively rare word in Late Hebrew that was not understood by the translator of Genesis. This translator identified it as matteh in 47:31 ("staff" as in the earlier contexts Gen 38:18, 25), thus creating an unusual context: "Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed (NJPS)" — "and Israel did obeisance at the top of his staff (NETS)." Two verses later (48:2) as well as in 49:33 the translator correctly identified this word as "bed."" ..."
Emanuel Tov, “The Septuagint Translation of Genesis,” in Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Qumran, Septuagint: Collected Essays, Volume 3 (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 469.
* 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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