Texts in Conversation
Exodus 31 presents Oholiab as Bezalel's assistant. The Greek Septuagint changes this to "I have given him and Oholiab," placing them as equal partners. It also adds the Greek term for "architect" to describe their work, elevating their status.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Exodus 31:6
Hebrew Bible
2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God in skill, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work with gold, with silver, and with bronze, 5 and with cutting and setting stone, and with cutting wood, to work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 Moreover, I have also given him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given ability to all the specially skilled, that they may make everything I have commanded you:
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
LXX Exodus 31:6
Septuagint
2 Look, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri the son of Or, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with a divine spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge, in every work, 4 to invent and to act as master builder, to labor in gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and spun scarlet, and fine linen spun, 5 and works in stone, and for craftsmen' work in wood, to work at all works. 6 And I have given him and Eliab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan, and to every one understanding in heart I have given understanding; and they shall make all things as many as I have appointed you,
Date: 300–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The Masoretic text of Exodus 31 provides no support for this equation, as there Oholiab is clearly Bezalel's assistant: "Moreover, I have assigned to/with him (itto) ..." (Exodus 31:6). The Septuagint, however, reads: "And I have appointed him and (kai) Eliab," creating a sense of equality between the craftsmen. ..."
Steven Fine, “Josephus's Portrayal of the Biblical ‘Architect’,” in Art, History and the Historiography of Judaism in Roman Antiquity, BRLJ 34 (Leiden: Brill, 2014), 26.
* 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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