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:
LXX Exodus 31:6
Septuagint
2 “Look, I have called Bezalel by name, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with a divine spirit for wisdom and for understanding and for craftsmanship in every type of project, 4 to devise creative designs and to be a master workman to work with gold and silver and bronze and blue and purple material and scarlet spun yarn, 5 and in stone carving and in skilled carpentry work with wood to work according to all the tasks. 6 And I myself have given him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, and I have given understanding to every sagacious heart, so that they will produce everything that I have commanded you:
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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.
* 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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