Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Genesis 12:3 uses a verb that can mean the nations bless themselves by Abram. The Greek Septuagint removes that sense with a plain passive, “all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed,” making the blessing something given to them.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 12:3
Hebrew Bible
2 Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, but the one who treats you lightly I must curse, so that all the families of the earth may receive blessing through you.” 4 So Abram left, just as the Lord had told him to do, and Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.)
LXX Genesis 12:3
Septuagint
2 And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be one blessed. 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse, and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 And Abram went, as the Lord had told him to, and Lot left with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years of age when he departed from Charran.
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Notes and References
"... One important observation in this regard is that the Septuagint and later Vulgate have interpreted both the niphal forms in Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 28:14 and the hitpael forms in 22:18; 26:4 as passive. Targums as well as Peshitta use ethpaal-forms (tD) when translating the niphal and hitpael. ..."
Tanskanen, Topias K. E.
Jacob, the Torah, and the Abrahamic Promise: Studies on the Use and Interpretation of the Jacob Story in the Book of Jubilees
(p. 140) Åbo Akademi University Press, 2023
* 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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