Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Leviticus prohibits handing over one’s children to Molech which may be the name of a deity or the kind of sacrifice. The Greek version reads the letters as the word for king, changing child sacrifice to service to another king.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Leviticus 18:21
Hebrew Bible
20 You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her. 21 You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, so that you do not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord! 22 You must not have sexual relations with a male as one has sexual relations with a woman; it is a detestable act.
LXX Leviticus 18:21
Septuagint
20 And you will not give bed of your seed with the wife of your neighbor to become unclean by her 21 And you will not give any of your seed in worship to a ruler, and you will not profane the Holy Name; I am the Lord 22 And with a male you will not lie the bed of a woman, for it is an abomination
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Notes and References
"... Unknown to Septuagint users without access to the Hebrew source, the translator here made successive scribal errors as a result of misreading or mishearing his unpointed Hebrew text (for dictation theory of the Septuagint, see van der Louw 2008a: 211-229). He first confused the final ר as a ד and thus mistook להעביר [the Masoretic Text] 'to make pass over' (that is, 'to offer') for להעביד 'to cause to serve,' which he rendered as λατρεύειν 'to serve.' Next he mistook מלך 'Molech' for מֶלֶך 'king,' which he translated ἄρχοντι 'ruler' (likewise, Leviticus 20:2, 3, 4, 5; compare 'ruler' in Leviticus 4:22-26). This altered purpose clause, 'you must not give any of your semen in order to serve a ruler [λατρεύειν ἄρχοντι],' may well depict service to Ptolemaic male leaders and elites by engaging with them in sexual intercourse, which is prohibited in the next verse (verse 22). ..."
* 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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