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Exodus

About this book
Chapter 31

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, 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: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the testimony, the atonement lid that is on it, all the furnishings of the tent, 8 the table with its utensils, the pure lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar for the burnt offering with all its utensils, the large basin with its base, 10 the woven garments, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons, to minister as priests, 11 the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the Holy Place. They will make all these things just as I have commanded you.” 12 The Lord said to Moses, 13 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Surely you must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 14 So you must keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. Everyone who defiles it must surely be put to death; indeed, if anyone does any work on it, then that person will be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days work may be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; anyone who does work on the Sabbath day must surely be put to death. 16 The Israelites must keep the Sabbath by observing the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”⁠

The Tablets and the Golden Calf

18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Exodus 31:6 and LXX Exodus 31:6

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

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.

Passages

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:
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

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,
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Exodus

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 extent of the man's expertise is extensively described in vv. 4-5. On ExodB's ἀρχιτεκτονῆσαι, see Wevers 1992, 227. ... In v. 6 the Lord announces to Mōusēs that he has appointed (ἔδωκα; see Wevers 1992, 227) him (Beseleēl) and a certain Ἐλιάβ, of the tribe of Dan. MT here reads "I have given him with Oholiab." Exod here uses the first sg. vb. with the emphatic first person personal prn. (ἐγώ). ..."
Daniel M. Gurtner, Exodus: A Commentary on the Greek Text of Codex Vaticanus (Leiden: Brill, 2013), 441.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Exodus 31:6 and LXX Exodus 31:6

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