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LXX Isaiah

Septuagint

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Chapter 16

1 I will send as it were reptiles on the land:⁠ is not the mount of Zion a desolate rock? 2 For you shall be as a young bird taken away from a bird that has flown, daughter of Moab: and then, Arnon, 3 take further counsel, and continually make a shelter from grief: they flee in darkness at mid-day; they are amazed; do not be led captive.⁠ 4 The fugitives of Moab shall stay with you; they shall be to you a shelter from the face of the pursuer: for your alliance has been taken away, and the oppressing ruler has perished from the earth. 5 And a throne shall be restored with mercy;⁠ and one shall sit upon it with truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and earnestly seeking judgments, and hastening righteousness. 6 We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud. You have cut off his pride: your prophecy shall not be thus. 7 Not thus; Moab shall howl; for all shall howl in the land of Moab: but you shall care for those who dwell in Deseth, and you shall not be ashamed. 8 The plains of Heshbon shall mourn, the vine of Sibmah: swallowing up the nations, trample her vines, even to Jazer: you shall not come together; wander in the desert: they that were sent are deserted, for they have gone over the desert. 9 Therefore I will weep as with the weeping of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah; Heshbon and Elealeh have cast down your trees; for I will trample on your harvest and on your vintages, and all your plants shall fall. 10 And gladness and rejoicing shall be taken away from your vineyards; and in your vineyards they shall not rejoice at all, and they shall not at all tread wine into the vats; for the vintage has ceased. 11 Therefore my belly shall sound as a harp for Moab, and you have repaired my inward parts as a wall. 12 And it shall be to your shame, (for Moab is wearied at the altars,)⁠ that he shall go in to her idols to pray, but they shall not be at all able to deliver him. 13 This is the word which the Lord spoke against Moab, when he spoke. 14 And now I say, in three years, of the years of a hireling, the glory of Moab shall be dishonored with all his great wealth; and he shall be left few in number, and not honored.

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Compare Isaiah 16:3 and LXX Isaiah 16:3

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

Isaiah 16 makes an urgent appeal to help Moabite fugitives. The Greek Septuagint rearranges the passage, blending the plea into the narrative and obscuring who is speaking, likely because the translator struggled with the original language.

Passages

Isaiah 16:3

Hebrew Bible
1 Send rams as tribute to the ruler of the land, from Sela in the wilderness to the hill of Daughter Zion. 2 At the fords of the Arnon the Moabite women are like a bird that flies about when forced from its nest. 3 “Bring a plan, make a decision. Provide some shade in the middle of the day. Hide the fugitives! Do not betray the one who tries to escape. 4 Please let the Moabite fugitives live among you. Hide them from the destroyer!” Certainly the one who applies pressure will cease; the destroyer will come to an end; those who trample will disappear from the earth. 5 Then a trustworthy king will be established; he will rule in a reliable manner, this one from David’s family. He will be sure to make just decisions and will be experienced in executing justice.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

LXX Isaiah 16:3

Septuagint
1 I will send as it were reptiles on the land: is not the mount of Zion a desolate rock? 2 For you shall be as a young bird taken away from a bird that has flown, daughter of Moab: and then, Arnon, 3 take further counsel, and continually make a shelter from grief: they flee in darkness at mid-day; they are amazed; do not be led captive. 4 The fugitives of Moab shall stay with you; they shall be to you a shelter from the face of the pursuer: for your alliance has been taken away, and the oppressing ruler has perished from the earth. 5 And a throne shall be restored with mercy; and one shall sit upon it with truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and earnestly seeking judgments, and hastening righteousness.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

References

"... According to Barr many translators in antiquity were neither consistently literal nor consistently free in their way of translating but combined these two approaches in a rather inconsistent way. This image that Barr depicts of ancient Bible translations fits the Septuagint of Isaiah quite well. Also in this translation literal and free rendition are often closely and intricately intertwined. To make this rather technical exposition somewhat more concrete, let me now offer a few illustrations of rearranged texts in LXX Isaiah ..."
Mirjam van der Vorm-Croughs, The Old Greek of Isaiah: An Analysis of Its Pluses and Minuses, SCS 61 (Atlanta: SBL, 2014), 23.

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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Isaiah 16:3 and LXX Isaiah 16:3

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