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LXX Isaiah

Septuagint

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Chapter 33

1 Woe to those who afflict you; but no one makes you miserable: and he that deals perfidiously with you does not deal perfidiously: they that deal perfidiously shall be taken and given up, and as a moth on a garment, so they will be destroyed. 2 Lord, have mercy upon us; for we have trusted in you: the seed of the rebellious has gone to destruction, but our deliverance was in a time of affliction. 3 By reason of the terrible sound the nations were dismayed for fear of you, and the pagan nations were scattered. 4 And now shall the captured goods of your small and great be gathered: as if one should gather locusts, so they will mock you. 5 The God who dwells on high is holy: Zion is filled with judgment and righteousness. 6 They shall be delivered up to the law: our salvation is our treasure: there are wisdom and knowledge and piety toward the Lord; these are the treasures of righteousness. 7 Look now, these shall be terrified with fear of you: those whom you feared shall cry out because of you: messengers shall be sent, asking for peace, bitterly weeping, entreating for peace. 8 For the ways of these shall be made desolate: the terror of the nations has been made to cease, and the covenant with these is taken away, and you shall by no means deem them men. 9 The land mourns; Lebanon is ashamed: Sharon has become marshes; Galilee shall be laid bare, and Carmel. 10 Now I will arise, says the Lord, now I will be glorified; now I will be exalted.⁠ 11 Now you will see, now you will perceive; the strength of your breath, shall be vain; fire shall devour you. 12 And the nations shall be burnt up; as a thorn in the field cast out and burnt up. 13 They that are afar off shall hear what I have done; they that draw near shall know my strength. 14 The sinners in Zion have departed; trembling shall seize the ungodly. Who will tell you that a fire is kindled? Who will tell you of the eternal place? 15 He that walks in righteousness, speaking rightly, hating transgression and iniquity, and shaking his hands from gifts, stopping his ears that he should not hear the judgment of blood, shutting his eyes that he should not see injustice. 16 he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock:⁠ bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure. 17 You shall see a king with glory: your eyes shall see a land from afar. 18 Your soul shall meditate terror. Where are the scribes? where are the counselors, where is he that numbers those who are growing up, 19 even the small and great people? with whom he did not take counsel, neither did he understand a people of deep speech, so that a despised people should not hear, and there is no understanding to him that hears. 20 Look at the city of Zion, our salvation: your eyes shall see Jerusalem, a rich city, tabernacles which shall not be shaken, neither shall the pins of her tabernacle be moved for ever, neither shall her cords be at all broken: 21 for the name of the Lord is great to you: you shall have a place, even rivers and wide and spacious channels: you shall not go this way, neither shall a vessel with oars go by it. 22 For my God is great: the Lord our judge shall not pass me by: the Lord is our prince, the Lord is our king; the Lord, he shall save us. 23 Your cords are broken, for your mast had no strength: it has given way, it shall not spread the sails, it shall not bear a signal, until it is given up for plunder; therefore shall many lame men take captured goods. 24 And the people dwelling among them shall by no means say, I am in pain: for their sin shall be forgiven them.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Isaiah 33:16 and Protoevangelium of James 18

Septuagint · Early Christian

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Summary

The Greek Septuagint translation of Isaiah describes the righteous one living in a high cave of strong rock. The Protoevangelium of James draws on this tradition by describing Mary giving birth in a cave near Bethlehem instead of a stable.

Passages

LXX Isaiah 33:16

Septuagint
15 He that walks in righteousness, speaking rightly, hating transgression and iniquity, and shaking his hands from gifts, stopping his ears that he should not hear the judgment of blood, shutting his eyes that he should not see injustice. 16 he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock: bread shall be given him, and his water shall be sure. 17 You shall see a king with glory: your eyes shall see a land from afar.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

Protoevangelium of James 18

Early Christian · Gospel of James
18 He found a cave there and led her inside. Leaving his two sons with her, he went out to look for a midwife in the Bethlehem area. As I, Joseph, was walking, it felt as though I wasn’t moving, and I looked up at the sky and saw that the heavens were in awe. I looked toward the highest point of the sky and saw it standing still, with the birds of the air frozen in place. I looked down at the earth and saw workers lying around a trough, their hands paused in mid-motion. Those who were chewing did not chew; those who were lifting food did not lift it; and those who were putting food to their mouths put nothing in. All of them were looking upward. I saw sheep being driven, but they stood still. A shepherd had raised his hand to strike the sheep, but his hand remained raised in the air. I looked at the flowing river and saw young goats with their mouths on the water, but they weren’t drinking. In that moment, everything was thrown off its course.
150–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Protoevangelium of James

References

... Compare the description of Mary giving birth in a cave at Protevangelium of James 19:15-16. The mention of the cave is also cited by Justin in Dialogue with Trypho 78.5-6, “he took up his quarters in a certain cave near the village; and while they were there Mary brought forth the Christ and placed Him in a manger ...” which seems to be derived from the reference in Isaiah 33:13-19 (“he shall dwell in a high cave of a strong rock”). Although the reference to the cave is unique and provides a special connection between Justin Martyr and our author, I am not suggesting literary dependence between these two writers, but perhaps a shared source. ...
Lily Vuong, Accessing the Virgin: Gender and Purity in the Protoevangelium of James (McMaster University, 2010), 340.

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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LXX Isaiah 33:16 and Protoevangelium of James 18

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