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LXX Isaiah

Septuagint

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Chapter 56

1 Thus says the Lord, Keep judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my mercy to be revealed. 2 Blessed is the man that does these things, and the man that holds by them, and keeps the sabbaths from profaning them, and keeps his hands from doing unrighteousness. 3 Let not the stranger who attaches himself to the Lord, say, Surely the Lord will separate me from his people: and let not the eunuch say, I am a dry tree. 4 Thus says the Lord to the eunuchs, as many as shall keep my sabbaths, and choose the things which I take pleasure in, and take hold of my covenant; 5 I will give to them in my house and within my walls an honorable place, better than sons and daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, and it shall not fail. 6 And I will give it to the strangers that attach themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be to him servants and female servants; and as for all that keep my sabbaths from profaning them, and that take hold of my covenant; 7 I will bring them to my holy mountain, and gladden them in my house of prayer: their whole burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations, 8 says the Lord that gathers the dispersed of Israel; for I will gather to him a congregation. 9 All you beasts of the field, come, devour, all you beasts of the forest. 10 See how they are all blinded: they have not known how to understand; they are all silent dogs that will not bark; dreaming of rest, loving to slumber.⁠ 11 Yes, they are insatiable dogs, that do not know what it is to be filled, and they are wicked, having no understanding: all have followed their own ways, each according to his will.

Texts in conversation

Compare Isaiah 56:10 and LXX Isaiah 56:10

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint

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Summary

Isaiah 56 targets the watchmen, portraying them as blind and inactive, and limiting the critique to the leadership. The Greek Septuagint translation broadens this to “all,” extending the criticism beyond the leaders to the entire community.

Passages

Isaiah 56:10

Hebrew Bible
8 The Sovereign Lord says this, the one who gathers the dispersed of Israel: “I will still gather them up.” 9 All you wild animals in the fields, come and devour, all you wild animals in the forest! 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. 11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 12 Each one says, “Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!”
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

LXX Isaiah 56:10

Septuagint
8 says the Lord that gathers the dispersed of Israel; for I will gather to him a congregation. 9 All you beasts of the field, come, devour, all you beasts of the forest. 10 See how they are all blinded: they have not known how to understand; they are all silent dogs that will not bark; dreaming of rest, loving to slumber. 11 Yes, they are insatiable dogs, that do not know what it is to be filled, and they are wicked, having no understanding: all have followed their own ways, each according to his will.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Isaiah

References

"... The translator has read the text as though it were vocalized ... The resulting rhetorical summons to 'see that' or 'see how' requires a semantic shift as well, for it normally has connotations of stealthy observation, whether carried out behind enemy lines or from a watchtower. [This] lacks this meaning and is never generated by it elsewhere in the LXX. Thus, it is only upon weak semantic grounds that the LXX produces it to announce Israel's blindness. The translator's affection for this word is clear, for he uses it with the slenderest of justification. The employment of it in this verse is unexpected and may speak eloquently of the translator's homiletical bias ..."
David A. Baer, When We All Go Home: Translation and Theology in LXX Isaiah 56–66, JSOTSup 318 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 2001), 38–39.

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 56:10 and LXX Isaiah 56:10

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