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LXX Leviticus

Septuagint

About this book
Chapter 24

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 Charge the children of Israel, and let them take for me pure olive oil beaten for the light, to burn a lamp continually, 3 outside the veil in the tabernacle of witness;⁠ and Aaron and his sons shall burn it from evening until morning before the Lord continually, a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 4 You shall burn the lamps on the pure lamp-stand before the Lord till morning. 5 And you shall take fine flour, and make of it twelve loaves; each loaf shall be of two tenth parts. 6 And you shall put them in two rows, each row containing six loaves, on the pure table before the Lord. 7 And you shall put on each row pure frankincense and salt; and these things shall be for loaves for a memorial, set forth before the Lord. 8 On the sabbath-day they shall be set forth before the Lord continually before the children of Israel, for an everlasting covenant. 9 And they shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat them in the holy place: for this is their most holy portion of the offerings made to the Lord, a perpetual statute. 10 And there went forth a son of an Israelite woman, and he was son of an Egyptian man among the sons of Israel; and they fought in the camp, the son of the Israelite woman, and a man who was an Israelite. 11 And the son of the Israelite woman named THE NAME and cursed; and they brought him to Moses: and his mother's name was Shelomith, daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in custody, to judge him by the command of the Lord. 13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 Bring forth him that cursed outside the camp, and all who heard shall lay their hands upon his head, and all the congregation shall stone him. 15 And speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, Whoever shall curse God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that names the name of the Lord,⁠ let him die the death:⁠ let all the congregation of Israel stone him with stones; whether he is a stranger or a native, let him die for naming the name of the Lord. 17 And whoever shall strike a man and he dies, let him die the death. 18 And whoever shall strike a beast, and it shall die, let him render life for life. 19 And whoever shall inflict a blemish on his neighbor, as he has done to him, so shall it be done to himself in return; 20 bruise for bruise, eye for eye, tooth for tooth:⁠ as any one may inflict a blemish on a man, so shall it be rendered to him. 21 Whoever shall strike a man, and he shall die, let him die the death. 22 There shall be one judgment for the stranger and the native, for I am the Lord your God. 23 And Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and they brought him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones: and the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Leviticus 24:16 and 2 Timothy 2:19

Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

The Greek Septuagint translation of Leviticus 24 pronounces death on anyone who names the name of God in blasphemy. 2 Timothy echoes this language, calling everyone who names the name of God to turn away from evil.

Passages

LXX Leviticus 24:16

Septuagint
15 And speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, Whoever shall curse God shall bear his sin. 16 And he that names the name of the Lord, let him die the death: let all the congregation of Israel stone him with stones; whether he is a stranger or a native, let him die for naming the name of the Lord. 17 And whoever shall strike a man and he dies, let him die the death.
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Leviticus

2 Timothy 2:19

New Testament
18 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.” 20 Now in a wealthy home there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also ones made of wood and of clay, and some are for honorable use, but others for ignoble use.
70–80 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Timothy

References

“... Less well known but still important is the use of Leviticus 24:16 at Matthew 26:66; Mark 14:64; John 10:33; 19:7; and 2 Timothy 2:19. ... There is a notable difference between the Hebrew and the Septuagint text of Leviticus 24:16, namely that the latter seems to be talking about actually saying the divine name of God, whereas the former is talking about blaspheming that name, but Leviticus does not expand on what constitutes blasphemy. Is it “taking the Lord’s name in vain”? Is it using God’s name in some sort of curse? Is it claiming to be God and therefore defaming the actual deity? It seems clear from Leviticus 24:10–23 that we are dealing with legal cases involving a blasphemer. ...”
Ben Witherington, Torah Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018), 241–242.

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 Leviticus 24:16 and 2 Timothy 2:19

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