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LXX Psalms

Septuagint

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Psalm 115

1 Hallelujah. I believed, therefore I have spoken:⁠ but I was greatly afflicted. 2 And I said in my amazement, Every man is a liar. 3 What shall I render to the Lord for all the things with which he has rewarded me? 4 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.⁠ 5  6 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. 7 Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, and the son of your female servant: you have burst my bonds apart. 8 I will offer to you the sacrifice of praise. 9 I will pay my vows to the Lord, in the presence of all his people, 10 in the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, Jerusalem.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 116:10 and LXX Psalm 115:1 and 2 Corinthians 4:13

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

The Hebrew version of Psalm 116 uses ambiguous language that later translators struggled to understand. Paul follows the Greek translation from the Septuagint, which interpreted it to mean faithfulness because of affliction, not in spite of it.

Passages

Psalm 116:10

Hebrew Bible
8 Yes, Lord, you rescued my life from death, kept my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. 9 I will serve the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I had faith when I said, “I am severely oppressed.” 11 I rashly declared, “All men are liars.”
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

LXX Psalm 115:1

Septuagint
1 Hallelujah. I believed, therefore I have spoken: but I was greatly afflicted. 2 And I said in my amazement, Every man is a liar. 3 What shall I render to the Lord for all the things with which he has rewarded me? 4 I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

2 Corinthians 4:13

New Testament
11 For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal body. 12 As a result, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 13 But since we have the same spirit of faith as that shown in what has been written, “I believed; therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak. 14 We do so because we know that the one who raised up Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will bring us with you into his presence. 15 For all these things are for your sake, so that the grace that is including more and more people may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God.
55–57 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Corinthians

References

“... D. Textual Matters. The three words quoted by Paul in 4:13 are exactly the same as in the LXX (Ps. 115:1 LXX): episteusa, dio elalēsa (“I believed, and so I spoke”). We have already seen that in the OT “I spoke” may be the introduction to what the psalmist actually “said” (at the end of the same verse): “I am greatly afflicted.” This is not quoted by Paul; however, the whole passage in which the OT quotation appears is describing his afflictions. The whole verse in the LXX (Ps. 115:1) can be seen as a translation of the MT (Ps. 116:10), with one addition: the LXX version adds allēlouia at the beginning of the verse, indicating that a new Hallel psalm is beginning. However, it is difficult to be certain about the meaning of the Hebrew text (see the difference between the RSV and the KJV quoted above); it probably is referring to the psalmist’s trust in God in spite of the afflictions. ...”
Peter Balla, "2 Corinthians" in Beale, G. K., and D. A. Carson, editors. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 1766.

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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Psalm 116:10 and LXX Psalm 115:1 and 2 Corinthians 4:13

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