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LXX Psalms

Septuagint

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Psalm 49

1 A Psalm for Asaph. The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down of it. 2 Out of Zion comes the excellence of his beauty: God shall come manifestly, 3 even our God, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall be kindled before him, and all around him there shall be a very great tempest. 4 He shall summon the heaven above, and the earth, that he may judge his people. 5 Assemble his saints to him, those that have engaged in a covenant with him upon sacrifices. 6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge. Pause. 7 Hear, my people, and I will speak to you, Israel: and I will testify to you: I am God, your God. 8 I will not reprove you on account of your sacrifices; for your whole burnt offerings are before me continually. 9 I will take no bullocks out of your house, nor he-goats out of your flocks. 10 For all the wild beasts of the thicket are mine, the cattle on the mountains, and oxen. 11 I know all the birds of the sky; and the beauty of the field is mine. 12 If I should be hungry, I will not tell you: for the world is mine, and the fullness of it. 13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay your vows to the Most High. 15 And call upon me in the day of affliction; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me. Pause. 16 But to the sinner God has said,⁠ Why do you declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in your mouth? 17 Whereas you have hated instruction, and have cast my words behind you. 18 If you saw a thief, you ran along with him, and have cast in your lot with adulterers. 19 Your mouth has multiplied wickedness, and your tongue has framed deceit. 20 You did sit and speak against your brother, and did scandalize your mother's son. 21 These things you did, and I kept silence: you thought wickedly that I should be like you, but I will reprove you, and set them before you. 22 Now consider these things, you that forget God, for fear that he might tear you, and there is no deliverer. 23 The sacrifice of praise will glorify me: and that is the way in which I will show to him the salvation of God.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Psalms 49:16 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 35:7

Septuagint · Early Christian

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Summary

In 1 Clement, the author follows a list of vices with Psalm 50 in the Greek Septuagint translation, where God rebukes people who recite his laws and ignore them, one of many long quotations in a letter that cites the Psalms more than any other book.

Passages

LXX Psalms 49:16

Septuagint
16 But to the sinner God has said, Why do you declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in your mouth? 17 Whereas you have hated instruction, and have cast my words behind you. 18 If you saw a thief, you ran along with him, and have cast in your lot with adulterers. 19 Your mouth has multiplied wickedness, and your tongue has framed deceit. 20 You did sit and speak against your brother, and did scandalize your mother's son. 21 These things you did, and I kept silence: you thought wickedly that I should be like you, but I will reprove you, and set them before you. 22 Now consider these things, you that forget God, for fear that he might tear you, and there is no deliverer.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 35:7

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
7 For the scripture says, “But to the sinner God said, ‘Why do you declare My ordinances, and take My covenant upon your lips?’” 8 “Yet you hated instruction and threw My words behind you. If you saw a thief you kept company with him, and with the adulterers you set your portion. Your mouth multiplied wickedness and your tongue wove deceit. You sat and spoke against your brother, and against the son of your mother you laid a stumbling block.” 9 “These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought, unrighteous man, that I would be like you.” 10 “I will convict you and will set you face to face with yourself.” 11 “Now understand these things, you who forget God, or He may seize you like a lion, and there will be no one to rescue you.”
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

“... The approximately seventy direct quotations constitute about one-fourth of this long epistle, making it second only to Barnabas among the apostolic fathers in the frequency of quotation from the OT. [...] Some of the quotations are lengthy. Psalms, Isaiah, Job, Genesis and Proverbs, in this order, are the most frequently cited. The heavy use of Job and Proverbs is unusual in comparison with the NT and Christian literature generally in the early period. Nearly all the quotations have introductory phrases; these include “It is written” and various forms of “It says.” Although some of the quotations vary widely from the Septuagint, thirty-nine are essentially verbatim and nine moderately variant. ...”
Ralph P. Martin and Peter H. Davids, eds., Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Developments (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 1195–1196.

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 Psalms 49:16 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 35:7

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