Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of 1 Chronicles describes Gad telling David to passively accept three punishments. The Greek Septuagint translation changes this to Gad telling David to choose, making the decision his own.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
1 Chronicles 21:11
Hebrew Bible
10 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’” 11 Gad went to David and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Pick one of these: 12 three years of famine, or three months being chased by your enemies and struck down by their swords, or three days being struck down by the Lord, during which a plague will invade the land and the angel of the Lord will destroy throughout Israel’s territory.’ Now, decide what I should tell the one who sent me.”
LXX 1 Chronicles 21:11
Septuagint
10 “Go, and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I raise three things to you. Choose for yourself one from them, and I will do it to you.” ’ ” 11 Then Gad went to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself: 12 three years of hunger, or three months for you to flee from the face of your enemies, and that the sword of your enemies shall try to destroy you, or for three days for the sword of the Lord and death in the land and the angel of the Lord destroying utterly throughout all the inheritance of Israel.’ Now, see what word I should answer to the one who sent me.”
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Notes and References
... In 2 Samuel 24 the Septuagint repeats the verb ‘to choose’ three times (twice in the imperative, once in the aorist), whereas the Masoretic Text only gives it once (in the imperative), when Yahweh gives his command to Gad in verse 12: ‘Go and say to David, “Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’ In two of these three cases the reading of the Septuagint is supported by Chronicles, although the Hebrew verb is in the second case changed to qbl which was a more popular verb in later times. The lack of the third instance may be due to normal shortening of the text by the Chronicler. Thus, the Septuagint, partially supported by Chronicles, represents a Samuel text that allows David explicitly to choose among the three alternatives. ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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