Texts in Conversation
Amos describes a vision of locusts at the time of “the king’s mowings.” The Greek Septuagint replaces this with “one locust is Agag, the king,” transforming a natural plague into an attack led by an enemy ruler.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Amos 7:1
Hebrew Bible
1 The Sovereign Lord showed me this: I saw him making locusts just as the crops planted late were beginning to sprout. (The crops planted late sprout after the royal harvest.) 2 When they had completely consumed the earth’s vegetation, I said, “Sovereign Lord, forgive Israel! How can Jacob survive? He is too weak!” 3 The Lord changed his mind about this.7 “It will not happen,” the Lord said.
LXX Amos 7:1
Septuagint
1 Thus the Lord God showed me and look, the offspring of locusts is coming early, and look, one locust is Agag, the king. 2 And it will be, if they finish devouring the grass of the land. So I said, “O Lord, O Lord, be merciful! Who will raise up Jacob, because he is very small. 3 Repent, O Lord, because of this.” “And this will not be,” says the Lord.
Search:
Notes and References
"... What is clear is that the Septuagint rendering of Amos 7:1 is a theological interpretation that was influenced by the translator's worldview and theology and that there was an interpretive tradition concerning Gog along the lines discussed above. The singular language in Amos 7:1b (“one locust … Gog the king”) requires that Gog be a definite character here (perhaps Antiochus Epiphanes or another character like him) and not a collective figure. The singular verb “if he finishes” that describes the actions of Gog in 7:2 continues the reference to an individual. The “swarm of locusts” is apparently his army, not another reference to him. Also in Amos 7:1 Gog is presented as an eschatological character, fulfilling the prophecy of Ezekiel 38–39, who will lead his army against Israel in the future (compare the eschatological emphasis in 4:13 and in the reference to Gog in Septuagint Numbers 24:7) ..."
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.