Texts in Conversation
The Hebrew version of Genesis 1 puts “it was so” at the end of verse 7, after the expanse is made. The Greek Septuagint moves it up to verse 6, right after the command, matching the order of command and fulfillment in the other creation days.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 1:7
Hebrew Bible
5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
LXX Genesis 1:7
Septuagint
5 And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night. And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, day one. 6 And God said, “Let a firmament come into being in the midst of the water, and let it be a separator between water and water.” And it became so. 7 And God made the firmament, and God separated between the water that was under the firmament and between the water that was above the firmament. 8 And God called the firmament Sky. And God saw that it was good. And it came to be evening, and it came to be morning, a second day.
Search:
Notes and References
"... A few minor differences may be observed, such as the repetition of “God” in the Greek version of verse 7. Note especially, however, that the Greek has transposed the words “and it was so” from verse 7 to verse 6. Does that mean, as some scholars argue, that the Hebrew manuscript used by the Greek translator also had the phrase in verse 6? Or is there some other way to account for the difference? One of the reasons scholars cannot be certain that the Greek exactly represents its Hebrew Vorlage is that translation between any two languages always involves a degree of interpretation. ..."
* 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.