Texts in Conversation
Leviticus 22 lists physical flaws that disqualify animals from being offered, including a rare word whose meaning is uncertain. The Greek Septuagint translation interprets this word as a severed tongue, likely drawing on language from Exodus 11.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Leviticus 22:22
Hebrew Bible
21 If a man presents a peace-offering sacrifice to the Lord for a special votive offering or for a freewill offering from the herd or the flock, it must be flawless to be acceptable; it must have no flaw. 22 “‘You must not present to the Lord something blind, or with a broken bone, or mutilated, or with a running sore, or with a festering eruption, or with a feverish rash. You must not give any of these as a gift on the altar to the Lord. 23 As for an ox or a sheep with a limb too long or stunted, you may present it as a freewill offering, but it will not be acceptable for a votive offering.
LXX Leviticus 22:22
Septuagint
21 And whatever man shall offer a peace-offering to the Lord, discharging a vow, or in the way of free will offering, or an offering in your feasts, of the herds or of the sheep, it shall be without blemish for acceptance: there shall be no blemish in it. 22 One that is blind, or broken, or has its tongue cut out, or is troubled with warts, or has a malignant ulcer, or tetters, they shall not offer these to the Lord; neither shall you offer any of them for a burnt offering on the altar of the Lord. 23 And a calf or a sheep with the ears cut off, or that has lost its tail, you shall kill them for yourself; but they shall not be accepted for your vow.
Tags:
Search:
Notes and References
"... Frequently the translator has to cope with unique or rare words, such as the names of animals in Chapter 11. In some cases, their identification posed a difficulty for the Talmudic sages, too. We do not know which of the words used by GL accord with some exegetical tradition and which are simply guesses. It is possible that study groups in the community were not meticulous about specific identifications and were content with “a kind of bird,” “a kind of vermin,” and so on. The same applies to the blemishes that disqualify members of the priestly caste from serving at the altar (Leviticus 21:17-21) and those that render animals unfit as sacrifices (Leviticus 22:22-14), some of them hapax legomenoi. Some of these solutions accord with those in the rabbinic literature... others are inventive. For example, it turns חרוץ (Leviticus 22:22) into γλωσσότμητον (“severed tongue”), evidently under the influence of Exodus 11:7 ..."
* 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.
User Comments
,