Psalm 56:8

Hebrew Bible

6 They stalk and lurk; they watch my every step, as they prepare to take my life. 7 Because they are bent on violence, do not let them escape. In your anger bring down the nations, O God. 8 You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your leather container. Are they not recorded in your scroll? 9 My enemies will turn back when I cry out to you for help; I know that God is on my side. 10 In God—I boast in his promise—in the Lord—I boast in his promise—

LXX Psalm 55:8

Septuagint

6 They will dwell near and hide themselves; they will watch my steps, accordingly as I have waited patiently in my soul. 7 Thou wilt on no account save them; thou wilt bring down the people in wrath. 8 O God, I have declared my life to thee; thou hast set my tears before thee, even according to thy promise. 9 Mine enemies shall be turned back, in the day wherein I shall call upon thee; behold, I know that thou art my God. 10 In God will I praise his word; in the Lord will I praise his saying.

 Notes and References

"... Schaper finds these ‘proto-Rabbinic exegetical methods’, similar to Tov’s ‘midrash-type’ texts and actualizations, in the Greek Psalms. He thus finds the exegetical method of gezerah shavah, whereby one passage is modified to conform to another similar one, in LXX Psalm 55. There a reference in the Hebrew to a ‘book’ appears in the LXX as a ‘promise’. Schaper follows Flashar and suggests the promise is an allusion to Isaiah 25:8 in the context of the eschatological banquet drawing together the nations in Jerusalem. In Isaiah it is announced that God ‘has wiped away the tears from every cheek’, while Psalm 55 speaks of tears being visible before God. The translator of the Psalms, viewing both texts as God’s pity on the tears of his people, chose ‘promise’ to allude to Isaiah 25. Schaper therefore suggests that this technique is the same as the rabbinic principle of Hillel, the gezerah shavah." ..."

Aitken, James K. "Psalms" in Aitken, J. K. (ed.) T&T Clark Companion to the Septuagint (pp. 324-325) T&T Clark International, 2015

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