Published October 8, 2024 at 10:20 PM

–

In a previous article, we discussed the Received Text and Critical Text, and how these two texts provide different translations of the New Testament. This article will focus on the Old Testament side of the coin by discussing the Septuagint (LXX) and Masoretic Text (MT). The Septuagint is the older text and was the Bible of the early church. However, it is the Masoretic Text that is used in almost every Bible translation. This article will explain the origins of both texts and why the Masoretic Text was given supremacy over the Septuagint.

–

Origins of the Septuagint

In around 250 BC, King Ptolemy II Philadelphus commissioned the translation of the Septuagint. His goal was to translate the Torah into Greek and put it in his library. He is believed to have gathered 72 or 70 Jewish elders (which is where LXX comes from) to work on this project. Legend says that he separated the elders and had them translate parts of the Torah individually. By a miracle, the translations of every single elder perfectly lined up. This signified that God’s hand was at work in this, and that the Torah was being accurately translated into Greek.

Over the next century, the Jews would begin translating other works of the Old Testament (Tanakh) into Greek. This was extremely helpful because Aramaic and Greek were the common languages of the Jewish people, and only a fraction still spoke Hebrew. Hebrew would live on as a religious language, but the Greek Septuagint made the Tanakh more accessible.

Additionally, writings not included in the Tanakh were translated into Greek, or simply written in Greek and added to the Septuagint. We see this through the books of the Apocrypha, such as Tobit and the additions to Esther, which was covered in a previous article.

By around 100 BC, the entire Old Testament and Apocrypha were translated into Greek.

–

Origins of the Masoretic Text

In around 500 AD, a group of scribes known as the Masoretes began the process of both modernizing the Hebrew language and preserving the Hebrew Old Testament. In a previous article, we discussed how the Masoretes added vowel points to the Hebrew language, and how they are the fathers of Modern Hebrew. Concurrently, the Masoretes were responsible for producing a full Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament. Between 500-950 AD, different Masorete groups/families worked to produce a standardized Hebrew Old Testament text, which we now call the Masoretic Text.

The Masoretes likely had access to Hebrew scrolls and manuscripts that no longer exist today. This is shown by their accuracy in translating the Book of Isaiah, as the Masoretic Text matches the Isaiah Scroll, which is a full copy of the Book of Isaiah (dated to 100 BC). Besides what was preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls, a lot of Hebrew manuscripts have simply been lost, such as the Hebrew manuscripts used to translate the Septuagint. Thankfully, we have the Dead Sea Scrolls to fact-check the Masoretic Text and ensure that our Bibles haven’t been changed. The Masoretic Text also mostly matches up with the Septuagint, though they are written in different languages.

By around 1000 AD, the Masoretic Text was the standardized Hebrew translation of the Bible

–

Why Do Our Bibles Use The Masoretic Text?

The main reason that our Bibles use the Masoretic Text over the Septuagint is because it is written in Hebrew. The premise is that a Hebrew translation of a Hebrew book is more accurate than a Greek translation. There are also those who believe that the Septuagint has been partially corrupted (i.e. it gives Goliath’s height as only being 6’9”, and the ages of the patriarchs from Adam to Noah do not line up with the flood date).

The Masoretic Text is seen as the safer and more carefully translated option, as it took centuries to develop. The process for its development can be reliably traced, whereas the origins of the Septuagint depend heavily upon legend (and we don’t have full manuscripts before 300 AD).

Because of these factors, Bible scholars in the Middle Ages, and even still today, prefer to use the Masoretic Text

–

Conclusion

I pray this article brought clarity concerning the topic of the Septuagint and Masoretic Text. While this isn’t a salvation issue, I believe people should know how their Bibles were composed and translated. And if you have an issue with the Masoretic Text, I recommend that you find a Bible that uses the Septuagint. I’d also recommend that you research the differences between the two texts more thoroughly, if it interests you. I personally prefer the Masoretic Text, but have no major issues with the Septuagint (Jesus and the New Testament authors frequently quoted the Septuagint). The big issue here is to make sure you are reading your Bibles and drawing near to God. Stay in His word!

Thank you for reading, and always remember to stay vigilant!