[B-Greek] Translation of Gen 9:6 ANTI
Albert Pietersma
albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Wed Dec 24 12:00:21 EST 2003
MT and LXX run somewhat differently.
MT says: A person who sheds human blood, // by a human his blood
shall/will be shed.
The "by" (=B), however, is B of means, not agency, though
means/instrumentality and agency are closely related, of course.
LXX has: As for the one who sheds the blood of a human, in return for
his blood shall it [i.e. the blood] be shed.(NETS Genesis, Robert
Hiebert)
It seems the Gen translator wants to clarify, but in the process ends
up with a somewhat awkward phrasing. The key lies in his choice of ANTI
for B—certainly a rare equation— and his dropping of the second )DM.
The effect of (and possibly the reason for) this interpretive move is
that means/agency become wholly implicit. Execution of an individual
by an individual is thus precluded.
Al
On Dec 24, 2003, at 5:10 AM, mrt wrote:
> For a while now I've had this translation of Gen 9:6, taking the prep.
> anti for "in the place of."
>
>
>
> Whoever sheds the blood of man,
>
> in the place of that man his blood shall be shed,
>
>
>
> At this place I'm following the LXX rather than the HB being persuaded
> by LXX "anti" with it's previous uses (2:21, 4:25), as well as the
> poetic form of the passage (here as an antithetic parallelism or
> chiasm).
>
>
>
> I want some critical feedback whether or not you think this is the
> best rendering.
>
>
>
> And secondly, is there any variant reading to this text? I've looked
> at Rahlfs and the latest BHS and found nil.
>
>
>
> Michael Tarver
>
> Oregon, USA
>
> <'\\>< laus Deo
> ---
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>
—
Albert Pietersma
Professor of Septuagint and Hellenistic Greek
Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
Home: 21 Cross Street,
Weston ON Canada M9N 2B8
Email: albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Homepage: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~pietersm
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