[B-Greek] FW: Isaiah 54:16 LXX

Albert Pietersma albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Mon Mar 3 12:17:35 EST 2003


Dear Brian,
You are reading the Greek quite correctly, it seems to me.  What is happening
in the LXX is that the "you" of vv. 1-15 is continued in v. 16. So the "you" of
v. 16 is the "barren one" of  v. 1-15 (which is of course an image for Israel).

It looks as though G (i.e. the translator) is doing a bit of exegesis,
something he indulges in more often. Note that not only does he make "the
smith" into "you" but he also inserts a negative OUCh,  which even more
dramatically changes the sense of v.16. What we now have is that God
(re-)creates Israel but  does NOT do what the smith does. The implication seems
to be that a smith creates things for temporary use  and subject to recycling
(see the concluding clause of v. 16), but God creates for perpetuity.
As for the reason of G's verb in the present tense (KTIZW), that too is part of
G's revamping. He not so much speaking of God's creating of Israel (say, when
he called him out of Egypt) but of Israel's re-creation.
Al


"McCarthy, Brian S. UTRC" wrote:

> (resubmitted with correct -- I think -- transliteration.  Mea culpa, as we
> say in Greek!)
>
> NASB in general agreement with other English versions has Isaiah 54:16 as:
>
> "Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
>           And brings out a weapon for its work;
>           And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
>
> LXX has:
>
> 54:16 IDOU EGW KTIZW SE OUC WS CALKEUS FUSWN ANQRAKAS KAI EKFERWN SKEUOS EIS
> ERGON EGO DE EKTISA SE OUK EIS APWLEIAN FQEIRAI
>
> I'm trying to understand who's being created in the LXX.  It's looking to me
> through the very dark glass of my Greek understanding like it's saying
> something like "Behold I create you not as the smith blowing on the coals
> and bringing out a utensil unto work. I created you not as the destroyer to
> [ruin?]"
>
> Am I reading this right?  Is there a reason why the LXX seems to be
> disagreeing with the consensus of English versions about "I [have] create[d]
> *you*"?
>
> The Vulgate seems through a glass equally dark to be agreeing with the
> English versions:
>
> 54:16   ecce ego creavi fabrum sufflantem in igne prunas et proferentem vas
> in opus suum et ego creavi interfectorem ad disperdendum
>
> (In the process of looking at this I've realized that for the first time in
> my life the Greek has become easier for me to read than the Latin!  Hooray!)
>
> Brian McCarthy
> mccartbs at utrc.utc.com
>
> ---
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--
Albert Pietersma
Dept of Near&Middle Eastern Civilizations
4 Bancroft Avenue
University of Toronto
Toronto M5S 1C1
albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
homepage http://www.chass.utoronto.ca:8080/~pietersm/




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