[B-Greek] hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA (Gn 4:24; Mt 18:22)
Tom Moore
tom at katabiblon.com
Thu Feb 4 17:45:52 EST 2010
re: "Wevers, in Notes on Greek Genesis (p.65), expresses surprise that Aquila, unlike Symmachus and Theodotion, followed the Old Greek. "
Does anyone have access to the Symmachus and Theodotion versions of Gn. 4:24? (Are any of these texts--Aquila, Symmachus and Theodotion--available online?)
Regards,
Tom
> -------Original Message-------
> From: Albert Pietersma <albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca>
> To: Albert Pietersma <albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca>
> Cc: Iver Larsen <iver_larsen at sil.org>, Tom Moore <tom at katabiblon.com>, b-greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA (Gn 4:24; Mt 18:22)
> Sent: Feb 01 '10 15:45
>
>
> On Jan 31, 2010, at 1:13 PM, Albert Pietersma wrote:
>
> > A TLG search of writers from the 8 BC to 1 AD shows quickly that
> > cardinal numbers higher than 20 with the -AKIS suffix are in very
> > short supply. For 70 I did not find any apart from Genesis.
> > For compound numbers the dearth of attestation is the same. As a
> > result it seems difficult to know just how 77x would have been
> > expressed at the time that Greek Genesis was written.
> > On the form, we can perhaps extrapolate from TREISKAIDEKAKIS etc.
> > (Smyth §347). Compound numbers were written in essentially two ways:
> > (1) TREIS KAI DEKA or (2) DEKA TREIS. When the -AKIS suffix was
> > added it was attached to the larger number, thus TREIS KAI DEKAKIS.
> > If this is applied to what we have in Gen 4:24, assuming EBDOMHKONTA
> > EPTA as starting point, we'd end up with EBDOMHKONTAKIS EPTA = 77x,
> > exactly what the Hebrew means, one difference being that the Greek
> > makes explicit what the Hebrew leaves implicit. Another item of
> > interest is that the Greek keeps the order of the Hebrew, and even
> > has the same number of morphemes. Both of these practices are well
> > known from the LXX.
> > Al
>
> I have now done a search on literature from 8 BC to 2 AD on -AKIS.
> Though there were well over 7000 hits (most admittedly on words like
> POLLAKIS), surprisingly, I turned up nothing of direct relevance for
> EBDOMHKONTAKIS EPTA. The best one is thus able to do is to go by
> analogy.
> The Septuagint sources I have checked (Brenton, Wevers Notes, NETS,
> Bible d'Alex), all follow Brenton in reading "70x7" in Gen 4:24.
> In Matt 18:22, the NRSV reads "77x" (as does NIV) with "70x7" in a
> note, a reversal from the RSV. NEB (following KJV) has 70x7 with 77x
> in a note. It is clear, therefore, that second thought have been
> raised about Matt 18:22 but not yet about Gen 4:24.
> Further indirect evidence on Gen 4:24 is that the Genesis translator
> for all numerals from 13 to 99 uses the template of e.g., hEBDOMHKONTA
> hEPTA, despite the order and composition of the Hebrew. Thus what I
> wrote earlier about Hebrew word order and composition in Gen 4:24 was
> premature, since, judging by the translator's practice, he would in
> any case have ended up with hEBDOMHKONTA hEPTA.
> Wevers, in Notes on Greek Genesis (p.65), expresses surprise that
> Aquila, unlike Symmachus and Theodotion, followed the Old Greek. It is
> no surprise, however, if as I have suggested in my earlier note (and
> as others have suggested for Matt 18:22) hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA does
> not mean "70x7" but rather "77x". Iver too seems to imply the latter
> interpretation.
> In sum, the analogy should not be, e.g., PENTAKIS TRIA (5x3) but might
> better be compound numbers (as composed in Genesis and elsewhere),
> with -AKIS attached to the higher number.
> Al
>
> —
> Albert Pietersma PhD
> 21 Cross Street,
> Weston ON Canada M9N 2B8
> Email: albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
> Homepage: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~pietersm
>
>
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list