[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
>  
>  



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