[B-Greek] hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA (Gn 4:24; Mt 18:22)

Tom Moore tom at katabiblon.com
Thu Feb 4 17:50:34 EST 2010


Alternatively, does anyone have access to the Göttingen critical apparatus for Gn. 4:24?

>  -------Original Message-------
>  From: Tom Moore <tom at katabiblon.com>
>  To: Albert Pietersma <albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca>
>  Cc: b-greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
>  Subject: Re: [B-Greek] hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA (Gn 4:24; Mt 18:22)
>  Sent: Feb 04 '10 22:45
>  
>  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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