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

Albert Pietersma albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Thu Feb 4 19:59:30 EST 2010


Tom,
As you probably know, the versions of Aquila, Symmachus, and  
Theodotion are  accessible to us largely through reported readings in  
biblical manuscripts. Thus the versions themselves are not extant,  
except in occasional fragments.
As for Gen 4:24, the information Wevers has in the Göttingen edition  
supersedes Field's collection of hexaplaric materials. According to  
the information of Wevers' edition:
LXX: EK DE LAMEX hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA
Aquila:  KAI LAMEX hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA
Symaachus: LAMEX hEBDOMHKONTA KAI hEBDOMAIOS
Theodotion: LAMEX hEBDOMHKONTA KAI EPTA

Thus whereas Aquila follows LXX, making multiplication EXPLICIT,  
Symmachus and Theodotion reflect MT in reading "seventy and seven,"  
leaving multiplication IMPLICIT.
Since Aquila is by far the most literalistic of the three (Aquila,  
Symmachus, Theodotion), Wevers understandably expresses surprise at  
the fact that Aquila follows LXX. However, if hEBDOMHKONTAKIS hEPTA  
means 77x rather than 70x7, Aquila agrees with the Hebrew as much as  
the others do.
Al

On Feb 4, 2010, at 5:50 PM, Tom Moore wrote:

> 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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>

—
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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