Isaiah Chapter 19

This is a B-Greek reading Group for the LXX Isaiah. This reading group is going through two chapters of the LXX Isaiah per week. Ken Penner, the B-Greek moderator for the "Septuagint and Pseudepigrapha Forum" is writing a commentary on the LXX Isaiah and is sharing his notes with those who wish to read the Isaiah LXX. Dive in, if you dare!
Post Reply
Ken M. Penner
Posts: 881
Joined: May 12th, 2011, 7:50 am
Location: Antigonish, NS, Canada
Contact:

Isaiah Chapter 19

Post by Ken M. Penner »

  • 1 Ὅρασις Αἰγύπτου.
105. A vision of Egypt (19:1-4)
Ἰδοὺ Κύριος κάθηται ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης καὶ ἥξει εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ χειροποίητα Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἡττηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. 2 καὶ ἐπεγερθήσεται Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπʼ Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ πολεμήσει ἄνθρωπος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ πολέμησει, καὶ πόλις ἐπὶ πόλιν καὶ νομὸς ἐπὶ νομόν. 3 καὶ ταραχθήσεται τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν διασκεδάσω, καὶ ἐπερωτήσουσιν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας καὶ τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους καὶ τοὺς γνώστας.

4 Καὶ παραδώσω Αἴγυπτον εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων κυρίων σκληρῶν, καὶ βασιλεῖς σκληροὶ κυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν·

106. Egyptian rivers will fail (19:4-11)
Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Σαβαώθ. 5 καὶ πίονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὕδωρ τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν, ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκλείψει καὶ ξηρανθήσεται· 6 καὶ ἐκλείψουσιν οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ αἱ διώρυγες τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ξηρανθήσεται πᾶσα συναγωγὴ ὕδατος καὶ ἐν παντὶ ἕλει καλάμου καὶ παπύρου· 7 καὶ τὸ ἄχι τὸ χλωρὸν πᾶν τὸ κύκλῳ τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ πᾶν τὸ σπειρόμενον διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ξηρανθήσεται ἀνεμόφθορον. 8 καὶ στενάξουσιν οἱ ἁλεεῖς, καὶ στενάξουσιν πάντες οἱ βάλοντες ἄγκιστρον εἰς τὸν ποταμόν, καὶ οἱ βάλλοντες σαγήνας καὶ οἱ ἀμφιβολεῖς πενθήσουσιν. 9 καὶ αἰσχύνη λήμψεται τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὸ λίνον τὸ σχιστὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν βύσσον, 10 καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι αὐτὰ ἐν ὀδύνῃ, καὶ πάντες οἱ τὸν ζυγὸν ποιοῦντες λυπηθήσονται καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς πονέσουσιν. 11 καὶ μωροὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως· οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῶν μωρανθήσεται. πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῷ βασιλεῖ Υἱοὶ συνετῶν ἡμεῖς, υἱοὶ βασιλέων τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς;
107. Egyptian leaders will fail (19:12-15)
12 ποῦ εἰσιν νῦν οἱ σοφοί σου; καὶ ἀναγγειλάτωσάν σοι καὶ εἰπάτωσαν τί βεβούλευται Κύριος Σαβαώθ ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον. 13 ἐξέλιπον οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως, καὶ ὑψώθησαν οἱ ἄρχοντες Μέμφεως, καὶ πλανήσουσιν Αἴγυπτον κατὰ φυλάς. 14 Κύριος γὰρ ἐκέρασεν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα πλανήσεως, καὶ ἐπλάνησαν Αἴγυπτον ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν, ὡς πλανᾶται ὁ μεθύων καὶ ὁ ἐμῶν ἅμα. 15 καὶ οὐκ ἔσται τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἔργον, ὃ ποιήσει κεφαλὴν καὶ οὐράν, ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος.

108. Egyptians will fear Judeans (19:16-17)
16 Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὡς γυναῖκες ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς χειρὸς Κυρίου Σαβαώθ, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπιβαλεῖ αὐτοῖς. 17 καὶ ἔσται ἡ χώρα τῶν Ἰουδαίων τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις εἰς φόβητρον· πᾶς, ὃς ἀν ὀμόσῃ αὐτοῖς, αὐτὴν φοβηθήσονται διὰ τὴν βουλήν, ἣν βεβούλευται Κύριος ἐπʼ αὐτούς.

109. Egyptian cities swear by Lord (19:18)
18 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσονται πέντε πόλεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ λαλοῦσαι τῇ γλώσσῃ τῇ Χανανίτιδι καὶ ὀμνύοντες τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου· Πόλις Ασεδηλιου καὶ κληθήσεται ἡ μία πόλις.

110. An Egyptian altar to Lord (19:19-20)

19 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται θυσιαστήριον τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐν χώρᾳ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ στήλη πρὸς τὸ ὅριον αὐτῆς τῷ Κυρίῳ 20 καὶ ἔσται εἰς σημεῖον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα Κυρίῳ ἐν χώρᾳ Αἰγύπτου, ὅτι κεκράξονται διὰ τοὺς θλίβοντας αὐτούς, καὶ ἀποστελεῖ αὐτοῖς Κύριος ἄνθρωπον, ὃς σώσει αὐτούς.
111. Egyptians will know Lord (19:20-21)
κρίνων σώσει αὐτούς. 21 καὶ γνωστὸς ἔσται Κύριος τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις, καὶ γνώσονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ποιήσουσιν θυσίας καὶ εὔξονται εὐχὰς τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ ἀποδώσωσιν.
112. Egyptians will return to Lord (19:22)
22 καὶ πατάξει Κύριος τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους πληγῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἰάσεται αὐτοὺς ἰάσει, καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον, καὶ εἰσακούσονται αὐτῶν καὶ ἰάσεται αὐτούς.

113. Egyptians will serve the Assyrians (19:23)
23 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται ὁδὸς Αἰγύπτου πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους, καὶ εἰσελεύσονται Ἀσσύριοι εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ Αἰγύπτιοι πορεύσονται πρὸς Ἀσσυρίους, καὶ δουλεύσουσιν Αἰγύπτιοι τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις.

114. Israel an equal to Assyrians and Egyptians (19:24-25)
24 Τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Ἰσραὴλ τρίτος ἐν τοῖς Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἐν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις εὐλογημένος ἐν τῇ γῇ, 25 ἣν εὐλόγησεν Κύριος Σαβαώθ λέγων Εὐλογημένος ἔσται ὁ λαός μου ὁ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καὶ ὁ ἐν Ἀσσυρίοις καὶ ἡ κληρονομία μου Ἰσραήλ.
Ken M. Penner
Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University
Co-Editor, Digital Biblical Studies
General Editor, Lexham English Septuagint
Co-Editor, Online Critical Pseudepigrapha pseudepigrapha.org
Ken M. Penner
Posts: 881
Joined: May 12th, 2011, 7:50 am
Location: Antigonish, NS, Canada
Contact:

Notes on Isaiah 19:1-4

Post by Ken M. Penner »

105. A vision of Egypt (19:1-4)
Ἰδοὺ Κύριος κάθηται ἐπὶ νεφέλης κούφης καὶ ἥξει εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ χειροποίητα Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν ἡττηθήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. 2 καὶ ἐπεγερθήσονται Αἰγύπτιοι ἐπʼ Αἰγυπτίους, καὶ πολεμήσει ἄνθρωπος τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἄνθρωπος τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ πολέμησει, καὶ πόλις ἐπὶ πόλιν καὶ νομὸς ἐπὶ νομόν. 3 καὶ ταραχθήσεται τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν διασκεδάσω, καὶ ἐπερωτήσουσιν τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας καὶ τοὺς ἐγγαστριμύθους καὶ τοὺς γνώστας.
1
κούφης] has a double meaning in Greek: swift, and lightweight.
ἡττηθήσεται] ἡττάομαι normally means be inferior, i.e., overcome.
2
ἐπεγερθήσονται] with B (Rahlfs, Ziegler); corrected by scribe B himself from the singular ἐπεγερθήσεται.
νομὸς] not νόμος (custom, law), but district or province, especially of Egypt (see Herodotus 2.4; Diodorus Siculus 1.54).
πολέμησει, καὶ] lacking in B (Rahlfs, Ziegler)
3
καὶ τοὺς γνώστας] lacking in B (Rahlfs, Ziegler)
διασκεδάσω] note the change from the passive ταραχθήσεται to the first person active here.
ἐπερωτήσουσιν] here used without accusative of the thing asked, corresponding to “consult” or “inquire of”
ἀγάλματα] ἄγαλμα is used for glory, or a pleasing gift, but more specifically for a statue.
τοὺς ἐκ τῆς γῆς φωνοῦντας] recalls 8:19. The Hebrew verb is the same in both verses, but there the Greek verbs were forms of ζητέω.
4
παραδώσω] the first-person speech continues, from 19:3.
κυρίων] a rare case where this word is not Lord’s name.
σκληρῶν] recalls Isaiah 8, where this adjective appears three times.
Reception
Wilken writes, “The church fathers were fascinated by the reference to the swift cloud that will come to Egypt mentioned in v. 1. Drawing on other biblical passages that speak of clouds —for example, "baptized in the cloud" (1 Cor 10:1), the cloud at the Transfiguration (Matt 17:5), the verse in Ps 104:3, "you make the clouds your chariot" — they took the swift cloud to be a reference to Christ's human nature.”
Eusebius argued that the Jews cannot point to a time when this prophecy was fulfilled, since Egypt did not forsake idolatry until they adopted Christianity (Proof Of The Gospel 6.20; 8.5; 9.2).
Chrysostom quoted Isaiah 19:1 to show that God always appears out of a cloud, (Homilies on Matthew 56.5, when describing the Father’s voice from the cloud in the transfiguration in Matthew 17:5; Homilies on Acts 2, explaining why a cloud received Jesus at his ascension).
Theodoret quoted Hippolytus from his discourse on the beginning of Isaiah: “He likens the world to Egypt; its idolatry, to images; its removal and destruction to an earthquake. The Word he calls the ‘Lord’ and by a ‘swift cloud’ he means the right pure tabernacle enthroned on which our Lord Jesus Christ entered into life to undo the fall.” Theodoret’s letter 151 to the Monks of the Euphratensian, the Osrhoene, Syria, Phoenicia, and Cilicia quotes 19:1 “He shakes the idols of Egypt” to refer to Jesus’ divine nature even during his escape to Egypt. In his commentary he wrote, “The facts confirm the prophecy. The error of polytheism was extinguished, and the one who rides on a swift cloud is worshipped by the Egyptians.” (Wilken 2007, 196).
Cyril’s commentary likewise interprets chapter 19 as referring to the conversion of Egypt from idolatry to faith in God. The “swift cloud” might mean the Lord’s body, the blessed Virgin [Jerome, Homilies on the Psalms 11 (on Psalm 77) and 24 (on Psalm 96)], but Cyril preferred to understand the cloud as Christ. He played with the double meaning of “swift” and “light/buoyant,” comparing the ability of human minds to lose their heavy burdens and go upward. (Wilken 2007, 195)
Ken M. Penner
Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University
Co-Editor, Digital Biblical Studies
General Editor, Lexham English Septuagint
Co-Editor, Online Critical Pseudepigrapha pseudepigrapha.org
Ken M. Penner
Posts: 881
Joined: May 12th, 2011, 7:50 am
Location: Antigonish, NS, Canada
Contact:

Notes on Isaiah 19:4-11

Post by Ken M. Penner »

106. Egyptian rivers will fail (19:4-11)
Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Σαβαώθ. 5 καὶ πίονται οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ὕδωρ τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν, ὁ δὲ ποταμὸς ἐκλείψει καὶ ξηρανθήσεται· 6 καὶ ἐκλείψουσιν οἱ ποταμοὶ καὶ αἱ διώρυγες τοῦ ποταμοῦ, καὶ ξηρανθήσεται πᾶσα συναγωγὴ ὕδατος καὶ ἐν παντὶ ἕλει καλάμου καὶ παπύρου· 7 καὶ τὸ ἄχι τὸ χλωρὸν πᾶν τὸ κύκλῳ τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ πᾶν τὸ σπειρόμενον διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ξηρανθήσεται ἀνεμόφθορον. 8 καὶ στενάξουσιν οἱ ἁλεεῖς, καὶ στενάξουσιν πάντες οἱ βάλοντες ἄγκιστρον εἰς τὸν ποταμόν, καὶ οἱ βάλλοντες σαγήνας καὶ οἱ ἀμφιβολεῖς πενθήσουσιν. 9 καὶ αἰσχύνη λήμψεται τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὸ λίνον τὸ σχιστὸν καὶ τοὺς ἐργαζομένους τὴν βύσσον, 10 καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι αὐτὰ ἐν ὀδύνῃ, καὶ πάντες οἱ τὸν ζυγὸν ποιοῦντες λυπηθήσονται καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς πονέσουσιν. 11 καὶ μωροὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἄρχοντες Τάνεως· οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι τοῦ βασιλέως, ἡ βουλὴ αὐτῶν μωρανθήσεται. πῶς ἐρεῖτε τῷ βασιλεῖ Υἱοὶ συνετῶν ἡμεῖς, υἱοὶ βασιλέων τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς;
5
ὕδωρ τὸ παρὰ θάλασσαν] drinking water from next to the sea would be brackish and salty.
ἐκλείψει] give up, fail, vanish
6
διώρυγες] B has διώρυχες; διῶρυξ is a canal. The form διώρυχες appears in Herodotus 2.108, 138; Xenophon Anabasis 1.7.15
συναγωγή] can refer to any gathering.
ἕλει] ἕλος is marshy ground
7
ἄχι] (also ἄχελ) is an Egyptian word for a reed-grass used for lamp wicks.
κύκλῳ] used as an adverb, with the accusative or genitive following, it functions as a preposition.
πᾶν τὸ σπειρόμενον] with Rahlfs, Ziegler; B lacks πᾶν
διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ] Tov notes, “The preposition διὰ added in the LXX in accordance with the rules of the Greek language or translational habits.”
ἀνεμόφθορον] the root *φθορ usually carries the sense of corruption or ruin.
8
στενάξουσιν] στενάζω is to express one’s discontent
ἁλεεῖς] plural of ἁλιεύς, someone whose occupation is on the sea, typically a fisher, as the context here confirms.
βάλοντες ἄγκιστρον] aorist and singular “fish-hook”; B has the present and plural βάλλοντες ἄγκιστρα; Rahlfs, Ziegler have the present and singular βάλλοντες ἄγκιστρον. The meaning is the same, but the present would be expected. In the next clause, we have the present, with a plural object.
σαγήνας] plural accusative of σαγήνη, a dragnet.
ἀμφιβολεῖς] plural of ἀμφιβολεύς, one who uses an ἀμφίβληστρον, a kind of fish-net that is cast, as in Mark 1:16.
πενθήσουσιν] future of πενθέω, experience sadness
9
λίνον] anything made of flax (linen), whether lamp-wick or fishing net or line (as in Mark 1:18). The fishing connotations may have come to the reader’s mind, in the context of the previous verse, but the upcoming parallel is more likely to the flax plant than to fishing lines.
σχιστὸν] σχιστός “divided.” LSJ identifies λίνον σχιστόν as “lint” in Hippocrates, but “fine flax” in Isa 19:9.
βύσσον] βύσσος similarly refers to flax and the linen made from it.
10
ἐργαζόμενοι] with B; Rahlfs, Ziegler have διαζόμενοι
τὸν ζυγὸν ποιοῦντες] B has ποιοῦντες τὸν ζῦθον; Rahlfs has τὸν ζῦθον ποιοῦντες; Ziegler has τὸν ζῦτον ποιοῦντες. Greek gamma and tau are visually similar. ζῦθον and ζῦτον are alternate spellings for Egyptian barley beer.
πονέσουσιν] the contract vowel in πονέω does not undergo lengthening in later Greek (LSJ).
11
Τάνεως] Τάνις was a town in lower Egypt.
οἱ σοφοὶ σύμβουλοι] this nominative phrase, taken in context, is casus pendens, resumed by αὐτῶν. However, it could also be understood as a verbless clause on its own.
ἐξ ἀρχῆς] the expected preposition would be ἀπ’.
Ken M. Penner
Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University
Co-Editor, Digital Biblical Studies
General Editor, Lexham English Septuagint
Co-Editor, Online Critical Pseudepigrapha pseudepigrapha.org
Ken M. Penner
Posts: 881
Joined: May 12th, 2011, 7:50 am
Location: Antigonish, NS, Canada
Contact:

Isaiah Chapter 19 translation

Post by Ken M. Penner »

  • 19.1 A vision of Egypt.
105. A vision of Egypt (19:1-4)
Look, Lord is sitting on a light cloud and will come to Egypt, and the handiworks of Egypt will be shaken from his face, and their heart will be defeated within them. 2 And Egyptians will be raised against Egyptians, and a person will make war against his brother, and a person will make war against his neighbour, city against city and district against district. 3 And the spirit of the Egyptians will be troubled within them, and I will scatter their plot and they will inquire of their gods and their statues and those from the land who speak and the ventriloquists, and the wizards.

4 And I will give Egypt into the hands of people that are harsh masters, and harsh kings will rule them.

106. Egyptian rivers will fail (19:4-11)
Thus says Lord Sabaoth. 5 And the Egyptians will drink water that is beside the sea, but the river will fail and be dried up. 6 And the rivers and the canals of the river will fail and every gathering of water will be dried up, even in every marsh of reed and papyrus. 7 And the green reed-grass, everything that is around the river and everything that is sown through the river, will be dried up, blasted by the wind. 8 And the fishers will groan, and all those who cast hooks into the river will groan, and those who cast seines and the net-fishers will mourn. 9 And shame will take those who work the split flax and those who work the linen. 10 And those who work them will be in pain, and all those who make the yoke will be grieved, and they will distress their lives. 11 And the leaders of Tanis, the wise counsellors of the king, will be foolish; their counsel will be foolish. How will you say to the king, We are sons of intelligent people, sons of kings who were from the beginning?
107. Egyptian leaders will fail (19:12-15)
12 Where now are your wise? And let them tell you and let them say what Lord Sabaoth has planned against Egypt. 13 The leaders of Tanis failed, and the leaders of Memphis were exalted, and they will lead astray Egypt tribe by tribe. 14 For Lord mixed for them a spirit of straying and they led Egypt astray in all their works, as the drunkard and the one who vomits are led astray together. 15 And there will be for the Egyptians no work that will make head or tail, beginning or end.

108. Egyptians will fear Judeans (19:16-17)
16 But on that day the Egyptians will be in fear like women and in trembling from the face of the hand of Lord Sabaoth, which he himself will lay upon them. 17 And the region of the Judeans will be a terror to the Egyptians. Everyone who swears by it to them will be frightened because of the plan which Lord has planned against them.

109. Egyptian cities swear by Lord (19:18)
18 On that day there will be five cities in Egypt speaking the Chananite language and swearing by the name of Lord. The one city will also be called City of Asedelios.

110. An Egyptian altar to Lord (19:19-20)
19 On day that there will be an altar to Lord in the region of the Egyptians and a stele to Lord towards its border. 20 And it will be a sign forever to Lord in the region of Egypt, because they will cry out because of those oppressing them, and Lord will send them a person who will save them.
111. Egyptians will know Lord (19:20-21)
By judging, he will save them. 21 And Lord will be known to the Egyptians and the Egyptians will know Lord, on that day, and they will make sacrifices and they will pray prayers to Lord and may they return.
112. Egyptians will return to Lord (19:22)
22 And Lord will strike the Egyptians with a great blow and he will heal them with healing, and they will return to Lord, and they will listen to them, and he will heal them.

113. Egyptians will serve the Assyrians (19:23)

23 On that day there will be a path from Egypt to the Assyrians, and Assyrians will enter into Egypt and Egyptians will go to the Assyrians and Egyptians will serve the Assyrians.

114. Israel a peer of Assyrians and Egyptians (19:24-25)
24 On that day Israel will be third among the Assyrians and among the Egyptians, praised in the land 25 which Lord Sabaoth praised, saying, My people will be praised, who is in Egypt and is among the Assyrians, even my inheritance, Israel.
Ken M. Penner
Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University
Co-Editor, Digital Biblical Studies
General Editor, Lexham English Septuagint
Co-Editor, Online Critical Pseudepigrapha pseudepigrapha.org
Ken M. Penner
Posts: 881
Joined: May 12th, 2011, 7:50 am
Location: Antigonish, NS, Canada
Contact:

Notes on Isaiah 19:18

Post by Ken M. Penner »

109. Egyptian cities swear by Lord (19:18)
18 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσονται πέντε πόλεις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ λαλοῦσαι τῇ γλώσσῃ τῇ Χανανίτιδι καὶ ὀμνύοντες τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου· Πόλις Ασεδηλιου καὶ κληθήσεται ἡ μία πόλις.
18
ἐν] lacking in A, B (Rahlfs, Ziegler)
ὀμνύοντες] changed by cb2 to ὀμνύουσαι, with A (Rahlfs, Ziegler); B has ὀμνύντες
Πόλις Ἁσεδηλίου] changed by ca to Πόλις Ἁσε, and by cb3 to πόλεις ἁσεδὲκ, which is orthographically compatible with πόλις ἁσεδὲκ in A, B (Rahlfs, Ziegler). The MT has עִ֣יר הַהֶ֔רֶס; Qumran (1QIsaa and 4Q56) has עיר החרס. Aquila and Theodotion have αρες, and Symmachus translated the same, חרס, as "sun." Ασεδ is from חסד, from the same three characters as חרס, but with a visual misreading and a transposition. A plausible explanation of the development of the variants is as follows: The original Hebrew was החרס (Qumran, Symmachus); G read חסד and wrote ασεδ; Symmachus read חרס and wrote ηλιου; Aquila and Theodotion read הרס or חרס and wrote αρες; ασεδκληθήσεται (in A, B) became ασεδεκκληθήσεται when dictated; it also became ασεδηλιουκαικληθήσεται when Sinaiticus or its ancestor conflated the Old Greek ασεδ with Symmachus’s ηλιου. The MT read החרס as ההרס
καὶ κληθήσεται] changed by ca to κληθήσεται, with A, B (Rahlfs, Ziegler)
Reception
In explaining Isa 11:15, Eusebius says the Egyptians would give up their superstitions and "swear by the name of the Lord," quoting 19:18 (Comm. Isa. 1.64). On 19:18, he says Egyptians now swear in Chananite when they use the Hebrew words "alleluia and amen and Sabbath and such others as are found in the divine Scripture" (trans. Armstrong), and when they swear it is to the Lord of hosts. The five cities are five divisions in the Church: the bishops, elders, deacons, the enlightened, and those present in the one city, named Asedek "righteousness", which is the Church. The Hebrew is Areopolis, so it should be "the one city will be called the city of the earth" (Comm. Isa. 1.76). He refers to these cities being divisions again in Comm. Isa. 2.23. In Onomasticon, Eusebius again says, "in Hebrew this name should be written Aares which is dryness and some interpret ‘in the sun,' but others translate 'in the clay' probably designating either Heliopolis or Ostracinas" (GCS 11,1.38; trans. Wolf).
Ken M. Penner
Professor and Chair of Religious Studies, St. Francis Xavier University
Co-Editor, Digital Biblical Studies
General Editor, Lexham English Septuagint
Co-Editor, Online Critical Pseudepigrapha pseudepigrapha.org
Post Reply

Return to “Series on Isaiah”