On Thu 19 Jul 2001 (11:17:55), cassian@holyroodguild.com wrote: > This is of course a quotation from Is 40:3. In a commentary I am reading, > the author notes that the Hebrew from the MT clearly conveys that 'in > the desert' is the place in which the way the Lord is to be prepared > (i.e. it is > to be construed with the imperative verb), while in the LXX and Mk 'in > the desert' "clearly" refers to the location of 'the one crying out'. > Indeed the English translations I consulted corroborate this > estimation: when Is 40:3 > is translated from the Hebrew, it is something like: A voice crying: In > the desert prepare the way of the Lord; while Mk is something like: A > voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord. Dear Mark, John 1:23 also quotes from Isaiah 40:3 LXX: [EGW] FWNH BOWNTOS EN THi ERHMWi EUQUNATE THN hODON KURIOU Mark does the same but continues with: EUQEIAS POIEIETE TAS TRIBOUS [AUTOU] [lxx TOU QEOU hHMWN]. The Hebrew Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensis reads QoWL QoWRe' BaMMiD:BaR PaNNuW DeReK YHWH ... a voice crying in the desert prepare the way-of the LORD FWNH BOWNTOS EN THi ERHMWi EUQUNATE THN hODON KURIOU vox clamantis in deserto parate viam Domini The LXX is ambiguous, because it does not complete the translation of the whole of the Hebrew of Isaiah 40:3. The Hebrew parallelism is clear in the English versions: 'A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God"' (NIV) Neither Mark nor John complete the quotation to include the parallel clause, thus following the LXX, not the Hebrew. Does this help? ERRWSQE Ben -- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm --- B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu