language · Gen 6:5–22 · ✓ Approved

LXX Gen 6:5–22: “pondered”, the ark, and the covenant

Says At 6:6 ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ θεὸς … καὶ διενοήθη stands for וַיִּנָּחֶם יְהוָה … וַיִּתְעַצֵּב; ἐνθυμέομαι (enthymeomai) is “to reflect on, ponder”. At 6:7 ἐθυμώθην stands for נִחַמְתִּי (nihamti).

Says 6:8 and 6:11 have ἐναντίον before the divine name, and 6:13 Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει ἐναντίον μου for קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי; ἥκω (hēkō) is “to have come”. 6:9 has αἱ γενέσεις Νῶε for תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ, τέλειος ὢν ἐν τῇ γενέσει αὐτοῦ, and τῷ θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν Νῶε for אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ, as at 5:22 and 5:24.

Says 6:14 has κιβωτὸν ἐκ ξύλων τετραγώνων for תֵּבַת עֲצֵי־גֹפֶר (tevat atse-gofer); κιβωτός (kibōtos) is “a wooden box or chest”, and τετράγωνος (tetragōnos) “square”. νοσσιὰς (nossias, “nests”) stands for קִנִּים (qinnim). 6:16 has ἐπισυνάγων (“gathering together”) for צֹהַר (tsohar), and 6:17 τὸν κατακλυσμὸν (“a flood, deluge”) for הַמַּבּוּל (hammabbul). 6:21 is printed λήμψῃ.

Implies At 6:18 στήσω τὴν διαθήκην μου stands for וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי; διαθήκη (diathēkē) is in classical use “a disposition, testament, will”, and in the LXX, nearly always for this Hebrew noun, “a convention, arrangement, covenant”; this is its first use in Greek Genesis, as the noun is in the Hebrew.

Uncertain No lean is taken on the sense of צֹהַר, on how far the flood reached, or on a theory of God’s feeling in 6:6–7.

Claims

Says6:6 has ἐνεθυμήθη … καὶ διενοήθη for וַיִּנָּחֶם … וַיִּתְעַצֵּב, and 6:7 ἐθυμώθην for נִחַמְתִּי.
Says6:8 and 6:11 have ἐναντίον; 6:13 has ἥκει ἐναντίον μου for בָּא לְפָנַי; 6:9 has αἱ γενέσεις Νῶε, ἐν τῇ γενέσει αὐτοῦ, and εὐηρέστησεν for הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ, as at 5:22 and 5:24.
Says6:14 has κιβωτὸν ἐκ ξύλων τετραγώνων for תֵּבַת עֲצֵי־גֹפֶר and νοσσιὰς for קִנִּים; 6:16 ἐπισυνάγων for צֹהַר; 6:17 κατακλυσμὸν for הַמַּבּוּל; 6:21 λήμψῃ.
ImpliesAt 6:18 διαθήκη stands for בְּרִיתִי, and this is its first use in Greek Genesis, as the noun is in the Hebrew.
UncertainNo lean is taken on the sense of צֹהַר, on how far the flood reached, or on a theory of God’s feeling in 6:6–7.

Citations

LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 6:5–13, vol. 1, p. 9 (oldtestamentingr01swetuoft, viewer leaf n40); Gen 6:13–22, p. 10 (viewer leaf n41); text and apparatus; read on the page images
OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 6:5–22 (WLC/OSHB)
Abbott-Smith public domain s.vv. ἐνθυμέομαι (to reflect on, ponder), ἥκω (to have come), κιβωτός (a wooden box or chest; LXX Gen 6–9 for תֵּבָה), τετράγωνος (square), νοσσιά (a nest of birds; LXX chiefly for קֵן), ἐπισυνάγω (to gather together), κατακλυσμός (a flood, deluge; LXX chiefly for מַבּוּל, Gen 6:17), διαθήκη (a disposition, testament, will; in the LXX nearly always for בְּרִית, a convention, arrangement, covenant); paraphrased

Sources LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 OSHB CC BY 4.0 Abbott-Smith public domain Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0

Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

2026-11-10

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