language · Gen 7:11–24 · ✓ Approved

LXX Gen 7:11–24: the date, the deep, and the rising waters

Says At 7:11 Swete prints τοῦ δευτέρου μηνός, ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνός, “the twenty-seventh of the month”, where the MT has בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר יוֹם (beshiv'ah-'asar yom, “on the seventeenth day”). Swete’s apparatus records an erasure of five or six letters after τῷ in Alexandrinus, and ἑνὶ καὶ before ἑξακοσιοστῷ in the Bodleian Genesis.

Says 7:11 has αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου for מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה (ma'yenot tehom rabbah), without a word for רַבָּה, and οἱ καταράκται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ for וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמַיִם (va'arubbot hashshamayim). ἄβυσσος (abyssos) is “the abyss”, in the LXX for תְּהוֹם.

Implies ἄβυσσος recalls Swete 1:2, and both phrases return at Swete 8:2.

Says 7:12 and 7:17 have τεσσεράκοντα ἡμέρας καὶ τεσσεράκοντα νύκτας; at 7:17 the MT has only אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם (arba'im yom). νύξ (nyx) is “night”. 7:16 reads ἔκλεισεν Κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ for וַיִּסְגֹּר יְהוָה בַּעֲדוֹ (vayyisgor YHWH ba'ado); κλείω (kleiō) is “to shut”, and the Greek has τὴν κιβωτὸν where the Hebrew has no noun.

Implies ὑψόω (hypsoō) is “to lift or raise up”. Swete uses ὑψώθη for וַתָּרָם (7:17) and also for גָּבְרוּ and וַיִּגְבְּרוּ (7:20, 7:24), where 7:18–19 render the same Hebrew verb ἐπεκράτει.

Says 7:20 has δέκα πέντε πήχεις ἐπάνω for חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה; πῆχυς (pēchys) is “a cubit”. 7:23 repeats πᾶν τὸ ἀνάστεμα for הַיְקוּם.

Uncertain No lean is taken on which day is original; one view favors the MT as the Hebrew text, the other weighs the Greek as an early witness.

Claims

SaysAt 7:11 Swete prints ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι, the twenty-seventh, where the MT has the seventeenth day; the apparatus records an erasure after τῷ in Alexandrinus and ἑνὶ καὶ in the Bodleian Genesis.
Says7:11 has αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου for מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה, without רַבָּה, and οἱ καταράκται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ for וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמַיִם.
Impliesἄβυσσος recalls Swete 1:2, and both phrases return at Swete 8:2.
Says7:12 and 7:17 have forty days and forty nights, where MT 7:17 has forty days only; 7:16 has ἔκλεισεν … τὴν κιβωτὸν ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ for וַיִּסְגֹּר יְהוָה בַּעֲדוֹ.
Impliesὑψώθη renders וַתָּרָם at 7:17 and גָּבְרוּ, וַיִּגְבְּרוּ at 7:20 and 7:24, which 7:18–19 render ἐπεκράτει.
Says7:20 has δέκα πέντε πήχεις ἐπάνω for חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה; 7:23 has πᾶν τὸ ἀνάστεμα for הַיְקוּם.
UncertainNo lean is taken on whether the seventeenth or the twenty-seventh day is original.

Citations

LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 7:11–19, vol. 1, p. 11 (oldtestamentingr01swetuoft, viewer leaf n42); Gen 7:20–24 and 8:2, p. 12 (viewer leaf n43); Gen 1:2, p. 1 (viewer leaf n32); text and apparatus; read on the page images
OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 7:11–24 (WLC/OSHB)
Abbott-Smith public domain s.vv. ἄβυσσος (the abyss; LXX for תְּהוֹם, Gen 1:2), νύξ (night; LXX chiefly for לַיְלָה), κλείω (to shut; LXX chiefly for סגר), ὑψόω (to lift or raise up; LXX chiefly for רוּם, also for גָּבַהּ), πῆχυς (a cubit; LXX for אַמָּה); 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

2026-11-11

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