Genesis 4: Greek differences
Editorial decision: print the MT below; no Hebrew original is reconstructed. Greek from Swete, vol. 1, pp. 6–7 (apparatus unaccented, as printed).
Says See also 4:8 (var.Gen.4.8.let-us-go-out), 4:15 (var.Gen.4.15.therefore-not-so), 4:26 (var.Gen.4.26.began-hoped); for the Greek, see the Greek notes, note.language.Gen.4.1-Gen.4.16.lxx-dielthomen-ouch-houtos and note.language.Gen.4.17-Gen.4.26.lxx-names-and-song.
Says The Greek has διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ at 4:1 for אֶת־יְהוָה; θυσίαν at 4:3 for מִנְחָה, with τοῖς δώροις (4:4) and ταῖς θυσίαις (4:5); ὁ θεὸς or τοῦ θεοῦ for the Lord at 4:4, 9, 10, 16. At 4:7 it reads of offering and dividing, ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς, ἥμαρτες; ἡσύχασον·. It has singular αἵματος at 4:10 for דְּמֵי; ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς at 4:11 for מִן־הָאֲדָמָה; αἰτία … ἀφεθῆναί at 4:13; Μαιήλ at 4:18 for both מְחוּיָאֵל and מְחִיּיָאֵל; Θόβελ at 4:22 for תּוּבַל קַיִן; ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά at 4:24; and it names Εὕαν at 4:25.
Uncertain Whether these reflect other Hebrew or the translator; the Greek alone does not settle it.
Box: 4:1 D, E συλλαβουσα; 4:3 E θω for κυριω; 4:5 E τοις δωροις for ταις θυσιαις; 4:9 E prefixes "Lord" to ο θεος; 4:13 E "the Lord God"; 4:17 D omits του υιου; 4:20 E Ιωβηδ; 4:22 E χαλκεους; 4:25 and 4:26 A has erasures.
Claims
- Says4:8, 4:15 and 4:26 have their own variant entries; the Greek notes cover the Greek.
- SaysGreek: "through God" (4:1); θυσίαν / δώροις / θυσίαις (4:3–5); "God" for the Lord (4:4, 9, 10, 16); a different sense at 4:7; singular "blood" (4:10); "on the earth" (4:11); αἰτία … ἀφεθῆναί (4:13); one name for both spellings of Mehujael (4:18); Θόβελ (4:22); ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά (4:24); Εὕαν named (4:25).
- UncertainWhether the Greek differences reflect other Hebrew or the translator.
Citations
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 4:1–26, text and apparatus. LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 1 (1901), pp. 6–7 (leaves n37–n38).
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 4:1, 3, 10, 11, 18, 22 (WLC/OSHB; morph HR, HNcfsa, HNcmpc, HNp, HNp)
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-10
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