As we discovered in the previous article, The Library of Alexandria played a crucial role in the creation of the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. This is highly consequential because the New Testament authors quote it over 300 times. Further, it would become the main Bible (in regard to the Old Testament) of the early church for nearly its first 500 years. So, where did it come from? The Letter of Aristeas reports that Ptolemy II requested that a translation be made of the Hebrew Bible for the Alexandrian Library. He supposedly sent 72 Jewish scholars to Alexandria to carry out the translation. (Septuagint is Latin for 70. It is often abbreviated in Roman numerals as LXX.) Genesis through Deuteronomy was translated around 280 BC.  The other sections of the Old Testament would be translated later at various times and places and by various people. Eventually it became the standard Greek version of the Old Testament for the early Christian and Jewish communities alike. 

It is hard to overstate the importance of the Septuagint for the spread of God’s Story of Grace. It was a substantial leap forward toward the promise below where God declares to the Jewish people:

“I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
    that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Isaiah 49:6

In this article, we will lay out three key ways the LXX (Septuagint) was central to the advance of God’s Story of Grace, and then we will look at what it means for how we understand and read the Bible today.

Three Big Influences of the Septuagint

The LXX made the Old Testament accessible to the world.

After the dispersion of Israel under the Assyrians (722 BC) and later Judah by the Babylonians (597 BC), the majority of Jews remained outside of Israel (even after the return in 538 BC) in lands they were taken captive. Because of this, most Jews lost the ability to read or speak Hebrew (the original language of the Old Testament) within a couple of generations. Of the dispersed Jews the largest and most influential population was in Alexandria, Egypt. Out of this great city came the LXX. As copies of it spread, this allowed for their scriptures to be read wherever they were dispersed since every country in the known world of the Jews spoke Greek because of the influence of Alexander the Great. While the Septuagint was initially used by Jews, it came to be read by a much larger population of gentiles, especially those who were converts to Christianity.

The LXX demonstrated that God is missional.

The very Word of God (The Bible) became translatable without losing its force, meaning or power. This was the first large scale translation of God’s revelation demonstrating that God is eager to bring salvation and the knowledge of himself to the ends of the earth. God’s desire from the very beginning has been for his message to be communicated to the nations as revealed in the original promise to Abraham:

² “I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
³ I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:2-3)

From the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), we know that God did not want to force the world into one language, but created a diversity of languages:

This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23)

This anticipates a process of biblical translation which today has recorded the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament into over 3,400 different languages.

The LXX shaped the theology of the New Testament.

In its use of the Greek, The LXX was able to bring out a greater depth of the messianic or New Covenant meaning latent in the Hebrew words of the Old Testament. This would help to shape the vocabulary and theology of the Christian faith. Below are six examples:

Example # 1: “Christ”

“Jesus was born, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:16)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
Christ	christos (Gr. Χριστός)	“to be rubbed on” (referring to oil or ointment)	In Hebrew, “mashiach” (מָשִׁיחַ) means “anointed one”	honorific title for Jesus “Christ” (“Messiah”)

The Hebrew word Mašíaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ) referred to individuals designated by God for specific roles, such as kings or priests, through anointing with oil. In the LXX, Mašíaḥ was consistently translated as Christos (χριστός), a Greek loanword derived from the verb χρίω (chrī́ō) which means “to anoint”.  This, then, became the honorific title for Jesus, the Christ (the anointed one).

Example # 2: “Sin Offering”

“God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.” (Romans 8:3)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek Meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
sin offering	peri hamartias	“concerning sin” or “for sin”	technical term “sin offering,” for Heb. hatta’t	Jesus himself as the ultimate “sin offering”

“Peri hamartias” (περί ἁμαρτία) is literally translated “concerning sin” or “for sin.” Because of the LXX it became the term used to translate hatta’t (חטאה) which means “sin offering.”

Example # 3: “Covenant”

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” (Mark 14:24)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek Meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
covenant	diathēkē	“last will” (cf. synthēkē, “contract”)	divine “covenant,” for Heb. berith	divine covenants

Diathēkē (διαθήκη) in its original Greek usage primarily referred to a last will or testament outlining the distribution of possessions after death. The LXX translators chose diathēkē to translate “berith”(ברית), meaning covenant, in the Hebrew Bible. A more common Greek word for “covenant” was suntheke. Diathēkē emphasizes the one sided (God’s side) of the covenant over suntheke which speaks to a mutual agreement.

Example # 4: “Propitiation”

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek Meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
propitiation	hilastērion	“expiation” (of the gods)	covering of the ark where atonement by blood is made, for Heb. kapporet	Jesus himself as the consummate “mercy seat” of propitiation

The LXX introduced the term “hilastērion“ (ἱλαστήριον) to translate the Hebrew word kapporeth (כַּפֹּרֶת) which refers to the mercy seat (or lid) of the Ark of the Covenant. This term was understood in the Hellenistic Jewish world to refer to an object that brings atonement or reconciliation through propitiation (satisfying the justice of God). The LXX’s use of “hilastērion” helped solidify its connection to the concept of atonement and forgiveness.  

Example # 5: “Gospel”

“the gospel must first be preached to all nations” (Mark 13:10)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek Meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
gospel	euangelizomai	report of “good news” from battle	spiritual/ salvific “good news,” especially in Isaiah	“proclaiming the gospel”

Euangelizomai (εὐαγγελίζομαι) was commonly used for reports of military victories. In the LXX, especially in Isaiah, it was applied to spiritual good news related to the saving work of God. This had a strong influence on the apostolic authors as they linked this word to the proclamation of Jesus’ victory.

Example # 6: “Lord”

“every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11)

English Translation	Greek Word	Common Greek Meaning	Septuagint Usage	Influence On the New Testament
Lord	kyrios	term of respect for anyone in authority	translation of “Lord” (both adonai and kyrios)	title for “Lord” Jesus

The LXX significantly changed our understanding of the word “kyrios” (κύριος) by establishing it as a primary Greek equivalent for the Hebrew name for God (YHWH) and the title “Lord.” “Kyrios” originally meant “lord” or “master;” the LXX’s use solidified its association with the divine name and the concept of God’s sovereignty. 

Reading the Septuagint Today

1. The LXX has a real authority, but it is derivative.

Obviously, since the Greek translation of the Old Testament is quoted over 300 times in the New Testament, this shows it has great importance. But its authority is derived from the actual Hebrew manuscripts it translates. The inescapable logic is that the Hebrew text is primary since it is the one being translated. The original Hebrew documents written by the prophetic authors have primary or ultimate authority, what Jesus labelled as Moses, Prophets and the Psalms.

Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Luke 24:44)

So, it is clear that the LXX is not a separate authority from the Hebrew Bible, but derives its authority as it reflects and correctly draws out the meanings of the original text.

2. The LXX shows the messianic movement of God’s Story In the New Testament.

As seen above, the LXX was able to take the Hebrew language and draw out the richer implications of the words which would serve as a vehicle for the language of the New Testament. Even before Jesus the Messiah came to this earth, the Story of God’s Grace was advancing forward toward the Savior as seen in the LXX. This is further seen in how the Greek translators, on occasion, subtly transform their Hebrew source in ways that give a more personal glimpse of the Messiah. Here are some selected examples:

Genesis 49:10

In Genesis 49: 10, Jacob’s blessing on Judah reads from the Hebrew:

The scepter will not depart from Judah,
 nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. (Genesis 49:10, NIV)

From the LXX it reads from the Greek:

A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations. (Genesis 49:10, LXX)

The Greek translator personifies the metaphor by substituting “ruler” for “scepter” and “prince” for “ruler’s staff.” This emphasis on the personal nature of the prophetic blessing sets the stage for other Jewish writings that interpret the prophecy with a messianic emphasis.

Isaiah 26:18

See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
    a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
    will never be stricken with panic. (Isaiah 28:16, NIV)

This is important passage for messianic trajectory. (see 1 Peter 2:6) This trajectory is aided with the Greek translation, which reads:

I lay for the foundations of Zion a costly stone, a choice, a corner-stone, a precious stone, for its foundations; and he that believes on him  shall by no means be ashamed. (Isaiah 28:16, LXX)

The Greek, as can be seen, adds the object of faith: “he that believes on him.” This personifies the stone as an object of faith, which— combined with the importance of Zion (Jerusalem) in the Old Testament— suggests that the translator understands the “stone” as a messianic metaphor.

Psalm 72:17

Development of the preexistence of the Messiah can be seen more clearly in the Greek translation, while the Hebrew Bible is less clear on this matter. Here are two Old Greek examples which suggest that the idea was developing within Judaism. First, Psalm 72, which is a hymn of praise to a messianic king, states in the Hebrew in v.17:

May his name endure forever;
    may it continue as long as the sun. (Psalm 72:17, NIV)

The Greek, however, renders the second clause, “May his name endure prior to the sun.” This “prior to the sun” points in a temporal sense to preexistence.

Conclusion

As Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, there was much that needed to occur before Jesus could come to this earth. One of the key developments in this unfolding Story of Grace was translation of the Septuagint.