What Is the Septuagint?

Understanding 2 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 7:14 (LXX), Genesis 1:1 (LXX)

The Septuagint is arguably the most important translation in the history of Western civilization — yet most Christians have never heard of it. It is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and it shaped the New Testament, early Christian theology, and the very vocabulary we use to talk about God.

The name and origin

The name 'Septuagint' comes from the Latin septuaginta (seventy), often abbreviated LXX (the Roman numeral for 70). According to the Letter of Aristeas (2nd century BC), the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC) commissioned 72 Jewish scholars — six from each of the twelve tribes — to translate the Hebrew Torah into Greek for the Library of Alexandria.

The legend grew over time: later accounts claimed all 72 translators worked independently and produced identical translations, proving divine inspiration. While the miraculous details are likely embellished, the historical core is sound: the Torah was translated into Greek in Alexandria during the 3rd century BC, and the remaining books of the Hebrew Bible were translated over the following century or two.

Why was it needed?

After Alexander the Great's conquests (330s BC), Greek became the common language (koinē) of the Mediterranean world. Jewish communities outside Palestine — especially the large Jewish population in Alexandria — increasingly spoke Greek rather than Hebrew. They needed Scripture in the language they actually used.

This was not merely a linguistic convenience. It was a theological revolution: for the first time, the God of Israel spoke in the language of the nations.

The Septuagint and the New Testament

The Septuagint was the primary Bible of the early church. Most New Testament authors quoted the Old Testament from the Septuagint rather than translating directly from Hebrew. This is verifiable — when a New Testament quotation differs from the Hebrew text but matches the LXX, we know which version the author used.

Examples:

Isaiah 7:14 — The Hebrew uses almah (young woman). The Septuagint translates it parthenos (virgin). Matthew 1:23 quotes the LXX version: 'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.' The LXX translation became the basis for the Christian doctrine of the virgin birth.

Psalm 16:10 — Hebrew: 'You will not let your holy one see shachat' (the pit/corruption). LXX: 'You will not let your Holy One see diaphthoran' (decay/corruption). Peter quotes the LXX version in Acts 2:27 to argue that David prophesied Jesus' resurrection — His body would not decay in the grave.

Psalm 40:6 — Hebrew: 'My ears you have opened.' LXX: 'A body you have prepared for me.' Hebrews 10:5 quotes the LXX version to argue that Christ's incarnation fulfilled the psalm.

These are not minor variations. The Septuagint's translation choices shaped how the early church understood messianic prophecy and christological doctrine.

What the Septuagint contains

The LXX includes:

1. All 39 books of the Hebrew Bible (though arranged differently)
2. Additional books not in the Hebrew canon: Tobit, Judith, 1-2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Baruch, additions to Esther and Daniel, and others

These additional books are the source of the Catholic/Orthodox vs. Protestant canon dispute:

• Catholic and Orthodox churches consider these books (called 'deuterocanonical') as Scripture, largely because they were part of the LXX — the Bible Jesus and the apostles used
• Protestant churches consider them 'apocrypha' — useful for historical context but not authoritative Scripture — following the Hebrew canon that excludes them

Theological vocabulary

The Septuagint created the theological vocabulary that the New Testament inherited:

• Christos (Christ/Messiah) — The LXX translated the Hebrew mashiach (anointed one) as christos. When the New Testament calls Jesus 'the Christ,' it uses the Septuagint's term.
• Kyrios (Lord) — The LXX translated the divine name YHWH as Kyrios. When Paul writes 'Jesus is Lord' (Romans 10:9), he is applying the Septuagint's name for God to Jesus — a profound theological claim.
• Ekklēsia (church/assembly) — The LXX used this word for the assembly of Israel. The New Testament adopted it for the Christian community, establishing continuity between Israel and the church.
• Nomos (law), diathēkē (covenant), hamartia (sin), dikaiosynē (righteousness), doxa (glory) — All of these New Testament theological terms were established by the Septuagint translators.

Without the LXX, the New Testament would read differently. Its theological language is Septuagintal language.

The Septuagint in scholarship

The LXX is invaluable for several reasons:

1. Textual criticism — Sometimes the LXX preserves a more original reading than the existing Hebrew text (the Masoretic Text, standardized around 100 AD). The Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed that some LXX readings match older Hebrew manuscripts that differ from the Masoretic Text.

2. Understanding the New Testament — Since NT authors quoted the LXX, understanding their arguments requires knowing the LXX version they were working from.

3. Jewish theology in the Hellenistic period — The LXX reveals how Jewish scholars in the 3rd-2nd centuries BC understood their own Scriptures. Their translation choices are theological interpretations.

Why the Septuagint matters:

1. It was the early church's Bible. When Paul wrote 'All Scripture is God-breathed' (2 Timothy 3:16), the 'Scripture' his readers had was primarily the Septuagint. The New Testament was still being written.

2. It shaped Christian doctrine. The virgin birth, the resurrection argument in Acts 2, the incarnation theology of Hebrews 10 — all depend on Septuagint readings.

3. It made the gospel possible. By translating Hebrew Scripture into Greek, the Septuagint made God's Word accessible to the entire Greco-Roman world. When Paul preached in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome, his converts could read the Scriptures that testified to Christ — because the LXX already existed in their language.

4. It demonstrates God's sovereignty over translation. The Septuagint was produced centuries before Christ, yet its translation choices providentially set the stage for the gospel's proclamation. God was preparing the linguistic and theological infrastructure for the New Testament before a single word of it was written.