Καὶ καταναλώσει Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου τὰ ἔθνη ταῦτα ἀπὸ προσώπου σου κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν οὐ δυνήσῃ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ τάχος ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ γῆ ἔρημος καὶ πληθυνθῇ ἐπὶ σὲ τὰ θηρία τὰ ἄγρια (Deuteronomy 7:22 LXX)
וְנָשַׁל֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ אֶת־הַגֹּויִ֥ם הָאֵ֛ל מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ מְעַ֣ט מְעָ֑ט לֹ֤א תוּכַל֙ כַּלֹּתָ֣ם מַהֵ֔ר פֶּן־תִּרְבֶּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יךָ חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃
Measured Conquest and the Grammar of Mercy
Deuteronomy 7:22 offers a striking glimpse into the divine logic of conquest. The Hebrew and Greek versions both reflect God’s intentional gradualism, but they differ in the way they express process, capacity, and consequence. Where the Hebrew warns against the ecological consequences of hasty extermination, the Greek reshapes the syntax to emphasize divine causality and expands the conditional structure. This article examines how the Septuagint translators navigated complex conditional Hebrew syntax, modal verbs, and participial phrases to deliver a theological message adapted to Hellenistic ears.
From וְנָשַׁל to καταναλώσει: Shifting Verbs and Semantic Domains
The Hebrew verb וְנָשַׁל (Qal perfect consecutive 3ms) means “YHWH will dislodge” or “strip away.” It is a rare verb with a nuance of removal or displacement. The Greek, however, chooses καταναλώσει (“will consume”), a far stronger and more final verb. This is a deliberate lexical shift that replaces the metaphor of displacement with one of destruction, possibly reflecting theological emphasis on judgment.
Gradualism in Dual Repetition
Both languages retain the doubling of “little by little” — מְעַט מְעָט in Hebrew and κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν in Greek — an emphatic Semitic device mirrored with a rare Greek adverbial phrase. This preserves the slow tempo of divine action. However, the Hebrew uses it as an adverbial clause modifying the divine action, while Greek uses the accusative-adverbial construction κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν to modify the entire process, making the gradualism a broader divine strategy.
Modal and Conditional Differences: לֹא תוּכַל vs. οὐ δυνήσῃ
The Hebrew לֹא תוּכַל כַּלֹּתָם (“you shall not be able to finish them”) uses a negated imperfect of יָכֹל to express limitation. The LXX shifts this to οὐ δυνήσῃ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ τάχος (“you will not be able to consume them quickly”), where the infinitive ἐξαναλῶσαι (from ἐξαναλίσκω) replaces כַּלּוֹתָם with a more intensified verb of complete consumption. The Greek adds τὸ τάχος (“quickly”), which is an interpretation of the adverb מַהֵר, shifting it into a direct object of negated ability — an uncommon but grammatically valid move that creates Greek idiomatic flow.
Beasts and Barren Land: Expanded Greek Clause
The Hebrew warns, פֶּן־תִּרְבֶּה עָלֶיךָ חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה — “lest the beast of the field increase against you.” The LXX expands this to two clauses: ἵνα μὴ γένηται ἡ γῆ ἔρημος (“lest the land become desolate”) and καὶ πληθυνθῇ ἐπὶ σὲ τὰ θηρία τὰ ἄγρια (“and the wild beasts multiply upon you”). This dual consequence structure interprets the original phrase with theological commentary: vacuum invites chaos. The ecological warning becomes a two-step logical consequence — a possible reflection of Greco-Roman environmental logic.
Hebrew-Greek Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָשַׁל יְהוָה | καὶ καταναλώσει Κύριος | Qal wayyiqtol → future indicative active | Lexical strengthening and voice shift |
| מְעַט מְעָט | κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν | Hebrew reduplication → Greek adverbial construction | Rhetorical mirroring |
| לֹא תוּכַל כַּלֹּתָם מַהֵר | οὐ δυνήσῃ ἐξαναλῶσαι αὐτοὺς τὸ τάχος | Negative imperfect modal + infinitive → future + infinitive + adverb as noun | Clause restructuring and interpretive expansion |
| פֶּן־תִּרְבֶּה עָלֶיךָ חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה | ἵνα μὴ γένηται… καὶ πληθυνθῇ… τὰ θηρία τὰ ἄγρια | Jussive warning → subjunctive purpose + sequential consequence | Expansion with interpretive clause duplication |
The Grammatical Amen
In both Hebrew and Greek, Deuteronomy 7:22 unveils God’s strategic patience — not merely as military pacing, but as ecological mercy. The Hebrew evokes dislodgement and protective delay, while the Greek intensifies judgment and consequences. Between וְנָשַׁל and καταναλώσει, between מְעַט מְעָט and κατὰ μικρὸν μικρόν, language reveals a theology of restraint. God does not only conquer — He times His conquest for your preservation.
