Καὶ προσήνεγκεν τὴν θυσίαν καὶ ἔπλησεν τὰς χεῖρας ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον χωρὶς τοῦ ὁλοκαυτώματος τοῦ πρωινοῦ (Leviticus 9:17 LXX)
וַיַּקְרֵב֮ אֶת־הַמִּנְחָה֒ וַיְמַלֵּ֤א כַפֹּו֙ מִמֶּ֔נָּה וַיַּקְטֵ֖ר עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ מִלְּבַ֖ד עֹלַ֥ת הַבֹּֽקֶר׃
The Central Role of the Grain Offering
This verse, drawn from the priestly legislation of Leviticus, describes the presentation of the grain offering (מִנְחָה) alongside the burnt offering of the morning. The Hebrew text uses the technical cultic verb וַיַּקְרֵב (“he brought near”), underscoring the priest’s role in formally presenting an offering before YHWH. The action is not casual but ritualized, signaling the movement of the offering from profane space to sacred space. In contrast, the Greek rendering employs προσήνεγκεν (“he offered, brought forward”), which reflects the same cultic register, but within the idiom of Greek sacrificial language familiar to Hellenistic readers. Both languages preserve the liturgical gravity of the act, but the Greek situates it in broader Mediterranean sacrificial terminology, thereby widening the conceptual horizon of the reader.
Filling the Hands: Ritual Gesture in Two Traditions
The Hebrew phrase וַיְמַלֵּא כַפֹּו מִמֶּנָּה (“he filled his hand from it”) is striking. It describes the priest taking a handful of the grain offering as a symbolic and ritual gesture. The act of “filling the hands” carries connotations not only of ritual completeness but also of priestly consecration, since ordination in Hebrew is literally expressed as “filling the hands.” Thus, this action may be both functional — separating a portion to be burned — and symbolic — demonstrating the priest’s capacity to serve before YHWH.
The Septuagint renders this phrase with ἔπλησεν τὰς χεῖρας ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς (“he filled the hands from it”), a direct but slightly expanded translation. Instead of the singular “hand” (כַפֹּו), the Greek pluralizes to τὰς χεῖρας (“the hands”), likely reflecting natural Greek idiom. This small grammatical shift makes the ritual action more immediately comprehensible to Greek readers while retaining its symbolic force. The nuance reveals the translator’s sensitivity to readability without erasing the cultic symbolism embedded in the Hebrew.
Offering on the Altar: Smoke and Symbol
The Hebrew continues: וַיַּקְטֵר עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ (“and he made it smoke on the altar”). The verb קטר is specific to sacrificial contexts, referring to the burning of incense or offerings to produce smoke as a symbolic ascent to God. The Septuagint uses ἐπέθηκεν (“he placed upon”), which is semantically broader. This translation loses some of the Hebrew’s cultic specificity, rendering the act as a simple placing of the offering upon the altar rather than emphasizing its transformation into smoke. The interpretive decision suggests that the translator may have assumed the burning to be implicit once the offering was placed on the altar, but the difference is noteworthy: Hebrew foregrounds the symbolism of ascent; Greek highlights the act of deposition.
The Burnt Offering of the Morning
The verse ends with an important clarification: the grain offering was performed “apart from the burnt offering of the morning” (מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר). This preserves the distinction between daily, obligatory offerings and additional sacrifices. The Septuagint mirrors this distinction with χωρὶς τοῦ ὁλοκαυτώματος τοῦ πρωινοῦ, using ὁλοκαύτωμα to denote the burnt offering. The Greek term literally means “wholly burnt,” capturing the essence of the Hebrew עֹלָה — an offering entirely consumed by fire. The translator faithfully preserves the sacrificial taxonomy, ensuring that Greek readers could recognize the difference between grain offerings and whole burnt offerings. The distinction underscores order and regularity in temple worship, preventing confusion between daily obligations and additional sacrifices.
Hebrew-Greek Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּקְרֵב | προσήνεγκεν | Wayyiqtol Qal 3ms → aorist active indicative 3sg | Direct sacrificial equivalence |
| הַמִּנְחָה | τὴν θυσίαν | Definite noun “grain offering” → general noun “sacrifice/offering” | Generalization, contextual adequacy |
| וַיְמַלֵּא כַפֹּו | ἔπλησεν τὰς χεῖρας | Qal wayyiqtol 3ms + singular noun → aorist 3sg + plural noun | Idiomatic adjustment for Greek style |
| וַיַּקְטֵר | ἐπέθηκεν | Hiphil wayyiqtol 3ms → aorist 3sg | Shift from cultic-specific to general verb |
| עֹלַת הַבֹּקֶר | ὁλοκαύτωμα τοῦ πρωινοῦ | Noun construct → genitive construction | Literal equivalence with lexical enrichment |
Theological and Ritual Reflections
What emerges from this comparison is not a contradiction but a rich interplay of emphases. The Hebrew text places weight on ritual actions with symbolic depth: bringing near, filling the hand, and making smoke. These terms highlight the priest’s role as mediator between the people and YHWH through precise gestures that sanctify ordinary substances like grain. The Septuagint, while faithful, adapts the language to Greek sacrificial idioms, sometimes smoothing out the cultic specificity in favor of accessibility. Words like ἐπέθηκεν (“he placed”) and θυσία (“sacrifice”) would resonate immediately with Greek-speaking audiences accustomed to their own sacrificial systems, while still pointing to the unique character of Israelite worship.
The difference is not merely linguistic but interpretive: the Hebrew preserves ritual detail that anchors Israel’s identity, while the Greek conveys the broader sacrificial logic in familiar categories. Together, they show how translation functions as interpretation, shaping not only how rituals are described but also how they are understood by new audiences.
Echoes of the Text
Leviticus 9:17 in Hebrew and Greek reminds us of the delicate balance between precision and accessibility in translation. The Hebrew situates the offering in a highly specific ritual world, where every gesture carries theological significance. The Greek recasts those gestures in broader sacrificial terms that could be understood across cultures, without erasing the sacred content. Both traditions point to the same truth: the offering, though distinct from the daily burnt offering, rises as a sign of devotion and obedience.
In this interplay of terms and actions, we glimpse the heart of biblical worship: ordinary elements like grain become extraordinary when offered in faith, and translation itself becomes a kind of offering — a way of bringing the Word near across languages and generations.
