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Recent Articles
- Genealogical Syntax and the Grammar of Nations in Genesis 10:7
- Do Not Mourn as Others Do: Restraint and Reverence in the Aftermath of Fire
- The Blast and the Camp: Exploring Hebrew Commands and Movement in Numbers 10:5
- If You Refuse: The Threat of the Locusts in Translation
- Trumpet Blasts and Assembly Syntax in Numbers 10:3
- Right and Left: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Word Order in Ecclesiastes 10:2
- A Call to Listen: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Grammar in Jeremiah 10:1
- “Even If I Wash with Snow”: Job’s Cry of Purity and Futility in Hebrew
- Your People and Your Inheritance: Strength and Arm Between Hebrew and Greek
- Who is Abimelek? Political Defiance in Hebrew Speech
- May God Enlarge Japheth: Syntax, Blessing, and Subordination in Genesis 9:27
- The Plea of the Prophet: Syntax, Intercession, and Covenant Echoes in Deuteronomy 9:26
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Category Archives: Septuagint Studies
“Where Have You Come From?”: Grammar of Inquiry and Flight in the Hagar Encounter
Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου Αγαρ παιδίσκη Σαρας πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ καὶ εἶπεν ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαρας τῆς κυρίας μου ἐγὼ ἀποδιδράσκω (Genesis 16:8 LXX)
וַיֹּאמַ֗ר הָגָ֞ר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי וַתֹּ֕אמֶר מִפְּנֵי֙ שָׂרַ֣י גְּבִרְתִּ֔י אָנֹכִ֖י בֹּרַֽחַת׃
Divine Interrogation in the Wilderness
This verse preserves one of the earliest theophanic dialogues with a woman in the Bible. The angel’s question to Hagar—both searching and compassionate—offers a glimpse into the grammar of inquiry and personal agency. In the Hebrew, the question is poetic and elliptical; in the Greek, it is expanded and formalized.… Learn Hebrew
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Key Manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible: Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, and Masoretic Text
The Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, and Masoretic Text form a triad of foundational witnesses to the Hebrew Bible’s transmission. The DSS offer the earliest Hebrew manuscripts, revealing textual diversity in the Second Temple period. The LXX, a Greek translation, reflects alternate Hebrew traditions and shaped early Christian theology. The MT, meticulously preserved by medieval Jewish scribes, provides the standard text for modern editions. Each tradition contributes distinct strengths and limitations, and their comparative analysis enables scholars to reconstruct probable original readings and appreciate the theological depth embedded in the biblical text’s history.… Learn Hebrew
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Critical Apparatus and Textual Analysis: Navigating the Footnotes of Scripture
The critical apparatus is a vital tool in biblical scholarship, offering a compact record of textual variants across manuscripts and ancient versions. Found in editions like BHS and BHQ, it guides interpreters through the complexities of scribal transmission without prescribing definitive readings. By decoding its symbols and abbreviations, scholars engage in textual analysis—balancing external manuscript evidence with internal linguistic and theological considerations. Case studies like Deuteronomy 32:8 reveal how variant readings can illuminate ancient worldviews and divine imagery. Ultimately, the apparatus transforms footnotes into a rich dialogue of preservation, interpretation, and reverent inquiry.… Learn Hebrew
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Textual Criticism and Manuscript Analysis: Recovering the Earliest Biblical Text
Textual criticism and manuscript analysis are sacred disciplines that seek to recover the earliest form of the biblical text through careful comparison of manuscripts and variants. By examining traditions like the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient translations, scholars identify scribal changes—omissions, additions, substitutions—and evaluate them using rigorous principles. Far from undermining Scripture, this work affirms its stability and theological depth, ensuring that modern readers encounter the Word as faithfully preserved across generations. In every variant lies a story of transmission, reverence, and divine providence.… Learn Hebrew
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