שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(Genesis 9:19)
Τρεῖς οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ Νωε ἀπὸ τούτων διεσπάρησαν ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν(Genesis 9:19 LXX)
Setting the Stage
This verse functions as a genealogical hinge in Genesis. After the Flood narrative, the world begins again with the three sons of Noah. Both the Masoretic Hebrew and the Septuagint Greek versions present the fact that from these three sons, the entire earth was populated. Yet, the way they describe this populating reveals nuanced grammatical and theological differences. The Hebrew employs a form of the root פוץ (“to scatter, disperse”), while the Greek opts for διασπείρω (“to sow, scatter abroad”). The Hebrew leans into a more neutral observation of scattering, while the Greek leans into the metaphor of sowing seeds, introducing a subtle layer of agricultural imagery to humanity’s dispersion.
Grammatical Windows into Meaning
The Hebrew phrase נָפְצָה is in the Qal perfect, 3rd feminine singular, matching the feminine noun הָאָרֶץ (“the earth”). The syntax conveys a completed fact: “the whole earth was scattered.” The subject is passive, as if the action happened without human agency. The Septuagint translates with διεσπάρησαν, an aorist passive indicative, 3rd plural, agreeing with οἱ υἱοὶ Νωε as the implied agents. Here, the agency shifts slightly: the sons are viewed as the ones “sown” across the land. This creates a theological nuance: humanity is not only scattered, but planted.
Word Order and Emphasis
In the Hebrew, emphasis lies at the end: נָפְצָה כָל־הָאָרֶץ. The focus is cosmic — the entire earth. In Greek, the emphasis is on the subject: τρεῖς οὗτοί εἰσιν, placing numerical clarity and identity of Noah’s sons first. This difference reflects Hebrew’s tendency toward climactic endings, while Greek foregrounds logical clarity.
Morphological Comparison Table
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁלֹשָׁה | τρεῖς | Hebrew cardinal number; Greek cardinal number. Both masculine plural. | Literal equivalence. |
| בְּנֵי־נֹחַ | οἱ υἱοὶ Νωε | Hebrew construct “sons of Noah”; Greek nominative plural with article. | Direct rendering, with article added for Greek idiom. |
| נָפְצָה | διεσπάρησαν | Hebrew Qal perfect 3fs; Greek aorist passive indicative 3pl. | Shift from singular earth as subject to plural humanity as focus; interpretive translation. |
| כָל־הָאָרֶץ | ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν | Hebrew “all the earth”; Greek prepositional phrase “upon all the earth.” | Semantic expansion — Greek emphasizes spread across, not simply being scattered. |
Theological Nuances
The Hebrew leaves the scattering as an impersonal fact: the earth was filled. The Greek, however, by using διεσπάρησαν, frames humanity as seed-like, planted across the globe. This resonates with broader Septuagint tendencies to interpret Hebrew metaphors with more vivid imagery. The result is that the LXX portrays Noah’s sons not merely as survivors of judgment, but as foundational sowers of humanity’s future.
Echoes of the Text
This short verse demonstrates how translation is not neutral. Hebrew focuses on the result — the earth scattered. Greek reframes it as a process of sowing. In one, humanity is spread out; in the other, humanity is planted to grow. The shift between נָפְצָה and διεσπάρησαν is more than grammatical; it is a window into how the Septuagint viewed divine providence in the dispersion of peoples. In Hebrew, dispersal is a consequence; in Greek, it becomes destiny.
