כִּ֛י אִם־מָאֵ֥ן אַתָּ֖ה לְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ אֶת־עַמִּ֑י הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֥יא מָחָ֛ר אַרְבֶּ֖ה בִּגְבֻלֶֽךָ׃
(Exodus 10:4)
Ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλῃς σὺ ἐξαποστεῖλαι τὸν λαόν μου ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ταύτην τὴν ὥραν αὔριον ἀκρίδα πολλὴν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὅριά σου (Exodus 10:4 LXX)
Setting the Stage: The Language of Warning
This verse captures a climactic warning to Parʿo (Pharaoh) as the plagues of Mitsrayim (Egypt) escalate. The Hebrew text and the Greek translation both preserve the tone of divine confrontation, yet their syntax and vocabulary reveal subtle differences in how each language frames divine intent and urgency.
In the Hebrew, YHWH’s voice is direct and emphatic: כִּ֛י אִם־מָאֵ֥ן אַתָּ֖ה לְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ אֶת־עַמִּ֑י (“But if you refuse to let My people go…”). The construction combines a conditional clause (כִּי אִם) with an infinitive phrase that intensifies the willful disobedience of Parʿo — it is not mere indecision, but stubborn refusal.
The Septuagint renders this with ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλῃς σὺ ἐξαποστεῖλαι (“But if you do not wish to send out…”). The Greek choice of θέλῃς (present subjunctive of θέλω, “to will, to desire”) adds a psychological nuance: the issue is not only action but will. In other words, Pharaoh’s problem is not simply what he does, but what he wants.
Hebrew Conditional Precision vs. Greek Conditional Fluidity
The Hebrew conditional particle כִּי אִם is firm and concrete, often introducing direct divine warnings. It implies certainty in consequence — “If you refuse, then this will follow.”
The Greek ἐὰν δὲ μή introduces a conditional with less overt emotional intensity, yet through its rhythm and word order (placing σὺ emphatically after θέλῃς), the translator ensures the focus remains on Pharaoh’s defiance. This maintains the rhetorical power of YHWH’s speech while fitting Greek idiom.
Temporal and Spatial Nuances
Hebrew: הִנְנִ֨י מֵבִ֥יא מָחָ֛ר אַרְבֶּ֖ה בִּגְבֻלֶֽךָ — “Behold, I am bringing tomorrow locusts within your territory.”
Greek: ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω ταύτην τὴν ὥραν αὔριον ἀκρίδα πολλὴν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὅριά σου — “Behold, I bring upon this very hour tomorrow a multitude of locusts over all your borders.”
The addition of ταύτην τὴν ὥραν (“this hour”) in the Greek is not present in the Hebrew. It may reflect a translator’s interpretive expansion to express *immediacy* and *divine punctuality*. The threat becomes more vivid: not just “tomorrow,” but “at the appointed hour tomorrow.”
Likewise, πάντα τὰ ὅριά σου (“all your borders”) replaces the singular בִּגְבֻלֶךָ (“within your border”), expanding the spatial reach. The translator intensifies the devastation to emphasize completeness — the locusts will not merely enter but overwhelm every boundary.
Lexical and Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| מָאֵן (Qal active participle masculine singular of מָאֵן) | θέλῃς (present subjunctive of θέλω) | The Hebrew participle, functioning as a finite verb in a conditional clause, expresses decisive ongoing refusal (“if you refuse”). The Greek highlights volition (“if you do not will”). | Dynamic equivalence: Hebrew portrays persistence of refusal; Greek emphasizes inner will. |
| לְשַׁלֵּחַ (Piel infinitive construct of שָׁלַח) | ἐξαποστεῖλαι (aorist infinitive active of ἐξαποστέλλω) | Both express the act of sending forth; the Greek intensifies with prefix ἐξ-, emphasizing complete release. | Faithful formal equivalence. |
| הִנְנִי מֵבִיא | ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπάγω | Both convey imminent divine action; Greek adds solemnity with ἰδοὺ and active force of ἐπάγω (“I bring upon”). | Interpretive amplification preserving force. |
| מָחָר | αὔριον | Direct temporal equivalent; both denote “tomorrow.” | Literal equivalence. |
| אַרְבֶּה | ἀκρίδα | Locust — both literal; Greek uses singular collective noun with modifier πολλὴν. | Naturalized Greek pluralizing for vivid effect. |
| בִּגְבֻלֶךָ | ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὅριά σου | Hebrew: “within your border”; Greek: “upon all your borders” — expanded scope. | Intensification through distributive plural. |
Theological and Stylistic Observations
In both languages, the focus is on divine agency. The repetition of הִנְנִי (“Behold, I”) and ἰδοὺ ἐγώ (“Behold, I”) foregrounds YHWH’s personal involvement — the LORD is not sending intermediaries but acting directly. The shift from Hebrew “bringing” (מֵבִיא) to Greek “bringing upon” (ἐπάγω) gives a more judicial tone, as though judgment is being *imposed* rather than merely caused.
The LXX translator’s rendering shows awareness of both linguistic nuance and theological drama. By inserting “this hour,” pluralizing “borders,” and using the subjunctive “if you do not wish,” the Greek version intensifies the warning and dramatizes divine precision.
Echoes of the Text
This verse illustrates how even small grammatical choices can deepen theological resonance. The Hebrew emphasizes Pharaoh’s stubborn refusal and YHWH’s impending judgment; the Greek turns it into a moment of fateful timing and totality. The result is a richer tapestry of divine sovereignty, human defiance, and impending catastrophe.
The locusts, in both texts, are more than insects; they are the language of divine insistence. Every word, every verb, moves closer to judgment. And yet, through this confrontation, language itself becomes the battlefield where obedience and will are tested.
