Τοῦ ἀγαγόντος σε διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου τῆς μεγάλης καὶ τῆς φοβερᾶς ἐκείνης οὗ ὄφις δάκνων καὶ σκορπίος καὶ δίψα οὗ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ τοῦ ἐξαγαγόντος σοι ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου πηγὴν ὕδατος (Deuteronomy 8:15)
הַמֹּולִ֨יכֲךָ֜ בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר הַגָּדֹ֣ל וְהַנֹּורָ֗א נָחָ֤שׁ שָׂרָף֙ וְעַקְרָ֔ב וְצִמָּאֹ֖ון אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֵֽין־מָ֑יִם הַמֹּוצִ֤יא לְךָ֙ מַ֔יִם מִצּ֖וּר הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ׃
Two Participles Framing Deliverance
In the Hebrew, the verse is framed by two participles: הַמֹּולִיךֲךָ (“the one who led you”) and הַמֹּוצִיא (“the one who brought out”). This creates a grammatical inclusio that ties God’s guidance through danger to His provision of life-giving water. The Greek reproduces this framing with two articular participles, τοῦ ἀγαγόντος and τοῦ ἐξαγαγόντος, both aorist active, emphasizing the completed acts of leading and bringing forth.
Wilderness Descriptors: Grandeur and Terror
Hebrew describes the setting as בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדֹל וְהַנֹּורָא (“in the great and fearsome wilderness”). The LXX matches this with διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου τῆς μεγάλης καὶ τῆς φοβερᾶς, keeping the attributive adjectives in the same sequence and repeating the article for emphasis. The addition of ἐκείνης (“that”) in Greek adds a demonstrative force, giving the wilderness a vivid, almost pointed presence in the hearer’s mind.
Fiery Serpent and the LXX’s “Biting Snake”
Hebrew’s נָחָשׁ שָׂרָף (“fiery serpent”) combines a generic term for snake with a modifier linked to burning—either venom’s effect or supernatural fire. The Greek renders this as ὄφις δάκνων (“biting snake”), shifting from metaphor to action. This choice replaces the imagery of burning with the concrete danger of a bite, perhaps to make the threat more direct to a Greek audience.
Retaining the Scorpion and Thirst
Both Hebrew and Greek include וְעַקְרָב / σκορπίος (“scorpion”) without change. The Hebrew phrase וְצִמָּאֹון אֲשֶׁר אֵין־מָיִם (“and thirst where there is no water”) becomes καὶ δίψα οὗ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ in Greek, with δίψα as a nominative noun and οὗ marking the relative clause, keeping the sense intact.
From Flint Rock to Precipice Rock
Hebrew מִצּוּר הַחַלָּמִישׁ (“from the flint rock”) evokes hardness and impenetrability. The LXX renders this as ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου (“from a sheer/precipitous rock”), changing the imagery from composition to form. The Greek term ἀκρότομος emphasizes the rock’s steep, cut face, possibly to heighten the miraculous nature of drawing water from such a place.
Hebrew-Greek Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| הַמֹּולִיכֲךָ | τοῦ ἀγαγόντος σε | Hiphil participle ms + 2ms suffix → articular aorist active participle + pronoun | Aspect shift from ongoing to completed action |
| בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדֹל וְהַנֹּורָא | διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου τῆς μεγάλης καὶ τῆς φοβερᾶς | Preposition + definite noun + adjectives → preposition + article + noun + repeated article + adjectives | Literal rendering with emphatic repetition |
| נָחָשׁ שָׂרָף | ὄφις δάκνων | Noun + adjective (metaphorical) → noun + present participle active | Metaphor to action substitution |
| וְעַקְרָב | καὶ σκορπίος | Noun with conjunction → noun with conjunction | Direct equivalent |
| צִמָּאֹון אֲשֶׁר אֵין־מָיִם | δίψα οὗ οὐκ ἦν ὕδωρ | Noun + relative clause → noun + relative clause | Literal rendering |
| הַמֹּוצִיא לְךָ מַיִם | τοῦ ἐξαγαγόντος σοι πηγὴν ὕδατος | Hiphil participle ms + pronoun + object → articular aorist active participle + pronoun + object with specification | Expansion with specification (“spring of water”) |
| מִצּוּר הַחַלָּמִישׁ | ἐκ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου | Preposition + noun + genitive noun → preposition + noun + attributive adjective | Imagery shift from material to shape |
The Grammatical Amen
In both Hebrew and Greek, the verse celebrates God’s care in extremes — leading through a land of lethal creatures and deadly thirst, then producing water from the impossible. The Hebrew imagery leans on material descriptors and metaphor (“fiery serpent,” “flint rock”), while the Greek often replaces them with concrete, action-oriented terms (“biting snake,” “sheer rock”), making the scene more immediate to the Greek hearer while preserving its awe.
