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. This translation moment shows how the Septuagint conveys narrative nuance and emotional tone through grammatical reshaping.
Grammatical Focus: Ellipsis and Explication
The Hebrew opens with direct speech but elliptically omits the speaker’s identity in this verse. The Septuagint clarifies this by explicitly naming the speaker—“ὁ ἄγγελος Κυρίου.” Similarly, the Hebrew question “אֵי־מִזֶּה בָאת” uses a single interrogative; the Greek splits the query into two coordinated questions: “πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ.” These changes show how the LXX adds clarity and balances question structure for smoother delivery.
Hebrew-Greek Morphological Comparison
| Hebrew Word | Greek Translation | Grammatical Notes | Translation Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמַר | καὶ εἶπεν | Wayyiqtol imperfect → Greek aorist indicative | Narrative tense equivalence |
| הָגָר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י | Αγαρ παιδίσκη Σαρας | Hebrew apposition → Greek noun + appositive in reverse order | Word order inversion for Greek syntax |
| אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את | πόθεν ἔρχῃ | Interrogative adverb + perfective verb → interrogative adverb + present deponent | Grammatical aspect shift |
| וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי | καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ | Coordinated imperfect verb → present deponent verb | Syntactic alignment and verbal mood match |
| וַתֹּאמֶר | καὶ εἶπεν | Wayyiqtol 3fs → Greek aorist indicative | Standard narrative conversion |
| מִפְּנֵי שָׂרַי גְּבִרְתִּי | ἀπὸ προσώπου Σαρας τῆς κυρίας μου | Preposition + construct chain + pronominal suffix → preposition + genitive phrase + possessive structure | Expanded and clarified relational phrasing |
| אָנֹכִי בֹּרַֽחַת | ἐγὼ ἀποδιδράσκω | Independent pronoun + participle → subject + present indicative verb | Aspectual recasting with emphasis |
Syntactic and Theological Insights
- Speaker Clarification: The LXX makes the implicit subject explicit: ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου, aligning this with similar Septuagint angelic encounters (e.g., Genesis 22:11).
- Balanced Interrogation: Hebrew uses two forms: “whence” and “whither.” The LXX keeps both with πόθεν… ποῦ…, matching the dialogic symmetry common in Greek rhetoric.
- Participial vs. Finite Verb: Hebrew uses בֹּרַֽחַת, a participle indicating an ongoing action. Greek shifts to ἀποδιδράσκω, a vivid deponent verb in the present indicative, reinforcing active escape and agency.
- Possessive Hierarchy: The LXX translates גְּבִרְתִּי (“my mistress”) as τῆς κυρίας μου, preserving both social structure and intimacy in formal Greek possessive syntax.
The Grammatical Amen
The Septuagint translator engages this scene with reverence, clarity, and rhetorical poise. By elaborating on the angel’s identity, formalizing the interrogative pair, and capturing Hagar’s verb with a vivid deponent, the Greek reshapes this desert conversation into a grammatically precise—and emotionally resonant—moment. What in Hebrew reads as poetic and sparse becomes in Greek a crafted legal and theological inquiry into origin, destination, and divine attention.
