Greek Isaiah in a Year, Week 7=Isaiah 8

Last week in Greek Isaiah in a Year saw a lively discussion around Isaiah 7:14.

This week our reading includes Isaiah 8:14, which Paul and Peter cite together with Isaiah 28:16. About this passage Jobes and Silva write:

Both Paul and Peter–perhaps reflecting an early Christian tradition–link two passages in Isaiah, namely, 8:14 with 28:16, presumably because the word λίθος occurs in those two passages (see Romans 9:33 and 1 Peter 2:6-7). But there is more. LXX Isaiah 8:14 begins with the clause καὶ ἐὰν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ πεποιθὼς ᾖς (“and if you put your confidence in him”), for which no corresponding text is found in the Hebrew. The translator evidently took his cue from the last clause of verse 17 (καὶ πεποιθὼς ἔσομαι ἐπʼ αὐτῷ=וקויתי־לו) and used it to give a surprising interpretation of verse 14. In addition, he provided a closer link between 8:14 and 28:16 by adding the words ἐπʼ αὐτῷ to the latter passage. It is clear that the Greek translator’s own reflection on the message of Isaiah had a signficant impact on early Christian theology.

Last week, week 6, we read chapter 7 start to finish. In this week 7 we do the same with chapter 8. Friday is an anomaly in the reading plan–just one verse that day. Note, too, that 8:23 is actually 9:1 in the Göttingen and Ottley editions, but marked as 8:23 in the Hebrew Masoretic text, as well as Rahlfs.

Here is the schedule and text for Monday through Friday, using again the text from R.R. Ottley’s Book of Isaiah According to the Septuagint. (As always, Ottley is here on Amazon, here in Logos, and here as a free, downloadable pdf in the public domain.) The full reading plan for our group is here (pdf).

Monday, January 14: Isa 8:1–5

8 ¹ Καὶ εἶπεν Κύριος πρὸς μέ Λάβε σεαυτῷ τόμον χάρτου καινοῦ μεγάλου, καὶ γράψον εἰς αὐτὸν γραφίδι ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ὀξέως προνομὴν ποιῆσαι σκύλων· πάρεστιν γάρ· ² καὶ μάρτυράς μοι ποίησον πιστοὺς ἀνθρώπους, τὸν Οὐρίαν καὶ τὸν Ζαχαρίαν υἱὸν Βαραχίου. ³ καὶ προσῆλθεν πρὸς τὴν προφῆτιν, καὶ ἐν γαστρὶ ἔλαβεν καὶ ἔτεκεν υἱόν. καὶ εἶπεν Κύριός μοι Κάλεσον τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ταχέως σκύλευσον, ὀξέως προνόμευσον. ⁴ διότι πρὶν ἢ γνῶναι τὸ παιδίον καλεῖν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα, λήμψεται δύναμιν Δαμασκοῦ καὶ τὰ σκῦλα Σαμαρείας ἔναντι βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων.

⁵ Καὶ προσέθετο Κύριος λαλῆσαί μοι ἔτι

Tuesday, January 15: Isa 8:6–10

⁶ Διὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ Σιλωὰμ τὸ πορευόμενον ἡσυχῇ, ἀλλὰ βούλεσθαι ἔχειν τὸν Ῥαασσὼν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Ῥομελίου βασιλέα ἐφʼ ὑμῶν, ⁷ διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἀνάγει Κύριος ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς τὸ ὕδωρ τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν καὶ τὸ πολύ, τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων καὶ τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φάραγγα ὑμῶν, καὶ περιπατήσει ἐπὶ πᾶν τεῖχος ὑμῶν, ⁸ καὶ ἀφελεῖ ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἄνθρωπον ὃς δυνήσεται κεφαλὴν ἆραι εἰ δυνατὸν συντελέσαι τι· καὶ ἔσται ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ τὰ πλάτη τῆς χώρας σου. μεθʼ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός. ⁹ γνῶτε ἔθνη καὶ ἡττᾶσθε, ἐπακούσετε ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ἰσχυκότες ἡττᾶσθε· ἐὰν γὰρ πάλιν ἰσχύσητε, πάλιν ἡττηθήσεσθε. ¹⁰ καὶ ἣν ἂν βουλεύσησθε βουλὴν διασκεδάσει Κύριος, καὶ τὸν λόγον ὃν ἐὰν λαλήσητε οὐ μὴ ἐμμείνῃ ὑμῖν, ὅτι μεθʼ ἡμῶν Κύριος ὁ θεός.

Wednesday, January 16: Isa 8:11–16

¹¹ οὕτως λέγει Κύριος ὁ θεός Τῇ ἰσχυρᾷ χειρὶ ἀπειθοῦσιν τῇ πορείᾳ τῆς ὁδοῦ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, λέγοντες ¹² Μή ποτε εἴπητε σκληρόν· πᾶν γὰρ ὃ ἂν εἴπῃ ὁ λαὸς οὗτος σκληρόν ἐστιν· τὸν δὲ φόβον αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ φοβηθῆτε οὐδʼ οὐ μὴ ταραχθῆτε· ¹³ Κύριον αὐτὸν ἁγιάσατε, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται σου φόβος. ¹⁴ καὶ ἐὰν ἐπʼ αὐτῷ πεποιθὼς ᾖς, ἔσται σοι εἰς ἁγίασμα, καὶ οὐχ ὡς λίθου προσκόμματι συναντήσεσθε αὐτῷ, οὐδὲ ὡς πέτρας πτώματι. ὁ δὲ οἶκος Ἰακὼβ ἐν παγίδι, καὶ ἐν κοιλάσματι ἐγκαθήμενοι ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ· ¹⁵ διὰ τοῦτο ἀδυνατήσουσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς πολλοί, καὶ πεσοῦνται καὶ συντριβήσονται, καὶ ἐγγιοῦσιν καὶ ἁλώσονται ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ ὄντες. ¹⁶ Τότε φανεροὶ ἔσονται οἱ σφραγιζόμενοι τὸν νόμον τοῦ μαθεῖν.

Thursday, January 17: Isa  8:17–22

9 ^{(23) 1} Τοῦτο πρῶτον ποίει, ταχὺ ποίει, χώρα Ζαβουλων, ἡ γῆ Νεφθαλιμ ὁδὸν θαλάσσης καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ τὴν παραλίαν κατοικοῦντες καὶ πέραν τοῦ Ιορδάνου, Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, τὰ μέρη τῆς Ιουδαίας.

See here for more resources and links to texts for Greek Isaiah. Here are previous weeks’ readings: Week 1 / Week 2 / Week 3 / Week 4 / Week 5 / Week 6

And here are the Week 7 readings above, but in pdf form.