NetChaplain,
}}}===>>> Which Version / Publisher do you think is the most exact on not adding or deleting words?
(Am not a KJV only or NKJV only type personally nor do I support that the deuterocanonical books should have been eliminated by the revision of King James.)
}}}===>>> Is the
Septuagint Greek Version Bible
the best we can hope for on precision?
"...
The Septuagint, commonly abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, also referred to as the Old Testament. It was produced by Jews living in the Ptolemaic Kingdom, primarily in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. The Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) was likely translated in the early to middle part of the 3rd century BC, while the remaining books were translated over the following two to three centuries. The version was written in Koine Greek, the common language of the eastern Mediterranean at the time, reflecting the linguistic environment of Hellenistic Judaism.
The name "Septuagint" derives from the Latin word
septuaginta, meaning "seventy," referencing the legendary account in the Letter of Aristeas that seventy-two Hebrew scholars—six from each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel—were sent from Jerusalem to Alexandria to translate the Torah at the request of King Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–247 BC). Although this story is considered pseudepigraphical by many scholars and likely a later tradition, it contributed to the name and the perception of the translation's divine inspiration. The term "LXX" (the Roman numeral for seventy) is commonly used as an abbreviation.
The Septuagint is not a single unified text but a collection of translations made by different individuals at various times and places, resulting in variations in style and quality across books. It includes the books of the
Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), organized into four sections: Law, History, Poetry, and Prophets, differing from the Hebrew canon's threefold division. Additionally, it contains several books and additions not found in the Hebrew Bible, such as
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and additions to
Daniel (e.g.,
Susanna, Bel and the Dragon), which are now known as deuterocanonical or apocryphal books. Some of these texts were originally composed in Greek, while others were translated from Hebrew or Aramaic.
The Septuagint played a crucial role in the spread of Jewish religious ideas and later became the
Old Testament of the early Christian Church, influencing the New Testament authors who frequently cited it. It served as the basis for other ancient translations, including the Latin Vetus Latina, the Syriac Peshitta, and versions in Slavonic, Armenian, Georgian, and Coptic. Modern editions of the Septuagint, such as those by
Rahlfs or
Brenton, are
eclectic reconstructions based on the best available Greek manuscripts, aiming to approximate the original translation. ..."
Brief History of Septuagint by Bible Archaeology Org
...
"Limitations of the Septuagint
The Orthodox Church argues that the Septuagint is more accurate than the Hebrew Bible and should be used in Bible translation. However, it is good to be aware of some of the Septuagint's limitations.
The Septuagint of Job is about a sixth shorter than the traditional Hebrew text of the Bible known as the Masoretic Text. The missing portions were supplied from the Greek version of Theodotion. The Septuagint of Jeremiah is about an eighth shorter than the Masoretic Text, repeated passages are cut out and the order is changed. Furthermore, the Septuagint often preserves different numbers, e.g. the ages of some of the patriarchs in Genesis are given variously, thus:
| Reference | Person's age | Masoretic Text | Septuagint |
| 5:3 | Adam's age at birth of Seth | 130 | 230 |
| 5:6 | Seth's age at birth of Enosh | 105 | 205 |
| 5:28 | Lamech's age at birth of Noah | 182 | 188 |
| 5:31 | Age of Lamech | 777 | 753 |
So, perhaps for all the plaudits the Septuagint supposedly received from Ptolemy II, it should come as no great surprise that the Septuagint did not receive a universally favorable reception among the Jews: 'That day was as ominous for Israel as the day on which the golden calf was made since the Law could not be accurately translated' (Mesechet Sopherim [Tractate for Scribes] 1.7).
Ultimate Significance of the Septuagint
It was the adoption of the Septuagint by the early Church that was the biggest factor in its eventual abandonment by the Jews. The Septuagint's use of parthenos, meaning 'virgin' in Isaiah 7:14 to describe the mother of the promised son Immanuel, was used by Matthew 1:23 as evidence for Yeshua's virgin birth.
Like any translation the Septuagint has its limitations, but it was the first translation of any part of the Hebrew Bible into another language, so its place in world history is assured. Furthermore, its use as the version of the Old Testament most frequently used by the writers of the New Testament only serves to further enhance its significance.
..."