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Old Testament
The Bible as the first Jewish-Christian readers heard it
Parallel text: Masoretic Hebrew · Septuagint · translation · orthodox reading
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The sons of God, the giants and the announcement of the flood — Gen 6:1-22
Genesi 6,1-22·MT (OSHB) + LXX·6/32
v.
Hebrew (MT)
Septuagint (LXX)
Orthodox Reading
1
ויהי כי החל האדם לרב על פני האדמה ובנות ילדו להם
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἤρξαντο οἱ ἄνθρωποι πολλοὶ γίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ θυγατέρες ἐγενήθησαν αὐτοῖς.
And it came to pass, when men beganⓘ to multiplyⓘ upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2
ויראו בני האלהים את בנות האדם כי טבת הנה ויקחו להם נשים מכל אשר בחרו
ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι καλαί εἰσιν, ἔλαβον ἑαυτοῖς γυναῖκας ἀπὸ πασῶν, ὧν ἐξελέξαντο.
that the sons of God ⟦benè ha-Elohìm: "the sons of God"; an expression that in the Hebrew Scriptures designates the members of the heavenly assembly, the beings of the divine court⟧ — the celestial messengers, the bnè ha-Elohìm of the divine assembly — saw the daughters of men, that they were fair, and they took as wivesⓘ as many as they chose.
3
ויאמר יהוה לא ידון רוחי באדם לעלם בשגם הוא בשר והיו ימיו מאה ועשרים שנה
καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεός Οὐ μὴ καταμείνῃ τὸ πνεῦμά μου ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σάρκας, ἔσονται δὲ αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτῶν ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἔτη.
And the Tetragrammaton said: My vital breath, my spiritⓘ shall not contendⓘ forever in man, for he is flesh, frailty and corruptibility; his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.
4
הנפלים היו בארץ בימים ההם וגם אחרי כן אשר יבאו בני האלהים אל בנות האדם וילדו להם המה הגברים אשר מעולם אנשי השם
οἱ δὲ γίγαντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις καὶ μετ’ ἐκεῖνο, ὡς ἂν εἰσεπορεύοντο οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐγεννῶσαν ἑαυτοῖς· ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν οἱ γίγαντες οἱ ἀπ’ αἰῶνος, οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ὀνομαστοί.
The Nephilìm ⟦ha-Nefilìm: "the fallen," from nafàl, "to fall"; a name of debated meaning, linked by tradition to prodigious and violent beings of primordial times⟧ — the fallen, the giants of antiquity — were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore them children: these are the heroes of ancient timeⓘ, the men of renownⓘ.
5
וירא יהוה כי רבה רעת האדם בארץ וכל יצר מחשבת לבו רק רע כל היום
Ἰδὼν δὲ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐπληθύνθησαν αἱ κακίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ πᾶς τις διανοεῖται ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας,
And the Tetragrammaton saw that great was the wickedness ⟦ra'àt, from ra': "evil, badness"; a noun that measures the spreading moral corruption of humanity⟧ of man upon the earth, and that every intent, every formationⓘ of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, all the day.
6
וינחם יהוה כי עשה את האדם בארץ ויתעצב אל לבו
καὶ ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ διενοήθη.
—— Septuagint (LXX) ——And **God reflectedⓘ** that he had made man on the earth, and he ponderedⓘ.—— Masoretic (MT) ——And the Tetragrammaton regretted ⟦wayyinnàchem, from nachàm: "to repent, to regret, to change purpose"; the same verb that elsewhere means to be consoled: here God is shaken in his innermost being by the work he has made⟧ that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved by it, afflicted in his heartⓘ.
7
ויאמר יהוה אמחה את האדם אשר בראתי מעל פני האדמה מאדם עד בהמה עד רמש ועד עוף השמים כי נחמתי כי עשיתם
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός Ἀπαλείψω τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἐποίησα, ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους καὶ ἀπὸ ἑρπετῶν ἕως τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅτι ἐθυμώθην ὅτι ἐποίησα αὐτούς.
—— Septuagint (LXX) ——And God said: I will blot out man whom I have made from the face of the earth — from man to cattle, from creeping things to the birds of heaven — for I am angeredⓘ** that I made them.—— Masoretic (MT) ——And the Tetragrammaton said: I will blot outⓘ man whom I have created from the face of the ground — from man to cattle, to the creeping things of the ground, to the birds of heaven — for I regret, I repentⓘ that I made them.
8
ונח מצא חן בעיני יהוה
Νωε δὲ εὗρεν χάριν ἐναντίον κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ.
But Nòach found grace ⟦chen, from chanàn: "to be gracious, to show favor"; the unmerited "favor" won in the eyes of a superior; the first occurrence of the term in the Scriptures⟧, favor in the eyes of the Tetragrammaton.
9
אלה תולדת נח נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו את האלהים התהלך נח
Αὗται δὲ αἱ γενέσεις Νωε· Νωε ἄνθρωπος δίκαιος, τέλειος ὢν ἐν τῇ γενεᾷ αὐτοῦ· τῷ θεῷ εὐηρέστησεν Νωε.
These are the generations ⟦toledòt, from yalàd: "to beget, to bring forth"; the "descendants," a formula that punctuates the genealogical structure of the book⟧ of Nòach, his lineage: Nòach was a man righteous, blamelessⓘ in his generations, perfect in his conduct; with God Nòach walkedⓘ, in the presence of God.
10
ויולד נח שלשה בנים את שם את חם ואת יפת
ἐγέννησεν δὲ Νωε τρεῖς υἱούς, τὸν Σημ, τὸν Χαμ, τὸν Ιαφεθ.
And Nòach begot three sons: Shem, Cham and Yèfet.
11
ותשחת הארץ לפני האלהים ותמלא הארץ חמס
ἐφθάρη δὲ ἡ γῆ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας.
And the earth was corrupted ⟦wattishàchet, from shachàt: "to be spoiled, to be ruined, to be corrupted"; a key verb that recurs several times here, binding guilt and punishment⟧ before God, and the whole earth was filled with violence ⟦chamàs: "violence, oppression, injustice"; not only physical aggression, but the oppression and plunder that disintegrate the social order⟧, with oppression and injustice.
12
וירא אלהים את הארץ והנה נשחתה כי השחית כל בשר את דרכו על הארץ
καὶ εἶδεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τὴν γῆν, καὶ ἦν κατεφθαρμένη, ὅτι κατέφθειρεν πᾶσα σὰρξ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
And God saw the earth: and behold, it was corruptedⓘ, for all flesh — every living being — had corrupted its way, its conduct upon the earth.
13
ויאמר אלהים לנח קץ כל בשר בא לפני כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם והנני משחיתם את הארץ
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Νωε Καιρὸς παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ἥκει ἐναντίον μου, ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας ἀπ’ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καταφθείρω αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν.
—— Septuagint (LXX) ——And God said to Nòach: **The time the timeⓘof every manⓘ** has come before me, for the earth has been filled with injusticeⓘ** because of them; and behold, I destroy them and the earth.—— Masoretic (MT) ——And God said to Nòach: The end ⟦qetz, from qatzàtz: "the term, the end"; the ultimate limit set upon "all flesh," a word of definitive sentence⟧ of all flesh has come before me, it is decreed, for the earth is full of violenceⓘ because of them; and behold, I destroy them ⟦mashchitàm, from shachàt: "to destroy, to bring to ruin"; the same root as the "corruption" of vv. 11-12: God "ruins" what had already "ruined" itself⟧ together with the earth.
14
עשה לך תבת עצי גפר קנים תעשה את התבה וכפרת אתה מבית ומחוץ בכפר
ποίησον οὖν σεαυτῷ κιβωτὸν ἐκ ξύλων τετραγώνων· νοσσιὰς ποιήσεις τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ ἀσφαλτώσεις αὐτὴν ἔσωθεν καὶ ἔξωθεν τῇ ἀσφάλτῳ.
Make yourself an ark ⟦tevàh: "chest, hull"; not the common "ship," but a floating chest; the same word will designate the basket in which Moses will be placed⟧ of gòferⓘ wood; in compartments, in cells you shall make it, and you shall coat it with bitumenⓘ, with pitch within and without.
15
וזה אשר תעשה אתה שלש מאות אמה ארך התבה חמשים אמה רחבה ושלשים אמה קומתה
καὶ οὕτως ποιήσεις τὴν κιβωτόν· τριακοσίων πήχεων τὸ μῆκος τῆς κιβωτοῦ καὶ πεντήκοντα πήχεων τὸ πλάτος καὶ τριάκοντα πήχεων τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς·
And thus you shall make it: three hundred cubitsⓘ its length, fifty cubits its breadth, thirty cubits its height.
16
צהר תעשה לתבה ואל אמה תכלנה מלמעלה ופתח התבה בצדה תשים תחתים שנים ושלשים תעשה
ἐπισυνάγων ποιήσεις τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ εἰς πῆχυν συντελέσεις αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν· τὴν δὲ θύραν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ποιήσεις ἐκ πλαγίων· κατάγαια, διώροφα καὶ τριώροφα ποιήσεις αὐτήν.
You shall make for it an opening for light ⟦tzòhar: a rare term, of uncertain sense; connected by the ancients to tzohoràyim "noon/light," understood as a window or luminous source of the ark⟧, a window above, at a cubit from the top; the door of the ark you shall set in its side; you shall make it with decks: lower, second and third.
17
ואני הנני מביא את המבול מים על הארץ לשחת כל בשר אשר בו רוח חיים מתחת השמים כל אשר בארץ יגוע
ἐγὼ δὲ ἰδοὺ ἐπάγω τὸν κατακλυσμὸν ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καταφθεῖραι πᾶσαν σάρκα, ἐν ᾗ ἐστιν πνεῦμα ζωῆς, ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν ᾖ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τελευτήσει.
And behold, I bring the flood ⟦ha-mabbùl: "the flood," the catastrophic inundation of the waters; a term almost exclusive to the flood narrative, distinct from ordinary rains⟧ — the mabbùl, the inundation of the waters — upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is breath of lifeⓘ under heaven: everything that is upon the earth shall perish, shall expire.
18
והקמתי את בריתי אתך ובאת אל התבה אתה ובניך ואשתך ונשי בניך אתך
καὶ στήσω τὴν διαθήκην μου πρὸς σέ· εἰσελεύσῃ δὲ εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν, σὺ καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν σου μετὰ σοῦ.
But I will establish ⟦wahaqimotì, from qum: "to raise, to erect, to make stand"; "to erect/confirm" the covenant, the first announcement of the pact that will be sealed after the flood⟧ my covenant ⟦berìti, from berìt: "pact, covenant," a solemn and binding bond; the first occurrence of the term cardinal to the relationship between God and man⟧ — my berìt, my covenant of faithfulness — with you: you shall enter the ark, you, your sons, your wife and the wives of your sons with you.
19
ומכל החי מכל בשר שנים מכל תביא אל התבה להחית אתך זכר ונקבה יהיו
καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν θηρίων καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης σαρκός, δύο δύο ἀπὸ πάντων εἰσάξεις εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν, ἵνα τρέφῃς μετὰ σεαυτοῦ· ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἔσονται.
—— Septuagint (LXX) ——And of **every kind of cattle explicit enumerationⓘ** and of every creeping thing and of every wild beastⓘ** and of all flesh, two by two, of all you shall bring into the ark, that you may feed themⓘ** with you: male and female they shall be.—— Masoretic (MT) ——And of every living thing, of all flesh ⟦mikkòl ha-chài mikkòl basàr: "of every living thing, of all flesh"; a pair that embraces the whole animate creation, to be preserved in the ark⟧, two of each species you shall bring into the ark to keep them aliveⓘ with you: male and female they shall be.
20
מהעוף למינהו ומן הבהמה למינה מכל רמש האדמה למינהו שנים מכל יבאו אליך להחיות
ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ὀρνέων τῶν πετεινῶν κατὰ γένος καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν κατὰ γένος καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν, δύο δύο ἀπὸ πάντων εἰσελεύσονται πρὸς σὲ τρέφεσθαι μετὰ σοῦ, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ.
Of the birds according to their kindⓘ, of the cattle according to its kind, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind: two of each shall come to you to be kept alive.
21
ואתה קח לך מכל מאכל אשר יאכל ואספת אליך והיה לך ולהם לאכלה
σὺ δὲ λήμψῃ σεαυτῷ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν βρωμάτων, ἃ ἔδεσθε, καὶ συνάξεις πρὸς σεαυτόν, καὶ ἔσται σοὶ καὶ ἐκείνοις φαγεῖν.
And you, take for yourself of every food that is eatenⓘ, of every edible nourishment, and make a store of it with you: it shall be food for you and for them.
22
ויעש נח ככל אשר צוה אתו אלהים כן עשה
καὶ ἐποίησεν Νωε πάντα, ὅσα ἐνετείλατο αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεός, οὕτως ἐποίησεν.
And Nòach did ⟦wayyà'as Nòach, from asàh: "to make, to carry out"; the formula of punctual obedience, reaffirmed by the "so he did" that closes the verse⟧ according to all that God had commanded him: so he did.