A comparative study of the Hebrew and Greek text forms of Jeremiah 10:1-18

Abstract

I wish to argue the following points: 1. MT Jeremiah gives a more complex text form in its more intricate poetic structure and, therefore, represents a more ancient or earlier form of verses 10:1-18. 2. LXX Jeremiah demonstrates later interpretative and textual developments in its logical structure of verses 10:1-18, which gives emphasis to verse 11 in its structural placement of verse 9 within that of verse 5, along with the necessary deletions of verses 10:6-8 and 10. 3. Qumran, apocryphal, and pseudepigraphtical material demonstrate the cultural and scribal milieu that readily explains the alterations evident in the Septuagint text form of 10:1-18. These three primary arguments will be expressed in greater detail in chapters 2, 3, and 4. Chapter 2 concerns the Masoretic text form of 10:1-18 and explicates its text form’s structure. Chapter 3 discusses the Septuagint text form of 10:1-18 and analyzes its textual developments and translation technique. Chapter 4 surveys Second Temple Period Jewish literature that contains the text of Jer 10:1-18 or references its material. I will study Jeremiah 10:1-18 with the traditional tools of textual criticism along with other biblical criticisms as well. In this thesis, I wish to argue that the texts of 4Q71 (4QJerb) and LXX Jer 10 show evidence of a secondary nature in comparison to the MT tradition as reflected in 4Q70 (4QJera). The abbreviation of the passage and the transposition of 10:9 within 10:5 reflected in 4Q71 and LXX 10 demonstrate an easier and later textual variant in comparison to the more original text form of MT Jer 10. I shall observe that 4Q71 and LXX Jer 10:1-18’s alterations to MT’s older text form were done for the sake of attempting to smooth out the logical flow of the pericope.