THOUGHTS FROM THE SEPTUAGINT.
By F. D. Starr
Sinning Ignorantly.—In the fourth and fifth chapters of Leviticus directions are given concerning offerings that should be made for sins of ignorance. In chapter 4, verse 2, we read, “If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord,” etc.; also in the twenty-second verse, “When a ruler hath sinned, and done somewhat through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord his God;” also in the twenty-seventh verse and in chap. 5:14 like expressions occur. The word used in these instances in the Septuagint has the signification of “unwillingly,” and is so rendered by the translators of the Septuagint into English. This would modify the case considerable. We read in Heb. 10:26, “For if we sin willfully after that we receive the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” The word “willfully” in this text is the same as the word “willingly” in 1 Peter 5:2, “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly.” Other references might be given. The Greek word used in the passages given in Leviticus is from the same root, only of opposite meaning, signifying unwillingly in opposition to willingly. The transgressor commits a wrong unwillingly, although he has some knowledge that the act itself is wrong. This must have been the case with David. He certainly knew that the act he did was wrong, and therefore could not, strictly speaking, have committed a sin of ignorance; but his was not what the Bible would call a willful sin, else there could not have been any forgiveness for him, according to the statement in Hebrews. This idea seems to be in harmony with the description given in Romans 7, where the mind is represented as wrestling with the flesh, and while the individual would do good, yet does evil, and does, as stated in verse 15, that which he hates; in other words, it is the same fact as stated by our Saviour to his disciples in the garden, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matt. 26:41. The individual is made the unwilling captive of Satan—he is brought into bondage, and is performing the service, on account of his captivity to the flesh, that he is really unwilling to perform. A like expression is used in Rom. 8:20, “For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.” The “not willingly” of Rom. 8:20 and Lev. 4:2, etc., are similar in meaning. If it were, strictly speaking, only sins of pure ignorance for which there was atonement, there would be many more cases of unpardonable sin than there are now; but where the mind is still desirous of doing the will of the Lord, but the individual is led astray by base motives that contend for the mastery, the Lord looks with pity upon that individual, and has made ample provision for his forgiveness, in case he repents, and, moreover, has provided a means of strength by which he may be enabled to be kept from committing these unwilling transgressions. When the mind is wholly given up to that which is evil, and has become as depraved as is the sinful flesh, the individual has then become satanic in his nature, and there remains, as stated in Heb. 10:26, “no more sacrifice for sins.” Called Unclean.—In Lev. 13:45, 46 it is stated that the leper “shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.” The Septuagint renders this verse thus: “And the leper in whom the plague is, let his garments be ungirt and his head uncovered, and let him have a covering upon his mouth, and he shall be called unclean all the days in which the plague shall be upon him, being unclean he shall be esteemed unclean; he shall dwell apart, his place of sojourn shall be without the camp.” The idea of this rendering would be that instead of the leper himself having to proclaim his uncleanness, he is simply esteemed or called unclean by others. Living Water.—In Lev. 4:5 we read, “And the priest shall command that one of the birds shall be killed in an earthen vessel over running water.” The Septuagint has “living water.” In the Scriptures running water is quite frequently mentioned as living water—water that is continually in motion, thus manifesting life. See Gen. 26:19; Num. 19:17, marginal reading, also Cant. 4:15. Not to Eat the Soul.—In Lev. 17:14 a prohibition is found against eating blood. It is stated, “For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof; therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh,” etc. In the Greek rendering we have soul (ψυχή psukē) instead of life. The verse would then read, “For the soul of all flesh is the life thereof.” The same expression is found in Deut. 12:23, which is rendered in the Septuagint, “Take diligent heed that thou eat no blood, for the blood is the soul of it; the soul shall not be eaten with the flesh.” This use of the word7shows the soul to be a material object that could be eaten as well as the flesh. The idea of an immaterial, conscious entity, capable of existing separate from the body, would certainly be in direct conflict with these Scripture statements. For Personal Use.—Directions are given in Leviticus 22 concerning sacrifices that should be brought unto the Lord. In the twenty-third verse it is stated that animals that had anything superfluous or lacking might be offered for a free-will offering, but for a vow they should not be accepted. The reading of the Septuagint in this instance is this, “Thou shalt slay them for thyself, but they shall not be accepted for thy vow.” Instead of saying that such animals would be proper to offer for free-will offerings, the instruction would show that they were not proper to be presented as sacrifices in any way, but simply might be used for individual purposes. This would seem to be more in harmony with other Scripture statements which show that an offering that was brought to the Lord should be without blemish. Seven Plagues.—In the book of Revelation we read of the seven last plagues. The idea seems to be somewhat parallel with an expression found in Lev. 26:21. We there read, “And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.” The rendering of the Septuagint is, “I will further bring upon you seven plagues according to your sin.” Seven is in the Scriptures a complete number, and while God’s people, as this verse shows, had been threatened with seven plagues in their national capacity, we find all the nations of the earth threatened with the last list of seven plagues that are to be sent upon the earth. The Cholera.—It may seem surprising to the reader to learn that the Holy Scriptures have anything to say concerning this dread disease; but whether or not we have the origin of the malady mentioned in the text to which our attention will be called, we have, according to the Greek translation, an instance of it. All will remember the loathsome experience of the Israelites after they had prayed so earnestly for flesh. The event is described in Numbers 11. In verses 19 and 20 we read: “Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?” The reading in the Septuagint is, “Ye shall eat for a full month until the flesh shall come out at your nostrils, and it shall be cholera unto you.” From the fearful mortality that followed their continued indulgence in flesh eating we get the idea that it must have been some terrible disease that swept them thus away and filled up the cemetery that bore the name of “the graves of lust.” Num. 11:33, 34. While cholera is now traced to many other sources, it seems that in this instance it had its origin in the self-indulgent practice of flesh eating. “This Light Bread.”—This is the expression that the people used concerning the food that God had miraculously provided for them to eat, as stated in Num. 21:5. The people said, “Our soul loatheth this light bread.” The Greek word has the signification of good for nothing, amounting to nothing. The term is derived from a word signifying empty, vain, nothing. So the expression of the people , according to this, would be, “Our soul loathes this good-for-nothing bread.” This historical incident will do very well to go with one previously mentioned. The same people that delighted in the cholera-breeding flesh, loathed the bread of heaven, “angels’ food,” that would give them strong, healthy, vigorous bodies and minds, and called it simply “this good-for-nothing bread.” But as it was then so it is now. The flesh wars against the spirit and against the better judgment, and people follow perverse inclination rather than reason. There are many practical lessons for us to learn from the history of Israel as it is given concerning those days.