Scholars have long noted and wrestled with the lexical disparities between the two prominent LXX MS families — Codex Alexandrinus (LXX^A) and Codex Vaticanus (LXX^B). One such lexical oddity that has drawn particular attention over the last several decades, especially amongst New Testament scholars¹, is the reference to the figure Samson in Judg 13,7 and 16,17 of LXX^B. LXX^A and the Masoretic Text (MT) both refer to Samson simply by the designation ‘Nazirite’ in Judg 13,5.7 and 16,17 (nazirai=oj — LXX^A; ryzn — MT). In contrast, LXX^B, while using a form of the Greek transliteration in 13,5 (nazir), surprisingly substitutes a#gioj, ‘holy one’, for the religious technical term in 13,7 and 16,17. When recalling the instructions given her by the angel of the Lord, Samson’s mother in LXX^B 13,7 reiterates, ‘and now drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean, for the boy will be a holy one (a#gion) of God from the womb until the day of his death’. Similarly, Samson himself, when divulging the secret of his power to the Philistine harlot in 16,17, declares, ‘no razor has come upon my head, for I am a holy one (a#gioj) of God’.

        Though the presence of the peculiar title applied to Samson in LXX^B Judg has been well noted, relatively few have suggested a possible origin for the reading. With respect to the significant lexical disparity between the two terms, on what basis did the original author of the reading deem a#gioj a suitable rendering of the religious technical term ryzn? The purpose of this article is to briefly address this issue and provide one possible solution to the aforesaid question. In short, I suggest the answer lies in an influence exerted on the reviser of LXX^B by the legislation for the Nazirite vow as stated in Num 6,5.8 — ‘all the days of his separation he shall be holy’.

        Of the general relationship between the two MS families of LXX Judg, it can be said that they represent either preserved revisions of one another or separate revisions of a common Greek text now lost, rather than separate competing translations². In terms of their respective dates the recent works of Bodine have substantiated the theory of Barthélemy that LXX^B Judg represents, in general, part of the early kai/ge recension dating back to the turn

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of the era. LXX^A, on the other hand, represents a much later version similar in character to Origen’s Hexaplaric recension of the third century AD³. An early date respecting the reading in LXX^B is suggested by its probable use in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew and Mark, for instance, both create a play-on-words based on the LXX^B version of Samson when referring to the various titles of Jesus, e.g. ‘Nazarene’ (Matt 2,23) and ‘Holy One of God’ (Mark 1,18)⁴. Luke also seems to create a peculiar play on the reference when recording the annunciation of John the Baptist’s birth, ‘he will be filled with the holy spirit from the womb’ (Luke 1,15).

        One possibility for the reading in LXX^B 13,5.7 and 16,17 is the use of a Hebrew Vorlage other than MT. Against this, among available Hebrew MSS we have none that agree with LXX^B on these points. Further, there is no agreement between LXX^B and the other extant versions that would suggest the availability of a competing Hebrew reading. Some other solution, therefore, must account for the odd rendering.

        Two partial solutions have been offered by Pretzl and more recently, Zuckschwerdt. According to Pretzl, the reviser introduced nazir in 13,5 but then replaced it with a more familiar and intelligible term, a#gioj, in 13,7 and 16,17 ⁵. Zuckschwerdt, on the other hand, suggests an influence of the practice of Kethib-Qere, wherein the reviser followed in one instance (13,5) what was written in his Vorlage, but in 13,7 and 16,17 in Greek what was normally read in its place — #dq = a#gioj⁶. Pretzl’s hypothesis is the more likely of the two, for it is doubtful the practice of the sixth-century AD Masoretes was active at the time our reading was composed ⁷. Furthermore, if there was such a Kethib-Qere rendering for ryzn it certainly fell out of practice, as there is no trace of it where one might expect to find it, in either the Masora or the rabbinic targum tradition. Neither of these hypotheses provides an adequate answer to the question at hand.

        A solution may be found in Num 6,5.8. Within the Judg narrative only one proscription is assigned to Samson, the cutting of his hair. Abstinence from wine, strong drink and unclean food is assigned to his mother, but for Samson specifically, only the prohibition against the use of a razor is mentioned (13,5.7; 16,17). Interestingly, it is in the context of the proscription against cutting the hair that the legislation for the Nazirite vow in Num 6,1-21 describes the Nazirite as holy. Num 6,5 states, ‘all the days of his separation no razor shall come upon his head, ... he shall be holy (a#gioj e!stai — LXX; hyhy #dq — MT), allowing his hair to grow long’. Similarly, in Num

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6,8 the mandate to be holy is reiterated in the context of the proscription against contacting a corpse. As indicated by vv. 9-12, it is the hair that forms the basis of the Nazirite’s holiness and reason for abstinence from corpse impurity. If a dead body is accidentally contacted it is the hair that becomes defiled, shaved after a seven-day rite of purification (v. 9), and re-consecrated (a(gia/sei — LXX; #dq — MT) along with the Nazirite’s avowed number of days (vv. 11-12). Based on such contextual similarity, what may lie behind the reviser’s alternating use of nazir and a#gioj, two lexically unrelated terms, for ryzn — is an influence of the law for the Nazirite to abstain from the use of a razor on the one hand, and the related law for the Nazirite to be holy because of his sanctified hair on the other. Our translator simply followed the association made between the terms ryzn and #dq already present in Num 6,5.8 and utilised the two terms interchangeably in his translation in Judg 13,5.7 and 16,17.

SUMMARY

        While the use of the Greek term a#gioj, ‘holy one’, as a reference to Samson and rendering of the Hebrew religious technical term ryzn, ‘Nazirite’, in LXX^B Judg 13,7 and 16,17 seems odd given their lexical disparity, an association between the terms does occur in the law for the Nazirite to be holy respecting the growth of hair in Num 6,5.8. A contextual similarity between the Numbers passage and Judg 13,5.7 and 16,17 occurs in that Samson is accorded only one proscription — the use of a razor upon his head. It is likely therefore, perhaps as a way of introducing a new and unintelligible term, that the reviser of LXX^B Judg followed the word association made in Num 6,5.8 and used the two terms, nazir in 13,5 and a#gioj in 13,7 and 16,17, interchangeably in his version of the Samson story.

© 2002 Biblica

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NOTES

¹ See for instance the bibliography on the topic of nazwrai=oj in Matt 2,23 in the recent commentary by W. D. DAVIES – D.C. ALLISON, The Gospel according to Saint Matthew. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary (ICC; Edinburgh 1988-1997) II, 283-284. A majority of scholars make a connection between Matt 2,23 and LXX^B Judg 13,7; 16,17.

² N. FERNÁNDEZ MARCOS, The Septuagint in Context. Introduction to the Greek Versions of the Bible (Leiden 2000) 102-103; that LXX^A represents a later revision of the reading represented by LXX^B may be witnessed in at least two respects from the passages at hand. First, in 13,7 and 16,17 LXX^A conforms its reading more to MT by its consistent use of the Greek transliteration nazirai=oj where MT reads ryzn. Secondly, its unparalleled use of a#gioj in 13,5, ‘the boy will be (h(giasme/non nazirai=on) sanctified a Nazirite to God’, appears to be a retention on the part of LXX^A of the holiness concept so prominent in LXX^B.

³ FERNÁNDEZ MARCOS, Septuagint, 94-96; W.R. BODINE, The Greek Text of Judges. Recensional Developments (HSM 23; Chico 1980). See his conclusions regarding Barthélemy’s theory of the Vaticanus Greek text of Judg and the kai/ge recension, 185-186; See also W.R. BODINE, "Kaige and Other Recensional Developments in the Greek Text of Judg", BIOSCS 13 (1980) 45-57.

⁴ See n. 1 above.

⁵ O. PRETZL, "Septuagintaprobleme im Buch der Richter", Bib 7 (1926) 374-375.

⁶ E. ZUCKSCHWERDT, "Nazo4rai=os in Matth. 2, 23", TZ 31 (1975) 71-77.

⁷ See the response by H.M. ORLINSKY, "Problems of Kethib-Qere", JAOS 60 (1940) 30-45, to the monograph by R. GORDIS, The Biblical Text in the Making. A Study of the Kethib-Qere (Philadelphia 1937); See also H.M. ORLINSKY, "The Origin of the Kethib-Qere System: A New Approach", VT 7 (1959) 184-192.