Robert Doran, «Emending 1 Macc 7,16», Vol. 87 (2006) 261-262
This short note suggests that the Greek translator of 1 Macc 7,16 read the Hebrew
original as the third person singular perfect verb with the third person pronominal
suffix (wObtfk) instead of the passive participle bw%tkf. The resulting Greek text read
as if Alcimus the high-priest had written Ps 78, instead of Ps 78 being quoted.
262 Robert Doran
pronoun in a relative clause (6). It is also generally recognized that the
translator of the original Hebrew text made mistakes. For example, at 1,29 the
Greek text says that Antiochus sent “a leader of levying of tribute†a[rconta
forologia". At 2 Macc 5,24 he is the “leader of the Mysians†to;n Musavrchn.
v
The Greek translator of 1 Macc 1,29 appears to have read Hebrew MysiWm rc'
“chief of the Mysians†as µySiymi rc' “chief collector of tributeâ€. One might also
point to 1 Macc 9,2, as well as the strange place name “Asaramel†at 14,28.
Goldstein himself admits that there is something wrong with the text and
emends the relative clause to “which he himself wrote†o}n e[grayen aujtov". He
suggests that the original Hebrew was aWh bt'K; rv,a} rb;d:K' (7). However, if one
were to retroject the present Greek text into Hebrew as: wObt;K] rv,a} rb;d:K' (8), one
might suggest how the translator might have made a simple error. If one
makes a simple change of wObt;K] to bWtK; one has a formula — “according to the
word which was written†— frequently used at Qumran, as Joseph Fitzmyer
has documented (9).
Such a simple emendation, the transposition of one character, would
solve the impasse. The author of 1 Maccabees did not say that Alcimus wrote
Psalm 79, but is freely quoting Psalm 79.
Dept of Religion Robert DORAN
Amherst College
Amherst, MA 01002, USA.
SUMMARY
This short note suggests that the Greek translator of 1 Macc 7,16 read the Hebrew
original as the third person singular perfect verb with the third person pronominal
suffix (wObt;k) instead of the passive participle bWtk;. The resulting Greek text read
as if Alcimus the high-priest had written Ps 78, instead of Ps 78 being quoted.
(6) P. JOÜON, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew (Rome 2000) 2. § 158h.
(7) GOLDSTEIN, I Maccabees, 333.
(8) J. VanderKam criticised Goldstein’s suggestion (From Joshua to Caiaphas. High
Priests after the Exile [Minneapolis 2004] 228, n. 314), and suggested, in a private
communication of 28/9/2005, that the Hebrew behind the present Greek text was:
wOtao bt'K; rv,a} rb;d:K'. In my retrojection, I have used the pronominal object suffix, rather than
the independent marker of the object.
(9) J.A. FITZMYER, “The Use of explicit Old Testament quotations in Qumran literature
and in the New Testamentâ€, ID., Essays on the Semitic Background of the New Testament
(Missoula, MT 1974) 8-9.