For those unaware, there are two main "original sources" that most modern bible translation use as a basis for Old Testament translation. Nearly almost all English translations use the Masoretic Texts as their basis for the Old Testament. The Masoretic Texts are ~1200 AD copies of the original Masoretic Texts (which were "lost') and it has been Jews who have been in charge of safe-guarding the Masoretic Texts.
The Septuagint was a Greek translation of the Hebrew bible. Like the Masoretic Texts, many of the original Septuagint texts were lost but there's more intact today than of the Masoretic Texts.
According to scholars, there's 2000 significant translation differences between the two texts. Here's the top 10 major discrepancies:
1. The Virgin Birth Prophecy (Isaiah 7:14)
This is arguably the most famous and fiercely debated variance between the two texts.
- Septuagint (LXX): Uses the highly specific Greek word parthenos ($\pi\alpha\rho\theta\dot{\epsilon}\nu o\varsigma$), which means explicitly and exclusively "virgin."
- Masoretic Text (MT): Uses the Hebrew word almah ($\mathrel{\aleph}\mathrel{\lambda}\mathrel{\mu}\mathrel{\text{h}}$), which means "young woman of childbearing age" (who may or may not be a virgin).
- Significance: When the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:23) quotes Isaiah to prove the virgin birth of Jesus, he quotes the Septuagint text verbatim. This variant is a cornerstone of Christian Christology.
2. The Age of the Patriarchs & Genesis Timeline (Genesis 5 and 11)
The chronological data tracking the lifespans and ages of the patriarchs when they fathered their children differs systematically by exactly 1,000 to 1,500 years between Adam and Abraham.
- Septuagint (LXX): Adds exactly 100 years to the age of most patriarchs before they had their firstborn son.
- Masoretic Text (MT): Features a much shorter timeline, making the earth significantly "younger" according to literal creationist calculations.
- Significance: According to the Septuagint timeline, Methuselah actually survived the Great Flood by 14 years, creating a massive chronological puzzle for early church fathers. The MT timeline neatly concludes his life the exact year of the flood.
3. The Size and Layout of the Book of Jeremiah
The structural integrity of the Book of Jeremiah is completely different between the two traditions.
- Septuagint (LXX): The Greek version of Jeremiah is roughly 12% shorter than the Hebrew version, completely missing about 2,700 words, and the layout of the chapters is rearranged in a completely different sequence.
- Masoretic Text (MT): Features a much longer, expanded version of the prophetic text.
- Significance: Discoveries at the Dead Sea Scrolls unearthed ancient Hebrew fragments of both versions, proving that two distinct, authentic Hebrew layouts of Jeremiah existed simultaneously in ancient Israel before the Septuagint was even translated.
4. The Final Battle of Goliath (1 Samuel 17-18)
The narrative pacing of the famous battle between David and Goliath differs fundamentally in its narrative length.
- Septuagint (LXX): Missing a total of 44 verses from chapters 17 and 18. It completely omits the baseline sub-plot where David leaves the battlefield to take food to his brothers, his presentation to King Saul, and Saul's subsequent jealousy over the song "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
- Masoretic Text (MT): Contains the complete, familiar, and much more detailed narrative layout.
- Significance: The LXX layout presents a highly streamlined military encounter, whereas the MT version functions as a deeply layered political and familial drama introducing David's ascension to royalty.
5. Who Shall the Nations Worship? (Deuteronomy 32:8)
This passage outlines how God originally divided up the nations of the earth during the Tower of Babel.
- Septuagint (LXX): States that God divided the borders of the nations "according to the number of the Angels of God" (or "Sons of God").
- Masoretic Text (MT): Reads that God divided the nations "according to the number of the Sons of Israel."
- Significance: The Septuagint text reflects an ancient "Divine Council" worldview, where distinct spiritual entities were assigned to govern pagan nations. The Masoretic text shifts the focus sharply onto the national ancestry of Israel. Dead Sea Scroll fragments ($4QDeut^q$) match the Septuagint reading.
6. The Pierced Hands and Feet (Psalm 22:16 / LXX Psalm 21:17)
A critical poetic line in David’s Psalm of suffering contains an entirely different root verb.
- Septuagint (LXX): Uses the Greek verb oryxan ($\mathrel{\omega}\mathrel{\rho}\mathrel{\upsilon}\mathrel{\xi}\mathrel{\alpha}\mathrel{\nu}$), which translates explicitly to: "They have dug" or "They have pierced my hands and my feet."
- Masoretic Text (MT): Uses the Hebrew text ka-ari ($\mathrel{\kappa}\mathrel{\text{a}}\mathrel{\text{r}}\mathrel{\text{y}}$), which translates literally to: "Like a lion, my hands and my feet."
- Significance: Christian translators use the Septuagint reading here for standard Bibles because it functions as an explicit prophecy of crucifixion. The Masoretic reading requires inserting words (e.g., "Like a lion they maul my hands...") to make grammatical sense of the line.
7. The Calling of the Gentiles (Amos 9:11-12)
A major theological dispute in the early New Testament Church regarding whether non-Jews could join the faith was settled using this verse.
- Septuagint (LXX): Says God will restore David’s tent so that "the remnant of mankind may earnestly seek the Lord."
- Masoretic Text (MT): Says God will restore it so that "they may possess the remnant of Edom."
- Significance: In Acts 15, during the Jerusalem Council, James quotes this exact prophecy to prove that God intends to save non-Jewish nations. James’s entire theological argument relies completely on the Septuagint phrasing ("remnant of mankind"); the MT phrasing ("possess Edom") would not support his point.
8. The Messiah’s Primary Target (Isaiah 61:1)
The opening baseline manifesto of the Messiah's earthly mission contains a completely different physical action.
- Septuagint (LXX): Explicitly states that the Messiah is anointed to bring "recovery of sight to the blind."
- Masoretic Text (MT): States that the Messiah comes for "the opening of the prison to those who are bound."
- Significance: When Jesus stands up in the synagogue of Nazareth in Luke 4:18 to announce his public ministry, he rolls open the scroll and reads the Septuagint version out loud, pointing to his physical miracles of healing blind eyes as direct fulfillment of that specific text.
9. Cain’s Unspoken Words (Genesis 4:8)
The dramatic climax leading up to the world's very first murder features a missing line of dialogue.
- Septuagint (LXX): Includes Cain’s exact spoken quote to his brother: "And Cain said to Abel his brother, 'Let us go out into the field.' And it came to pass when they were in the field..."
- Masoretic Text (MT): Omits the quote entirely: "And Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field..."
- Significance: The Masoretic Text leaves the verb "spoke" completely hanging with no direct object or quotation following it, indicating a copyist omission (lacuna) that the Septuagint text successfully preserved.
10. The Total Number of Jacob’s Family (Genesis 46:27 & Exodus 1:5)
The official census detailing how many members of Israel's family migrated down into Egypt varies by a handful of individuals.
- Septuagint (LXX): Puts the final census number at 75 people.
- Masoretic Text (MT): Puts the final census number at 70 people.
- Significance: This discrepancy shows up directly inside the New Testament. When Stephen gives his final historical defense speech before the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:14, he states that Jacob's family numbered 75 people, showing that the early church used the Septuagint as their default historical textbook. Dead Sea Scroll fragments of Exodus also explicitly confirm the number 75.
