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Septuagint
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Ἡ Μετάφρασις τῶν Ἑβδομήκοντα
The Greek Bible of Christ and the Apostles
Three centuries before Christ, Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This translation, known as the Septuagint or LXX, became the Bible of the Jewish diaspora and the Bible most often quoted by Jesus and the New Testament authors. The Septuagint provides essential evidence for messianic prophecy, the deity of Christ, and the trustworthiness of Christian biblical interpretation.
The Septuagint (from Latin septuaginta, “seventy”) is the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. Abbreviated as LXX (the Roman numeral for 70), it was produced by Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, beginning around 250 BC.
The name derives from the Letter of Aristeas, which describes how seventy-two Jewish elders translated the Torah in seventy-two days. While legendary details developed over time, the historical core is reliable: Greek-speaking Jews needed Scripture in their language, and the Torah was translated first, followed by the Prophets and Writings over the following two centuries.
The LXX was translated 250+ years before Christ by Jews with no Christian agenda. Its readings support Christian interpretation of messianic prophecy.
About 80% of Old Testament quotations in the New Testament follow the LXX, even where it differs from the Hebrew.
Counter-missionary claims that Christians mistranslated Hebrew are refuted when the LXX (pre-Christian) supports Christian readings.
The LXX often preserves Hebrew readings older than the Masoretic Text, confirmed by Dead Sea Scrolls discoveries.
“ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν”
The LXX translates Hebrew "almah" (עַלְמָה, young woman of marriageable age) with Greek "parthenos" (παρθένος, virgin). This pre-Christian Jewish tran...
“ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας”
The MT reads "like a lion" (kaari) while the LXX reads "they pierced" (ōryxan). The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment from Nahal Hever (5/6HevPs) supports the...
“οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν”
The LXX translates Hebrew "shachat" (שַׁחַת, pit/corruption) as "diaphthoran" (διαφθοράν, corruption/decay). Peter at Pentecost quotes the LXX version...
Explore all apologetic passages in the “Apologetic Value” tab
The Septuagint stands as a pre-Christian Jewish witness to the Christian faith. Its readings, quoted by Christ and the apostles, confirm that Christian interpretation of messianic prophecy is grounded in ancient Jewish understanding.