MS: וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם עִבְרִי אָנֹכִי וְאֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲנִי יָרֵא אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אֶת־הַיָּם וְאֶת־הַיַּבָּשָׁה
LXX: Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς δοῦλος Κυρίου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ τὸν Κύριον Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐγὼ σέβομαι ὃς ἐποίησε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηράν
TJ: וַאֲמַר לְהוֹן יְהוּדָאָה אֲנָא וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ אֱלָהָא דִשְׁמַיָא אֲנָא דָחֵל דַעֲבַד יַת יַמָא וְיַת יַבֶּשְׁתָּא
Verse Breakdown
MS: וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם עִבְרִי אָנֹכִי וְאֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם יָרֵא LXX: Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς δοῦλος Κυρίου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ τὸν Κύριον Θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐγὼ σέβομαι TJ: וַאֲמַר לְהוֹן יְהוּדָאָה אֲנָא וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ אֱלָהָא דִשְׁמַיָא אֲנָא דָחֵל
MS: vay’omer ‘eleyhem `ivri ‘anoci ve’et yehovah ‘elohey hashamayim yare’ LXX: kai eipe pros autous doulos kyriou eimi ego kai ton kyrion theon tou ouranou ego sebomai TJ: va’amar lehon yehuda’ah ‘ana’ umin qadam yeya ‘elaha’ dishmaya’ ‘ana’ dakhel
MS: And said to them, Hebrew am I, and the Lord God of the heavens I fear LXX: And said before them, a servant of the Lord am I, and to the Lord God of heavens I worship TJ: And said to them, a Judahite I am, and from before the presence of Lord God of heaven I fear
MS: אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אֶת־הַיָּם וְאֶת־הַיַּבָּשָׁה LXX: ὃς ἐποίησε τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ξηράν TJ: דַעֲבַד יַת יַמָא וְיַת יַבֶּשְׁתָּא
MS: ‘asher `asah ‘et hayam ve’et hayabashah LXX: hos epoiese ten thalassan kai ten xeran TJ: da`avad yat yama’ veyat yabeshta’
MS: Who made the sea and the dry land LXX: Who made the sea and the dry land TJ: Who made the sea and the dry land
Critical Reconstruction
Shortest Construction
“And said to them, Hebrew am I, and the Lord God of the heavens I fear, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Longest Construction
“And said before them, a servant of the Lord am I, and to the Lord God of heavens I worship who made the sea and the dry land.”
Overview:
There are a small handful of differences between the traditions at this point. First is the answer to what nation Jonah is from. MS says “Hebrew,” LXX says “servant of the Lord,” and TJ says “Judahite.” In context, these all call the same message: Jonah is one of the nation of God. However, all three descriptions call a different aspect of that. Hebrew calls back to an ancient relative, Eber, from Genesis 10:21. Abraham is later called an Eberite, or Hebrew, in Genesis 14:13. The LXX, on the other hand, does not associate Jonah with a particular nation, but instead calls him a servant of God. This may be a contextualization to a believing Greek audience, identifying the importance of Jonah’s identity as a servant of God, rather than simply an Israelite. TJ identifies Jonah as a Judahite, which fits better with the TJ question of “which division are you from.” One more small change is between MS/TJ and LXX, where MS and TJ say Jonah “fears the Lord,” but LXX says Jonah “worships the Lord.” This may be another contextualization, even understandable in American culture, as the “fear” of the Lord is often misunderstood. Perhaps the LXX translator preferred the description of “worship” to communicate the real meaning behind “fear.”
Read From Different Perspectives
Our next step in understanding the Bible properly is to read the text multiple times from different perspectives. Biblical books are not written in a vacuum, but are written to specific groups for specific reasons. Therefore, we can understand the text better if we step into their world. In this verse, Jonah presents his essential identity. He is a follower of God, the same God who made the sea and the dry land. Reread the text multiple times from the following perspectives.
What might Jonah be feeling as he witnesses to these sailors? Have you ever witnessed to someone who has seen your shortcomings? How did that feel?
What would the sailors think as they hear Jonah claim allegiance to the God of the sea, as they are tossed to and fro in a dangerous storm?
Look again at the MS. What would an ancient Israelite audience think reading this verse? How does God use the circumstances to reach both Jonah and the sailors?
Look again at the MS. How would a Greek convert feel about Jonah’s identity as a Hebrew? Now look at the LXX. Why is it important that a Greek could identify with being a “servant of the Lord,” as opposed to a “Hebrew?”
How does this speak to witnessing today? What is the importance of witnessing with one’s words as well as their actions?
