We begin by offering you what textual criticism is. It is the study of all the manuscript evidence and internal evidence (e.g., style of the
Tag: Old Testament Textual Criticism
OTTC GENESIS 47:21: Did Moses write of Joseph, saying that “he removed them to the cities” or was it “he enslaved them as slaves”?
DIFFICULTY: For some scholars, this is a difficulty, as they feel “he removed them [i.e., the people] to the cities,” does not make a lot of sense in this context. They feel that “he made slaves of them” makes more sense in this context. What is the case?
OTTC GENESIS 46:26-27: WAS IT “TWO SOULS” OR WAS IT “NINE SOULS”? WAS THE TOTAL “SEVENTY SOULS” OR WAS IT “SEVENTY-FIVE SOULS”?
First, a quick reminder about textual issues. Simply put, having no perfect solution does not mean that there is no perfect solution, it merely eludes us at this time. For this textual difficulty, many have offered different explanations.
OTTC ISAIAH 34:14: WAS IT “LILITH” OR WAS IT “LILIOTH”?
The Hebrew word has been variously translated as “screech owl” (KJ), “night-monster” (AS, NASB), “nightjar” (NEB, UASV), and “night hag” (RS), “night birds ” (CSB), “vampire” (Moffatt), while the Jerusalem Bible and the Lexham English Bible prefer simply to transliterate the name as “Lilith.”
OTTC GENESIS 25:18: Was It “They Settled” Or Was It “He Settled”?
The Hebrew Text has the reading “they settled” in verse 18 of chapter 25. On the other hand, the LXX and VG, have “he settled” in verse 18 of chapter 25, the latter translations being a reference to Ishmael for the sake of clarity.
OTTC GENESIS 22:13: Was the ram “behind him” [Abraham] Or was it “one” ram?
The Masoretic Text has the reading “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar) in verse 13 of chapter 22. On the other hand, a number of Hebrew MSS, the Septuagint (LXX), Syriac (SYR), and Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) have “one” (Heb. אֶחָד, ’ekhad; Gr. εἷς, heis) in verse 13 of chapter 22.
