Translation and interpretation in the Septuagint version of the Balaam account

Abstract

Although the Septuagint translation of the Balaam account is in many ways similar to that found elsewhere in the LXX Pentateuch, two aspects of the translation are distinctive in the LXX and important indicators of the translator's interpretation of the text. First, the translator frequently represents the Hebrew יהוה with the Greek θεός, a striking departure from the normal LXX translation practice. This divergence likely reflects an anti-Balaam bias on the part of the translator. Second, the translator gives unusual renderings for portions of Balaam's oracles. These are often cited as evidence of Septuagintal messianic interpretation. This thesis surveys the LXX translation of the Balaam account and examines these two issues in the context of textual transmission, the linguistic constraints of the source and target languages, translation practice elsewhere in the Septuagint, and in other related literature of the period