The Septuagint is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Most scholars believe it was translated over a period of time from the 3rd to the 2nd century BC in Alexandria, Egypt. The Greek translation was most likely for the benefit of the large Jewish community living in Alexandria at the time.
LXX – The 72 Jewish Scholars
Tradition says that seventy-two Jewish scholars (six scholars each from the twelve tribes of Israel) were asked by the Greek King Ptolemy II Philadelphus of Egypt, to translate the first five books of the Bible from Hebrew into Greek. It is said that the king wanted the Jewish Scriptures added to his library. The Greek translation process expanded to eventually include other books as well, including the Apocryphal writings.
The name Septuagint comes from the Latin word (septuaginta) which means seventy. The 72 was apparently rounded down to 70 at some point and the Greek version of the Bible became known as the Seventy (Septuagint). It is also referred to as the LXX, the Roman numeral for 70.
New Testament Authors Quoted From The Septuagint
New Testament authors many times quoted Old Testament Scriptures taken from the Septuagint version of the Hebrew Bible. At this time in history a majority of people used Greek as their primary language. This was the main factor for the LXX becoming the replacement for the Hebrew Bible by the 1st century AD.
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