This study examines the translation technique of the Septuagint Chronicles, raising the question whether the translators of the Septuagint employed a literal translation or a exegetical translation. In particular, the verbal system of Hebrew is very d...
This study examines the translation technique of the Septuagint Chronicles, raising the question whether the translators of the Septuagint employed a literal translation or a exegetical translation. In particular, the verbal system of Hebrew is very different from that of Greek, so when the original language (Hebrew) is translated into the target language (Greek), the translation of each verb form becomes a problem. In the case of the Septuagint translation of Chronicles, however, both forms of Classical Biblical Hebrew and Later Bible Hebrew in Chronicles give rise to an additional problem to the Septuagint translators. Significantly, one of the characteristics of LBH is the infinitive verb form, which includes infinitive construct and infinitive absolute. The former is frequently employed in Chronicles, whereas the latter rarely occurs. If we examine the usages of Greek translations of the infinitive constructs and absolutes in Chronicles, we would know if the Septuagint translators have already recognized the characteristics of CBH and LBH. Accordingly, the author traces the Greek translations of the infinitive constructs and absolutes in Chronicles based on Good’s study of the Septuagint translation, and points to the characteristic of LBH (e. g., the frequent use of the infinitive construct + l<SUP>e</SUP>), going beyond Good’s. As a result, this study shows that the Greek translations of the infinitive constructs in Chronicles are diverse and dynamic even though they are generally translated as accorded to Hebrew verb form (e. g., Hebrew infinitive as Greek infinitive). In the translations of infinitive absolutes (generally translated as Greek participles), they seem to have used a translation technique close to literal translation, even though there is no equivalent of the infinitive absolute in Greek verb forms. In this regard, the Septuagint translators of Chronicles appear to have employed literal translation technique. Yet, it is not easy to confirm that they have known the characteristics of LBH.