Of Kings and Reigns: A Study of Translation Technique in the Gamma/Gamma Section of 3 Reigns (1 Kings)

In this study, Andrzeij S. Turkanik examines the question of translation technique in the gamma/gamma-section (2.11-21.43) of 3 Reigns (1 Kings) in the Septuagint. There exists a number of differences between the main textual witnesses, that is the Masoretic Text on the one hand, and the Old Greek translation on the other. These include additions, omissions, reorganisation of the material, as well as grammatical and syntactical differences between the Old Greek translation and the Masoretic Text. These differences have an effect on how the Greek text should be understood and interpreted. Before studies on a literary level can be carried out on the text, the practice of textual criticism helps to determine the status of the material being dealt with. Since the section under consideration has been considered the work of one translator, it provides the possibility of investigating the translator’s style of working. This study consists of a careful investigation of the text in both Greek and Hebrew in order to identify and categorise the differences between the Old Greek and the Masoretic Text. The author discusses and decides the evidence on a case-by-case basis. He proposes a profile of the translator’s work and asks questions about the reliability of the Septuagint version of the text for the recovery of the original text of 1 Kings.