John William Wevers provides textual variants in Greek texts of Genesis 2:17, including "θνητὸς ἔσῃ" in Symmachus's version.

Date
1974
Type
Book
Source
John William Wevers
Non-LDS
Hearsay
Secondary
Reference

John William Wevers, ed., Genesis, 2 vols. (Vetus Testamentum Graecum. Auctoritate Academiae Scientiarum Gottingensis editum; Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1974), 1:86 (Logos ed.)

Scribe/Publisher
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Logos
People
John William Wevers, Symmachus
Audience
Reading Public
Transcription

17 οὐ—fin]σʹ οὐ μὴ φαγῇ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ· ᾗ δʼ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φαγῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου θνητὸς ἔσῃ Field | ᾗ—φάγητε] αʹ ὅτι ἐν (εαν 135) ἡμέρᾳ βρώσεώς σου (>M) M 135 344′; σʹ ᾗ γὰρ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ s | θαν. ἀποθαν.] οἱ λʹ (οἱ οʹ 343) θνητὸς ἔσῃ M 135 s; σʹ (αʹ θʹ Ish) mortalis eris Hi 4 Ish 28s; σʹ morte moriemini Ish 27s

BHR Staff Commentary

In the Greek translation of the Old Testament in the second century CE, Symmachus translated the phrase מות תמות as θνητος εση (“you will become mortal”). This translation implies Adam and Eve’s loss of an original immortal status. Modern scholars, such as Budde, Speiser and Cassuto etc., also argue that the humans became mortal on that day, translating the phrase as “you shall be doomed to death,” therefore seeing the origin of the physical death of any human being as the consequences of the violation of the command. Occasionally, this interpretation is further supported by the suggestion that the translation of the prepositional phrase ביום “on the day” as a twenty-four hour day is too literal and should be translated more broadly as something like “when” or “if.” Following this line of argument, it is presumed that the nature of death is physical. The second argument we often encounter is as follows: it is possible to interpret the phrase ביום literally, that is, “in the day”, but the death warning itself should not be taken literally. Rather, it should be interpreted metaphorically or symbolically, for example. John C. Collins has argued that death here refers to spiritual death, while others see it as breaking the relationship between God and human beings. (Chris W. Lee, Death Warning in the Garden of Eden [Forschungen zum Alten Testament. 2. Reihe 115; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020], 6n17)

Citations in Mormonr Qnas
Copyright © B. H. Roberts Foundation
The B. H. Roberts Foundation is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.