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The Bible: Exploring Facts and Myths About the Word of God  /  The Apostle's Bible (Part 1)  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 7
Bercot emphasizes that Jesus Himself quotes the Septuagint (Isa 29:13 in Matt 15; Ps 8:2 in Matt 21) and even reads from it in the synagogue (Luke 4 / Isa 61, including “recovery of sight to the blind” missing in the Masoretic). If Jesus treated that Greek wording as “what is written,” what does that suggest about God’s willingness to speak authoritatively through translation, and how should that reshape the way Christians talk about “original languages” and spiritual authority?
Another way to ask: If Jesus quoted and read the Greek Septuagint as “what is written,” what does that say about God speaking with authority through translation? How should that affect how Christians talk about “original languages” and spiritual authority?

Direct Answer Bercot’s evidence implies God speaks authoritatively through a translation—so much so that Jesus calls the Septuagint wording “what is written.” That should humble “original language only” instincts and push Christians to respect the textual form Christ and the apostles publicly used.

Support from Transcript:

  • Matt 15:7-9: Jesus quotes Isa 29:13 ending with “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men,” which Bercot shows matches the Septuagint but not the Masoretic ending (“their fear…taught by the precept of men”).
  • Matt 21:16: Jesus quotes Ps 8:2 as “perfected praise,” which Bercot says is Septuagint wording; Masoretic reads “ordained strength.”
  • Luke 4:17-18: in the synagogue Jesus reads Isa 61 and includes “recovery of sight to the blind,” which Bercot notes is “entirely missing in the Masoretic text,” but present in the Septuagint.
  • Bercot argues this means Jesus was “reading from the Septuagint,” and that Jews in Palestine must have been familiar with it or they would object.
  • He also says Hebrew was “a fairly dead language,” and “we don’t even know if most…could read Hebrew,” reinforcing why Greek Scripture functioned as the living Bible.
Discussion Follow-ups If Jesus treated a translation as Scripture, how should we speak about spiritual authority without implying that only Hebrew can carry God’s voice?

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