Matthew 1:23 — The virgin birth
Septuagint (LXX)
παρθένος (parthenos) — “a virgin shall conceive”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
עַלְמָה (‘almah) — “the young woman”
Matthew grounds the virgin birth in the Greek παρθένος (“virgin”). The Hebrew ‘almah means simply “young woman,” so the specifically virginal reading comes through the Septuagint.
Read Isaiah 7:14 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 10:5 — “A body you prepared for me”
Septuagint (LXX)
Greek mss vary: σῶμα (“a body you prepared,” the reading Hebrews follows) vs. ὠτία (“ears you prepared,” as in this LXX text)
Hebrew (Masoretic)
אָזְנַיִם כָּרִיתָ לִּי — “ears you have dug/opened for me”
Hebrews’ argument that Christ came to offer his body follows a Greek reading “σῶμα” (a body); the Septuagint tradition itself splits between “a body” and “ears you prepared” (shown here), while the Hebrew reads “ears you have opened.” (LXX Psalm 39:7.)
Read Psalm 40:6 in the Septuagint →
Acts 15:16–17 — The Gentiles seeking the Lord
Septuagint (LXX)
ὅπως ἐκζητήσωσιν … οἱ κατάλοιποι τῶν ἀνθρώπων — “that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“that they may possess the remnant of Edom”
James’ Jerusalem-council argument for including the Gentiles follows the LXX (“the rest of mankind seek the Lord”), not the Hebrew (“possess the remnant of Edom”).
Read Amos 9:11–12 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 1:6 — “Let all God’s angels worship him”
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ — “let all God’s angels worship him”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
This clause is absent from the Masoretic Text of Deuteronomy 32:43
Hebrews quotes a line found in the Septuagint (and confirmed at Qumran) that the Masoretic Text does not contain at all.
Read Deuteronomy 32:43 in the Septuagint →
Matthew 12:18–21 — “In his name the Gentiles will hope”
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν — “in his name the nations will hope”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“the coastlands wait for his law/teaching”
Matthew’s Gentile-hope conclusion tracks the Greek (“in his name the nations will hope”) rather than the Hebrew (“the coastlands wait for his torah”).
Read Isaiah 42:1–4 in the Septuagint →
Romans 10:18 — “Their voice has gone out”
Septuagint (LXX)
εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐξῆλθεν ὁ φθόγγος αὐτῶν — “their voice/sound has gone out”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
קַוָּם — “their line/measuring cord has gone out”
Paul’s “their voice has gone into all the earth” follows the LXX φθόγγος (“sound”), where the Hebrew reads “their line.” (LXX Psalm 18:5.)
Read Psalm 19:4 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 11:21 — Jacob “bowing on his staff”
Septuagint (LXX)
ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ — “on the top of his staff”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
מִטָּה (mittah) — “the head of the bed”
Hebrews has Jacob worship “on the top of his staff” (LXX, reading מַטֶּה), where the vowel-pointed Hebrew reads “the head of the bed.”
Read Genesis 47:31 in the Septuagint →
Romans 9:33 / 1 Peter 2:6 — “Will not be put to shame”
Septuagint (LXX)
ὁ πιστεύων ἐπ’ αὐτῷ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ — “will not be put to shame”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“will not be in haste/panic”
Both Paul and Peter cite “whoever believes will not be put to shame,” following the LXX rendering of a Hebrew verb the MT reads as “make haste.”
Read Isaiah 28:16 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 2:12 — “I will proclaim your name”
Septuagint (LXX)
διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου — “I will proclaim your name to my brothers”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
Same sense; Hebrews follows the LXX wording (ἀπαγγελῶ/διηγήσομαι)
Hebrews applies Psalm 22 to Christ using the Septuagint’s Greek wording (LXX Psalm 21:23).
Read Psalm 22:22 in the Septuagint →
Luke 4:18–19 — “Recovery of sight to the blind”
Septuagint (LXX)
καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν — “and recovery of sight to the blind”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“the opening of the prison to those who are bound”
Jesus reads Isaiah in the synagogue following the LXX’s “recovery of sight to the blind,” a phrase not in the Hebrew of Isaiah 61.
Read Isaiah 61:1–2 in the Septuagint →
Mark 7:6–7 / Matthew 15:8–9 — “Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men”
Septuagint (LXX)
διδάσκοντες διδασκαλίας ἐντάλματα ἀνθρώπων — “teaching as doctrines the precepts of men”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“their fear of me is a commandment taught by men”
Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees follows the LXX (“teaching human precepts as doctrines”), which sharpens the Hebrew clause.
Read Isaiah 29:13 in the Septuagint →
Romans 15:12 — “In him the Gentiles will hope”
Septuagint (LXX)
ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν — “in him the nations will hope”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“the nations will seek/inquire of him”
Paul’s climactic Gentile-hope citation uses the LXX’s “the nations will hope in him.”
Read Isaiah 11:10 in the Septuagint →
1 Corinthians 15:55 — “O death, where is your sting?”
Septuagint (LXX)
ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου, θάνατε; — “O death, where is your penalty/sting?”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“O Death, where are your plagues?” (read as a threat, not a taunt)
Paul’s resurrection taunt draws on the Septuagint’s question form of Hosea 13:14.
Read Hosea 13:14 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 12:6 — “He chastises every son”
Septuagint (LXX)
μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν ὃν παραδέχεται — “and he scourges every son whom he receives”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“even as a father the son in whom he delights”
Hebrews’ “he scourges every son whom he receives” follows the LXX of Proverbs 3:12.
Read Proverbs 3:12 in the Septuagint →
James 4:6 / 1 Peter 5:5 — “God opposes the proud”
Septuagint (LXX)
κύριος ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτάσσεται — “the Lord opposes the proud”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“toward the scorners he is scornful”
Both James and Peter cite the LXX form: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Read Proverbs 3:34 in the Septuagint →
Acts 8:32–33 — The suffering servant
Septuagint (LXX)
ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη — “like a sheep led to the slaughter”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
Same imagery; the eunuch reads the Greek scroll (LXX)
The Ethiopian eunuch is reading Isaiah 53 in the Septuagint when Philip explains it of Christ.
Read Isaiah 53:7–8 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 10:37–38 — “My righteous one shall live by faith”
Septuagint (LXX)
ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται — includes “and if he shrinks back…”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“the righteous shall live by his faithfulness”
Hebrews follows the LXX of Habakkuk 2:3–4, including the “if he shrinks back” clause absent from the Hebrew word order.
Read Habakkuk 2:3–4 in the Septuagint →
Romans 2:24 — “God’s name blasphemed among the Gentiles”
Septuagint (LXX)
δι’ ὑμᾶς … τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν — “because of you … among the nations”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
Lacks the explicit “because of you … among the nations” expansion
Paul’s “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” matches the LXX expansion of Isaiah 52:5.
Read Isaiah 52:5 in the Septuagint →
2 Corinthians 6:2 — “In a favorable time I listened to you”
Septuagint (LXX)
καιρῷ δεκτῷ ἐπήκουσά σου — “in an acceptable time I heard you”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
Same sense; Paul cites the Greek “acceptable time” (καιρῷ δεκτῷ)
Paul’s “now is the acceptable time” draws its key word δεκτός from the Septuagint of Isaiah 49:8.
Read Isaiah 49:8 in the Septuagint →
Matthew 21:16 — “You have prepared praise”
Septuagint (LXX)
κατηρτίσω αἶνον — “you have prepared/perfected praise”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“you have founded strength/a bulwark”
Jesus’ reply to the chief priests uses the LXX “you have prepared praise,” where the Hebrew reads “you have established strength.” (LXX Psalm 8:3.)
Read Psalm 8:2 in the Septuagint →
Hebrews 1:7 — “He makes his angels winds”
Septuagint (LXX)
ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα — “who makes his angels spirits/winds”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
Can be read “who makes the winds his messengers”
Hebrews takes Psalm 104:4 as a statement about angels, following the LXX word order (LXX Psalm 103:4).
Read Psalm 104:4 in the Septuagint →
1 Peter 4:18 — “If the righteous is scarcely saved”
Septuagint (LXX)
εἰ ὁ δίκαιος μόλις σῴζεται — “if the righteous is scarcely saved”
Hebrew (Masoretic)
“if the righteous is repaid on earth”
Peter’s “if the righteous is scarcely saved” follows the Septuagint of Proverbs 11:31.
Read Proverbs 11:31 in the Septuagint →
