Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18

[Lee Magee]

Did Luke copy the Septuagint?

Isaiah 61:1
רוח אדני יהוה עלי יען משח יהוה אתי לבשר ענוים שלחני לחבש לנשברי־לב לקרא לשבוים דרור ולאסורים פקח־קוח

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound


Luke 4:18
Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίζεσθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰὰσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised


LUKE
Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ οὗ ἕνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίζεσθαι πτωχοῖς ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰὰσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν, κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀνάβλεψιν ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει

LXX
Πνεῦμα κυρίου ἐπ᾽ ἐμέ οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέν με εὐαγγελίσασθαι πτωχοῗς ἀπέσταλκέν με ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τῇ καρδίᾳ κηρύξαι αἰχμαλώτοις ἄφεσιν καὶ τυφλοῗς ἀνάβλεψιν

1. εἵνεκεν (prep epic ionic poetic) & ἕνεκεν (koine)
2. εὐαγγελίζεσθαι (verb present inf mp) & εὐαγγελίσασθαι (verb aorist inf mp)
3. τὴν καρδίαν (accusative) & τῇ καρδίᾳ (dative)
4. ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει

 

[Lee Magee]

In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah 61:1 begins רוח יהוה עלי יען משח, without the אדני, thus it matches Luke & Septuagint "Spirit of the Lord" (not Spirit of the Lord GOD). The masoretes must have added in the אדני

 

[Lee Magee]

Throughout the Septuagint, τυφλός is always a translation of עור.

Isaiah 42:19 מי עור "Who is blind" LXX τίς τυφλὸς

עור = ἀόρατος ; without sight

Numbers 24:4 גלוי עינים "having his eyes open"
δηλούμενοι αὐγαί

1 Kings 8:29 עינך פתחות "thine eyes may be open"
αὐγᾶς σου πεπταμένους

Zechariah 12:4 אפקח את־עיני "I will open my eyes"
διοίγνυμι τᾶς αὐγᾶς μου

 

[Lee Magee]

The additional "ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει" in Luke 4:18 comes from Isaiah 58:6.

Luke 4:18 ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει
Isaiah 58:6 ἀπόστελλε τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει (שלח רצוצים חפשים)

Luke is clearly reading from the same Greek source as the Septuagint, rather then producing his own translation.

In Isaiah 58:6, שלח רצוצים חפשים could be translated πέμπειν καταραχθέντας ἀφέσεων

Also in this verse, the Septuagint translates חפש into ἄφεσις, the same word for translating דרור in Isaiah 61:1, which is ἐλεύθερος

 

[Lee Magee]

Luke 4:18 - To heal the brokenhearted
Isaiah 61:1 - To bind up the brokenhearted

Luke matches the Septuagint, ἰάσασθαι "to heal", but the verb לחבש means "to bind", so the Greek should be ζεύξασθαι

Isaiah 3:7 - לא־אהיה חבש "I will not be a healer (KJV) "
= οὐκ ἔσομαι ζευκτής (ζευξίλεως) "I will not be a subjugater (of men)"
... לא תשימני קצין עם = οὐκ ἔσομαι δικαστής λαοῦ "I will not be a judge of the people"

Judges 19:10 צמד חמורים חבושים "Two asses saddled (KJV)"
= συνωρίδα ἡμιόνους ζευκτῶν "pair of mules harnessed"

ἡμιόνοιιν συνωρίδα "pair of mules" (duel noun?)
~ 2 Samuel 5:17 - צמד־פרדים συνωρίδα ὀρέοιν