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Thursday, November 21st, 2024
the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33

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Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

The Peshitta of the Old Testament - Part 5

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The numbers in Genesis 5 differ in the Samaritan Pentateuch from those in the Masoretic (Hebrew) text of the Old Testament. The numbers in the Samaritan Pentateuch are shown in the following chart.

Patriarch	Age at Fathering	Additional Years	Total Age
Adam	130	800	930
Seth	105	807	912
Enosh	90	815	905
Kenan	70	840	910
Mahalalel	65	830	895
Jared	62	785	847
Enoch	65	300	365
Methuselah	67	653	720
Lamech	53	600	653

The numbers given in the Septuagint differ both from the Masoretic text, and from the Samaritan Pentateuch. The numbers in the Peshitta are the same as those in the Septuagint. It is possible that the Peshitta is based on a Hebrew text that differs from the Masoretic text, but it seems more likely that here, as in a number of other places, the Peshitta follows the Septuagint. These numbers are shown below:

Patriarch	Age at Fathering	Additional Years	Total Age
Adam	230	700	930
Seth	205	707	912
Enosh	190	715	905
Kenan	170	740	910
Mahalalel	165	730	895
Jared	162	800	962
Enoch	165	200	365
Methuselah	167	802	969
Lamech	188	565	753

In order to make it easier to compare the numbers, and arrive at a reasonable solution, the three sets of numbers are set out in comparison in the following table.

Patriarch	Age at Fathering			Additional Years			Total Age
	MT	SP	LXX	MT	SP	LXX	MT	SP	LXX
Adam	130	130	230	800	800	700	930	930	930
Seth	105	105	205	807	807	707	912	912	912
Enosh	90	90	190	815	815	715	905	905	905
Kenan	70	70	170	840	840	740	910	910	910
Mahalalel	65	65	165	830	830	730	895	895	895
Jared	162	62	162	800	785	800	962	847	962
Enoch	65	65	165	300	300	200	365	365	365
Methuselah	187	67	167	782	653	802	969	720	969
Lamech	182	53	188	595	600	565	777	653	753

The reader may contemplate these numbers and their problems. Next week we will begin to suggest a solution.

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'Aramaic Thoughts' Copyright 2024© Benjamin Shaw. 'Aramaic Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/aramaic-thoughts.html 2) 'Aramaic Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.

Meet the Author

Dr. Shaw was born and raised in New Mexico. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of New Mexico in 1977, the M. Div. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1980, and the Th.M. from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1981, with an emphasis in biblical languages (Greek, Hebrew, Old Testament and Targumic Aramaic, as well as Ugaritic).

He did two year of doctoral-level course work in Semitic languages (Akkadian, Arabic, Ethiopic, Middle Egyptian, and Syriac) at Duke University. He received the Ph.D. in Old Testament Interpretation at Bob Jones University in 2005.

Since 1991, he has taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a school which serves primarily the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, where he holds the rank of Associate Professor.