I was reading through the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible in Gen 3 over the weekend. One aspect of G’s translation in Gen 3:5 caught my attention. The more I read the verse the more I was convinced there was no real difference between the MT and G. I offer a brief description of the verse in the MT and G below.
Gen 3:5
MT כִּי יֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים כִּי בְּיֹום אֲכָלְכֶם מִמֶּנּוּ וְנִפְקְחוּ עֵֽינֵיכֶם וִהְיִיתֶם כֵּאלֹהִים יֹדְעֵי טֹוב וָרָע
G ᾔδει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ὅτι ἐν ἧ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, διανοιχθήσονται ὑμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί, καὶ ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν.
| כִּי יֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים | ᾔδει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς |
| כִּי בְּיֹום אֲכָלְכֶם מִמֶּנּוּ | ὅτι ἐν ἧ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ |
| וְנִפְקְחוּ עֵינֵיכֶם | διανοιχθήσονται ὑμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί, |
| וִהְיִיתֶם כֵּאלֹהִים יֹדְעֵי טֹוב וָרָע | καὶ ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοὶ γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν. |
Comments on Gen 3:5 in G
Since γὰρ is postpositive the order of G (ᾔδει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς) in the first clause is identical to the MT (כִּי יֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים).
G translates the first כִּי with γὰρ and the second with ὅτι.
G uses a Pluperfect Active Indicative (ᾔδει) while the MT has a participle (יֹדֵעַ). Is G reading unpointed ידע as a Qal qatal instead of a Qal participle? Pluperfect of οἶδα usually functions as an Aorist in Koine (Cf. Perfect of οἶδα usually functions as a Present in Koine).
G understands the first occurrence of אֱלֹהִים in the verse as singular (ὁ θεὸς) and the second as plural (θεοὶ). MT uses the plural participle יֹדְעֵי with the second אֱלֹהִים while a singular participle יֹדֵעַ appears with the first אֱלֹהִים.
G uses a relative clause (ἧ ἂν “whatever”) in the ἐν-PP (ὅτι ἐν ἧ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ “that in whatever day you eat from it”). ὅτι nominalizes the entire clause so it functions as the complement of ᾔδει.
The MT uses a ב-PP which is bound to the Qal infinitive having a clitic 2mp pronoun (בְּיֹום אֲכָלְכֶם “in the day of your eating”). The clitic pronoun on the infinitive makes the ב-PP definite. The two PP (ב-PP and מִן-PP) are part of the כִּי clause. The כִּי nominalises the entire clause which subsequently functions as the complement of the participle יֹדֵעַ. The verb ידע can take a nominalised כִּי clause as its complement (e.g., Gen 22:12; cf. Williams and Beckman, Williams’ Hebrew Syntax [3rd edition], p.159; BDB p.471; HALOT p.471). The phrase בְּיֹום can be bound to the next phrase with (בְיֹום־קָרְאֵנוּ in Ps 20:10) or without (בְּיֹום צָרָה in Ps 20:2) a maqqef.
G uses a relative clause to represent the definite article in the MT. The MT’s definite construct phrase and G’s relative clause each specific the unidentified day of disobedience. G translates a construct בְּיֹום with a complement (whether a noun or verb) as ἐν ἧ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ in other places in G (see Gen 3:5; 1 Kgs 2:42; Ps 19:10 [MT 20:10]; 55:10 [MT 56:10]; 101:3 [MT 102:3]; 137:3 [MT 138:3]; and Ezek 33:12).
G uses an Aorist Subjunctive (φάγητε) while MT has a Qal infinitive (אֲכָלְכֶם).
G uses a Future Passive Indicative (διανοιχθήσονται) while MT has a Nifal weqatal (וְנִפְקְחוּ).
G uses a Future Middle Indicative (ἔσεσθε) while MT has a Qal weqatal (וִהְיִיתֶם).
G uses a Present Participle plural (γινώσκοντες) and MT has a plural participle (יֹדְעֵי).
Hebrew Vorlage of G in Gen 3:5
In Gen 3:5, G is very similar to the MT. G seems to have a Vorlage that is identical or almost identical to the MT. G seems to use the Future indicative twice (i.e., διανοιχθήσονται and ἔσεσθε) to render the Hebrew weqatal in Gen 3:5. G has the same syntactic arrangement in Gen 3:5 that is present in the MT. G using a Pluperfect Active Indicative (ᾔδει) while the MT has a participle (יֹדֵעַ) is probably an issue arising from an unpointed Hebrew text and does not arise from G having a significantly different Vorlage than the MT. Also, G using an overt relative clause to express a phonologically null but covertly present definite construction in the MT is not a real difference.
Appendix: Gen 2:17
Gen 2:17 כִּי בְּיֹום אֲכָלְךָ מִמֶּנּוּ מֹות תָּמוּת
Gen 2:17 ἧ δʼ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε
G again represents the definite construct phrase בְּיֹום “in the day” as a relative clause ἧ δʼ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ “whatever day…” The preposition ἐν is lacking in G in Gen 2:17 when compared G’s rendering in Gen 3:5. ἐν is also not present in similar constructions in Gen 2:4; 5:1, 2; 21:8; 47:9 (contra Gen 35:3).
In MT, the כִּי clause is a subordinate clause.
לשׁון נופל על לשׁון 