Variatio Theologica in Libro Iob? An Analysis of the Translation of ’Ĕlōhîm by Kurios in LXX Job

Abstract

The default Greek equivalents of yhwh and ’ĕlōhîm are respectively kurios and theos. However, throughout the LXX, yhwh is often rendered by theos and ’ĕlōhîm by kurios. In an article dealing with divine names in LXX Pentateuch published in 2007, Martin Rösel concluded that this variation can be explained on the basis of theological motivations. Nonetheless, my own study on the translation of yhwh/theos and ’ĕlōhîm/kurios in LXX Proverbs has indicated that this variation in Proverbs is not influenced by theological motivations but that both Greek divine names have been used interchangeably by the LXX translator. In order to see whether this is also the case in other LXX books, this paper will examine the rendering of ’ĕlōhîm by kurios in LXX Job. By doing so, this paper aims to obtain a better characterisation of the translation technique and theology of LXX Job.