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The Septuagint 7.3 · 7.3

Birds too, to keep seed alive

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καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῶν καθαρῶν ἑπτὰ ἑπτὰ ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ, καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν πετεινῶν τῶν μὴ καθαρῶν δύο δύο ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ, διαθρέψαι σπέρμα ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν.

Word by word

καὶkaìandἀπὸapòfromτῶνtôntheπετεινῶνpeteinônbirdsτοῦtoûtheοὐρανοῦouranoûthe skyτῶνtôntheκαθαρῶνkatharôncleanἑπτὰheptàsevenἑπτὰheptàsevenἄρσενársena maleκαὶkaìandθῆλυthêlyfemale,καὶkaìandἀπὸapòfromπάντωνpántōnallτῶνtôntheπετεινῶνpeteinônbirdsτῶνtôntheμὴmḕnotκαθαρῶνkatharôncleanδύοdýotwoδύοdýotwoἄρσενársena maleκαὶkaìandθῆλυthêlyfemale,διαθρέψαιdiathrépsaito keep aliveσπέρμαspérmaseedἐπὶepìuponπᾶσανpâsanallτὴνtḕntheγῆνgênearth.

The setting

The same clean/unclean pairing extends to the birds of the sky, and now the purpose is given: διαθρέψαι σπέρμα, “to keep seed alive,” a rare compound verb (δια- intensive + τρέφω, “to nourish”) found nowhere else in this corpus — the flood's aim is preservation, not mere destruction.

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The Septuagint 7.3 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/septuagint/7.3/