Translation Techniques and Interpretative Phenomena in the Greek Version of the Hebrew Bible: A Study of the figurative Use of the Noun צֵל ‘Shadow’

The article explores the figurative use of ṣel “shadow” in the Old Testament, focusing on two particular metaphors: the shadow as the protection provided especially by the closeness to the king or to God; and the shadow as transitoriness, applied to the days of the human life span. The Greek translator seems to be sensitive to the polarity of these semantic extensions: while, on the one hand, the use of the term σκιά “shadow” fits the literal use and the “negative” metaphor of transitoriness and vanity, on the other hand, when the use of the Hebrew ṣel implies the “positive” effects of the presence of a powerful one (the king, or God), the translators’ choice falls preferably on σκέπη “shelter, protection”. This pattern may reveal the traces of an exegetical phenomenon. The article discusses the emerging of such translational behavior, through a text-critical investigation of the Septuagint and its revisions. Secondly, the article suggest an explanation of this translational choice by investigating 1) Possible “internal” motivations related to the equivalence ṣalmawet - σκιὰ θανάτου “the shadow of death”, based on a para-etymological interpretation of the Hebrew noun; 2) The range of the figurative use of the term σκιά “shadow” in Greek literature (from Homer to Hellenism); 3) The use of term σκέπη in the Greek Ptolemaic Papyri. This point is particularly important as it reveals that the term is found steadily as a technical (legal) term for requesting asylum, namely indicating the inviolability of certain sacred places.