Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 22

And SAFE0 took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass (Exod. 4:20). This is one of the ten verses our rabbis altered when they translated the Torah into Greek for King Ptolemy.16Megillah 9a. The Septuagint, begun during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 B.C.E.). The ten changes are: “God created in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1);17Instead of In the beginning God created, in order to emphasize that God alone created. “I shall make man in My image and My likeness” (ibid., v. 26);18Instead of Let us make man in our image. etc. “And He finished on the sixth day, and rested on the seventh day (ibid. 2:2);19Instead of And on the seventh day God finished, thus giving the impression that God actually worked on the seventh day. “Male and female He created him” (ibid. 5:2);20Instead of Male and female He created them, etc. “Come, let Me descend and confound their tongue” (ibid. 11:7);21Instead of Come, let us go down, etc. “And Sarah laughed among her relatives” (ibid. 18:12);22Instead of And Sarah laughed within herself. “For in their anger they slew an ox, and in their wrath they digged up a stall” (ibid. 49:6);23Instead of For in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen. “And Moses took his wife and his sons, and made them ride on a carrier of men” (Exod. 4:20);24Instead of… and set them upon an ass. “Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt, and in the land of Goshen and in Canaan was four hundred and thirty years” (ibid. 12:40);25Instead of Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years, etc. “And he sent the elect of the children of Israel” (ibid. 24:5);26Instead of And he sent the young men of the children of Israel. “And against the elect of the children of Israel he put not forth his hand (ibid., v. 11);27Instead of And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand. “Since the Lord thy God hath arranged to give light to all the peoples under the entire heavens” (Deut. 4:19);28The words “to give light” were added. “Which I had not commanded the people to serve” (Deut. 17:3);29Instead of Which I have commanded not. they wrote about “the slender-footed,” but they did not write the word ‘arnevet (“the hare”) (Lev. 11:5) because the name of Ptolemy’s wife was ‘Arnevet,30Actually, her name was Arsinoe. and he might say: “The Jews are ridiculing me by writing my wife’s name in the Torah.”

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass (Exod. 4:20). This is one of the ten verses our rabbis altered when they translated the Torah into Greek for King Ptolemy.16Megillah 9a. The Septuagint, begun during the reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 B.C.E.). The ten changes are: “God created in the beginning” (Gen. 1:1);17Instead of In the beginning God created, in order to emphasize that God alone created. “I shall make man in My image and My likeness” (ibid., v. 26);18Instead of Let us make man in our image. etc. “And He finished on the sixth day, and rested on the seventh day (ibid. 2:2);19Instead of And on the seventh day God finished, thus giving the impression that God actually worked on the seventh day. “Male and female He created him” (ibid. 5:2);20Instead of Male and female He created them, etc. “Come, let Me descend and confound their tongue” (ibid. 11:7);21Instead of Come, let us go down, etc. “And Sarah laughed among her relatives” (ibid. 18:12);22Instead of And Sarah laughed within herself. “For in their anger they slew an ox, and in their wrath they digged up a stall” (ibid. 49:6);23Instead of For in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed oxen. “And Moses took his wife and his sons, and made them ride on a carrier of men” (Exod. 4:20);24Instead of… and set them upon an ass. “Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt, and in the land of Goshen and in Canaan was four hundred and thirty years” (ibid. 12:40);25Instead of Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years, etc. “And he sent the elect of the children of Israel” (ibid. 24:5);26Instead of And he sent the young men of the children of Israel. “And against the elect of the children of Israel he put not forth his hand (ibid., v. 11);27Instead of And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand. “Since the Lord thy God hath arranged to give light to all the peoples under the entire heavens” (Deut. 4:19);28The words “to give light” were added. “Which I had not commanded the people to serve” (Deut. 17:3);29Instead of Which I have commanded not. they wrote about “the slender-footed,” but they did not write the word ‘arnevet (“the hare”) (Lev. 11:5) because the name of Ptolemy’s wife was ‘Arnevet,30Actually, her name was Arsinoe. and he might say: “The Jews are ridiculing me by writing my wife’s name in the Torah.”

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