Proverbs Commentary

Kenneth Neighoff

I am looking for a Logos resource that deAl’s with variant readings in the LXX.

In my reading today from Proverbs 18, I noticed this:

Proverbs 18:22–22a (Logos LXX): ὃς εὗρεν γυναῖκα ἀγαθήν, εὗρεν χάριτας, ἔλαβεν δὲ παρὰ θεοῦ ἱλαρότητα.†
22a ὃς ἐκβάλλει γυναῖκα ἀγαθήν, ἐκβάλλει τὰ ἀγαθά, ὁ δὲ κατέχων μοιχαλίδα ἄφρων καὶ ἀσεβής

I am looking for commentaries that deal with the rise of the alternate readings in the LXX.

Thanks for any help.

Morgan

Fox, in the Anchor Yale Bible Series, touches on it breifly.

Prov 18:22a reads, lit., “He found a woman, he found good,” a capsule anecdote (see the Comment on 11:2). Aware that not every wife is a blessing (consider 7:1–27; 21:9, 19; 30:20; etc.), some versions and rabbinic quotations supply the modifier “good” in v 22a (LXX, Syr, Vul, Tg, b. Ber. 8a, b. Yeb. 63b, Mid. Shoḥer Tov 151ab). In a similar vein, Prov 19:14 speaks of the special blessing of an intelligent wife. The present proverb, however, celebrates the value of a wife as such, without excluding the possibility of exceptions. Prov 18:22b = 8:35b ≈ 12:2a.
The LXX adds: “He who expels a good wife expels happiness, but he who retains an adulteress is foolish and wicked.” See the Textual Note.

Textual Note

18:22. LXX: “α He who has found a good wife [gynaika agathēn] has found favor [pl.] [charitas]  and has received cheerfulness [hilarotēta] from God.” LXX makes it clear that only a good woman (for MT’s “a woman”/“wife”) is intended; likewise Vul and a Heb MS add “good,” as do quotations in b. Ber. 8a; b. Yeb. 63b; Mid. Shoḥer Ṭov 151ab. Hexaplaric “others” have chrēstēn “good,” “useful.” Syr: ʾnttʾ ṭbtʾ “good wife” in (a) = LXX; likewise Tg. The diversity of these sources suggests that ṭwbh “good” was supplied in some Heb MSS. The medieval commentators also emphasize this point.
18:22a. LXX: “α He who expels a good wife expels happiness [lit., “the good”; pl.], β but he who retains an adulteress is foolish and wicked.” LXX 22a is a variant translation of MT 22a, also with ṭwbh “good” (wife). The Gk vocalizes mōṣîʾ (“expel”) twice. LXX 22a is a later addition (see below, on Syr) that supplies an antithesis to 22a. Vul has 22a.
Syr has only: “And he who expels a good wife expels good from his house.” If Syr were dependent on the LXX here, it would have copied the entire added verse. Since it does not copy LXX’s 22a, it probably had the equivalent of LXX 22a in its source text (perhaps without “from his house”). This variant had either mwṣyʾ (y-ṣ-ʾ H, ptcp.) or mwṣʾ parsed as y-ṣ-ʾ H, ptcp.
Variant: mwṣ(y)ʾ ʾšh ṭwbh mwṣyʾ ṭwb [additional line].

Waltke in NICOT has two textual notes:

The addition of “good” in the LXX, Syr., Vulg., and 1 medieval Heb MS, but not in Targ., represents a tautologous interpretive gloss.

The LXX adds, “he that puts away a good wife puts away a good thing, and he that keeps an adulteress is foolish and ungodly.” The Syr. adopted the first half of the addition and the Vulg. the whole of it.