Jeremiah 10:1–16 MT and LXX

What is it about?

er 10:1-16 is a jigsaw puzzle. The text has come down to us in different forms and languages (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin), transmitted by numerous manuscripts. Usually, scholars attribute the origin of their differences to typical scribal practices, i.e., additions, variations, or errors due to copying ancient texts. However, the culture where Jer 10:1-16 (with other texts) was composed and transmitted was predominantly oral. Precisely oral transmission, oral performance of texts, their use in traditional liturgy, and thus their memorization was the most common way texts such as Jer 10:1-16 circulated. Beginning with a study of the differences between the different forms of Jer 10:-16 that have come down to us, the article shows the impact of oral culture in the transmission of the text. The interplay between the "oral world" and the "written world" helps explain the textual conundrum of Jer 10:1–16.

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