Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Daniel 8:14 and צדק being Transformational in Meaning

In Dan 8:14, we read:

 

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

 

The term translated as "cleansed" in Hebrew is ‎נִצְדַּ֖ק, from ‎צדק. What is interesting is that the LXX translates ‎צדק in this verse as "to cleanse" (καθαριζω), showing that the LXX translators understood ‎צדק to have a transformative sense, not merely declarative:

 

‎καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ἕως ἑσπέρας καὶ πρωὶ ἡμέραι δισχίλιαι τριακόσιαι καὶ καθαρισθήσεται τὸ ἅγιον

 

And he said to him, "Two thousand three hundred days, evenings and mornings, and the sanctuary will be purified." (NETS)