Creating Poetry in LXX Numbers 21:30: The Reception and Poeticization of Num 21:30 in Codex Vaticanus and Codex Alexandrinus

Abstract Num 21:30 contains polysemous language, difficult syntax, and an enigmatic relationship to its surrounding context. This paper explores how the Septuagint (LXX) translators addressed the ambiguity of Num 21:30. Despite the prosaic nature of Num 21:30 in the Hebrew consonantal text, later LXX translators interpreted the verse as poetry and employed various scribal techniques to poeticize and harmonize the verse with the preceding song (vv. 27–29). Aside from these harmonizations, translators for LXX B and LXX A used various kinds of unit delimitations to strengthen the relationship between v. 30 and the Song of Heshbon. The textual divergences between the LXX and Hebrew consonantal text are therefore not haphazard textual corruptions. Rather, they reflect consistent attempts by early translators to cohere the verse with the Song of Heshbon.