Exodus 32 is a pivotal point in time for the Hebrews, they have just been freed from slavery in Egypt and have seen the raw power of God. Yet they so quickly forsake him and turn to their own gods. This is just one of many incidents where the Hebrews seem to lose faith and turn from God. The movie, “The 10 Commandments” and Exodus 32 of the Septuagint/KJV can be very comparable. By pointing out some of their differences, a deeper and better understanding of both the readings and movie could be made.
The character Nathan in the movie plays somewhat of a crucial role, he is always instigating against God and does his best to get the people to join in his evil ways. In part II of the movie (1:14 – 1:24), we can see the unfolding of the creation of the golden calf and the sinfulness of the Hebrews. Nathan at the beginning of this scene suggests that they should make their own gods since Moses has been gone so long and is presumed to be dead. However, its curious that Exodus 32 in both the KJV and the Septuagint, have no character known as “Nathan”. Its seems that the movie directors created a character that represents the Hebrew people. He is indecisive and seems to act before he thinks. So when the text says “The people”, we can think of that being Nathan from the movie.
Perhaps a key detail that is excluded from the movie is the dialog between God and Moses on the mountain. The movie shows God giving Moses a quick warning before he leaves saying “Go! for my people have corrupted themselves”, but in the texts it tells a different story. God was furious with his people. He said to Moses “Now let me alone, and I will be angry with them and consume them, and I will make you a great nation.” (Exodus 32:10). Yet Moses pleads to God telling him not to consume his people. This would only make Egyptians laugh at the fact that God went through all the work to free the Hebrews only to kill them in the wilderness. Moses’s prayer was heard be God and it actually caused God to change his mind. This is significant on its own by just seeing how God really does take our thoughts into account in his actions. But by looking at how the Septuagint recorded Gods response to how the KJV recorded it, the reader might get two different ideas about God.
Septuagint, Exodus 32:14 – “And the Lord was prevailed upon to preserve his people”
KJV, Exodus 32:14 – “And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people”
The key difference between these two is how it portrays God. In the Septuagint, God seems to be performing an act of mercy and has been talked out of killing the Hebrews. Its gives the feeling that Gods love for us prevailed against his anger. However in the KJV, it makes God seem like the bad guy in the story. By saying “The Lord repented of the evil” it makes it seem like God was going to do something that was evil or wrong. At an extreme level, it might even hint that God was about to sin, but refrained himself. But the reality of it is that God had every right to wipe the Hebrews off the face of the earth, therefore it would not of been a wrong or evil thing for him to do. The slight word difference between these two versions of the bible can make a huge difference on how they are perceived.
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