A Call to Law: The Septuagint of Isaiah 8 and Gentile Law Observance

Though much recent research has focused on the Septuagint of Isa 8, the majority of these studies have analyzed the text in individual units, which creates numerous problems of interpretation. This article reexamines the broader text and context of Isa 8 LXX and argues that the translator transformed this pericope into an extended dialogue between the righteous Israelites and the gentiles. The translator did so to bring out his larger concern that gentiles should not only worship YHWH but should also observe the entirety of Mosaic law. The translator's interpretation of the need for gentile law observance gives us a secondcentury BCE view into a debate that continues through Judaism and Christianity beyond the end of the Second Temple period.