This common translation significantly diverges from the original Hebrew, as discerning readers can easily observe. Let us first provide an explanation of the Hebrew text and then, with Christ's assistance, if we are worthy, offer our perspective on the LXX translation. The house of Joseph, which symbolizes Ephraim and thus royalty, along with Bethel—or as the LXX renders it, the house of Israel—representing kings and nations, idols and idolaters, is destined for destruction due to its provocation of God through unjust judgments. They have changed the sweetness of justice into the bitterness of wormwood, forsaking the truth and embracing iniquity. The subsequent verse clarifies what this truth encompasses: ‘Who created Arcturus and Orion, and turned darkness into morning, and darkened the day into night.’ He, who is referenced as the Creator of mountains and maker of the wind, who speaks to humanity, transforms morning into darkness, and walks upon the heights of the earth; the Lord God of Hosts is His name. The term 'Arcturus', known in Hebrew as “chiya”, has been rendered by Simmachus and Theodotion as πλείαδα, while it is colloquially referred to as “Votes.” Concerning 'Orion', the Hebrew term ‘chasil’ is generally translated by Simmachus as ‘stars’ and by Theodotion as ‘evening star’; however, our Jewish teacher in the Scriptures believes ‘chasil’ denotes ‘splendor’, implying radiant stars. When we mention Arcturus and Orion, we must not subscribe to the whimsical tales of poets who aim to tarnish the heavens and misrepresent transformations into stars as a reward for immoral actions, claiming: Arcturus, and the Hyades rain, and the twin Trions—these they observe, alongside Orion, gleaming like gold. Instead, we must acknowledge that these Hebrew names have been translated into our language using terms borrowed from pagan mythology, as we can only grasp their meanings through names with which we are familiar by practice and experience. Thus, in the book of Kings, the Greeks rendered the Hebrew term ‘raphaim’ as ‘titans’ (2 Kings 5:18), rooted in a notoriously familiar myth among Gentiles, which inspired numerous works extolling the gods, depicting the battle of giants, Tithonus’s weapons, and Mount Etna, burdened upon Enceladus, whose movements shake Trinacria. Yet, God, the Creator of all, is the one who made Arcturus and Orion, transforms night into day and day into night, purifies the bitter waters of the sea, lifted up by the heat of the atmosphere, and pours them out as refreshing rains, akin to a medical vessel that, through the superior heat, ascends moisture and blood. This illustrates how rainfall occurs. In the following phrase, ‘He mocks at the desolation of the strong,’ the prophet turns to the present, stating that the Creator of all threatens the captivity of Samaria and brings ruin to the powerful because they distort justice into bitterness and abandon the truth. When we say, ‘He laughs,’ Aquila interprets it as ό μειδίων, where μειδίαμα signifies what we call a ‘sneer,’ a slight opening of the lips that suggests annoyance. Regarding the LXX translation, God judges from the highest, administering justice in truth and rewarding everyone according to their deeds. Anyone aspiring to emulate Him, striving to be His son, and achieving perfection as their Father is perfect in heaven (Matt. 5), executes judgment from high places and does not imitate those judges who lack fear of God and are unashamed before men (Luke 18), failing to elevate their judgments to heaven but instead bringing them down. The phrase ‘and has put righteousness upon the earth’ must be understood to mean that He bestowed His righteousness, which is Christ, upon the earth so that He might transform earthly beings into heavenly ones through triumph over all unrighteousness. I believe even the pagan poet drew inspiration from this when describing the simple and blissful existence of rural folk, stating, ‘They have only the last trace of truth leaving the earth and departing from it.’ By stating, ‘He creates all things and transforms them,’ they encompass Arcturus and Orion in one expression, neglecting to accurately convey their meanings in Greek. God indeed transforms all when He elevates earthy realities to heavenly ones, bestowing upon humans the likeness of angels, when the moon shines as bright as the sun, and the sun’s radiance outshines all other times, transforming the frail and mortal into a robust and eternal being, while glory changes but not essence, as the wise will shine like the stars in the firmament, fulfilling the scripture: ‘And glory to the sun, and glory to the moon, and glory to the stars: for the star differs in glory from the star; even so also the resurrection of the dead’ (1 Cor. 15:41-42), when all creation will be liberated from the shackles of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. This is the God who transforms everything, bringing even the shadow of death into illumination, as those who once dwelled in darkness and the shadow of death witnessed the magnificent light, and those who were children of night and darkness became children of light and day. This is the God who can turn daytime into darkness—the day of those who cried, ‘Crucify Him, crucify Him’ (John 19:6), seeking to remove Him from the earth, when from the sixth hour the day turned into night, symbolizing the blindness of the Jewish people. Not only does this happen on a literal level, but also in a higher sense, as the light that rose for them in the law and prophets has turned into darkness, and they remain ignorant of what they read and hear, in accordance with the scripture: ‘Let their eyes be darkened that they do not see, and their backs be compelled to slumber’ (Psalm 68:24). This God summons the waters of the seas and pours them over the earth, transforming sinners into the righteous. To illustrate this briefly, let us consider one example. The apostle Paul, like a tempest, a violent storm, and the depths of a raging sea, persecuted and oppressed the Church of God. Upon receiving the Lord’s call, he spread his mission over the entire earth, preaching from Jerusalem to Illyricum and refraining from building upon another’s foundation (Romans 15). He ventured as far as Spain and traversed from ocean to ocean, emulating his Lord and the Sun of Righteousness, of whom it is written: ‘from the end of heaven his exodus, and his meeting to the end of heaven’ (Psalms 18:7), as he was more motivated by zeal than grounded on earth. This God also diminishes strength, rendering powerless those who were strong in evil, allowing them to declare, like the apostle: ‘when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Cor. 12:10). For the ‘sons of this age are wiser than the sons of light in their generation’ (Luke 16:8). Physical strength leads to spiritual weakness, while inner strength manifests as physical frailty. Hence, the Lord, who orchestrates all things orderly and judges rightly, crushes the robust enemy and brings distress to the stronghold that resists divine truth. This reveals itself in Proverbs: ‘The wise enter strong cities and demolish the stronghold on which the wicked relied’ (Proverbs 21:22). He operates similarly towards all secular powers and particularly against heretics, who seek to impose false teachings through arguments, sophistries, and dialectical skills. Yet, the wise dismantle them, and with God’s assistance, reveal the futility of these strongholds by bringing calamities upon them, so that abandoning their arrogance, they may echo the apostle: ‘I am a wretched man: who shall rescue me from the body of this death?’ (Rom. 7:24).
THEOSIS