The Contribution of the Septuagint to the Masoretic Reading of צלמות

Interpretations of the Hebrew lexeme צלמות often revolve around the question whether it denotes an abstract noun (»darkness«) or a compound (»shadow of death«). We propose that the Septuagint played a key role in the development of the Masoretic reading of צלמות as צַלְמָוֶת . The frequent use of compounds in ancient Greek and the centrality of compounds in Greek etymology likely influenced the Septuagint’s reading of צלמות as a compound. This etymological interpretation became embedded in Greek-Jewish discourse and contributed to the development of the Masoretic interpretation צַלְמָוֶת .