Acts 7:43
Footnote:
| 29 | The Greek text of Acts 7:43 exhibits considerable variation (and confusion among scholars) regarding the name of the deity associated with the “star/constellation of God.” Major manuscript readings include Ῥομφά / Ῥομφάν (Nestle 1904; Westcott-Hort 1881; Tischendorf 8th ed.), Ρεμφάν / Ρεμφὰν (Byzantine Majority Text 2005; Greek Orthodox Church; Scrivener’s Textus Receptus 1894; Stephanus TR 1550), and Ραιφάν (some critical editions, reflecting an attempt to render the Hebrew כִּיוּן, Kiyyun). The Ῥομφά / Rompha reading aligns phonetically with the Greek noun ῥομφαία (“single-edged sword”), providing a lexical basis for translating the term literally as the broadsword or single edge sword, whereas the later variants modify the transliteration of the Semitic deity name, later rendered in English as Remphan or Rephan. Who is Molech? Regular forms from mlk (“to reign, be king”)
The Masoretic pointing of Molech apparently represents an artificial, derogatory distortion of the normal participle/noun. Because the name obviously refers to a contemptous, detestable child-eating god, the Masorete scribes tampered with the form— instead of honoring him as mōlēkh (“the reigning one”), the scribes gave him a corrupted, contemptuous shape mōlekh (מֹלֶךְ). That way, the name still looks like “king” or “reigner,” but sounds wrong to Hebrew ears. Star Constellation of the God ἄστρον astron is properly a constellation. There is no 2nd person plural personal/possessive pronoun in the earliest manuscripts. It was likely added, as the habit seems to be, to force a certain "clarity." Hence, "Your God" is not the most accurate. |