Septuagint Translation of Torah to Ancient Greek

The translation of the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) into Ancient Greek is known as the Septuagint. The Septuagint was produced in Alexandria, Egypt, in the third century BCE. The translation was commissioned by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the ruler of Egypt at the time, who wanted a Greek version of the Jewish scriptures for his library.

According to legend, seventy-two Jewish scholars were brought to Alexandria to undertake the translation. Each scholar worked independently on his own section of the Torah, and when the work was complete, the seventy-two translations were compared and reconciled to produce a single version of the text.

The Septuagint became an important text for Greek-speaking Jews, and was widely used in synagogues throughout the Hellenistic world. It was also an important source of inspiration for early Christian writers, who often quoted from the Septuagint in their writings.