Hapax Legomena, the Septuagint, and Hebrew Lexicography

The definition of words in the Hebrew Bible as hapax legomena is a thorny issue. Even more problematic is the task to translate hapaxes accurately. Especially the interpretation of so-called absolute hapaxes sometimes seems to be a quiz in which guessing for the precise meaning is the only option. Although it cannot be known with certainty to which degree words that are currently considered to be absolute hapax legomena were also experienced as hapax legomena by the translators of the Septuagint as the most ancient Bible translation, most probably they would have been the first ones to become confronted with this enigma. Their initial interpretation of Hebrew hapax legomena, moreover, has had far-reaching consequences. Paraphrasing the title of T. Muraoka’s publication Hebrew Hapax Legomena and Septuagint Lexi- cography (1991), the present paper will discuss the way in which lexicographers often seem to be guided by the Septuagint’s interpretation of Hebrew hapax legomena. In this respect the extent to which Hebrew lexica often and in a quasi-dogmatic way present the meaning of a Hebrew hapax exclusively on the basis of the Septuagint’s interpretation will be illustrated on the basis of some concrete items.