Given those two great weaknesses, why did the Septuagint translators and the New Testament authors choose the Greek word diatheke ("testament") to translate the Hebrew berith ("covenant")? Because it was a better choice than the alternative Greek term—syntheke. That word features the prefix syn- such English terms as synonym, syncretism, and synchronization. It simply means "with." And the idea of a synthe kein Greek culture was an agreement between equal partners, an agreement with the consent of peers. The Jewish translators wanted to maintain that the covenants that God makes with His people are made between a superior and a subordinate, not between two equal parties. So, the word syntheke was rejected.
~ DR. R. C. SPROUT
鑑於前述這diatheke有兩個弱點,為什麼Septuagint的翻譯人員和《新約》作者仍選擇希臘語單詞diatheke(遺囑)來翻譯希伯來語的berith(盟約)?因為它是比希臘語“syntheke”更好的選擇。該字具有字首syn-的英語,表示「同義詞」、「不同學說、學派調和主義 」和「使時間互相一致」。Syn-表示“with””together”;syn-希臘語文化的思想是平等夥伴之間的協議,是同輩的協議。猶太譯者希望保持上帝與祂的子民訂立的盟約是在上級與下級之間達成的,而不是在兩個平等的當事人之間達成的。因此,syntheke一詞未被採用。
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Συνθήκη synthíki:treaty條約;agreement:a formally concluded and ratified agreement between countries.
Σύμβαση sýmvasi:contract:a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.
Σύμφωνο sýmfono:covenant:an agreement.
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