The use of ἱκανός in reference to God and to people in the Septuagint

Bonanno, Beatrice [UCL]

In recent years, a growing amount of attention has been paid to the Septuagint lexicography, revealing the use of new terms or fresh meanings or utilizations of old terms, as well as new nuances given to the biblical text by specific nouns. Within this current trend of research, this article focuses on the term ἱκανός, paying particular attention to its unique renderings in reference to both people and God in the LXX. The article analyses, therefore, the use of ἱκανός, when used as a name for God in Ruth 1:20–21. It briefly surveys the occurrences where ἱκανός refers to people from a quantitative point of view before focusing on the instances where the term describes a person (or a group of people) qualitativly (Exod 4:10; Joel 2:11; cf. 1 Macc 16:3). In this way, the article highlights the nuances conveyed by the use of the term ἱκανός within the Greek text, which are not necessarly attested in the Hebrew Vorlage.