Theology of psalm 129 (130) in its Hebrew (MT) and Greek (LXX) versions

Psalm 129 according to the Russian Synodal Bible (psalm 130 according to the Masoretic text) is part of the «song of ascents» (Ps 119-133). Theological idea of this psalm demonstrates the connection between repentance and hope. Many exegetes of the Psalter focus on issues of genre, composition, and the basic ideas of the Hebrew version of the Psalms, leaving aside the issues of textual criticism and hermeneutics in the earliest translations. However, as modern research shows, the Masoretic text of Psalm 129 (130) has traces of damage, which are usually eliminated by corrections. The purpose of this article is to carry out a comparative analysis of the MT and LXX versions of Psalm 129 (130) in order to trace how such damage was corrected in the Septuagint, as well as what theological accents were set at the stage of the first Greek translations. The textual analysis of psalm 129 (130) makes possible to reveal theological connotations in the methodology of the ancient Greek translation of the Holy Scriptures. The author of the article concludes that the MT and LXX versions of Psalm 129 (130) probably had different pre-MT sources that were not preserved. The LXX version of the psalm was prepared in the Second Temple period under the influence of Torah theology. This kind of translation should be considered as secondary to the Masoretic text, which contains a more archaic attitude towards God, whose worship causes awe.