In .1, the Segond translation mentions 70 disciples, whereas the (NBS) translation gives 72.
.1 ()
1After this, the Lord appointed 70 others and sent them ahead of him two by two to every town and place where he himself was about to go.
.1 (NBS)
1After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was to go.
This difference comes from variations in the ancient manuscripts: some, such as , mention 70 disciples, while others, such as , give 72. This disagreement explains the translators’ choices depending on the .
In these circumstances, a translation of the original text yields either 70 or 72.
Louis Segond translation 70
Parole de Vie translation 72
translation 72
TOB (Ecumenical) translation 72
translation 70
From a practical standpoint, a variation due to a copyist’s error in .1 (between 70 and 72 disciples) is easily explained when one takes into account the concrete conditions in which ancient manuscripts were transmitted. The phenomenon can be explained in particular as follows:
In the Greek numbering system, numbers were often written with Greek letters.
Example: 70 = Οʹ (omicron with a numeral sign), and 72 = ΟʹΒʹ (omicron + beta with numeral signs)
A small error in reading or copying (such as omitting or adding a character) could easily turn 70 into 72, or vice versa.
Manuscripts were copied by hand, often in poor lighting, on fragile materials (parchment, papyrus). Copyists sometimes worked in groups, copying what a reader dictated aloud, which could lead to errors of hearing or understanding.
Can we consider an unintentional harmonization by some copyists?
Some copyists, influenced by what they knew, may have thought of 70: in connection with the 70 elders of Moses (Numbers 11 16) or the 70 nations of Genesis 10 (list of 70 descendants of Noah). Or of 72: in connection with the 72 translators of the Septuagint.
We can easily imagine a tired copyist copying a manuscript in which the number is written ΟʹΒʹ. He might:
Fail to see the small beta (Βʹ) and simply write Οʹ → 70. Or conversely, add Βʹ by mistake → 72.
We have no explanation that allows us to settle this question. We must acknowledge that, while the original text written by the author of the book remains free of errors, the same cannot be said of the copies, even when they bear witness to great fidelity.
Luke 10.25-37.