Editing Septuagint (section)

=== Onomastics ===
One of the main challenges, faced by translators during their work, emanated from the need to implement appropriate Greek forms for various [[onomastic]] terms, used in the Hebrew Bible. Most onomastic terms (toponyms, anthroponyms) of the Hebrew Bible were rendered by corresponding Greek terms that were similar in form and sounding, with some notable exceptions.{{sfn|Tov|2010|p=413–428}}

One of those exceptions was related to a specific group of onomastic terms for the region of [[Aram (region)|Aram]] and ancient [[Arameans]]. Influenced by Greek onomastic terminology, translators decided to adopt Greek custom of using "Syrian" [[labels]] as designations for Arameans, their lands and language, thus abandoning [[endonymic]] (native) terms, that were used in the Hebrew Bible. In the Greek translation, the region of [[Aram (region)|Aram]] was commonly labeled as "Syria", while Arameans were labeled as "Syrians". Such adoption and implementation of terms that were foreign ([[exonymic]]) had far-reaching influence on later terminology related to Arameans and their lands, since the same terminology was reflected in later Latin and other translations of the Septuagint, including the English translation.{{sfn|Wevers|2001|p=237-251}}{{sfn|Joosten|2008|p=93-105}}{{sfn|Joosten|2010|p=53–72}}{{sfn|Messo|2011|p=113-114}}

Reflecting on those problems, American orientalist Robert W. Rogers (d. 1930) noted in 1921: "it is most unfortunate that Syria and Syrians ever came into the English versions. It should always be Aram and the Aramaeans".{{sfn|Rogers|1921|p=139}}