A Lexical Study of the Septuagint Version of the Pentateuch

and pres. tense), quoted in MM, and in the NT (c.18 times,
always pres. or impf.).^
The word is very common in the Pentateuch, occurring over
fifty times, usually as a rendering of Hebrew ΚΊ3 . Its usage
is straightforward: it has the same sense as Classical εισέρχομαι,
'go in, into', 'enter', in various constructions. E.g. with
εις Ex. 28.30 ... όταν είσπορεύηται εις το αγιον εναντίον
κυρίου, 34.12 ... της γης, εις ην ε'ισπορεύη εις αυτήν, abs. De.
28.6 ευλογημένος σύ έν τω είσπορεύεσθαί σε, Nu. 4.47 πάς ό
είσπορευόμενος πρός τό έργον τών έργων.
Most of the examples in the Pentateuch are in the present
tense, four in the impf. (Ge. 6.4 EX. 33.8, 34.34, Le. 33.40).
Conversely εισέρχομαι is not found in the pres., and in the
impf, only once (Ge. 38.9, 6
without apparent justification).
For the future ε'ισελεύσομαι is usual (over 40 times) ,
είσπορεύσομαι occurring only in De. 1.2 2 Β (είσπορευόμεθα A,
al.); similarly the aor. is normally είσήλθον (very common),
with ε'ισεπορεύθην only in De. 1.8 Β (είσελθόντες A, al.). In
the pf. we find both είσελήλυθα, De. 26.3, and εΊσπεπόρευμαι,
Ex. 1.1, 14.28.
The synonymity of ε'ισπορεύομαι with the verbs supplying
the other tenses is well illustrated by Ge. 7.16 και τα
ε ίσπορευόμενα αρσεν και θήλυ άπό πάσης σαρκός ε'ισήλθεν, καθά
ένετείλατο ό θεός τώ Νωε.
The available evidence suggest that the above pattern is
in accordance with contemporary usage. In papyri of the third
century B.C. ε'ισπορεύομαι is, as we have seen, usually present
tense; εισέρχομαι occurs only in PSI 418.16 ως αν είσερχώμεθα.
I do not, however, know of any example of είσπεπόρευμαι
(είσελήλυθα is found in PEleph. 13.6). In the NT εισέρχομαι is
confined to the more literary gospels and Ep. Hebr., whereas
Mark uses for the pres. and impf, only ε'ισπορεύομαι.
5. See also Anz, Subsidia 332.
6. ε'ισήρχετο A D E and various cursives, ε'ισήλθεν abcf ikmorvxc2,
εισεπορεύετο hit. In view of the above evidence perhaps ε'ισήλθεν
or εισεπορεύετο is to be preferred here. (Either aor. or impf.
is possible in the context: see Bl. DF §367 on the construction.)