The Septuagint holds a significant place among the literary works of the Intertestamental Period, marking a crucial development in the history of the Jewish people. It is the earliest and most important translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, created for the benefit of Greek-speaking Jews in Alexandria, Egypt. A Jewish community had existed in Alexandria since its foundation by Alexander the Great, and within a few generations, they had forgotten their native Hebrew, necessitating a translation into the only language they knew, Greek. This translation is commonly called the Septuagint, derived from the Latin word septuaginta, meaning seventy, and is often abbreviated as LXX. Some historians suggest the name reflects a tradition that about seventy-two elders of Israel, supposedly six from each tribe, were brought to Alexandria to translate the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, into Greek. Others believe it was named after the Alexandrian Sanhedrin, which consisted of seventy members. Evidence of Alexandrian Macedonic Greek forms in the Septuagint suggests the translators were likely Alexandrian Jews rather than interpreters from Jerusalem. The composition of the Septuagint began under the earlier Ptolemeys, with the Pentateuch being the first section translated, sometime before 200 BC, and considered the best part of the version. The remaining books were translated during the second century BC, reflecting a decline in the quality of Hebrew manuscripts and learning. Different translators worked on various books without a general revision to harmonize the whole, leading to inconsistencies in the rendering of names and a lesser quality in poetical sections compared to historical ones, with misunderstandings in important passages of the greater prophets. Despite these shortcomings, the Septuagint played a vital role in making the Old Testament scriptures accessible in Greek, the common language of the East after Alexander's conquests, thus preparing the world for the word of God. Through this translation, the scriptures became the property of the entire world, read every Sabbath in synagogues, and imparted Israel's Messianic hopes to a broader audience. Even as unreliable as it was, the Septuagint was still sufficient to help both Jews and Gentiles gain an understanding of God's truth, contributing to a continuity between the Old and New Testaments.

The Septuagint, as a significant historical translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, holds a vital place in understanding the transmission of God's Word. This ancient version, created for the Greek-speaking Jewish diaspora, facilitated the spread of God's teachings among those who no longer spoke Hebrew as their primary language. It served as a bridge, ensuring that the laws, prophecies, and histories of the Israelites remained accessible to a wider audience, preserving the spiritual heritage of God's chosen people. The Septuagint's influence underscores the importance of making God's revelations available to all, reflecting His desire to reach every corner of humanity with His truth.

The Greek term "ecclesia," synonymous with "assembly" or "congregation," became integrated into Hebrew knowledge through the dominant influence of Greek culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great. This cultural and linguistic influence extended over parts of the Middle East, including Egypt, impacting governance, business, arts, and language. The term "ecclesia" was notably used in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, where rabbis employed it to denote any grouping of people assembled for a meeting, including religious gatherings, without implying a building or formal religious organization. This usage reflects the term's assimilation into common language among the Jews, demonstrating its broad acceptance and application in various contexts during that era.

New Testament writers quoted frequently from both the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Septuagint, but the vast majority of their quotations come from the Septuagint, because most Jews as well as Greeks used Greek and did not read Hebrew. If the New Testament had been written in Hebrew, there would have been no need to quote the Greek version. Matthew, the author most often cited as a possible writer in Hebrew or Aramaic, follows the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew where the two differ, as in Psalm 8:2 (Matthew 21:16) and Isaiah 40:3 (Matthew 3:3). This supports the Greek origin of the New Testament, in which the Holy Spirit inspired Greek words for the names of the Father and the Son rather than Hebrew YHWH or Yahshua. Certain old fragments of the Septuagint do carry the tetragrammaton in Paleo-Hebrew or Aramaic script, but this was not normal usage. Most Septuagint copies used the Greek Kurios, and no New Testament manuscript contains YHWH. The Septuagint thus shows that translating the divine names into Greek was established practice, which sets the precedent for translating them into English.