Endnote 2 – Herod’s Horrid Death

I offer my translation (more literal than convenient) as an improvement upon that of Ralph Marcus in the Loeb Classical Library’s volume 8 of Josephus. While there are a few problems with the Greek text of Antiquities, only one is worth mentioning here. I translate the word odaxasthai as “to scratch.” This word is a modern but necessary emendation—the manuscripts erroneously give dexasthai, that is “to receive”—because in the parallel account of War the word is knêsmos, meaning “itch.” The problem is an old one. Already the Latin translator of Josephus, unable to emend the text, accepted the reading dexasthai and went on to render the sentence with food (cibus) in mind. But this is not right. Diagnoses based on the interpretation that Herod had a terrible desire “to receive” food or drink, are therefore invalid.