Q
I was just wondering if the reference to Orion’s belt in the book of Job was actually an illusion to the Greek illustration, or if the Hebrew word(s) translated “Orion’s Belt” actually referred to a strictly Jewish concept of those stars and their arrangement. Thanks for your time!
A
The Hebrew word translated Orion in Job 38:31 is Keciyl. It appears 4 times in the Old Testament and is translated Orion in 3 of them. In the 4th it’s rendered constellation.
There’s good circumstantial evidence that the Book of Job was the earliest one written, perhaps during the time when the Israelites were in Egypt before the Exodus. This means the knowledge of Orion preceded the Greek people and their language by over 1000 years.