The Old Testament is often referred to as the Hebrew bible and or the Tanakh, with some revisions to the original. As the original Hebrew began a translation the Eastern Orthodoxy refused the translation of the document and often refers to it as the Septuagint. The Old Testament is considered to have been compiled before the birth of Jesus between the 12th and 2d century BC. In many instances, Jesus and his disciples refer to the Old Testament as the Scriptures or the Laws of Moses.
Which translation
As the document began its journey through various translations, it became more and more corrupt from the original. As this continued through the centuries it became more apparent that the Septuagint was a good thing to have available to check translations against. Generally, the differences between translations, when using the Septuagint, found missing words and phrases more than anything else. Yet they were still missing or lacking the original intent. The Septuagint became the standard authority in many respects and was quoted by Christ on a regular basis. Regardless of the translations of the Hebrew and its eventual acceptance by Christianity, the Septuagint found favor at the time simply because it was in Greek, the language of the Christian church and the Roman Empire.
Pick a book
As the translations of the Old Testament continued and Christianity continued its particular metamorphosis, the Old Testament changed along with the thoughts of the time. The original intent and thought of the book remained but different cannon books began to be added and subtracted from the completed work used at that time. The general order of the books is where the differences are usually found. The Hebrew is generally found in all variations of Christianity but not necessarily in the same place. It may be
supposed that what was happening could be likened to a book editor putting his own stamp on a piece of literature. Although there is sure to be a certain discussion as to the orientation of the books, as they apply to carious Christian denominations and number involved, 40 total books could be considered.
Lost in translation
The shuttling around of books and constant translations using this particular reference with that particular reference often make a true reading of the Old Testament a bit difficult. It also opens up a section of study where archeologists have started to look at the archeological record as it relates to statements made in the Old Testament. Generally, it appears that people are always looking a bit deeper then they really need to when searching for the true meaning they seek.
Interpretation and understanding
Past the shuttling around of the Old Testament books, the real understanding and interpretation of the books can tend to be lost. As the testament editor of his day goes about arraigning the books, what is he trying to say about the individual books? Does he have an interpretation that he is trying to get across or is he offering an understanding of what the books were originally trying to say? Translations to reordering, they have all become part of the history of the Old testament and likely one of the reasons that the Eastern Orthodoxy chose to keep the original work as close to what it was intended to be.