What was the purpose of Origen’s Hexapla?

The primary purpose of the Hexapla was to resolve the growing confusion caused by the existence of multiple, often conflicting, versions of the Old Testament during the 3rd century.2

By compiling these texts into a single, massive work, Origen sought to provide a reliable scholarly resource for comparison. The work arranged the Hebrew text, a transliteration of the Hebrew in Greek characters, and several Greek translations—including those of Aquila, Symmachus, the Septuagint, and Theodotion—in parallel columns.12

Origen’s specific focus was the critical editing of the Septuagint column. He used specialized symbols, such as the obelus and asterisk, to indicate discrepancies between the Greek text and the Hebrew original, thereby attempting to restore accuracy to the Septuagint based on the Hebrew source.12