Discovery BoxGenesis 26:1-35
Context26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 1 in the days of Abraham. 2 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 3 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 4 26:3 Stay 5 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 6 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 7 and I will fulfill 8 the solemn promise I made 9 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 10 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 11 26:5 All this will come to pass 12 because Abraham obeyed me 13 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 14 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 15 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 16 “The men of this place will kill me to get 17 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 18 had been there a long time, 19 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 20 Isaac caressing 21 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 22 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 23
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 24 One of the men 25 might easily have had sexual relations with 26 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 27 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 28
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 29 because the Lord blessed him. 30 26:13 The man became wealthy. 31 His influence continued to grow 32 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 33 so many sheep 34 and cattle 35 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 36 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 37 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 38 for you have become much more powerful 39 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 40 26:18 Isaac reopened 41 the wells that had been dug 42 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 43 after Abraham died. Isaac 44 gave these wells 45 the same names his father had given them. 46
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 47 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 48 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 49 named the well 50 Esek 51 because they argued with him about it. 52 26:21 His servants 53 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 54 Sitnah. 55 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 56 named it 57 Rehoboth, 58 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 59 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 60 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 61
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 62 to him from Gerar along with 63 Ahuzzah his friend 64 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 65 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 66 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 67 a pact between us 68 – between us 69 and you. Allow us to make 70 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 71 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 72 you, but have always treated you well 73 before sending you away 74 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 75
26:30 So Isaac 76 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 77 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 78 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 79
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 80 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 81 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 82 to this day.
26:34 When 83 Esau was forty years old, 84 he married 85 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 86
Genesis 11:7-8
Context11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 87 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 88
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 89 the city.
Exodus 32:7-8
Context32:7 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Go quickly, descend, 90 because your 91 people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. 32:8 They have quickly turned aside 92 from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”
Nehemiah 9:16-20
Context9:16 “But they – our ancestors 93 – behaved presumptuously; they rebelled 94 and did not obey your commandments. 9:17 They refused to obey and did not recall your miracles that you had performed among them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to return to their bondage in Egypt. 95 But you are a God of forgiveness, merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and unfailing in your loyal love. 96 You did not abandon them, 9:18 even when they made a cast image of a calf for themselves and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up from Egypt,’ or when they committed atrocious 97 blasphemies.
9:19 “Due to your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. The pillar of cloud did not stop guiding them in the path by day, 98 nor did the pillar of fire stop illuminating for them by night the path on which they should travel. 9:20 You imparted your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths; you provided water for their thirst.
Psalms 81:11-12
Context81:11 But my people did not obey me; 99
Israel did not submit to me. 100
81:12 I gave them over to their stubborn desires; 101
they did what seemed right to them. 102
Psalms 106:7-48
Context106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 103
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 104
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 105 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 106 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 107 them from the power 108 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 109
106:12 They believed his promises; 110
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 111
they did not wait for his instructions. 112
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 113 for meat; 114
they challenged God 115 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 116
106:16 In the camp they resented 117 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 118
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 119 the group led by Abiram. 120
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 121
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 122
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 123 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 124 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 125 to destroy them,
but 126 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 127
and turned back his destructive anger. 128
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 129
they did not believe his promise. 130
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 131
they did not obey 132 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 133
that he would make them die 134 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 135 die 136 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 137
106:28 They worshiped 138 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 139
106:29 They made the Lord angry 140 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 141
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 142
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 143 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 144 his temper, 145
and he spoke rashly. 146
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 147
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 148
106:36 They worshiped 149 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 150
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 151
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 152
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 153
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 154
and despised the people who belong to him. 155
106:41 He handed them over to 156 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 157
106:43 Many times he delivered 158 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 159
and degraded themselves 160 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 161 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 162
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 163 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 164
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 165
in the future and forevermore. 166
Let all the people say, “We agree! 167 Praise the Lord!” 168
Ezekiel 20:8
Context20:8 But they rebelled against me, and refused to listen to me; no one got rid of their detestable idols, 169 nor did they abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out 170 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:13
Context20:13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness; they did not follow my statutes and they rejected my regulations (the one who obeys them will live by them), and they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out 171 my rage on them in the wilderness and destroy them. 172
Ezekiel 20:16
Context20:16 I did this 173 because they rejected my regulations, did not follow my statutes, and desecrated my Sabbaths; for their hearts followed their idols. 174
Ezekiel 20:21
Context20:21 “‘But the children 175 rebelled against me, did not follow my statutes, did not observe my regulations by carrying them out (the one who obeys 176 them will live by them), and desecrated my Sabbaths. I decided to pour out 177 my rage on them and fully vent my anger against them in the wilderness.
[26:1] 1 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 2 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 3 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:3] 5 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 6 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] 7 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] 8 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 9 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:4] 10 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 11 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 12 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 13 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 14 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 15 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 16 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 17 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 18 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 19 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 20 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:9] 22 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 23 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 24 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 26 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 27 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 28 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 29 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 30 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 31 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 32 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 33 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 34 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 35 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 36 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 37 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 38 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 39 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 40 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:18] 41 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 42 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 43 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 44 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 45 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 46 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 47 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 48 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 49 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 50 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 51 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 52 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 53 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 54 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 55 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 56 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 57 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 58 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 59 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 60 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 61 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 62 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 64 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 65 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 66 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 67 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 68 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 69 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 70 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 71 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 73 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 74 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 75 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 76 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 77 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 78 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 79 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 80 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 81 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 82 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 83 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 84 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 85 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 86 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[11:7] 87 tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the
[11:7] 88 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 89 tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.
[32:7] 90 tn The two imperatives could also express one idea: “get down there.” In other words, “Make haste to get down.”
[32:7] 91 sn By giving the people to Moses in this way, God is saying that they have no longer any right to claim him as their God, since they have shared his honor with another. This is God’s talionic response to their “These are your gods who brought you up.” The use of these pronoun changes also would form an appeal to Moses to respond, since Moses knew that God had brought them up from Egypt.
[32:8] 92 tn The verb is a perfect tense, reflecting the present perfect nuance: “they have turned aside” and are still disobedient. But the verb is modified with the adverb “quickly” (actually a Piel infinitive absolute). It has been only a matter of weeks since they heard the voice of God prohibiting this.
[9:16] 93 tn Heb “and our fathers.” The vav is explicative.
[9:16] 94 tn Heb “they stiffened their neck” (so also in the following verse).
[9:17] 95 tc The present translation follows a few medieval Hebrew
[9:17] 96 tc The translation follows the Qere reading חֶסֶד (khesed, “loyal love”) rather than the Kethib reading וְחֶסֶד (vÿkhesed, “and loyal love”) of the MT.
[9:19] 98 tn Heb “did not turn from them by day to guide them in the path.”
[81:11] 99 tn Heb “did not listen to my voice.”
[81:11] 100 tn The Hebrew expression אָבָה לִי (’avah liy) means “submit to me” (see Deut 13:8).
[81:12] 101 tn Heb “and I sent him away in the stubbornness of their heart.”
[81:12] 102 tn Heb “they walked in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite (“walked”) or a customary imperfect (“were walking”).
[106:7] 103 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
[106:8] 104 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
[106:10] 107 tn Or “redeemed.”
[106:11] 109 tn Heb “remained.”
[106:12] 110 tn Heb “his words.”
[106:13] 111 tn Heb “his works.”
[106:13] 112 tn Heb “his counsel.”
[106:14] 113 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
[106:14] 114 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
[106:14] 115 tn Heb “they tested God.”
[106:15] 116 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
[106:16] 118 tn Heb “the holy one of the
[106:17] 120 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
[106:18] 121 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
[106:20] 122 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
[106:22] 124 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
[106:23] 125 tn Heb “and he said.”
[106:23] 126 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
[106:23] 127 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
[106:23] 128 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
[106:24] 129 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
[106:24] 130 tn Heb “his word.”
[106:25] 131 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
[106:25] 132 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
[106:26] 133 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
[106:26] 134 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
[106:27] 135 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
[106:27] 136 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
[106:27] 137 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[106:28] 138 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
[106:28] 139 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
[106:29] 140 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
[106:30] 141 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
[106:31] 142 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
[106:32] 143 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
[106:33] 144 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
[106:33] 145 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[106:33] 146 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[106:34] 147 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
[106:35] 148 tn Heb “their deeds.”
[106:36] 150 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
[106:37] 151 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
[106:38] 152 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
[106:39] 153 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
[106:40] 154 tn Heb “the anger of the
[106:40] 155 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
[106:41] 156 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
[106:42] 157 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
[106:43] 158 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
[106:43] 159 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
[106:43] 160 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
[106:45] 161 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
[106:47] 163 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
[106:47] 164 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
[106:48] 165 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
[106:48] 166 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
[106:48] 167 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
[106:48] 168 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
[20:8] 169 tn Heb “each one, the detestable things of their eyes did not throw away.”
[20:8] 170 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:13] 171 tn Heb “and I said/thought to pour out.”
[20:13] 172 tn Heb “to bring them to an end.”
[20:16] 173 tn The words “I did this” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons. Verses 15-16 are one long sentence in the Hebrew text. The translation divides this sentence into two for stylistic reasons.
[20:16] 174 tn Heb “for after their idols their heart was going.” The use of the active participle (“was going”) in the Hebrew text draws attention to the ongoing nature of their idolatrous behavior.
