10:1 This is the account 1 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 2 were born 3 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 4 were Gomer, 5 Magog, 6 Madai, 7 Javan, 8 Tubal, 9 Meshech, 10 and Tiras. 11 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 12 Askenaz, 13 Riphath, 14 and Togarmah. 15 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 16 Tarshish, 17 the Kittim, 18 and the Dodanim. 19 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 20 Mizraim, 21 Put, 22 and Canaan. 23 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 24 Havilah, 25 Sabtah, 26 Raamah, 27 and Sabteca. 28 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 29 and Dedan. 30
10:8 Cush was the father of 31 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 32 before the Lord. 33 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 34 of his kingdom were Babel, 35 Erech, 36 Akkad, 37 and Calneh 38 in the land of Shinar. 39 10:11 From that land he went 40 to Assyria, 41 where he built Nineveh, 42 Rehoboth-Ir, 43 Calah, 44 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 45
10:13 Mizraim 46 was the father of 47 the Ludites, 48 Anamites, 49 Lehabites, 50 Naphtuhites, 51 10:14 Pathrusites, 52 Casluhites 53 (from whom the Philistines came), 54 and Caphtorites. 55
10:15 Canaan was the father of 56 Sidon his firstborn, 57 Heth, 58 10:16 the Jebusites, 59 Amorites, 60 Girgashites, 61 10:17 Hivites, 62 Arkites, 63 Sinites, 64 10:18 Arvadites, 65 Zemarites, 66 and Hamathites. 67 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 68 from Sidon 69 all the way to 70 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 71 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 72 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 73 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 74 Asshur, 75 Arphaxad, 76 Lud, 77 and Aram. 78 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 79 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 80 Shelah, 81 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 82 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 83 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 84 Almodad, 85 Sheleph, 86 Hazarmaveth, 87 Jerah, 88 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 89 Diklah, 90 10:28 Obal, 91 Abimael, 92 Sheba, 93 10:29 Ophir, 94 Havilah, 95 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 96 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 97 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 98 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 99 11:2 When the people 100 moved eastward, 101 they found a plain in Shinar 102 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 103 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 104 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 105 instead of mortar.) 106 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 107 so that 108 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 109 we will be scattered 110 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 111 had started 112 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 113 they have begun to do this, then 114 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 115 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 116 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 117
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 118 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 119 Babel 120 – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
11:10 This is the account of Shem.
Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 121 sons and daughters.
11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 122 sons and daughters. 123
11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other 124 sons and daughters.
11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 125 while his father Terah was still alive. 126 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 127 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 128 she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 129 of Terah was 205 years, and he 130 died in Haran.
12:1 Now the Lord said 131 to Abram, 132
“Go out 133 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 134
12:2 Then I will make you 135 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 136
and I will make your name great, 137
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 138
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 139
but the one who treats you lightly 140 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 141 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 142 just as the Lord had told him to do, 143 and Lot went with him. (Now 144 Abram was 75 years old 145 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 146 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 147 in Haran, and they left for 148 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 149 of Moreh 150 at Shechem. 151 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 152 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 153 I will give this land.” So Abram 154 built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 155 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 156 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 157 down to the Negev. 158
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 159 to stay for a while 160 because the famine was severe. 161 12:11 As he approached 162 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 163 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 164 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 165 12:13 So tell them 166 you are my sister 167 so that it may go well 168 for me because of you and my life will be spared 169 on account of you.”
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife 170 was taken 171 into the household of Pharaoh, 172 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 173 on account of her. Abram received 174 sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases 175 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 176 you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her 177 to be my wife? 178 Here is your wife! 179 Take her and go!” 180 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 181 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 182 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 183 13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 184 in livestock, silver, and gold.) 185
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 186 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 187 He returned 188 to the place where he had pitched his tent 189 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 190 and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 191
13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 192 with Abram, also had 193 flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 194 not support them while they were living side by side. 195 Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 196 alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 197 between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 198 (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 199
13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 200 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 201 to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
13:10 Lot looked up and saw 202 the whole region 203 of the Jordan. He noticed 204 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 205 Sodom and Gomorrah) 206 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 207 all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 208 toward the east.
So the relatives separated from each other. 209 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 210 and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 211 the people 212 of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 213
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 214 “Look 215 from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants 216 forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. 217 13:17 Get up and 218 walk throughout 219 the land, 220 for I will give it to you.”
13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 221 by the oaks 222 of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
1 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
2 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
3 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
4 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
5 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
6 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
7 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
8 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
9 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
10 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
11 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
12 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
13 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
14 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
15 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
16 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
17 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
18 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
19 tc Most of the MT
20 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
21 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
22 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
23 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
24 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
25 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
26 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
27 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
28 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
29 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
30 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
31 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
32 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
33 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
34 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
35 tn Or “Babylon.”
36 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
37 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
38 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
39 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
40 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
41 tn Heb “Asshur.”
42 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
43 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
44 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
45 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
46 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
47 tn Heb “fathered.”
48 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
49 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
50 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
51 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
52 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
53 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
54 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
55 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
56 tn Heb “fathered.”
57 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
58 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
59 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
60 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
61 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
62 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
63 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
64 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
65 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
66 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
67 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
68 tn Heb “were.”
69 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
70 tn Heb “as you go.”
71 tn Heb “as you go.”
72 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
73 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
74 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
75 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
76 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
77 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
78 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
79 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
80 tn Heb “fathered.”
81 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
82 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
83 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
84 tn Heb “fathered.”
85 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
86 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
87 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
88 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
89 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
90 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
91 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
92 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
93 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
94 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
95 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
96 tn Heb “as you go.”
97 tn Or “separated.”
98 sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.
99 tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.
100 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
101 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
102 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
103 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
104 tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).
105 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
106 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
107 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
108 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
109 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
110 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
111 tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.
112 tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.
113 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
114 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
115 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
116 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
117 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
118 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.
119 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
120 sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
121 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
122 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
123 tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
124 tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
125 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
126 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
127 sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.
128 sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.
129 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
130 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
131 sn The
132 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.
133 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”
134 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
135 tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.
136 sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.
137 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
138 tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.
139 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
140 tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic
141 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “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.
142 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
143 tn Heb “just as the
144 tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.
145 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
146 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
147 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
148 tn Heb “went out to go.”
149 tn Or “terebinth.”
150 sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.
151 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
152 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
153 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
154 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
155 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
156 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
157 tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”
158 tn Or “the South [country].”
159 sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.
160 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.
161 tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
162 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
163 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
164 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
165 tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.
166 tn Heb “say.”
167 sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.
168 tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.
169 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
170 tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.
171 tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.
172 tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.
173 sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.
174 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
175 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
176 tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
177 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
178 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
179 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
180 tn Heb “take and go.”
181 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
182 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
183 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
184 tn Heb “heavy.”
185 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
186 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
187 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
188 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
189 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
190 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
191 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
192 tn Heb “was going.”
193 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
194 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
195 tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.
196 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
197 tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.
198 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
199 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.
200 tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.
201 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
202 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.
203 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
204 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
205 sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).
206 tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.
207 sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the
208 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
209 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
210 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
211 tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.
212 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
213 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
214 tn Heb “and the
215 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
216 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
217 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
218 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
219 tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.
220 tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).
221 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
222 tn Or “terebinths.”