18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 1 by the oaks 2 of Mamre while 3 he was sitting at the entrance 4 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 5 looked up 6 and saw 7 three men standing across 8 from him. When he saw them 9 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 10 to the ground. 11
18:3 He said, “My lord, 12 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 13 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 14 you may all 15 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 16 a bit of food 17 so that you may refresh yourselves 18 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 19 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 20 three measures 21 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 22 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 23 who quickly prepared it. 24 18:8 Abraham 25 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 26 before them. They ate while 27 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 28 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 29 said, “I will surely return 30 to you when the season comes round again, 31 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 32 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 33 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 34 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 35 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 36 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 37 especially when my husband is old too?” 38
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 39 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 40 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 41 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 42 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 43
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 44 they looked out over 45 Sodom. (Now 46 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 47 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 48 18:18 After all, Abraham 49 will surely become 50 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 51 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 52 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 53 the way of the Lord by doing 54 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 55 to Abraham what he promised 56 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 57 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 58 18:21 that I must go down 59 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 60 If not, 61 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 62 and headed 63 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 64 18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 65 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 66 of the whole earth do what is right?” 67
18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord 68 (although I am but dust and ashes), 69 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 70 the whole city because five are lacking?” 71 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 72 spoke to him again, 73 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 74 said, “May the Lord not be angry 75 so that I may speak! 76 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 77 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 78 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 79 when he had finished speaking 80 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 81
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 82 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 83 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 84 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 85 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 86
19:3 But he urged 87 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 88 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 89 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 90 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 91 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 92 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 93 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 94 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 95 of my roof.” 96
19:9 “Out of our way!” 97 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 98 and now he dares to judge us! 99 We’ll do more harm 100 to you than to them!” They kept 101 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 102 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 103 reached out 104 and pulled Lot back into the house 105 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 106 with blindness. The men outside 107 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 108 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 109 Do you have 110 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 111 Get them out of this 112 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 113 it. The outcry against this place 114 is so great before the Lord that he 115 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 116 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 117 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 118
19:15 At dawn 119 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 120 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 121 19:16 When Lot 122 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 123 They led them away and placed them 124 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 125 said, “Run 126 for your lives! Don’t look 127 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 128 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 129 19:19 Your 130 servant has found favor with you, 131 and you have shown me great 132 kindness 133 by sparing 134 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 135 this disaster will overtake 136 me and I’ll die. 137 19:20 Look, this town 138 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 139 Let me go there. 140 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 141 Then I’ll survive.” 142
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 143 “I will grant this request too 144 and will not overthrow 145 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 146 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 147
19:23 The sun had just risen 148 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 149 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 150 sulfur and fire 151 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 152 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 153 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 154 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 155 wife looked back longingly 156 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 157 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 158 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 159 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 160
19:29 So when God destroyed 161 the cities of the region, 162 God honored 163 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 164 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 165 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 166 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 167 to have sexual relations with us, 168 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 169 so we can have sexual relations 170 with him and preserve 171 our family line through our father.” 172
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 173 and the older daughter 174 came and had sexual relations with her father. 175 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 176 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 177 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 178 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 179 19:35 So they made their father drunk 180 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 181 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 182
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 183 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 184 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 185 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 186 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 187 in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God appeared 188 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 189 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 190
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 191 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 192 20:5 Did Abraham 193 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 194 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 195 and with innocent hands!”
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 196 That is why I have kept you 197 from sinning against me and why 198 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 199 he is a prophet 200 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 201 But if you don’t give her back, 202 know that you will surely die 203 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 204 Abimelech summoned 205 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 206 they 207 were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? 208 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 209 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 210 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 211
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 212 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 213 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 214 she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander 215 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 216 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 217 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” 218
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 219 to your ‘brother.’ 220 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 221
20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord 222 had caused infertility to strike every woman 223 in the household of Abimelech because he took 224 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 225 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 226 for Sarah what he had promised. 227 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 228 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 229 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 230 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 231 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 232
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 233 Everyone who hears about this 234 will laugh 235 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 236 “Who would 237 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 238 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 239 21:9 But Sarah noticed 240 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 241 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 242 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 243 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 244 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 245 all that Sarah is telling 246 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 247 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 248 some food 249 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 250 and sent her away. So she went wandering 251 aimlessly through the wilderness 252 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 253 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 254 away; for she thought, 255 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 256 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 257
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 258 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 259 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 260 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 261 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 262 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 263
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 264 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 265 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 266 Show me, and the land 267 where you are staying, 268 the same loyalty 269 that I have shown you.” 270
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 271 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 272 against Abimelech concerning a well 273 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 274 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 275 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 276 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 277 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 278 that I dug this well.” 279 21:31 That is why he named that place 280 Beer Sheba, 281 because the two of them swore 282 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 283 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 284 to the land of the Philistines. 285 21:33 Abraham 286 planted a tamarisk tree 287 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 288 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 289
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 290 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 291 replied. 22:2 God 292 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 293 – and go to the land of Moriah! 294 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 295 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 296 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 297 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 298 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 299 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 300 said to his servants, “You two stay 301 here with the donkey while 302 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 303 and then return to you.” 304
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 305 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 306 “My father?” “What is it, 307 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 308 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 309 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 310 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 311 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 312 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 313 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 314 the angel said. 315 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 316 that you fear 317 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 318 and saw 319 behind him 320 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 321 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 322 It is said to this day, 323 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 324
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 325 decrees the Lord, 326 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 327 and I will greatly multiply 328 your descendants 329 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 330 of the strongholds 331 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 332 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 333 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 334 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 335
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 336 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 337 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 338 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 339 23:2 Then she 340 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 341
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 342 and said to the sons of Heth, 343 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 344 among you. Grant 345 me ownership 346 of a burial site among you so that I may 347 bury my dead.” 348
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 349 23:6 “Listen, sir, 350 you are a mighty prince 351 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 352 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 353 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 354 that I may bury my dead, 355 then hear me out. 356 Ask 357 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 358 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 359 for the full price, 360 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 361 replied to Abraham in the hearing 362 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 363 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 364 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 365 In the presence of my people 366 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 367 to you the price 368 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 369 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 370 400 pieces of silver, 371 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 372 and weighed 373 out for him 374 the price 375 that Ephron had quoted 376 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 377
23:17 So Abraham secured 378 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 379
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 380 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 381 and the Lord had blessed him 382 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 383 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 384 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 385 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 386 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 387 to find 388 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 389 to this land? Must I then 390 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 391 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 392 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 393 promised me with a solemn oath, 394 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 395 before you so that you may find 396 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 397 you will be free 398 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 399
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 400 He journeyed 401 to the region of Aram Naharaim 402 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 403 outside the city. It was evening, 404 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 405 Be faithful 406 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 407 and the daughters of the people 408 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 409 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 410
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 411 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 412 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 413 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 414 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 415 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 416 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 417 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 418 if the Lord had made his journey successful 419 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 420 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 421 and gave them to her. 422 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 423 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 424 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 425 “and room for you 426 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 427 for my master! The Lord has led me 428 to the house 429 of my master’s relatives!” 430
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 431 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 432 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 433 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 434 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 435 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 436 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 437 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 438 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 439 went to the house and unloaded 440 the camels. Straw and feed were given 441 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 442 24:33 When food was served, 443 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 444 “Tell us,” Laban said. 445
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 446 The Lord 447 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 448 when she was old, 449 and my master 450 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 451 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 452 with me?’ 453 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 454 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 455 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 456 may events unfold as follows: 457 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 458 When 459 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 460 along came Rebekah 461 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 462 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 463 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 464
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 465 Our wishes are of no concern. 466 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 467 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 468
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 469 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 470
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 471 24:55 But Rebekah’s 472 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 473 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 474 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 475 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 476 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 477
“Our sister, may you become the mother 478 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 479 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 480 the man. So Abraham’s servant 481 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 482 Isaac came from 483 Beer Lahai Roi, 484 for 485 he was living in the Negev. 486 24:63 He 487 went out to relax 488 in the field in the early evening. 489 Then he looked up 490 and saw that 491 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 492 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 493 Abraham’s servant, 494 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 495 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 496 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 497 as his wife and loved her. 498 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 499
25:1 Abraham had taken 500 another 501 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 502 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 503 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 504 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 505
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 506 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 507 He joined his ancestors. 508 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 509 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 510 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 511 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 512
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 513 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 514 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 515 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 516 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 517 25:18 His descendants 518 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 519 to Egypt all the way 520 to Asshur. 521 They settled 522 away from all their relatives. 523
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 524 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 525 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 526
25:21 Isaac prayed to 527 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 528 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 529 So she asked the Lord, 530 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 531 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 532 there were 533 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 534 all over, 535 like a hairy 536 garment, so they named him Esau. 537 25:26 When his brother came out with 538 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 539 Isaac was sixty years old 540 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 541 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 542 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 543 but Rebekah loved 544 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 545 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 546 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 547 Edom.) 548
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 549 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 550 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 551 So Esau 552 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 553 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 554 So Esau despised his birthright. 555
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 556 in the days of Abraham. 557 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; 558 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 559 26:3 Stay 560 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 561 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 562 and I will fulfill 563 the solemn promise I made 564 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 565 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 566 26:5 All this will come to pass 567 because Abraham obeyed me 568 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 569 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.” 570 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 571 “The men of this place will kill me to get 572 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 573 had been there a long time, 574 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 575 Isaac caressing 576 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 577 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 578
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 579 One of the men 580 might easily have had sexual relations with 581 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 582 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 583
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 584 because the Lord blessed him. 585 26:13 The man became wealthy. 586 His influence continued to grow 587 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 588 so many sheep 589 and cattle 590 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 591 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 592 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, 593 for you have become much more powerful 594 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 595 26:18 Isaac reopened 596 the wells that had been dug 597 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 598 after Abraham died. Isaac 599 gave these wells 600 the same names his father had given them. 601
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 602 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 603 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 604 named the well 605 Esek 606 because they argued with him about it. 607 26:21 His servants 608 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 609 Sitnah. 610 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 611 named it 612 Rehoboth, 613 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 614 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 615 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 616
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 617 to him from Gerar along with 618 Ahuzzah his friend 619 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 620 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 621 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 622 a pact between us 623 – between us 624 and you. Allow us to make 625 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 626 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 627 you, but have always treated you well 628 before sending you away 629 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 630
26:30 So Isaac 631 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 632 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 633 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 634
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 635 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 636 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 637 to this day.
26:34 When 638 Esau was forty years old, 639 he married 640 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. 641
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 646 “Look 647 from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west.
34:2 For the Lord is angry at all the nations
and furious with all their armies.
He will annihilate them and slaughter them.
34:3 Their slain will be left unburied, 648
their corpses will stink; 649
the hills will soak up their blood. 650
34:4 All the stars in the sky will fade away, 651
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree. 652
34:5 He says, 653 “Indeed, my sword has slaughtered heavenly powers. 654
Look, it now descends on Edom, 655
on the people I will annihilate in judgment.”
34:6 The Lord’s sword is dripping with blood,
it is covered 656 with fat;
it drips 657 with the blood of young rams and goats
and is covered 658 with the fat of rams’ kidneys.
For the Lord is holding a sacrifice 659 in Bozrah, 660
a bloody 661 slaughter in the land of Edom.
34:7 Wild oxen will be slaughtered 662 along with them,
as well as strong bulls. 663
Their land is drenched with blood,
their soil is covered with fat.
34:8 For the Lord has planned a day of revenge, 664
a time when he will repay Edom for her hostility toward Zion. 665
66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity 666
with fire and his sword;
the Lord will kill many. 667
2:12 “You 668 Ethiopians 669 will also die by my sword!” 670
19:17 Then 678 I saw one angel standing in 679 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: 680
“Come, gather around for the great banquet 681 of God,
19:18 to eat 682 your fill 683 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals, 684
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, 685
and small and great!”
19:19 Then 686 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 19:20 Now 687 the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf 688 – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 689 19:21 The 690 others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged 691 themselves with their flesh.
1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Or “terebinths.”
3 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
4 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
7 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.
8 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
9 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
10 tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).
11 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
12 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
13 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
14 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
15 tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.
16 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
17 tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.
18 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
19 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
20 tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.
21 sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.
22 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
23 tn Heb “the young man.”
24 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
27 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
28 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
30 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
31 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
32 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
33 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
34 tn Heb “days.”
35 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
36 tn Heb “saying.”
37 tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.
38 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
39 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
40 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
41 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
42 sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the
43 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
44 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
45 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
46 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
47 tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.
48 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
49 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
50 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
51 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 upon”] 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 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham 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.
52 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
53 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
54 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
55 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
56 tn Heb “spoke to.”
57 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
58 tn Heb “heavy.”
59 tn The cohortative indicates the
60 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
61 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
62 tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the
63 tn Heb “went.”
64 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
65 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
66 tn Or “ruler.”
67 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
68 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
69 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
70 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
71 tn Heb “because of five.”
72 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
73 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
74 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
75 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
76 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
77 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
78 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
79 tn Heb “And the
80 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
81 tn Heb “to his place.”
82 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
83 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
84 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
85 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
86 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
87 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
88 tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.
89 tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.
90 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
91 tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.
92 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
93 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
94 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
95 tn Heb “shadow.”
96 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
97 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
98 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
99 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
100 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
101 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
102 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
103 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
104 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
105 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
106 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
107 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
108 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
109 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
110 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
111 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
112 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
113 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
114 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
115 tn Heb “the
116 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
117 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
118 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
119 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
120 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
121 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
122 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
123 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
124 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
125 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
126 tn Heb “escape.”
127 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
128 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
129 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
130 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
131 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
132 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
133 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
134 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
135 tn Heb “lest.”
136 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
137 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
138 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
139 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
140 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
141 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
142 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
143 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
144 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
145 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
146 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
147 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
148 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
149 tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.
150 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
151 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
152 tn Heb “from the
153 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
154 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
155 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
156 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
157 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
158 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
159 tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
160 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
161 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
162 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
163 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
164 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
165 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
166 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
167 tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.
168 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
169 tn Heb “drink wine.”
170 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
171 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
172 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
173 tn Heb “drink wine.”
174 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
175 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
176 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
177 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
178 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
179 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
180 tn Heb “drink wine.”
181 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
182 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
183 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
184 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
185 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
186 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
187 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
188 tn Heb “came.”
189 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
190 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
191 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
192 tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.
193 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
194 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
195 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
196 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
197 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
198 tn Heb “therefore.”
199 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
200 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
201 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
202 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
203 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
204 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
205 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
206 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
207 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
208 tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.
209 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
210 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
211 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
212 tn Heb “Because I said.”
213 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
214 tn Heb “but also.”
215 tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”
216 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
217 tn Heb “took and gave.”
218 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
219 sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).
220 sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).
221 tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).
222 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
223 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
224 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
225 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
226 tn Heb “and the
227 tn Heb “spoken.”
228 tn Or “she conceived.”
229 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
230 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
231 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
232 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
233 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
234 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
235 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
236 tn Heb “said.”
237 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
238 tn Heb “made.”
239 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
240 tn Heb “saw.”
241 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
242 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
243 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
244 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
245 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
246 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
247 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
248 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
249 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
250 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
251 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
252 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
253 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
254 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
255 tn Heb “said.”
256 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
257 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
258 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
259 tn Heb “What to you?”
260 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
261 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
262 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
263 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
264 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
265 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
266 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
267 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
268 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
269 tn Or “kindness.”
270 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
271 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
272 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
273 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
274 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
275 tn Heb “and also.”
276 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
277 tn Heb “What are these?”
278 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
279 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
280 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
281 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
282 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
283 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
284 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
285 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
286 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
287 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
288 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
289 tn Heb “many days.”
290 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
291 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
292 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
293 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
294 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
295 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
296 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
297 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
298 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
299 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
300 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
301 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
302 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
303 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
304 sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
305 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
306 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
307 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
308 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
309 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
310 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
311 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
312 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
313 sn Heb “the messenger of the
314 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
315 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
316 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
317 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
318 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
319 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
320 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
321 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
322 tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
323 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
324 sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.
325 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
326 tn Heb “the oracle of the
327 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
328 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
329 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.
330 tn Or “inherit.”
331 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
332 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
333 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 26:4). 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.)
334 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
335 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
336 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
337 sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.
338 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
339 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
340 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
341 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
342 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
343 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
344 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
345 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
346 tn Or “possession.”
347 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
348 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
349 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
350 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
351 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
352 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
353 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
354 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
355 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
356 tn Or “hear me.”
357 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
358 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
359 tn Heb “in your presence.”
360 tn Heb “silver.”
361 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
362 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
363 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
364 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
365 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
366 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
367 tn Heb “give.”
368 tn Heb “silver.”
369 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
370 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
371 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
372 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
373 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
374 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
375 tn Heb “silver.”
376 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
377 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
378 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
379 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
380 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
381 tn Heb “days.”
382 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
383 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
384 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
385 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
386 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
387 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
388 tn Heb “and take.”
389 tn Heb “to go after me.”
390 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
391 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
392 tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
393 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
394 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
395 tn Or “his messenger.”
396 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
397 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
398 sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.
399 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
400 tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.
401 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
402 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
403 tn Heb “well of water.”
404 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
405 tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).
406 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
407 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
408 tn Heb “the men.”
409 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
410 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
411 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
412 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
413 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
414 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
415 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
416 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
417 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
418 tn Heb “to know.”
419 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
420 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
421 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
422 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
423 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
424 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
425 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
426 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
427 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
428 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
429 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
430 tn Heb “brothers.”
431 tn Heb “according to.”
432 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
433 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
434 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
435 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
436 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
437 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
438 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
439 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
440 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
441 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
442 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
443 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
444 tn Heb “my words.”
445 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
446 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
447 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
448 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
449 tn Heb “after her old age.”
450 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
451 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
452 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
453 tn Heb “after me.”
454 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the
455 tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).
456 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
457 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
458 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
459 tn Heb “and it will be.”
460 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
461 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
462 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
463 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
464 tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.
465 tn Heb “From the
466 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
467 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
468 tn Heb “as the
469 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
470 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
471 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
472 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
473 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
474 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
475 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
476 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
477 tn Heb “and said to her.”
478 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
479 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
480 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
481 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
482 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
483 tn Heb “from the way of.”
484 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.
485 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
486 tn Or “the South [country].”
487 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
488 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
489 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
490 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
491 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
492 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
493 tn Heb “and she said to.”
494 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
495 tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
496 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
497 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
498 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
499 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
500 tn Or “took.”
501 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
502 sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.
503 tn Or “sons.”
504 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
505 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
506 tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.
507 tn Heb “old and full.”
508 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
509 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
510 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
511 sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).
512 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
513 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
514 tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”
515 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
516 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
517 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
518 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
519 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
520 tn Heb “as you go.”
521 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
522 tn Heb “he fell.”
523 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
524 sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.
525 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
526 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
527 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the
528 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
529 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
530 sn Asked the
531 sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.
532 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
533 tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.
534 sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.
535 tn Heb “all of him.”
536 sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.
537 tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.
538 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
539 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
540 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
541 tn Heb “knowing.”
542 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”
543 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
544 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
545 sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
546 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
547 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
548 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
549 tn Heb “today.”
550 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
551 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
552 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
553 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
554 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
555 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
556 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
557 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.
558 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.
559 tn Heb “say to you.”
560 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.
561 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
562 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.
563 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.
564 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
565 tn Heb “your descendants.”
566 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.)
567 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
568 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
569 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.
570 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
571 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.
572 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
573 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
574 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
575 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.
576 tn Or “fondling.”
577 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
578 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).
579 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).
580 tn Heb “people.”
581 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
582 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
583 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
584 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
585 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
586 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
587 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
588 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
589 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
590 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
591 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
592 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
593 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
594 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).
595 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
596 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
597 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
598 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
599 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
600 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
601 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
602 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
603 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
604 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
605 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
606 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.”
607 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
608 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
609 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
610 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.
611 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
612 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
613 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.
614 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
615 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
616 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
617 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.”
618 tn Heb “and.”
619 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.
620 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
621 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
622 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.
623 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
624 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
625 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
626 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
627 tn Heb “touched.”
628 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
629 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
630 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).
631 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
632 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
633 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
634 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
635 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.
636 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.
637 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.
638 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
639 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
640 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
641 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
642 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
643 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.
644 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
645 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
646 tn Heb “and the
647 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
648 tn Heb “will be cast aside”; NASB, NIV “thrown out.”
649 tn Heb “[as for] their corpses, their stench will arise.”
650 tn Heb “hills will dissolve from their blood.”
651 tc Heb “and all the host of heaven will rot.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa inserts “and the valleys will be split open,” but this reading may be influenced by Mic 1:4. On the other hand, the statement, if original, could have been omitted by homoioarcton, a scribe’s eye jumping from the conjunction prefixed to “the valleys” to the conjunction prefixed to the verb “rot.”
652 tn Heb “like the withering of a leaf from a vine, and like the withering from a fig tree.”
653 tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The Lord speaks at this point.
654 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] my sword is drenched in the heavens.” The Qumran scroll 1QIsaa has תראה (“[my sword] appeared [in the heavens]”), but this is apparently an attempt to make sense out of a difficult metaphor. Cf. NIV “My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens.”
655 sn Edom is mentioned here as epitomizing the hostile nations that oppose God.
656 tn The verb is a rare Hotpaal passive form. See GKC 150 §54.h.
657 tn The words “it drips” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
658 tn The words “and is covered” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
659 tn Heb “for there is a sacrifice to the Lord.”
660 sn The Lord’s judgment of Edom is compared to a bloody sacrificial scene.
661 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
662 tn Heb “will go down”; NAB “shall be struck down.”
663 tn Heb “and bulls along with strong ones.” Perhaps this refers to the leaders.
664 tn Heb “for a day of vengeance [is] for the Lord.”
665 tn Heb “a year of repayment for the strife of Zion.” The translation assumes that רִיב (riv) refers to Edom’s hostility toward Zion. Another option is to understand רִיב (riv) as referring to the Lord’s taking up Zion’s cause. In this case one might translate, “a time when he will repay Edom and vindicate Zion.”
666 tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”
667 tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”
668 sn Though there is no formal introduction, these words are apparently spoken by the
669 tn Heb “Cushites.” This is traditionally assumed to refer to people from the region south of Egypt, i.e., Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).
670 tn Heb “Also you Cushites, who lie dead by my sword.”
671 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
672 tn Or “vine.” BDAG 54 s.v. ἄμπελος a states, “τρυγᾶν τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀ. τῆς γῆς to harvest the grapes fr. the vine of the earth (i.e. fr. the earth, symbol. repr. as a grapevine) Rv 14:18f; but ἀ may be taking on the meaning of ἀμπελών, as oft. in pap., possibly PHib. 70b, 2 [III bc].” The latter alternative has been followed in the translation (ἀμπελών = “vineyard”).
673 tn Although the gender of μέγαν (megan, masc.) does not match the gender of ληνόν (lhnon, fem.) it has been taken to modify that word (as do most English translations).
674 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
675 sn The winepress was stomped. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process).
676 tn L&N 6.7 states, “In Re 14:20 the reference to a bit and bridle is merely an indication of measurement, that is to say, the height of the bit and bridle from the ground, and one may reinterpret this measurement as ‘about a meter and a half’ or ‘about five feet.’”
677 tn Grk “1,600 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m). Thus the distance here would be 184 mi or 296 km.
678 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
679 tn The precise significance of ἐν (en) here is difficult to determine.
680 tn On μεσουρανήματι (mesouranhmati) here see L&N 1.10: “high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.” The birds mentioned here are carrion birds like vultures, circling high overhead, and now being summoned to feast on the corpses.
681 tn This is the same Greek word (δεῖπνον, deipnon) used in 19:9.
682 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause, insofar as it is related to the first imperative, has the force of an imperative.
683 tn The idea of eating “your fill” is evident in the context with the use of χορτάζω (cortazw) in v. 21.
684 tn Grk “chiliarchs”; normally a chiliarch was a military officer commanding a thousand soldiers, but here probably used of higher-ranking commanders like generals (see L&N 55.15; cf. Rev 6:15).
685 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
686 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
687 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of an unexpected development in the account: The opposing armies do not come together in battle; rather the leader of one side is captured.
688 tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”
689 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
690 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
691 tn On the translation of ἐχορτάσθησαν (ecortasqhsan) BDAG 1087 s.v. χορτάζω 1.a states, “of animals, pass. in act. sense πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh Rv 19:21 (cp. TestJud. 21:8).”