19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 1 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 2 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 3 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 4 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 5
19:3 But he urged 6 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, 7 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 8 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 9 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 10 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! 11 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 12 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 13 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 14 of my roof.” 15
19:9 “Out of our way!” 16 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 17 and now he dares to judge us! 18 We’ll do more harm 19 to you than to them!” They kept 20 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 21 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 22 reached out 23 and pulled Lot back into the house 24 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, 25 with blindness. The men outside 26 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 27 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 28 Do you have 29 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 30 Get them out of this 31 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 32 it. The outcry against this place 33 is so great before the Lord that he 34 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. 35 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 36 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 37
19:15 At dawn 38 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 39 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 40 19:16 When Lot 41 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 42 They led them away and placed them 43 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 44 said, “Run 45 for your lives! Don’t look 46 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 47 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 48 19:19 Your 49 servant has found favor with you, 50 and you have shown me great 51 kindness 52 by sparing 53 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 54 this disaster will overtake 55 me and I’ll die. 56 19:20 Look, this town 57 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 58 Let me go there. 59 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 60 Then I’ll survive.” 61
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 62 “I will grant this request too 63 and will not overthrow 64 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 65 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 66
19:23 The sun had just risen 67 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 68 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 69 sulfur and fire 70 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 71 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 72 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 73 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 74 wife looked back longingly 75 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 76 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 77 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 78 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 79
19:29 So when God destroyed 80 the cities of the region, 81 God honored 82 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 83 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 84 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 85 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 86 to have sexual relations with us, 87 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 88 so we can have sexual relations 89 with him and preserve 90 our family line through our father.” 91
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 92 and the older daughter 93 came and had sexual relations with her father. 94 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 95 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 96 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 97 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 98 19:35 So they made their father drunk 99 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 100 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 101
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 102 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 103 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. 104 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 105 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 106 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 107 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 108 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 109
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 110 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 111 20:5 Did Abraham 112 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 113 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 114 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. 115 That is why I have kept you 116 from sinning against me and why 117 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 118 he is a prophet 119 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 120 But if you don’t give her back, 121 know that you will surely die 122 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 123 Abimelech summoned 124 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 125 they 126 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? 127 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 128 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 129 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 130
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 131 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 132 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 133 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 134 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 135 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 136 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.” 137
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 138 to your ‘brother.’ 139 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 140
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 141 had caused infertility to strike every woman 142 in the household of Abimelech because he took 143 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 144 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 145 for Sarah what he had promised. 146 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 147 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. 148 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 149 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 150 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 151
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 152 Everyone who hears about this 153 will laugh 154 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 155 “Who would 156 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 157 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 158 21:9 But Sarah noticed 159 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 160 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 161 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. 162 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 163 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 164 all that Sarah is telling 165 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 166 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 167 some food 168 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 169 and sent her away. So she went wandering 170 aimlessly through the wilderness 171 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 172 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 173 away; for she thought, 174 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 175 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 176
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 177 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 178 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 179 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. 180 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. 181 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 182
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 183 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 184 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 185 Show me, and the land 186 where you are staying, 187 the same loyalty 188 that I have shown you.” 189
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 190 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 191 against Abimelech concerning a well 192 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 193 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 194 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. 195 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 196 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 197 that I dug this well.” 198 21:31 That is why he named that place 199 Beer Sheba, 200 because the two of them swore 201 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 202 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 203 to the land of the Philistines. 204 21:33 Abraham 205 planted a tamarisk tree 206 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 207 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 208
1 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
2 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
3 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
4 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
5 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
10 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.
11 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
12 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
13 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
14 tn Heb “shadow.”
15 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.
16 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
17 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
18 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.”
19 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.
20 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
21 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
22 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
23 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
24 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
25 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
26 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
28 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
29 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
30 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
31 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
32 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
33 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
34 tn Heb “the
35 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.
36 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
37 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.
38 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
39 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.
40 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
43 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”).
44 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.
45 tn Heb “escape.”
46 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.
47 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
48 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
49 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.
50 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
51 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
52 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
53 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
54 tn Heb “lest.”
55 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
56 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
57 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.”
58 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
59 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
60 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
61 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
62 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
63 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
64 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”).
65 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
66 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).
67 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
68 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.
69 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
70 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
71 tn Heb “from the
72 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
73 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
74 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
75 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
76 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
77 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
78 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.
79 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
80 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
81 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
82 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
83 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
84 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
85 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
86 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.
87 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
88 tn Heb “drink wine.”
89 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
90 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
91 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
92 tn Heb “drink wine.”
93 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
94 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.
95 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
96 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
97 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
98 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
99 tn Heb “drink wine.”
100 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
101 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
102 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
103 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.
104 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.
105 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
106 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
107 tn Heb “came.”
108 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.
109 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
110 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
111 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.
112 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
113 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
114 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
115 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
116 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
117 tn Heb “therefore.”
118 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
119 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
120 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
121 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
122 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
123 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
124 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
125 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
126 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
127 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.
128 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
129 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
130 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
131 tn Heb “Because I said.”
132 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
133 tn Heb “but also.”
134 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.”
135 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
136 tn Heb “took and gave.”
137 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
138 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).
139 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).
140 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).
141 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
142 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
143 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
144 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
145 tn Heb “and the
146 tn Heb “spoken.”
147 tn Or “she conceived.”
148 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.
149 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
150 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
151 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).
152 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
153 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
154 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).
155 tn Heb “said.”
156 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
157 tn Heb “made.”
158 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.
159 tn Heb “saw.”
160 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.
161 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.
162 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.
163 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
164 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.
165 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
166 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.
167 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
168 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
169 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.”
170 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
171 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.
172 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.
173 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
174 tn Heb “said.”
175 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.
176 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.
177 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
178 tn Heb “What to you?”
179 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
180 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.
181 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.
182 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
183 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
184 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
185 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
186 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
187 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
188 tn Or “kindness.”
189 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
190 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.
191 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.
192 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
193 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
194 tn Heb “and also.”
195 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
196 tn Heb “What are these?”
197 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
198 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.
199 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
200 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.
201 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
202 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
203 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
204 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.
205 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
206 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.
207 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
208 tn Heb “many days.”
209 sn On Elisha see 2 Kgs 5:1-14.
210 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.
211 sn The reference to Naaman the Syrian (see 2 Kgs 5:1-24) is another example where an outsider and Gentile was blessed. The stress in the example is the missed opportunity of the people to experience God’s work, but it will still go on without them.