10:1 This is the account 3 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 4 were born 5 to them after the flood.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.”
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.
22:24 and throw 10 your gold 11 in the dust –
your gold 12 of Ophir
among the rocks in the ravines –
28:16 It cannot be measured out for purchase 13 with the gold of Ophir,
with precious onyx 14 or sapphires.
45:9 Princesses 15 are among your honored guests, 16
your bride 17 stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. 18
13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
and people more scarce 19 than gold from Ophir.
1 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
2 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
3 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
4 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
5 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
6 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
7 tn Heb “and look, there.”
8 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
9 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
10 tc The form is the imperative. Eliphaz is telling Job to get rid of his gold as evidence of his repentance. Many commentators think that this is too improbable for Eliphaz to have said, and that Job has lost everything anyway, and so they make proposals for the text. Most would follow Theodotion and the Syriac to read וְשָׁתָּ (vÿshatta, “and you will esteem….”). This would mean that he is promising Job restoration of his wealth.
11 tn The word for “gold” is the rare בֶּצֶר (betser), which may be derived from a cognate of Arabic basara, “to see; to examine.” If this is the case, the word here would refer to refined gold. The word also forms a fine wordplay with בְצוּר (bÿtsur, “in the rock”).
12 tn The Hebrew text simply has “Ophir,” a metonymy for the gold that comes from there.
13 tn The word actually means “weighed,” that is, lifted up on the scale and weighed, in order to purchase.
14 tn The exact identification of these stones is uncertain. Many recent English translations, however, have “onyx” and “sapphires.”
15 tn Heb “daughters of kings.”
16 tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.
17 tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.
18 tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”
19 tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.