5:1 This is the record 1 of the family line 2 of Adam.
When God created humankind, 3 he made them 4 in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” 5
5:3 When 6 Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived 7 after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had 8 other 9 sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime 10 of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. 11
5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father 12 of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had 13 other 14 sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.
5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.
5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.
5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.
5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.
5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 15 for 300 years, 16 and he had other 17 sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared 18 because God took 19 him away.
5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other 20 sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.
5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, 21 saying, “This one will bring us comfort 22 from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other 23 sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.
5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he 24 became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:1 When humankind 25 began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born 26 to them, 27 6:2 the sons of God 28 saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in 29 humankind indefinitely, 30 since 31 they 32 are mortal. 33 They 34 will remain for 120 more years.” 35
6:4 The Nephilim 36 were on the earth in those days (and also after this) 37 when the sons of God were having sexual relations with 38 the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. 39 They were the mighty heroes 40 of old, the famous men. 41
6:5 But the Lord saw 42 that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 43 of the thoughts 44 of their minds 45 was only evil 46 all the time. 47 6:6 The Lord regretted 48 that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. 49 6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, 50 including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”
6:8 But 51 Noah found favor 52 in the sight of 53 the Lord.
6:9 This is the account of Noah. 54
Noah was a godly man; he was blameless 55
among his contemporaries. 56 He 57 walked with 58 God. 6:10 Noah had 59 three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11 The earth was ruined 60 in the sight of 61 God; the earth was filled with violence. 62 6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed 63 it was ruined, 64 for all living creatures 65 on the earth were sinful. 66 6:13 So God said 67 to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, 68 for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy 69 them and the earth. 6:14 Make 70 for yourself an ark of cypress 71 wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover 72 it with pitch inside and out. 6:15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 73 6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches 74 from the top. 75 Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 6:17 I am about to bring 76 floodwaters 77 on the earth to destroy 78 from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. 79 Everything that is on the earth will die, 6:18 but I will confirm 80 my covenant with you. You will enter 81 the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, 82 male and female, to keep them alive 83 with you. 6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. 84 6:21 And you must take 85 for yourself every kind of food 86 that is eaten, 87 and gather it together. 88 It will be food for you and for them.
6:22 And Noah did all 89 that God commanded him – he did indeed. 90
7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. 91 7:2 You must take with you seven 92 of every kind of clean animal, 93 the male and its mate, 94 two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven 95 of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, 96 to preserve their offspring 97 on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days 98 I will cause it to rain 99 on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”
7:5 And Noah did all 100 that the Lord commanded him.
7:6 Noah 101 was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed 102 the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because 103 of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs 104 of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, 105 just as God had commanded him. 106 7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. 107
7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep 108 burst open and the floodgates of the heavens 109 were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell 110 on the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. 111 7:14 They entered, 112 along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. 113 7:15 Pairs 114 of all creatures 115 that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, 116 just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.
7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed 117 the earth, and the ark floated 118 on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated 119 the earth so that even 120 all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet 121 above the mountains. 122 7:21 And all living things 123 that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life 124 in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord 125 destroyed 126 every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. 127 They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. 128 7:24 The waters prevailed over 129 the earth for 150 days.
8:1 But God remembered 130 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 131 the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 132 and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 133 from the earth, so that they 134 had gone down 135 by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. 136 8:5 The waters kept on receding 137 until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 138
8:6 At the end of forty days, 139 Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 140 8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 141 back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.
8:8 Then Noah 142 sent out a dove 143 to see if the waters had receded 144 from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 145 the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 146 in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 147 and brought it back into the ark. 148 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 149 the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 150 a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, 151 but it did not return to him this time. 152
8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 153 in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that 154 the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 155 was dry.
8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out 156 every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 157 and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” 158
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.
8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 159 8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 160 and said 161 to himself, 162 “I will never again curse 163 the ground because of humankind, even though 164 the inclination of their minds 165 is evil from childhood on. 166 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, 167
planting time 168 and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night will not cease.”
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 169 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 170 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 171 As I gave you 172 the green plants, I now give 173 you everything.
9:4 But 174 you must not eat meat 175 with its life (that is, 176 its blood) in it. 177 9:5 For your lifeblood 178 I will surely exact punishment, 179 from 180 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 181 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 182 since the man was his relative. 183
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 184
by other humans 185
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 186
God 187 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 188 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 189 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 190 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 191 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 192 9:11 I confirm 193 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 194 be wiped out 195 by the waters of a flood; 196 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 197 of the covenant I am making 198 with you 199 and every living creature with you, a covenant 200 for all subsequent 201 generations: 9:13 I will place 202 my rainbow 203 in the clouds, and it will become 204 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 205 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 206 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 207 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 208 all living things. 209 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 210 the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”
9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 211 that are on the earth.”
9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 212 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 213
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 214 began to plant a vineyard. 215 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 216 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 217 saw his father’s nakedness 218 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 219 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 220 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 221 he learned 222 what his youngest son had done 223 to him. 9:25 So he said,
“Cursed 224 be Canaan! 225
The lowest of slaves 226
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 227 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 228
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 229
May he live 230 in the tents of Shem
and may Canaan be his slave!”
9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 This is the account 231 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 232 were born 233 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 234 were Gomer, 235 Magog, 236 Madai, 237 Javan, 238 Tubal, 239 Meshech, 240 and Tiras. 241 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 242 Askenaz, 243 Riphath, 244 and Togarmah. 245 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 246 Tarshish, 247 the Kittim, 248 and the Dodanim. 249 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 250 Mizraim, 251 Put, 252 and Canaan. 253 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 254 Havilah, 255 Sabtah, 256 Raamah, 257 and Sabteca. 258 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 259 and Dedan. 260
10:8 Cush was the father of 261 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 262 before the Lord. 263 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 264 of his kingdom were Babel, 265 Erech, 266 Akkad, 267 and Calneh 268 in the land of Shinar. 269 10:11 From that land he went 270 to Assyria, 271 where he built Nineveh, 272 Rehoboth-Ir, 273 Calah, 274 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 275
10:13 Mizraim 276 was the father of 277 the Ludites, 278 Anamites, 279 Lehabites, 280 Naphtuhites, 281 10:14 Pathrusites, 282 Casluhites 283 (from whom the Philistines came), 284 and Caphtorites. 285
10:15 Canaan was the father of 286 Sidon his firstborn, 287 Heth, 288 10:16 the Jebusites, 289 Amorites, 290 Girgashites, 291 10:17 Hivites, 292 Arkites, 293 Sinites, 294 10:18 Arvadites, 295 Zemarites, 296 and Hamathites. 297 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 298 from Sidon 299 all the way to 300 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 301 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 302 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 303 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 304 Asshur, 305 Arphaxad, 306 Lud, 307 and Aram. 308 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 309 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 310 Shelah, 311 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 312 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 313 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 314 Almodad, 315 Sheleph, 316 Hazarmaveth, 317 Jerah, 318 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 319 Diklah, 320 10:28 Obal, 321 Abimael, 322 Sheba, 323 10:29 Ophir, 324 Havilah, 325 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 326 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 327 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 328 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 329 11:2 When the people 330 moved eastward, 331 they found a plain in Shinar 332 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 333 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 334 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 335 instead of mortar.) 336 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 337 so that 338 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 339 we will be scattered 340 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 341 had started 342 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 343 they have begun to do this, then 344 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 345 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 346 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 347
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 348 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 349 Babel 350 – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
11:10 This is the account of Shem.
Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 351 sons and daughters.
11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 352 sons and daughters. 353
11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other 354 sons and daughters.
11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 355 while his father Terah was still alive. 356 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 357 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 358 she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 359 of Terah was 205 years, and he 360 died in Haran.
12:1 Now the Lord said 361 to Abram, 362
“Go out 363 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 364
12:2 Then I will make you 365 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 366
and I will make your name great, 367
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 368
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 369
but the one who treats you lightly 370 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 371 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 372 just as the Lord had told him to do, 373 and Lot went with him. (Now 374 Abram was 75 years old 375 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 376 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 377 in Haran, and they left for 378 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 379 of Moreh 380 at Shechem. 381 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 382 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 383 I will give this land.” So Abram 384 built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 385 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 386 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 387 down to the Negev. 388
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 389 to stay for a while 390 because the famine was severe. 391 12:11 As he approached 392 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 393 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 394 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 395 12:13 So tell them 396 you are my sister 397 so that it may go well 398 for me because of you and my life will be spared 399 on account of you.”
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife 400 was taken 401 into the household of Pharaoh, 402 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 403 on account of her. Abram received 404 sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases 405 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 406 you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her 407 to be my wife? 408 Here is your wife! 409 Take her and go!” 410 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 411 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 412 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 413 13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 414 in livestock, silver, and gold.) 415
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 416 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 417 He returned 418 to the place where he had pitched his tent 419 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 420 and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 421
13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 422 with Abram, also had 423 flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 424 not support them while they were living side by side. 425 Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 426 alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 427 between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 428 (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 429
13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 430 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 431 to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
13:10 Lot looked up and saw 432 the whole region 433 of the Jordan. He noticed 434 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 435 Sodom and Gomorrah) 436 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 437 all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 438 toward the east.
So the relatives separated from each other. 439 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 440 and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 441 the people 442 of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 443
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 444 “Look 445 from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants 446 forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. 447 13:17 Get up and 448 walk throughout 449 the land, 450 for I will give it to you.”
13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 451 by the oaks 452 of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
14:1 At that time 453 Amraphel king of Shinar, 454 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 455 14:2 went to war 456 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 457 14:3 These last five kings 458 joined forces 459 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 460 14:4 For twelve years 461 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 462 they rebelled. 463 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 464 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 465 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 466 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 467 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 468 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 469 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 470 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 471 but some survivors 472 fled to the hills. 473 14:11 The four victorious kings 474 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 475 Lot and his possessions when 476 they left, for Lot 477 was living in Sodom. 478
14:13 A fugitive 479 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 480 Now Abram was living by the oaks 481 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 482 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 483 with Abram.) 484 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 485 had been taken captive, he mobilized 486 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 487 as far as Dan. 488 14:15 Then, during the night, 489 Abram 490 divided his forces 491 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 492 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 493 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 494 the people.
14:17 After Abram 495 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 496 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 497 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 498 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 499 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 500 the Most High God,
Creator 501 of heaven and earth. 502
14:20 Worthy of praise is 503 the Most High God,
who delivered 504 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 505 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 506 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 507 14:23 that I will take nothing 508 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 509 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 510 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 511 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 512 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 513
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 514 what will you give me since 515 I continue to be 516 childless, and my heir 517 is 518 Eliezer of Damascus?” 519 15:3 Abram added, 520 “Since 521 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 522
15:4 But look, 523 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 524 will not be your heir, 525 but instead 526 a son 527 who comes from your own body will be 528 your heir.” 529 15:5 The Lord 530 took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
15:6 Abram believed 531 the Lord, and the Lord 532 considered his response of faith 533 as proof of genuine loyalty. 534
15:7 The Lord said 535 to him, “I am the Lord 536 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 537 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 538 Abram 539 said, “O sovereign Lord, 540 by what 541 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 542 said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram 543 took all these for him and then cut them in two 544 and placed each half opposite the other, 545 but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, 546 and great terror overwhelmed him. 547 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 548 that your descendants will be strangers 549 in a foreign country. 550 They will be enslaved and oppressed 551 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 552 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 553 you will go to your ancestors 554 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 555 15:16 In the fourth generation 556 your descendants 557 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 558
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 559 passed between the animal parts. 560 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 561 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 562 this land, from the river of Egypt 563 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 564 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 565
16:1 Now Sarai, 566 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 567 but she had an Egyptian servant 568 named Hagar. 569 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 570 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 571 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 572 Abram did what 573 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 574 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 575 to her husband to be his wife. 576 16:4 He had sexual relations with 577 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 578 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 579 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 580 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 581 but when she realized 582 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 583 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 584
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 585 servant is under your authority, 586 do to her whatever you think best.” 587 Then Sarai treated Hagar 588 harshly, 589 so she ran away from Sarai. 590
16:7 The Lord’s angel 591 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 592 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 593 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 594 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 595 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 596 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 597 pregnant
and are about to give birth 598 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 599
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 600
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 601 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 602
and everyone will be hostile to him. 603
He will live away from 604 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 605 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 606 16:14 That is why the well was called 607 Beer Lahai Roi. 608 (It is located 609 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 610 16:16 (Now 611 Abram was 86 years old 612 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 613
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 614 the Lord appeared to him and said, 615 “I am the sovereign God. 616 Walk 617 before me 618 and be blameless. 619 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 620 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 621
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 622 and God said to him, 623 17:4 “As for me, 624 this 625 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 626 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 627 because I will make you 628 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 629 extremely 630 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 631 17:7 I will confirm 632 my covenant as a perpetual 633 covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 634 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 635 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 636 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 637 the covenantal requirement 638 I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: 639 Every male among you must be circumcised. 640 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 641 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 642 must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, 643 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 644 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 645 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 646 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 647 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 648
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 649 Sarah 650 will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 651 Kings of countries 652 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 653 as he said to himself, 654 “Can 655 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 656 Can Sarah 657 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 658 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 659 Ishmael might live before you!” 660
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 661 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 662 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 663 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 664 He will become the father of twelve princes; 665 I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 666
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 667 and circumcised them 668 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 669 when he was circumcised; 670 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 671 when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 672 by the oaks 673 of Mamre while 674 he was sitting at the entrance 675 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 676 looked up 677 and saw 678 three men standing across 679 from him. When he saw them 680 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 681 to the ground. 682
18:3 He said, “My lord, 683 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 684 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 685 you may all 686 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 687 a bit of food 688 so that you may refresh yourselves 689 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 690 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 691 three measures 692 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 693 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 694 who quickly prepared it. 695 18:8 Abraham 696 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 697 before them. They ate while 698 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 699 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 700 said, “I will surely return 701 to you when the season comes round again, 702 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 703 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 704 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 705 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 706 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 707 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 708 especially when my husband is old too?” 709
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 710 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 711 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 712 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 713 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 714
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 715 they looked out over 716 Sodom. (Now 717 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 718 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 719 18:18 After all, Abraham 720 will surely become 721 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 722 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 723 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 724 the way of the Lord by doing 725 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 726 to Abraham what he promised 727 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 728 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 729 18:21 that I must go down 730 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 731 If not, 732 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 733 and headed 734 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 735 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 736 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 737 of the whole earth do what is right?” 738
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 739 (although I am but dust and ashes), 740 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 741 the whole city because five are lacking?” 742 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 743 spoke to him again, 744 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 745 said, “May the Lord not be angry 746 so that I may speak! 747 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 748 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 749 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 750 when he had finished speaking 751 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 752
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 753 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 754 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 755 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 756 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 757
19:3 But he urged 758 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, 759 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 760 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 761 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 762 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! 763 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 764 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 765 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 766 of my roof.” 767
19:9 “Out of our way!” 768 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 769 and now he dares to judge us! 770 We’ll do more harm 771 to you than to them!” They kept 772 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 773 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 774 reached out 775 and pulled Lot back into the house 776 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, 777 with blindness. The men outside 778 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 779 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 780 Do you have 781 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 782 Get them out of this 783 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 784 it. The outcry against this place 785 is so great before the Lord that he 786 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. 787 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 788 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 789
19:15 At dawn 790 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 791 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 792 19:16 When Lot 793 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 794 They led them away and placed them 795 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 796 said, “Run 797 for your lives! Don’t look 798 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 799 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 800 19:19 Your 801 servant has found favor with you, 802 and you have shown me great 803 kindness 804 by sparing 805 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 806 this disaster will overtake 807 me and I’ll die. 808 19:20 Look, this town 809 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 810 Let me go there. 811 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 812 Then I’ll survive.” 813
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 814 “I will grant this request too 815 and will not overthrow 816 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 817 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 818
19:23 The sun had just risen 819 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 820 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 821 sulfur and fire 822 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 823 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 824 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 825 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 826 wife looked back longingly 827 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 828 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 829 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 830 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 831
19:29 So when God destroyed 832 the cities of the region, 833 God honored 834 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 835 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 836 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 837 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 838 to have sexual relations with us, 839 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 840 so we can have sexual relations 841 with him and preserve 842 our family line through our father.” 843
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 844 and the older daughter 845 came and had sexual relations with her father. 846 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 847 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 848 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 849 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 850 19:35 So they made their father drunk 851 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 852 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 853
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 854 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 855 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. 856 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 857 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 858 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 859 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 860 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 861
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 862 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 863 20:5 Did Abraham 864 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 865 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 866 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. 867 That is why I have kept you 868 from sinning against me and why 869 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 870 he is a prophet 871 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 872 But if you don’t give her back, 873 know that you will surely die 874 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 875 Abimelech summoned 876 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 877 they 878 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? 879 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 880 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 881 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 882
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 883 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 884 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 885 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 886 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 887 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 888 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.” 889
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 890 to your ‘brother.’ 891 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 892
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 893 had caused infertility to strike every woman 894 in the household of Abimelech because he took 895 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 896 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 897 for Sarah what he had promised. 898 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 899 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. 900 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 901 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 902 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 903
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 904 Everyone who hears about this 905 will laugh 906 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 907 “Who would 908 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 909 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 910 21:9 But Sarah noticed 911 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 912 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 913 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. 914 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 915 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 916 all that Sarah is telling 917 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 918 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 919 some food 920 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 921 and sent her away. So she went wandering 922 aimlessly through the wilderness 923 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 924 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 925 away; for she thought, 926 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 927 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 928
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 929 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 930 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 931 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. 932 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. 933 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 934
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 935 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 936 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 937 Show me, and the land 938 where you are staying, 939 the same loyalty 940 that I have shown you.” 941
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 942 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 943 against Abimelech concerning a well 944 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 945 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 946 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. 947 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 948 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 949 that I dug this well.” 950 21:31 That is why he named that place 951 Beer Sheba, 952 because the two of them swore 953 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 954 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 955 to the land of the Philistines. 956 21:33 Abraham 957 planted a tamarisk tree 958 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 959 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 960
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 961 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 962 replied. 22:2 God 963 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 964 – and go to the land of Moriah! 965 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 966 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 967 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 968 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 969 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 970 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 971 said to his servants, “You two stay 972 here with the donkey while 973 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 974 and then return to you.” 975
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, 976 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 977 “My father?” “What is it, 978 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 979 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 980 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 981 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 982 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 983 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 984 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 985 the angel said. 986 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 987 that you fear 988 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 989 and saw 990 behind him 991 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 992 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.” 993 It is said to this day, 994 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 995
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,’ 996 decrees the Lord, 997 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 998 and I will greatly multiply 999 your descendants 1000 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 1001 of the strongholds 1002 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 1003 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 1004 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 1005 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 1006
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 1007 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 1008 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 1009 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. 1010 23:2 Then she 1011 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 1012
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 1013 and said to the sons of Heth, 1014 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 1015 among you. Grant 1016 me ownership 1017 of a burial site among you so that I may 1018 bury my dead.” 1019
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 1020 23:6 “Listen, sir, 1021 you are a mighty prince 1022 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 1023 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 1024 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 1025 that I may bury my dead, 1026 then hear me out. 1027 Ask 1028 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 1029 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 1030 for the full price, 1031 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 1032 replied to Abraham in the hearing 1033 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 1034 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 1035 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 1036 In the presence of my people 1037 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 1038 to you the price 1039 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 1040 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 1041 400 pieces of silver, 1042 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 1043 and weighed 1044 out for him 1045 the price 1046 that Ephron had quoted 1047 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 1048
23:17 So Abraham secured 1049 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. 1050
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 1051 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 1052 and the Lord had blessed him 1053 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 1054 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 1055 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 1056 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 1057 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 1058 to find 1059 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 1060 to this land? Must I then 1061 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 1062 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 1063 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 1064 promised me with a solemn oath, 1065 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 1066 before you so that you may find 1067 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 1068 you will be free 1069 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. 1070
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. 1071 He journeyed 1072 to the region of Aram Naharaim 1073 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 1074 outside the city. It was evening, 1075 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. 1076 Be faithful 1077 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 1078 and the daughters of the people 1079 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.’ 1080 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 1081
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 1082 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). 1083 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 1084 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 1085 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 1086 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 1087 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 1088 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 1089 if the Lord had made his journey successful 1090 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 1091 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 1092 and gave them to her. 1093 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 1094 “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. 1095 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 1096 “and room for you 1097 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 1098 for my master! The Lord has led me 1099 to the house 1100 of my master’s relatives!” 1101
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 1102 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 1103 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 1104 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 1105 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 1106 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 1107 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 1108 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 1109 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 1110 went to the house and unloaded 1111 the camels. Straw and feed were given 1112 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 1113 24:33 When food was served, 1114 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 1115 “Tell us,” Laban said. 1116
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. 1117 The Lord 1118 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 1119 when she was old, 1120 and my master 1121 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 1122 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 1123 with me?’ 1124 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 1125 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 1126 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, 1127 may events unfold as follows: 1128 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 1129 When 1130 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, 1131 along came Rebekah 1132 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.’ 1133 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 1134 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.” 1135
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 1136 Our wishes are of no concern. 1137 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 1138 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 1139
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 1140 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. 1141
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 1142 24:55 But Rebekah’s 1143 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 1144 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 1145 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 1146 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 1147 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: 1148
“Our sister, may you become the mother 1149 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 1150 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 1151 the man. So Abraham’s servant 1152 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 1153 Isaac came from 1154 Beer Lahai Roi, 1155 for 1156 he was living in the Negev. 1157 24:63 He 1158 went out to relax 1159 in the field in the early evening. 1160 Then he looked up 1161 and saw that 1162 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 1163 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 1164 Abraham’s servant, 1165 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 1166 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 1167 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 1168 as his wife and loved her. 1169 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 1170
25:1 Abraham had taken 1171 another 1172 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. 1173 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 1174 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 1175 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 1176
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 1177 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. 1178 He joined his ancestors. 1179 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 1180 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. 1181 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 1182 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 1183
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 1184 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: 1185 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 1186 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 1187 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 1188 25:18 His descendants 1189 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 1190 to Egypt all the way 1191 to Asshur. 1192 They settled 1193 away from all their relatives. 1194
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 1195 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 1196 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 1197
25:21 Isaac prayed to 1198 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 1199 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 1200 So she asked the Lord, 1201 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 1202 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, 1203 there were 1204 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 1205 all over, 1206 like a hairy 1207 garment, so they named him Esau. 1208 25:26 When his brother came out with 1209 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 1210 Isaac was sixty years old 1211 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 1212 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 1213 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 1214 but Rebekah loved 1215 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 1216 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 1217 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 1218 Edom.) 1219
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 1220 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 1221 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 1222 So Esau 1223 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 1224 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 1225 So Esau despised his birthright. 1226
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 1227 in the days of Abraham. 1228 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; 1229 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 1230 26:3 Stay 1231 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 1232 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 1233 and I will fulfill 1234 the solemn promise I made 1235 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 1236 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 1237 26:5 All this will come to pass 1238 because Abraham obeyed me 1239 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 1240 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.” 1241 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 1242 “The men of this place will kill me to get 1243 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 1244 had been there a long time, 1245 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 1246 Isaac caressing 1247 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 1248 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 1249
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 1250 One of the men 1251 might easily have had sexual relations with 1252 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 1253 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 1254
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 1255 because the Lord blessed him. 1256 26:13 The man became wealthy. 1257 His influence continued to grow 1258 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 1259 so many sheep 1260 and cattle 1261 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 1262 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 1263 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, 1264 for you have become much more powerful 1265 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 1266 26:18 Isaac reopened 1267 the wells that had been dug 1268 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 1269 after Abraham died. Isaac 1270 gave these wells 1271 the same names his father had given them. 1272
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 1273 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 1274 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 1275 named the well 1276 Esek 1277 because they argued with him about it. 1278 26:21 His servants 1279 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 1280 Sitnah. 1281 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 1282 named it 1283 Rehoboth, 1284 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 1285 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 1286 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 1287
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 1288 to him from Gerar along with 1289 Ahuzzah his friend 1290 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 1291 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 1292 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 1293 a pact between us 1294 – between us 1295 and you. Allow us to make 1296 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 1297 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 1298 you, but have always treated you well 1299 before sending you away 1300 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 1301
26:30 So Isaac 1302 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 1303 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 1304 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 1305
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 1306 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 1307 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 1308 to this day.
26:34 When 1309 Esau was forty years old, 1310 he married 1311 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. 1312
1 tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”
2 tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.
3 tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).
4 tn Heb “him.” The Hebrew text uses the third masculine singular pronominal suffix on the accusative sign. The pronoun agrees grammatically with its antecedent אָדָם (’adam). However, the next verse makes it clear that אָדָם is collective here and refers to “humankind,” so it is preferable to translate the pronoun with the English plural.
5 tn The Hebrew word used here is אָדָם (’adam).
9 tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.
13 tn Heb “The days of Adam.”
14 tn Heb “he fathered.”
15 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
17 tn Heb “all the days of Adam which he lived”
18 sn The genealogy traces the line from Adam to Noah and forms a bridge between the earlier accounts and the flood story. Its constant theme of the reign of death in the human race is broken once with the account of Enoch, but the genealogy ends with hope for the future through Noah. See further G. F. Hasel, “The Genealogies of Gen. 5 and 11 and their Alleged Babylonian Background,” AUSS 16 (1978): 361-74; idem, “Genesis 5 and 11,” Origins 7 (1980): 23-37.
21 tn Heb “he fathered.”
25 tn Heb “he fathered.”
26 tn Here and in vv. 10, 13, 16, 19 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
29 sn With the seventh panel there is a digression from the pattern. Instead of simply saying that Enoch lived, the text observes that he “walked with God.” The rare expression “walked with” (the Hitpael form of the verb הָלָךְ, halakh, “to walk” collocated with the preposition אֶת, ’et, “with”) is used in 1 Sam 25:15 to describe how David’s men maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Nabal’s men as they worked and lived side by side in the fields. In Gen 5:22 the phrase suggests that Enoch and God “got along.” This may imply that Enoch lived in close fellowship with God, leading a life of devotion and piety. An early Jewish tradition, preserved in 1 En. 1:9 and alluded to in Jude 14, says that Enoch preached about the coming judgment. See F. S. Parnham, “Walking with God,” EvQ 46 (1974): 117-18.
30 tn Heb “and Enoch walked with God, after he became the father of Methuselah, [for] 300 years.”
31 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
33 tn The Hebrew construction has the negative particle אֵין (’en, “there is not,” “there was not”) with a pronominal suffix, “he was not.” Instead of saying that Enoch died, the text says he no longer was present.
34 sn The text simply states that God took Enoch. Similar language is used of Elijah’s departure from this world (see 2 Kgs 2:10). The text implies that God overruled death for this man who walked with him.
37 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
41 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
42 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
45 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
49 tn Heb “Noah.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53 tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”
54 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.
55 tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.
57 sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.
61 tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the
62 tn Or “forever.”
63 tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).
64 tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).
65 tn Heb “flesh.”
66 tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.
67 tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.
65 tn The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (nÿfilim) is simply transliterated here, because the meaning of the term is uncertain. According to the text, the Nephilim became mighty warriors and gained great fame in the antediluvian world. The text may imply they were the offspring of the sexual union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humankind” (v. 2), but it stops short of saying this in a direct manner. The Nephilim are mentioned in the OT only here and in Num 13:33, where it is stated that they were giants (thus KJV, TEV, NLT “giants” here). The narrator observes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim. Certainly these later Anakite Nephilim could not be descendants of the antediluvian Nephilim (see also the following note on the word “this”).
66 tn This observation is parenthetical, explaining that there were Nephilim even after the flood. If all humankind, with the exception of Noah and his family, died in the flood, it is difficult to understand how the postdiluvian Nephilim could be related to the antediluvian Nephilim or how the Anakites of Canaan could be their descendants (see Num 13:33). It is likely that the term Nephilim refers generally to “giants” (see HALOT 709 s.v. נְפִילִים) without implying any ethnic connection between the antediluvian and postdiluvian varieties.
67 tn Heb “were entering to,” referring euphemistically to sexual intercourse here. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the ongoing nature of such sexual unions during the time before the flood.
68 tn Heb “and they gave birth to them.” The masculine plural suffix “them” refers to the “sons of God,” to whom the “daughters of humankind” bore children. After the Qal form of the verb יָלָד (yalad, “to give birth”) the preposition לְ (lÿ, “to”) introduces the father of the child(ren). See Gen 16:1, 15; 17:19, 21; 21:2-3, 9; 22:23; 24:24, 47; 25:2, etc.
69 tn The parenthetical/explanatory clause uses the word הַגִּבֹּרִים (haggibborim) to describe these Nephilim. The word means “warriors; mighty men; heroes.” The appositional statement further explains that they were “men of renown.” The text refers to superhuman beings who held the world in their power and who lived on in ancient lore outside the Bible. See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 45-46; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:379-80; and Anne D. Kilmer, “The Mesopotamian Counterparts of the Biblical Nephilim,” Perspectives on Language and Text, 39-43.
70 tn Heb “men of name” (i.e., famous men).
69 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.
70 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).
71 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.
72 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”
73 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.
74 tn Heb “all the day.”
73 tn Or “was grieved”; “was sorry.” In the Niphal stem the verb נָחָם (nakham) can carry one of four semantic meanings, depending on the context: (1) “to experience emotional pain or weakness,” “to feel regret,” often concerning a past action (see Exod 13:17; Judg 21:6, 15; 1 Sam 15:11, 35; Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). In several of these texts כִּי (ki, “because”) introduces the cause of the emotional sorrow. (2) Another meaning is “to be comforted” or “to comfort oneself” (sometimes by taking vengeance). See Gen 24:67; 38:12; 2 Sam 13:39; Ps 77:3; Isa 1:24; Jer 31:15; Ezek 14:22; 31:16; 32:31. (This second category represents a polarization of category one.) (3) The meaning “to relent from” or “to repudiate” a course of action which is already underway is also possible (see Judg 2:18; 2 Sam 24:16 = 1 Chr 21:15; Pss 90:13; 106:45; Jer 8:6; 20:16; 42:10). (4) Finally, “to retract” (a statement) or “to relent or change one’s mind concerning,” “to deviate from” (a stated course of action) is possible (see Exod 32:12, 14; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 110:4; Isa 57:6; Jer 4:28; 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3, 13, 19; Ezek 24:14; Joel 2:13-14; Am 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2; Zech 8:14). See R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 388. The first category applies here because the context speaks of God’s grief and emotional pain (see the following statement in v. 6) as a result of a past action (his making humankind). For a thorough study of the word נָחָם, see H. Van Dyke Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.
74 tn Heb “and he was grieved to his heart.” The verb עָצָב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic senses, depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain”; “to be depressed emotionally”; “to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed”; “to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself); “to be insulted” (Gen 34:7; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 34:7). The third category fits best in Gen 6:6 because humankind’s sin does not merely wound God emotionally. On the contrary, it prompts him to strike out in judgment against the source of his distress (see v. 7). The verb וַיִּתְעַצֵּב (vayyit’atsev), a Hitpael from עָצָב, alludes to the judgment oracles in Gen 3:16-19. Because Adam and Eve sinned, their life would be filled with pain; but sin in the human race also brought pain to God. The wording of v. 6 is ironic when compared to Gen 5:29. Lamech anticipated relief (נָחָם, nakham) from their work (מַעֲשֶׂה, ma’aseh) and their painful toil (עִצְּבֹן, ’itsÿvon), but now we read that God was sorry (נָחָם, nakham) that he had made (עָשָׂה, ’asah) humankind for it brought him great pain (עָצָב, ’atsav).
77 tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.
81 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is contrastive here: God condemns the human race, but he is pleased with Noah.
82 tn The Hebrew expression “find favor [in the eyes of]” is an idiom meaning “to be an object of another’s favorable disposition or action,” “to be a recipient of another’s favor, kindness, mercy.” The favor/kindness is often earned, coming in response to an action or condition (see Gen 32:5; 39:4; Deut 24:1; 1 Sam 25:8; Prov 3:4; Ruth 2:10). This is the case in Gen 6:8, where v. 9 gives the basis (Noah’s righteous character) for the divine favor.
83 tn Heb “in the eyes of,” an anthropomorphic expression for God’s opinion or decision. The
85 sn There is a vast body of scholarly literature about the flood story. The following studies are particularly helpful: A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and the Old Testament Parallels; M. Kessler, “Rhetorical Criticism of Genesis 7,” Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg (PTMS), 1-17; I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; A. R. Millard, “A New Babylonian ‘Genesis Story’,” TynBul 18 (1967): 3-18; G. J. Wenham, “The Coherence of the Flood Narrative,” VT 28 (1978): 336-48.
86 tn The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “blameless”) is used of men in Gen 17:1 (associated with the idiom “walk before,” which means “maintain a proper relationship with,” see 24:40); Deut 18:13 (where it means “blameless” in the sense of not guilty of the idolatrous practices listed before this; see Josh 24:14); Pss 18:23, 26 (“blameless” in the sense of not having violated God’s commands); 37:18 (in contrast to the wicked); 101:2, 6 (in contrast to proud, deceitful slanderers; see 15:2); Prov 2:21; 11:5 (in contrast to the wicked); 28:10; Job 12:4.
87 tn Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.
88 tn Heb “Noah.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.
89 tn The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”
89 tn Heb “fathered.”
93 tn Apart from Gen 6:11-12, the Niphal form of this verb occurs in Exod 8:20 HT (8:24 ET), where it describes the effect of the swarms of flies on the land of Egypt; Jer 13:7 and 18:4, where it is used of a “ruined” belt and “marred” clay pot, respectively; and Ezek 20:44, where it describes Judah’s morally “corrupt” actions. The sense “morally corrupt” fits well in Gen 6:11 because of the parallelism (note “the earth was filled with violence”). In this case “earth” would stand by metonymy for its sinful inhabitants. However, the translation “ruined” works just as well, if not better. In this case humankind’s sin is viewed has having an adverse effect upon the earth. Note that vv. 12b-13 make a distinction between the earth and the living creatures who live on it.
94 tn Heb “before.”
95 tn The Hebrew word translated “violence” refers elsewhere to a broad range of crimes, including unjust treatment (Gen 16:5; Amos 3:10), injurious legal testimony (Deut 19:16), deadly assault (Gen 49:5), murder (Judg 9:24), and rape (Jer 13:22).
97 tn Or “God saw how corrupt the earth was.”
98 tn The repetition in the text (see v. 11) emphasizes the point.
99 tn Heb “flesh.” Since moral corruption is in view here, most modern western interpreters understand the referent to be humankind. However, the phrase “all flesh” is used consistently of humankind and the animals in Gen 6-9 (6:17, 19; 7:15-16, 21; 8:17; 9:11, 15-17), suggesting that the author intends to picture all living creatures, humankind and animals, as guilty of moral failure. This would explain why the animals, not just humankind, are victims of the ensuing divine judgment. The OT sometimes views animals as morally culpable (Gen 9:5; Exod 21:28-29; Jonah 3:7-8). The OT also teaches that a person’s sin can contaminate others (people and animals) in the sinful person’s sphere (see the story of Achan, especially Josh 7:10). So the animals could be viewed here as morally contaminated because of their association with sinful humankind.
100 tn Heb “had corrupted its way.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “way” refers to the collective “all flesh.” The construction “corrupt one’s way” occurs only here (though Ezek 16:47 uses the Hiphil in an intransitive sense with the preposition בְּ [bet, “in”] followed by “ways”). The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) means “to ruin, to destroy, to corrupt,” often as here in a moral/ethical sense. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to behavior or moral character, a sense that it frequently carries (see BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a).
101 sn On the divine style utilized here, see R. Lapointe, “The Divine Monologue as a Channel of Revelation,” CBQ 32 (1970): 161-81.
102 tn Heb “the end of all flesh is coming [or “has come”] before me.” (The verb form is either a perfect or a participle.) The phrase “end of all flesh” occurs only here. The term “end” refers here to the end of “life,” as v. 3 and the following context (which describes how God destroys all flesh) make clear. The statement “the end has come” occurs in Ezek 7:2, 6, where it is used of divine judgment. The phrase “come before” occurs in Exod 28:30, 35; 34:34; Lev 15:14; Num 27:17; 1 Sam 18:13, 16; 2 Sam 19:8; 20:8; 1 Kgs 1:23, 28, 32; Ezek 46:9; Pss 79:11 (groans come before God); 88:3 (a prayer comes before God); 100:2; 119:170 (prayer comes before God); Lam 1:22 (evil doing comes before God); Esth 1:19; 8:1; 9:25; 1 Chr 16:29. The expression often means “have an audience with” or “appear before.” But when used metaphorically, it can mean “get the attention of” or “prompt a response.” This is probably the sense in Gen 6:13. The necessity of ending the life of all flesh on earth is an issue that has gotten the attention of God. The term “end” may even be a metonymy for that which has prompted it – violence (see the following clause).
103 tn The participle, especially after הִנֵּה (hinneh) has an imminent future nuance. The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) here has the sense “to destroy” (in judgment). Note the wordplay involving this verb in vv. 11-13: The earth is “ruined” because all flesh has acted in a morally “corrupt” manner. Consequently, God will “destroy” all flesh (the referent of the suffix “them”) along with the ruined earth. They had ruined themselves and the earth with violence, and now God would ruin them with judgment. For other cases where “earth” occurs as the object of the Hiphil of שָׁחָת, see 1 Sam 6:5; 1 Chr 20:1; Jer 36:29; 51:25.
105 sn The Hebrew verb is an imperative. A motif of this section is that Noah did as the
106 tn A transliteration of the Hebrew term yields “gopher (גֹּפֶר, gofer) wood” (so KJV, NAB, NASB). While the exact nature of the wood involved is uncertain (cf. NLT “resinous wood”), many modern translations render the Hebrew term as “cypress” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
107 tn The Hebrew term כָּפָר (kafar, “to cover, to smear” [= to caulk]) appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, nonmetaphorical meaning. The Piel form כִּפֶּר (kipper), which has the metaphorical meaning “to atone, to expiate, to pacify,” is used in Levitical texts (see HALOT 493-94 s.v. כפר). Some authorities regard the form in v. 14 as a homonym of the much more common Levitical term (see BDB 498 s.v. כָּפָר).
109 tn Heb “300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about 18 inches (45 cm) long.
113 tn Heb “a cubit.”
114 tn Heb “to a cubit you shall finish it from above.” The idea is that Noah was to leave an 18-inch opening from the top for a window for light.
117 tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the a participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”
118 tn Heb “the flood, water.”
119 tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.
120 tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.
121 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
122 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
125 tn Heb “from all life, from all flesh, two from all you must bring.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse (note the conjunction with prepositional phrase, followed by two more prepositional phrases in apposition and then the imperfect verb form) signals a change in mood from announcement (vv. 17-18) to instruction.
126 tn The Piel infinitive construct לְהַחֲיוֹת (lÿhakhayot, here translated as “to keep them alive”) shows the purpose of bringing the animals into the ark – saving life. The Piel of this verb means here “to preserve alive.”
129 tn Heb “to keep alive.”
133 tn The verb is a direct imperative: “And you, take for yourself.” The form stresses the immediate nature of the instruction; the pronoun underscores the directness.
134 tn Heb “from all food,” meaning “some of every kind of food.”
135 tn Or “will be eaten.”
136 tn Heb “and gather it to you.”
137 tn Heb “according to all.”
138 tn The last clause seems redundant: “and thus (כֵּן, ken) he did.” It underscores the obedience of Noah to all that God had said.
141 tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.
145 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
146 sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.
147 tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.
149 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
150 tn Here (and in v. 9) the Hebrew text uses the normal generic terms for “male and female” (זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, zakhar unÿqevah).
151 tn Heb “to keep alive offspring.”
153 tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”
154 tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.
157 tn Heb “according to all.”
161 tn Heb “Now Noah was.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate nominative after implied “to be” verb) provides background information. The age of Noah receives prominence.
162 tn Heb “and the flood was water upon.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial/temporal in relation to the preceding clause. The verb הָיָה (hayah) here carries the nuance “to come” (BDB 225 s.v. הָיָה). In this context the phrase “come upon” means “to engulf.”
165 tn The preposition מִן (min) is causal here, explaining why Noah and his family entered the ark.
169 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
173 tn The Hebrew text of vv. 8-9a reads, “From the clean animal[s] and from the animal[s] which are not clean and from the bird[s] and everything that creeps on the ground, two two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female.”
174 tn Heb “Noah”; the pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
177 tn Heb “came upon.”
181 tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 1:2).
182 sn On the prescientific view of the sky reflected here, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 46.
185 tn Heb “was.”
189 tn Heb “On that very day Noah entered, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.”
193 tn The verb “entered” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
194 tn Heb “every bird, every wing.”
197 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
198 tn Heb “flesh.”
201 tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”
205 tn Heb “and the waters were great and multiplied exceedingly.” The first verb in the sequence is וַיִּגְבְּרוּ (vayyigbÿru, from גָּבַר, gavar), meaning “to become great, mighty.” The waters did not merely rise; they “prevailed” over the earth, overwhelming it.
206 tn Heb “went.”
209 tn Heb “and the waters were great exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition emphasizes the depth of the waters.
210 tn Heb “and.”
213 tn Heb “rose fifteen cubits.” Since a cubit is considered by most authorities to be about eighteen inches, this would make the depth 22.5 feet. This figure might give the modern reader a false impression of exactness, however, so in the translation the phrase “fifteen cubits” has been rendered “more than twenty feet.”
214 tn Heb “the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward and they covered the mountains.” Obviously, a flood of twenty feet did not cover the mountains; the statement must mean the flood rose about twenty feet above the highest mountain.
217 tn Heb “flesh.”
221 tn Heb “everything which [has] the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils from all which is in the dry land.”
225 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
226 tn Heb “wiped away” (cf. NRSV “blotted out”).
227 tn Heb “from man to animal to creeping thing and to the bird of the sky.”
228 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁאָר (sha’ar) means “to be left over; to survive” in the Niphal verb stem. It is the word used in later biblical texts for the remnant that escapes judgment. See G. F. Hasel, “Semantic Values of Derivatives of the Hebrew Root só’r,” AUSS 11 (1973): 152-69.
229 sn The Hebrew verb translated “prevailed over” suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth. The earth and everything in it were no match for the return of the chaotic deep.
233 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).
234 tn Heb “to pass over.”
237 tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.
241 tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”
242 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
243 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
245 tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).
249 tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.
250 tn Or “could be seen.”
253 tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.
254 tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.
257 tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.
261 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
262 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
263 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
265 tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
266 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
267 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
268 tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”
269 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
270 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
273 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
274 tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.
277 tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
278 tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.
281 tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.
285 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
286 tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.
287 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
289 sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the
293 tn The
294 tn Heb “and the
295 tn Heb “in his heart.”
296 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.
297 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.
298 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”
299 tn Heb “from his youth.”
297 tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”
298 tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.
301 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.
302 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.
305 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
306 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
307 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
309 tn Heb “only.”
310 tn Or “flesh.”
311 tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.
312 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
313 tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.
314 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.
315 tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.
316 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
317 tn Heb “of the man.”
318 tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.
317 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
318 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
319 sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.
320 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
321 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).
325 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
329 tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”
330 tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.
333 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
337 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
338 tn Heb “all flesh.”
339 tn Heb “cut off.”
340 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
341 tn Heb “sign.”
342 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
343 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
344 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
345 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
345 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
346 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
347 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
349 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
353 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
354 tn Heb “all flesh.”
355 tn Heb “to destroy.”
356 tn Heb “all flesh.”
357 tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”
361 tn Heb “all flesh.”
365 sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.
369 tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.
373 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
374 tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”
377 tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.
381 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
382 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
385 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
386 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
389 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
390 tn Heb “he knew.”
391 tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.
393 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
394 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
395 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
397 tn Heb “blessed be.”
398 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
401 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
402 tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).
405 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.
406 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.
407 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.
409 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
410 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
411 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
412 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
413 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
414 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
415 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
416 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
413 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
414 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
415 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
416 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
417 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
418 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
419 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
420 tc Most of the MT
421 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
422 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
423 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
424 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
425 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
426 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
427 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
428 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
429 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
430 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
431 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
429 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
433 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
434 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
437 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
438 tn Or “Babylon.”
439 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
440 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
441 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
442 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
441 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
442 tn Heb “Asshur.”
443 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
444 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
445 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
445 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
449 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
450 tn Heb “fathered.”
451 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
452 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
453 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
454 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
453 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
454 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
455 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
456 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
457 tn Heb “fathered.”
458 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
459 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
461 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
462 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
463 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
465 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
466 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
467 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
469 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
470 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
471 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
473 tn Heb “were.”
474 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
475 tn Heb “as you go.”
476 tn Heb “as you go.”
477 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
478 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
481 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
482 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
483 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
484 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
485 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
485 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
489 tn Heb “fathered.”
490 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
491 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
493 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
497 tn Heb “fathered.”
498 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
499 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
500 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
501 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
501 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
502 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
505 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
506 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
507 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
509 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).
510 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
513 tn Heb “as you go.”
517 tn Or “separated.”
521 sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.
522 tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.
525 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
526 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
527 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
529 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
530 tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).
531 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
532 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
533 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
534 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
535 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
536 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
537 tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.
538 tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.
541 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
542 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
543 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
545 tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the
546 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
549 tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.
553 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
554 sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
557 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
561 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
562 tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
565 tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
569 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
570 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
573 sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.
574 sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.
577 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
578 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
581 sn The
582 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.
583 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”
584 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
585 tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.
586 sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.
587 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
588 tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.
589 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
590 tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic
591 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
593 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
594 tn Heb “just as the
595 tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.
596 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
597 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
598 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
599 tn Heb “went out to go.”
601 tn Or “terebinth.”
602 sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.
603 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
604 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
605 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
606 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
609 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
610 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
613 tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”
614 tn Or “the South [country].”
617 sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.
618 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.
619 tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
621 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
622 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
623 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
625 tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.
629 tn Heb “say.”
630 sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.
631 tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.
632 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
633 tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.
634 tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.
635 tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.
637 sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.
638 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
641 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
645 tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
649 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
650 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
651 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
652 tn Heb “take and go.”
653 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
657 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
658 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
661 tn Heb “heavy.”
662 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
665 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
666 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
667 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
668 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
669 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
670 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
673 tn Heb “was going.”
674 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
677 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
678 tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.
679 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
681 tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.
682 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
683 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.
685 tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.
689 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
693 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.
694 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
695 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
696 sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).
697 tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.
698 sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the
697 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
698 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
701 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
705 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.
706 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
707 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
709 tn Heb “and the
710 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
713 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
717 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
721 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
722 tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.
723 tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).
725 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
726 tn Or “terebinths.”
729 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
730 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
731 tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).
733 tn Heb “made war.”
734 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
737 tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.
738 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.
739 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
741 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
742 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
743 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
745 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
749 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
753 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”
757 tn Heb “against.”
761 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
762 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
765 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”
766 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
767 tn Heb “the rest.”
768 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.
769 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
773 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
774 tn Heb “and.”
775 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
776 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
777 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
778 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
779 tn Or “terebinths.”
780 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
781 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
782 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
781 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
782 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
783 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
784 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
785 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
786 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
787 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
788 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
789 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
790 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
793 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
794 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
795 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
797 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
798 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
801 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
802 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
803 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
805 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
806 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
807 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
809 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
810 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
813 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
814 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
817 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
818 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
821 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
822 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
825 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
826 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
827 tn Heb “I am going.”
828 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
829 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
830 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
829 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
830 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
831 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
833 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
834 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
835 tn Heb “inherit you.”
836 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
837 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
838 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
839 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
837 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
841 tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.
842 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
843 tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.
844 tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).
845 tn Heb “And he said.”
846 sn I am the
847 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
849 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
850 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
851 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
852 tn Or “how.”
853 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
857 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
858 tn Heb “in the middle.”
859 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
861 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
862 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
865 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.
866 tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.
867 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
868 tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.
869 tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.
873 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
874 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
875 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
877 sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.
878 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
879 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
881 sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).
882 tn Heb “these pieces.”
885 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
886 tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).
887 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
889 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
893 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
897 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
898 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
899 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
900 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
901 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
902 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
903 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
904 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
905 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
906 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
907 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
909 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
910 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
911 tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.
913 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
914 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
915 tn Heb “saw.”
916 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
917 tn Heb “me and you.”
917 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
918 tn Heb “in your hand.”
919 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
920 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
921 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
922 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
921 tn Heb “the messenger of the
922 tn Heb “And the angel of the
925 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
929 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
933 tn Heb “The
934 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
937 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
938 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
939 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
940 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
941 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
942 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
943 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
944 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
945 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
946 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
949 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
950 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.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
951 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
953 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
957 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
958 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
959 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
961 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
962 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
963 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
964 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”
965 tn Or “in my presence.”
966 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
965 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
966 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
969 tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.
970 tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
973 tn Heb “I.”
974 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
977 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
978 sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.
979 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
981 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
982 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
983 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
985 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).
986 tn Or “as an eternal.”
987 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
989 tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.
990 tn Or “as an eternal.”
993 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
994 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
997 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
998 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.
1001 tn Or “sign.”
1005 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
1009 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
1010 tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
1011 tn Or “an eternal.”
1013 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
1014 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1015 tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
1017 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
1018 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.
1021 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
1022 tn Heb “peoples.”
1025 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
1026 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
1027 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
1028 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
1029 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
1030 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
1029 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
1030 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
1033 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).
1034 tn Or “as an eternal.”
1037 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
1038 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
1039 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
1041 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1045 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
1046 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
1049 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
1050 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
1053 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
1057 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1058 tn Or “terebinths.”
1059 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
1060 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
1061 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1062 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
1063 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.
1064 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
1065 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
1066 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).
1067 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
1065 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
1066 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
1069 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
1070 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.
1073 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
1074 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.
1075 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
1076 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
1077 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.
1078 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.
1079 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
1081 tn Heb “the young man.”
1082 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
1085 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1086 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
1087 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
1089 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
1093 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
1094 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
1095 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
1096 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
1097 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
1097 tn Heb “days.”
1098 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
1101 tn Heb “saying.”
1102 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.
1103 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1105 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
1106 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
1109 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
1110 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
1113 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
1117 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
1118 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
1119 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
1120 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.
1121 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
1125 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?”
1126 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
1127 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.
1129 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
1130 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”).
1131 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
1132 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
1133 tn Heb “spoke to.”
1133 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
1134 tn Heb “heavy.”
1137 tn The cohortative indicates the
1138 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
1139 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
1141 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
1142 tn Heb “went.”
1143 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
1145 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
1149 tn Or “ruler.”
1150 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.
1153 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
1154 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
1157 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
1158 tn Heb “because of five.”
1161 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1162 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
1165 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1166 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
1167 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
1169 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1173 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1177 tn Heb “And the
1178 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
1179 tn Heb “to his place.”
1181 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
1182 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
1185 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
1186 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
1187 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
1189 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.
1193 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.
1194 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.
1197 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
1198 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.
1201 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
1205 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
1206 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
1207 tn Heb “shadow.”
1208 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.
1209 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
1210 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
1211 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.”
1212 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.
1213 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
1214 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
1213 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
1214 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
1215 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
1217 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
1218 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1221 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
1222 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
1223 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1224 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
1225 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
1225 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
1226 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1227 tn Heb “the
1229 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.
1230 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
1231 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.
1233 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
1234 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.
1235 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
1237 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1238 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
1239 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”).
1241 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.
1242 tn Heb “escape.”
1243 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.
1244 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
1245 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
1249 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.
1250 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
1251 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
1252 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
1253 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
1254 tn Heb “lest.”
1255 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
1256 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
1253 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.”
1254 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
1255 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
1256 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
1257 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
1257 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
1258 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
1259 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”).
1261 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
1262 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).
1265 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
1266 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.
1269 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
1270 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
1271 tn Heb “from the
1273 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
1274 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
1277 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1278 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
1281 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1285 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
1286 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.
1287 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
1289 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
1290 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
1291 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
1292 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
1293 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
1293 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
1294 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.
1295 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
1297 tn Heb “drink wine.”
1298 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
1299 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
1300 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
1301 tn Heb “drink wine.”
1302 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
1303 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.
1304 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
1305 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
1306 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
1307 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
1309 tn Heb “drink wine.”
1310 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
1311 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
1313 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
1314 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.
1317 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.
1321 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
1322 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
1325 tn Heb “came.”
1326 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.
1327 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
1329 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
1330 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.
1333 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1334 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
1335 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
1337 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
1338 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
1339 tn Heb “therefore.”
1341 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
1342 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
1343 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
1344 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
1345 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
1345 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
1346 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
1347 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
1348 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1349 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.
1350 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
1353 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
1354 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
1357 tn Heb “Because I said.”
1358 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
1361 tn Heb “but also.”
1365 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.”
1366 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
1369 tn Heb “took and gave.”
1373 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
1377 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).
1378 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).
1379 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).
1381 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
1382 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
1383 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
1385 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
1386 tn Heb “and the
1387 tn Heb “spoken.”
1389 tn Or “she conceived.”
1393 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.
1397 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
1398 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
1401 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).
1405 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
1406 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
1407 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).
1409 tn Heb “said.”
1410 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
1413 tn Heb “made.”
1414 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.
1417 tn Heb “saw.”
1418 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.
1421 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.
1425 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.
1429 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
1430 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.
1431 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
1432 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.
1433 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
1434 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
1435 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.”
1436 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
1437 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.
1437 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.
1441 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
1442 tn Heb “said.”
1443 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.
1444 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.
1445 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
1446 tn Heb “What to you?”
1447 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
1449 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.
1453 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.
1454 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
1457 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
1461 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
1462 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
1463 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
1464 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
1465 tn Or “kindness.”
1466 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
1465 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.
1469 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.
1470 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
1471 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
1473 tn Heb “and also.”
1477 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
1481 tn Heb “What are these?”
1485 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
1486 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.
1489 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
1490 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.
1491 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
1493 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
1494 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
1495 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.
1497 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1498 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.
1499 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
1501 tn Heb “many days.”
1505 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.
1506 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1509 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1510 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
1511 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.
1512 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.
1513 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
1513 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
1514 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
1517 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
1521 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
1522 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
1523 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
1524 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
1525 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.
1525 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
1529 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
1530 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
1531 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.
1533 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
1537 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?
1538 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.
1541 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
1545 sn Heb “the messenger of the
1549 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
1550 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.
1551 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
1552 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
1553 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
1554 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.
1555 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
1556 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1557 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.
1558 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
1559 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.
1561 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
1562 tn Heb “the oracle of the
1565 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
1566 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
1567 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.
1568 tn Or “inherit.”
1569 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”).
1569 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
1570 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.)
1573 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
1574 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
1577 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
1581 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.
1585 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
1589 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
1593 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
1594 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).
1597 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
1598 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.
1601 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
1602 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.
1603 tn Or “possession.”
1604 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
1605 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.
1605 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
1609 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
1610 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.
1611 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1613 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
1617 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).
1618 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.
1619 tn Or “hear me.”
1620 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
1621 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.
1622 tn Heb “in your presence.”
1623 tn Heb “silver.”
1625 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
1626 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
1627 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.
1629 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.
1630 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.
1631 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
1633 tn Heb “give.”
1634 tn Heb “silver.”
1635 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
1637 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1638 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).
1641 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
1642 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
1643 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1644 tn Heb “silver.”
1645 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
1646 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.
1645 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.
1649 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1653 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
1657 tn Heb “days.”
1658 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
1661 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
1662 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.
1665 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
1666 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
1669 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
1670 tn Heb “and take.”
1673 tn Heb “to go after me.”
1674 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.
1677 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
1678 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.
1681 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
1682 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
1683 tn Or “his messenger.”
1684 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
1685 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
1686 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.
1689 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
1693 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.
1694 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
1695 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
1697 tn Heb “well of water.”
1698 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
1701 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).
1702 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
1705 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
1706 tn Heb “the men.”
1709 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.
1710 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.”
1713 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.
1714 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.
1717 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.
1721 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1725 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
1729 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1733 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
1737 tn Heb “to know.”
1738 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).
1741 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
1742 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
1743 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
1745 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1749 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1753 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.
1754 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
1757 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
1758 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
1759 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
1760 tn Heb “brothers.”
1761 tn Heb “according to.”
1765 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
1769 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.
1770 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
1771 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.
1773 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
1774 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
1775 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
1777 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1778 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).
1779 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
1780 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
1781 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
1782 tn Heb “my words.”
1783 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
1785 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
1786 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
1789 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1790 tn Heb “after her old age.”
1791 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1793 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.”
1797 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
1798 tn Heb “after me.”
1801 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
1805 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).
1809 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
1810 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
1813 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
1814 tn Heb “and it will be.”
1817 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.
1818 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
1821 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1825 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).
1829 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.
1833 tn Heb “From the
1834 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.
1837 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
1838 tn Heb “as the
1841 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1845 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
1846 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
1849 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1853 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
1854 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
1857 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
1861 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
1865 tn Heb “and said to her.”
1866 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
1867 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.
1869 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
1870 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1873 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
1874 tn Heb “from the way of.”
1875 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.
1876 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
1877 tn Or “the South [country].”
1877 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1878 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
1879 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
1880 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
1881 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
1881 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
1885 tn Heb “and she said to.”
1886 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
1887 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.
1889 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
1890 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1891 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
1892 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
1893 tn Or “took.”
1894 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
1897 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.
1901 tn Or “sons.”
1905 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
1906 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
1909 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.
1913 tn Heb “old and full.”
1914 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.
1917 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
1921 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
1925 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).
1926 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
1929 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).
1933 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.”
1937 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
1941 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
1942 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.
1945 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
1946 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
1947 tn Heb “as you go.”
1948 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
1949 tn Heb “he fell.”
1950 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.
1949 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.
1953 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
1954 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.
1957 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
1961 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
1962 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.
1963 sn Asked the
1965 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.
1969 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
1970 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.
1973 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.
1974 tn Heb “all of him.”
1975 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.
1976 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.
1977 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
1978 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.
1979 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
1981 tn Heb “knowing.”
1982 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.”
1985 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.
1986 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.
1989 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).
1993 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.
1994 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
1995 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.”
1997 tn Heb “today.”
2001 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
2005 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
2006 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2007 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.
2009 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.
2010 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.
2013 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
2014 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.
2017 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.
2018 tn Heb “say to you.”
2021 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.
2022 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
2023 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.
2024 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.
2025 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
2025 tn Heb “your descendants.”
2026 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.)
2029 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
2030 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
2031 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.
2033 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
2034 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.
2035 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
2037 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2038 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
2039 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.
2040 tn Or “fondling.”
2041 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
2042 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).
2045 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).
2046 tn Heb “people.”
2047 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
2049 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
2050 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
2053 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
2054 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
2057 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
2058 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
2061 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
2062 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
2063 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
2064 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
2065 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
2069 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
2070 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).
2073 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
2077 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
2078 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
2079 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
2080 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2081 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2082 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
2081 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
2085 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
2086 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2087 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
2088 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.”
2089 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2089 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2090 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2091 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.
2093 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2094 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
2095 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.
2097 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2101 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
2102 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
2105 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.”
2106 tn Heb “and.”
2107 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.
2109 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
2113 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
2114 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.
2115 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
2116 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
2117 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
2117 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
2118 tn Heb “touched.”
2119 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
2120 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
2121 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).
2121 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2122 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
2125 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
2126 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
2129 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.
2133 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.
2134 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.
2137 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
2138 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
2139 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
2141 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”