34:6 “‘And for a western border 5 you will have the Great Sea. 6 This will be your western border.
15:12 The western border was the Mediterranean Sea. 7 These were the borders of the tribe of Judah and its clans. 8
1 tn Heb “the sole of your foot walks.” The placing of the foot symbolizes conquest and dominion, especially on land or on the necks of enemies (cf. Deut 1:36; Ps 7:13; Isa 63:3 Hab 3:19; Zech 9:13). See E. H. Merrill, NIDOTTE 1:992.
2 tn Heb “the after sea,” that is, the sea behind one when one is facing east, which is the normal OT orientation. Cf. ASV “the hinder sea.”
3 tn The form is a perfect tense with vav consecutive.
4 tn In the Hebrew Bible “the River” usually refers to the Euphrates (cf. NASB, NCV, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT). There is some thought that it refers to a river Nahr el Kebir between Lebanon and Syria. See further W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:447; and G. W. Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant (NovTSup), 91-100.
5 tn The word for west is simply “sea,” because the sea is west of Israel.
6 sn That is, the Mediterranean Sea (also in the following verse).
7 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
8 tn Heb “this was the border of the sons of Judah round about, by their clans.”