Genesis 13:7-8

13:7 So there were quarrels ¹  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ²  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ³ 

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. ⁴ 

Genesis 37:4

37:4 When Joseph’s ⁵  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ⁶  they hated Joseph ⁷  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ⁸ 

Psalms 133:1

Psalm 133 ⁹ 

A song of ascents, ¹⁰  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ¹¹ 

Galatians 5:15

5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, ¹²  beware that you are not consumed ¹³  by one another.

James 3:16

3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice.

¹ 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.

² sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

³ 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.

⁴ 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.

⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

⁹ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

¹⁰ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

¹¹ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

¹² tn That is, “if you are harming and exploiting one another.” Paul’s metaphors are retained in most modern translations, but it is possible to see the meanings of δάκνω and κατεσθίω (daknw and katesqiw, L&N 20.26 and 88.145) as figurative extensions of the literal meanings of these terms and to translate them accordingly. The present tenses here are translated as customary presents (“continually…”).

¹³ tn Or “destroyed.”