43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. 1
10:1 This is the account 4 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 5 were born 6 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 7 were Gomer, 8 Magog, 9 Madai, 10 Javan, 11 Tubal, 12 Meshech, 13 and Tiras. 14
72:10 The kings of Tarshish 21 and the coastlands will offer gifts;
the kings of Sheba 22 and Seba 23 will bring tribute.
72:15 May he live! 24 May they offer him gold from Sheba! 25
May they continually pray for him!
May they pronounce blessings on him all day long! 26
60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, 27
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All the merchants of Sheba 28 will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing praises to the Lord. 29
1 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.
2 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
3 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
8 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.
9 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
10 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
11 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
12 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.
13 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.
14 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
15 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.
16 tn Or “Babylon.”
17 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
18 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
19 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).
20 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
21 sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.
22 sn Sheba was located in Arabia.
23 sn Seba was located in Africa.
24 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. Because the form has the prefixed vav (ו), some subordinate it to what precedes as a purpose/result clause. In this case the representative poor individual might be the subject of this and the following verb, “so that he may live and give to him gold of Sheba.” But the idea of the poor offering gold is incongruous. It is better to take the jussive as a prayer with the king as subject of the verb. (Perhaps the initial vav is dittographic; note the vav at the end of the last form in v. 14.) The statement is probably an abbreviated version of the formula יְחִי הַמֶּלֶךְ (yÿkhiy hammelekh, “may the king live”; see 1 Sam 10:24; 2 Sam 16:16; 1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12).
25 tn Heb “and he will give to him some gold of Sheba.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one give”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are the tribute bearers in view here.
26 tn As in the preceding line, the prefixed verbal forms are understood as jussives with a grammatically indefinite subject (“and may one pray…and may one bless”). Of course, the king’s subjects, mentioned in the preceding context, are in view here.
27 tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”
28 tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”
29 tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”