Genesis 1:16

1:16 God made two great lights ¹  – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. ² 

Genesis 3:24

3:24 When he drove ³  the man out, he placed on the eastern side ⁴  of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries ⁵  who used the flame of a whirling sword ⁶  to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 4:18

4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father ⁷  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

Genesis 11:27

The Record of Terah

11:27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

Genesis 14:16

14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ⁸  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ⁹  the people.

Genesis 22:24

22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Genesis 30:26

30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ¹⁰  Then I’ll depart, ¹¹  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ¹² 

Genesis 34:29

34:29 They captured as plunder ¹³  all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

Genesis 45:18

45:18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you ¹⁴  the best land in Egypt and you will eat ¹⁵  the best ¹⁶  of the land.’

Genesis 50:2

50:2 Joseph instructed the physicians in his service ¹⁷  to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel.

¹ sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.

² tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.

³ tn The verb with the vav (ו) consecutive is made subordinate to the next verb forming a temporal clause. This avoids any tautology with the previous verse that already stated that the Lord expelled the man.

⁴ tn Or “placed in front.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

⁵ tn The Hebrew word is traditionally transliterated “the cherubim.”

⁶ tn Heb “the flame of the sword that turns round and round.” The noun “flame” is qualified by the genitive of specification, “the sword,” which in turn is modified by the attributive participle “whirling.” The Hitpael of the verb “turn” has an iterative function here, indicating repeated action. The form is used in Job 37:12 of swirling clouds and in Judg 7:13 of a tumbling roll of bread. Verse 24 depicts the sword as moving from side to side to prevent anyone from passing or as whirling around, ready to cut to shreds anyone who tries to pass.

⁵ tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”

⁷ tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁸ tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁹ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

¹⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

¹¹ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

¹¹ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

¹³ tn After the imperatives in vv. 17-18a, the cohortative with vav indicates result.

¹⁴ tn After the cohortative the imperative with vav states the ultimate goal.

¹⁵ tn Heb “fat.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “his servants the physicians.”