1 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).
2 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
3 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.
4 tn Or “Babylon.”
5 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
6 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
7 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).
8 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.