Genesis 21:25

21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ¹  against Abimelech concerning a well ²  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ³ 

Genesis 26:20

26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ⁴  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ⁵  named the well ⁶  Esek ⁷  because they argued with him about it. ⁸ 

Exodus 2:17

2:17 When some ⁹  shepherds came and drove them away, ¹⁰  Moses came up and defended them ¹¹  and then watered their flock.

Exodus 2:1

The Birth of the Deliverer

2:1 ¹² A man from the household ¹³  of Levi married ¹⁴  a woman who was a descendant of Levi. ¹⁵ 

Colossians 3:3

3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Galatians 5:20

5:20 idolatry, sorcery, ¹⁶  hostilities, ¹⁷  strife, ¹⁸  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, ¹⁹  factions,

Titus 3:3

3:3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.

James 3:16

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

James 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ²⁰  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ²¹  from your passions that battle inside you? ²² 

¹ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.

² tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”

³ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.

⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

⁷ sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”

⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁹ tn The definite article here is the generic use; it simply refers to a group of shepherds.

¹⁰ tn The actions of the shepherds are subordinated to the main statement about what Moses did.

¹¹ sn The verb used here is וַיּוֹשִׁעָן (vayyoshi’an, “and he saved them”). The word means that he came to their rescue and delivered them. By the choice of words the narrator is portraying Moses as the deliverer – he is just not yet ready to deliver Israel from its oppressors.

¹² sn The chapter records the exceptional survival of Moses under the decree of death by Pharaoh (vv. 1-10), the flight of Moses from Pharaoh after killing the Egyptian (vv. 11-15), the marriage of Moses (vv. 16-22), and finally a note about the Lord’s hearing the sighing of the people in bondage (vv. 23-25). The first part is the birth. The Bible has several stories about miraculous or special births and deliverances of those destined to lead Israel. Their impact is essentially to authenticate the individual’s ministry. If the person’s beginning was providentially provided and protected by the Lord, then the mission must be of divine origin too. In this chapter the plot works around the decree for the death of the children – a decree undone by the women. The second part of the chapter records Moses’ flight and marriage. Having introduced the deliverer Moses in such an auspicious way, the chapter then records how this deliverer acted presumptuously and had to flee for his life. Any deliverance God desired had to be supernatural, as the chapter’s final note about answering prayer shows.

¹³ tn Heb “house.” In other words, the tribe of Levi.

¹⁴ tn Heb “went and took”; NASB “went and married.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “a daughter of Levi.” The word “daughter” is used in the sense of “descendant” and connects the new account with Pharaoh’s command in 1:22. The words “a woman who was” are added for clarity in English.

¹⁶ tn Or “witchcraft.”

¹⁷ tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

¹⁸ tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

¹⁹ tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

²⁰ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

²¹ tn Grk “from here.”

²² tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”