26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 13 One of the men 14 might easily have had sexual relations with 15 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!”
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 16 So Jacob 17 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 18 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 19 me?”
3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, 22
“Because you have done this,
cursed 23 are you above all the wild beasts
and all the living creatures of the field!
On your belly you will crawl 24
and dust you will eat 25 all the days of your life.
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 34 That is why I have kept you 35 from sinning against me and why 36 I did not allow you to touch her.
1 tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun is enclitic, serving as an undeclined particle for emphasis. It gives the sense of “What in the world have you done?” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
2 sn The Hebrew word order puts the subject (“the serpent”) before the verb here, giving prominence to it.
3 tn This verb (the Hiphil of נָשָׁא, nasha) is used elsewhere of a king or god misleading his people into false confidence (2 Kgs 18:29 = 2 Chr 32:15 = Isa 36:14; 2 Kgs 19:10 = Isa 37:10), of an ally deceiving a partner (Obad 7), of God deceiving his sinful people as a form of judgment (Jer 4:10), of false prophets instilling their audience with false hope (Jer 29:8), and of pride and false confidence producing self-deception (Jer 37:9; 49:16; Obad 3).
4 sn What have you done? Again the
5 tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.
7 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
8 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
10 tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.
11 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
13 tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
16 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
17 tn Heb “the oracle of the
19 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
20 tn Heb “people.”
21 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
22 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
23 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
25 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
25 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
26 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
28 sn Note that God asks no question of the serpent, does not call for confession, as he did to the man and the woman; there is only the announcement of the curse. The order in this section is chiastic: The man is questioned, the woman is questioned, the serpent is cursed, sentence is passed on the woman, sentence is passed on the man.
29 tn The Hebrew word translated “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as comparative, then the idea is “cursed [i.e., punished] are you above [i.e., more than] all the wild beasts.” In this case the comparative preposition reflects the earlier comparison: The serpent was more shrewd than all others, and so more cursed than all others. If the preposition is taken as separative (see the note on the word “ground” in 4:11), then the idea is “cursed and banished from all the wild beasts.” In this case the serpent is condemned to isolation from all the other animals.
30 tn Heb “go”; “walk,” but in English “crawl” or “slither” better describes a serpent’s movement.
31 sn Dust you will eat. Being restricted to crawling on the ground would necessarily involve “eating dust,” although that is not the diet of the serpent. The idea of being brought low, of “eating dust” as it were, is a symbol of humiliation.
31 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
32 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
33 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
34 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
35 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
36 tn Heb “lest.”
37 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
38 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
34 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
35 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
36 tn Heb “therefore.”
37 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
38 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
40 tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
41 tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.
42 tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.
43 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
44 tn Heb “you have done with.”
45 tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
46 tn Heb “this Jordan.”