Genesis 6:11

6:11 The earth was ruined ¹  in the sight of ²  God; the earth was filled with violence. ³ 

Genesis 10:9

10:9 He was a mighty hunter ⁴  before the Lord. ⁵  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”)

Genesis 38:7

38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.

Genesis 38:2

38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man ⁶  named Shua. ⁷  Judah acquired her as a wife ⁸  and had marital relations with her. ⁹ 

Genesis 21:6

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ¹⁰  Everyone who hears about this ¹¹  will laugh ¹²  with me.”

Isaiah 3:8

3:8 Jerusalem certainly stumbles,

Judah falls,

for their words and their actions offend the Lord; ¹³ 

they rebel against his royal authority. ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 23:24

23:24 “Do you really think anyone can hide himself

where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. ¹⁵ 

“Do you not know that I am everywhere?” ¹⁶ 

the Lord asks. ¹⁷ 

Hebrews 4:13

4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ¹⁸  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

¹ tn Apart from Gen 6:11-12, the Niphal form of this verb occurs in Exod 8:20 HT (8:24 ET), where it describes the effect of the swarms of flies on the land of Egypt; Jer 13:7 and 18:4, where it is used of a “ruined” belt and “marred” clay pot, respectively; and Ezek 20:44, where it describes Judah’s morally “corrupt” actions. The sense “morally corrupt” fits well in Gen 6:11 because of the parallelism (note “the earth was filled with violence”). In this case “earth” would stand by metonymy for its sinful inhabitants. However, the translation “ruined” works just as well, if not better. In this case humankind’s sin is viewed has having an adverse effect upon the earth. Note that vv. 12b-13 make a distinction between the earth and the living creatures who live on it.

² tn Heb “before.”

³ tn The Hebrew word translated “violence” refers elsewhere to a broad range of crimes, including unjust treatment (Gen 16:5; Amos 3:10), injurious legal testimony (Deut 19:16), deadly assault (Gen 49:5), murder (Judg 9:24), and rape (Jer 13:22).

⁴ 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).

⁵ tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”

⁶ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

⁷ tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

⁸ tn Heb “and he took her.”

⁹ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

¹⁰ tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”

¹¹ tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹² sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).

¹³ tn Heb “for their tongue and their deeds [are] to the Lord.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “to rebel [against] the eyes of his majesty.” The word כָּבוֹד (kavod) frequently refers to the Lord’s royal splendor that is an outward manifestation of his authority as king.

¹⁵ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

¹⁶ tn The words “Don’t you know” are not in the text. They are a way of conveying the idea that the question which reads literally “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” expects a positive answer. They follow the pattern used at the beginning of the previous two questions and continue that thought. The words are supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁷ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.