8:8 Then Noah 5 sent out a dove 6 to see if the waters had receded 7 from the surface of the ground.
18:3 He said, “My lord, 8 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 9
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 10 and said to the sons of Heth, 11
1 tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”
2 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
4 tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
9 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
10 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
11 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
13 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
14 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
16 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”