24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 11 and the Lord had blessed him 12 in everything.
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 13 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 14
4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,
then Lamech seventy-seven times!” 16
4:1 Now 17 the man had marital relations with 18 his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 19 and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 20 a man just as the Lord did!” 21
4:25 Let your eyes look directly 22 in front of you
and let your gaze 23 look straight before you.
1 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 tn Grk “said.”
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 sn There are several options for the meaning of Jesus’ reply Leave the dead to bury their own dead: (1) Recent research suggests that burial customs in the vicinity of Jerusalem from about 20
5 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
6 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
7 tn Heb “my words.”
8 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
9 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
10 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
11 tn Heb “days.”
12 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
13 tn Heb “made.”
14 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
15 tn Or “she conceived.”
16 sn Seventy-seven times. Lamech seems to reason this way: If Cain, a murderer, is to be avenged seven times (see v. 15), then how much more one who has been unjustly wronged! Lamech misses the point of God’s merciful treatment of Cain. God was not establishing a principle of justice when he warned he would avenge Cain’s murder. In fact he was trying to limit the shedding of blood, something Lamech wants to multiply instead. The use of “seventy-seven,” a multiple of seven, is hyperbolic, emphasizing the extreme severity of the vengeance envisioned by Lamech.
17 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.
18 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
19 tn Or “she conceived.”
20 tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.
21 tn Heb “with the
22 tn The jussives in this verse are both Hiphil, the first from the verb “to gaze; to look intently [or, carefully],” (נָבַט, navat) and the second from the verb “to be smooth, straight” (יָשָׁר, yashar).
23 tn Heb “your eyelids.” The term “eyelids” is often a poetic synonym for “eye” (it is a metonymy of adjunct, something connected with the eye put for the eye that sees); it may intensify the idea as one might squint to gain a clearer look.