15:12 The scorner does not love 1 one who corrects him; 2
he will not go to 3 the wise.
19:9 “Out of our way!” 8 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 9 and now he dares to judge us! 10 We’ll do more harm 11 to you than to them!” They kept 12 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 13 to break down the door.
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 14 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 15 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer.
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 17 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 18 replied. 22:2 God 19 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 20 – and go to the land of Moriah! 21 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 22 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 23 you.”
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 27 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 28 and gave them to her. 29
1 sn This is an understatement, the opposite being intended (a figure called tapeinosis). A scorner rejects any efforts to reform him.
2 tn The form הוֹכֵחַ (hokheakh) is a Hiphil infinitive absolute. It could function as the object of the verb (cf. NIV, NRSV) or as a finite verb (cf. KJV, NASB, NLT). The latter has been chosen here because of the prepositional phrase following it, although that is not a conclusive argument.
3 tc The MT has אֶל (’el, “to [the wise]”), suggesting seeking the advice of the wise. The LXX, however, has “with the wise,” suggesting אֶת (’et).
4 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
5 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
6 tn Heb “shadow.”
7 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
8 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
9 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
10 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
11 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
12 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
13 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
14 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
15 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
16 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
17 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
21 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
22 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
23 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
24 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
25 tn Heb “to know.”
26 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
27 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
28 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
29 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
30 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
31 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
32 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
33 tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).
34 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).