Genesis 10:1--18:33

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ¹  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ²  were born ³  to them after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth ⁴  were Gomer, ⁵  Magog, ⁶  Madai, ⁷  Javan, ⁸  Tubal, ⁹  Meshech, ¹⁰  and Tiras. ¹¹  10:3 The sons of Gomer were ¹²  Askenaz, ¹³  Riphath, ¹⁴  and Togarmah. ¹⁵  10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, ¹⁶  Tarshish, ¹⁷  the Kittim, ¹⁸  and the Dodanim. ¹⁹  10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, ²⁰  Mizraim, ²¹  Put, ²²  and Canaan. ²³  10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, ²⁴  Havilah, ²⁵  Sabtah, ²⁶  Raamah, ²⁷  and Sabteca. ²⁸  The sons of Raamah were Sheba ²⁹  and Dedan. ³⁰ 

10:8 Cush was the father of ³¹  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter ³²  before the Lord. ³³  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions ³⁴  of his kingdom were Babel, ³⁵  Erech, ³⁶  Akkad, ³⁷  and Calneh ³⁸  in the land of Shinar. ³⁹  10:11 From that land he went ⁴⁰  to Assyria, ⁴¹  where he built Nineveh, ⁴²  Rehoboth-Ir, ⁴³  Calah, ⁴⁴  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. ⁴⁵ 

10:13 Mizraim ⁴⁶  was the father of ⁴⁷  the Ludites, ⁴⁸  Anamites, ⁴⁹  Lehabites, ⁵⁰  Naphtuhites, ⁵¹  10:14 Pathrusites, ⁵²  Casluhites ⁵³  (from whom the Philistines came), ⁵⁴  and Caphtorites. ⁵⁵ 

10:15 Canaan was the father of ⁵⁶  Sidon his firstborn, ⁵⁷  Heth, ⁵⁸  10:16 the Jebusites, ⁵⁹  Amorites, ⁶⁰  Girgashites, ⁶¹  10:17 Hivites, ⁶²  Arkites, ⁶³  Sinites, ⁶⁴  10:18 Arvadites, ⁶⁵  Zemarites, ⁶⁶  and Hamathites. ⁶⁷  Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended ⁶⁸  from Sidon ⁶⁹  all the way to ⁷⁰  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to ⁷¹  Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

10:21 And sons were also born ⁷²  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), ⁷³  the father of all the sons of Eber.

10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, ⁷⁴  Asshur, ⁷⁵  Arphaxad, ⁷⁶  Lud, ⁷⁷  and Aram. ⁷⁸  10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ⁷⁹  10:24 Arphaxad was the father of ⁸⁰  Shelah, ⁸¹  and Shelah was the father of Eber. ⁸²  10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, ⁸³  and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of ⁸⁴  Almodad, ⁸⁵  Sheleph, ⁸⁶  Hazarmaveth, ⁸⁷  Jerah, ⁸⁸  10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, ⁸⁹  Diklah, ⁹⁰  10:28 Obal, ⁹¹  Abimael, ⁹²  Sheba, ⁹³  10:29 Ophir, ⁹⁴  Havilah, ⁹⁵  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to ⁹⁶  Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ⁹⁷  over the earth after the flood.

The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel

11:1 The whole earth ⁹⁸  had a common language and a common vocabulary. ⁹⁹  11:2 When the people ¹⁰⁰  moved eastward, ¹⁰¹  they found a plain in Shinar ¹⁰²  and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, ¹⁰³  “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” ¹⁰⁴  (They had brick instead of stone and tar ¹⁰⁵  instead of mortar.) ¹⁰⁶  11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens ¹⁰⁷  so that ¹⁰⁸  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise ¹⁰⁹  we will be scattered ¹¹⁰  across the face of the entire earth.”

11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people ¹¹¹  had started ¹¹²  building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language ¹¹³  they have begun to do this, then ¹¹⁴  nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. ¹¹⁵  11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse ¹¹⁶  their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” ¹¹⁷ 

11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building ¹¹⁸  the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called ¹¹⁹  Babel ¹²⁰  – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

The Genealogy of Shem

11:10 This is the account of Shem.

Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other ¹²¹  sons and daughters.

11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other ¹²²  sons and daughters. ¹²³ 

11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other ¹²⁴  sons and daughters.

11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The Record of Terah

11:27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, ¹²⁵  while his father Terah was still alive. ¹²⁶  11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ¹²⁷  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ¹²⁸  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime ¹²⁹  of Terah was 205 years, and he ¹³⁰  died in Haran.

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ¹³¹  to Abram, ¹³² 

“Go out ¹³³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ¹³⁴ 

12:2 Then I will make you ¹³⁵  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ¹³⁶ 

and I will make your name great, ¹³⁷ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ¹³⁸ 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ¹³⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ¹⁴⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ¹⁴¹  by your name.”

12:4 So Abram left, ¹⁴²  just as the Lord had told him to do, ¹⁴³  and Lot went with him. (Now ¹⁴⁴  Abram was 75 years old ¹⁴⁵  when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew ¹⁴⁶  Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired ¹⁴⁷  in Haran, and they left for ¹⁴⁸  the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ¹⁴⁹  of Moreh ¹⁵⁰  at Shechem. ¹⁵¹  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ¹⁵²  12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants ¹⁵³  I will give this land.” So Abram ¹⁵⁴  built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ¹⁵⁵  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ¹⁵⁶  12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages ¹⁵⁷  down to the Negev. ¹⁵⁸ 

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ¹⁵⁹  to stay for a while ¹⁶⁰  because the famine was severe. ¹⁶¹  12:11 As he approached ¹⁶²  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, ¹⁶³  I know that you are a beautiful woman. ¹⁶⁴  12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. ¹⁶⁵  12:13 So tell them ¹⁶⁶  you are my sister ¹⁶⁷  so that it may go well ¹⁶⁸  for me because of you and my life will be spared ¹⁶⁹  on account of you.”

12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife ¹⁷⁰  was taken ¹⁷¹  into the household of Pharaoh, ¹⁷²  12:16 and he did treat Abram well ¹⁷³  on account of her. Abram received ¹⁷⁴  sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases ¹⁷⁵  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this ¹⁷⁶  you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her ¹⁷⁷  to be my wife? ¹⁷⁸  Here is your wife! ¹⁷⁹  Take her and go!” ¹⁸⁰  12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, ¹⁸¹  and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ¹⁸²  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ¹⁸³  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ¹⁸⁴  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ¹⁸⁵ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ¹⁸⁶  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ¹⁸⁷  He returned ¹⁸⁸  to the place where he had pitched his tent ¹⁸⁹  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ¹⁹⁰  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ¹⁹¹ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ¹⁹²  with Abram, also had ¹⁹³  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ¹⁹⁴  not support them while they were living side by side. ¹⁹⁵  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ¹⁹⁶  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ¹⁹⁷  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ¹⁹⁸  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ¹⁹⁹ 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. ²⁰⁰  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ²⁰¹  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ²⁰²  the whole region ²⁰³  of the Jordan. He noticed ²⁰⁴  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ²⁰⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah) ²⁰⁶  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ²⁰⁷  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ²⁰⁸  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ²⁰⁹  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ²¹⁰  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ²¹¹  the people ²¹²  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ²¹³ 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ²¹⁴  “Look ²¹⁵  from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants ²¹⁶  forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. ²¹⁷  13:17 Get up and ²¹⁸  walk throughout ²¹⁹  the land, ²²⁰  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ²²¹  by the oaks ²²²  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ²²³  Amraphel king of Shinar, ²²⁴  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ²²⁵  14:2 went to war ²²⁶  against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ²²⁷  14:3 These last five kings ²²⁸  joined forces ²²⁹  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ²³⁰  14:4 For twelve years ²³¹  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ²³²  they rebelled. ²³³  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ²³⁴  the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. ²³⁵  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ²³⁶  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met ²³⁷  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ²³⁸  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ²³⁹  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ²⁴⁰  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ²⁴¹  but some survivors ²⁴²  fled to the hills. ²⁴³  14:11 The four victorious kings ²⁴⁴  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ²⁴⁵  Lot and his possessions when ²⁴⁶  they left, for Lot ²⁴⁷  was living in Sodom. ²⁴⁸ 

14:13 A fugitive ²⁴⁹  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ²⁵⁰  Now Abram was living by the oaks ²⁵¹  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ²⁵²  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ²⁵³  with Abram.) ²⁵⁴  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ²⁵⁵  had been taken captive, he mobilized ²⁵⁶  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ²⁵⁷  as far as Dan. ²⁵⁸  14:15 Then, during the night, ²⁵⁹  Abram ²⁶⁰  divided his forces ²⁶¹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ²⁶²  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ²⁶³  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ²⁶⁴  the people.

14:17 After Abram ²⁶⁵  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ²⁶⁶  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ²⁶⁷  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ²⁶⁸  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ²⁶⁹  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ²⁷⁰  the Most High God,

Creator ²⁷¹  of heaven and earth. ²⁷² 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ²⁷³  the Most High God,

who delivered ²⁷⁴  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ²⁷⁵  a tenth of everything.

14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand ²⁷⁶  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ²⁷⁷  14:23 that I will take nothing ²⁷⁸  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ²⁷⁹  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ²⁸⁰  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ²⁸¹  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ²⁸²  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ²⁸³ 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ²⁸⁴  what will you give me since ²⁸⁵  I continue to be ²⁸⁶  childless, and my heir ²⁸⁷  is ²⁸⁸  Eliezer of Damascus?” ²⁸⁹  15:3 Abram added, ²⁹⁰  “Since ²⁹¹  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ²⁹² 

15:4 But look, ²⁹³  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ²⁹⁴  will not be your heir, ²⁹⁵  but instead ²⁹⁶  a son ²⁹⁷  who comes from your own body will be ²⁹⁸  your heir.” ²⁹⁹  15:5 The Lord ³⁰⁰  took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

15:6 Abram believed ³⁰¹  the Lord, and the Lord ³⁰²  considered his response of faith ³⁰³  as proof of genuine loyalty. ³⁰⁴ 

15:7 The Lord said ³⁰⁵  to him, “I am the Lord ³⁰⁶  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ³⁰⁷  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ³⁰⁸  Abram ³⁰⁹  said, “O sovereign Lord, ³¹⁰  by what ³¹¹  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ³¹²  said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram ³¹³  took all these for him and then cut them in two ³¹⁴  and placed each half opposite the other, ³¹⁵  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, ³¹⁶  and great terror overwhelmed him. ³¹⁷  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ³¹⁸  that your descendants will be strangers ³¹⁹  in a foreign country. ³²⁰  They will be enslaved and oppressed ³²¹  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ³²²  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ³²³  you will go to your ancestors ³²⁴  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ³²⁵  15:16 In the fourth generation ³²⁶  your descendants ³²⁷  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ³²⁸ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ³²⁹  passed between the animal parts. ³³⁰  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ³³¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ³³²  this land, from the river of Egypt ³³³  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ³³⁴  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ³³⁵ 

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ³³⁶  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ³³⁷  but she had an Egyptian servant ³³⁸  named Hagar. ³³⁹  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ³⁴⁰  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ³⁴¹  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ³⁴²  Abram did what ³⁴³  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ³⁴⁴  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ³⁴⁵  to her husband to be his wife. ³⁴⁶  16:4 He had sexual relations with ³⁴⁷  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ³⁴⁸  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ³⁴⁹  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ³⁵⁰  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ³⁵¹  but when she realized ³⁵²  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ³⁵³  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ³⁵⁴ 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ³⁵⁵  servant is under your authority, ³⁵⁶  do to her whatever you think best.” ³⁵⁷  Then Sarai treated Hagar ³⁵⁸  harshly, ³⁵⁹  so she ran away from Sarai. ³⁶⁰ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ³⁶¹  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ³⁶²  16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from ³⁶³  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ³⁶⁴  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ³⁶⁵  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ³⁶⁶  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ³⁶⁷  pregnant

and are about to give birth ³⁶⁸  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ³⁶⁹ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ³⁷⁰ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ³⁷¹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ³⁷² 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ³⁷³ 

He will live away from ³⁷⁴  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ³⁷⁵  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ³⁷⁶  16:14 That is why the well was called ³⁷⁷  Beer Lahai Roi. ³⁷⁸  (It is located ³⁷⁹  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ³⁸⁰  16:16 (Now ³⁸¹  Abram was 86 years old ³⁸²  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ³⁸³ 

The Sign of the Covenant

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ³⁸⁴  the Lord appeared to him and said, ³⁸⁵  “I am the sovereign God. ³⁸⁶  Walk ³⁸⁷  before me ³⁸⁸  and be blameless. ³⁸⁹  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ³⁹⁰  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ³⁹¹ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ³⁹²  and God said to him, ³⁹³  17:4 “As for me, ³⁹⁴  this ³⁹⁵  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ³⁹⁶  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ³⁹⁷  because I will make you ³⁹⁸  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ³⁹⁹  extremely ⁴⁰⁰  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ⁴⁰¹  17:7 I will confirm ⁴⁰²  my covenant as a perpetual ⁴⁰³  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁴⁰⁴  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁴⁰⁵  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁴⁰⁶  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ⁴⁰⁷  the covenantal requirement ⁴⁰⁸  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: ⁴⁰⁹  Every male among you must be circumcised. ⁴¹⁰  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ⁴¹¹  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ⁴¹²  must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, ⁴¹³  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ⁴¹⁴  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ⁴¹⁵  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ⁴¹⁶  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ⁴¹⁷  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ⁴¹⁸ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ⁴¹⁹  Sarah ⁴²⁰  will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. ⁴²¹  Kings of countries ⁴²²  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁴²³  as he said to himself, ⁴²⁴  “Can ⁴²⁵  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁴²⁶  Can Sarah ⁴²⁷  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁴²⁸  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ⁴²⁹  Ishmael might live before you!” ⁴³⁰ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ⁴³¹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ⁴³²  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ⁴³³  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ⁴³⁴  He will become the father of twelve princes; ⁴³⁵  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. ⁴³⁶ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ⁴³⁷  and circumcised them ⁴³⁸  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ⁴³⁹  when he was circumcised; ⁴⁴⁰  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ⁴⁴¹  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁴⁴²  by the oaks ⁴⁴³  of Mamre while ⁴⁴⁴  he was sitting at the entrance ⁴⁴⁵  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ⁴⁴⁶  looked up ⁴⁴⁷  and saw ⁴⁴⁸  three men standing across ⁴⁴⁹  from him. When he saw them ⁴⁵⁰  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁴⁵¹  to the ground. ⁴⁵² 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ⁴⁵³  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ⁴⁵⁴  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ⁴⁵⁵  you may all ⁴⁵⁶  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ⁴⁵⁷  a bit of food ⁴⁵⁸  so that you may refresh yourselves ⁴⁵⁹  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ⁴⁶⁰  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ⁴⁶¹  three measures ⁴⁶²  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ⁴⁶³  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ⁴⁶⁴  who quickly prepared it. ⁴⁶⁵  18:8 Abraham ⁴⁶⁶  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ⁴⁶⁷  before them. They ate while ⁴⁶⁸  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ⁴⁶⁹  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ⁴⁷⁰  said, “I will surely return ⁴⁷¹  to you when the season comes round again, ⁴⁷²  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ⁴⁷³  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ⁴⁷⁴  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ⁴⁷⁵  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ⁴⁷⁶  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ⁴⁷⁷  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ⁴⁷⁸  especially when my husband is old too?” ⁴⁷⁹ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ⁴⁸⁰  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ⁴⁸¹  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ⁴⁸²  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ⁴⁸³  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ⁴⁸⁴ 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ⁴⁸⁵  they looked out over ⁴⁸⁶  Sodom. (Now ⁴⁸⁷  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ⁴⁸⁸  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ⁴⁸⁹  18:18 After all, Abraham ⁴⁹⁰  will surely become ⁴⁹¹  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁴⁹²  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ⁴⁹³  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁴⁹⁴  the way of the Lord by doing ⁴⁹⁵  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁴⁹⁶  to Abraham what he promised ⁴⁹⁷  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ⁴⁹⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ⁴⁹⁹  18:21 that I must go down ⁵⁰⁰  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁵⁰¹  If not, ⁵⁰²  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ⁵⁰³  and headed ⁵⁰⁴  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ⁵⁰⁵  18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁵⁰⁶  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ⁵⁰⁷  of the whole earth do what is right?” ⁵⁰⁸ 

18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ⁵⁰⁹  (although I am but dust and ashes), ⁵¹⁰  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ⁵¹¹  the whole city because five are lacking?” ⁵¹²  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ⁵¹³  spoke to him again, ⁵¹⁴  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ⁵¹⁵  said, “May the Lord not be angry ⁵¹⁶  so that I may speak! ⁵¹⁷  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ⁵¹⁸  said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

18:32 Finally Abraham ⁵¹⁹  said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

18:33 The Lord went on his way ⁵²⁰  when he had finished speaking ⁵²¹  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ⁵²² 

Genesis 20:9

20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? ⁵²³  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁵²⁴ 

Exodus 6:29-30

6:29 he said to him, ⁵²⁵  “I am the Lord. Tell ⁵²⁶  Pharaoh king of Egypt all that ⁵²⁷  I am telling ⁵²⁸  you.” 6:30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Since I speak with difficulty, ⁵²⁹  why should Pharaoh listen to me?”

Jonah 3:2

3:2 “Go immediately ⁵³⁰  to Nineveh, that large city, ⁵³¹  and proclaim to ⁵³²  it the message that I tell you.”

[10:1]  ¹ tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.

[10:1]  ² sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.

[10:1]  ³ tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.

[10:2]  ⁴ sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.

[10:2]  ⁵ sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.

[10:2]  ⁶ sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.

[10:2]  ⁷ sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.

[10:2]  ⁸ sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.

[10:2]  ⁹ sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.

[10:2]  ¹⁰ sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.

[10:2]  ¹¹ sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.

[10:3]  ¹² sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.

[10:3]  ¹³ sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.

[10:3]  ¹⁴ sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.

[10:3]  ¹⁵ sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.

[10:4]  ¹⁶ sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.

[10:4]  ¹⁷ sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.

[10:4]  ¹⁸ sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.

[10:4]  ¹⁹ tc Most of the MT mss read “Dodanim” here, but 1 Chr 1:7 has “Rodanim,” perhaps referring to the island of Rhodes. But the Qere reading in 1 Chr 1:7 suggests “Dodanim.” Dodona is one of the most ancient and revered spots in ancient Greece.

[10:6]  ²⁰ sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).

[10:6]  ²¹ sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.

[10:6]  ²² sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.

[10:6]  ²³ sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).

[10:7]  ²⁴ sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.

[10:7]  ²⁵ sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.

[10:7]  ²⁶ sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.

[10:7]  ²⁷ sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.

[10:7]  ²⁸ sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.

[10:7]  ²⁹ sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.

[10:7]  ³⁰ sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.

[10:8]  ³¹ tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.

[10:9]  ³² 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).

[10:9]  ³³ 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.”

[10:10]  ³⁴ tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.

[10:10]  ³⁵ tn Or “Babylon.”

[10:10]  ³⁶ sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.

[10:10]  ³⁷ sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.

[10:10]  ³⁸ tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).

[10:10]  ³⁹ sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.

[10:11]  ⁴⁰ tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.

[10:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Asshur.”

[10:11]  ⁴² sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.

[10:11]  ⁴³ sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.

[10:11]  ⁴⁴ sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.

[10:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”

[10:13]  ⁴⁶ sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).

[10:13]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:13]  ⁴⁸ sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.

[10:13]  ⁴⁹ sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.

[10:13]  ⁵⁰ sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.

[10:13]  ⁵¹ sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).

[10:14]  ⁵² sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.

[10:14]  ⁵³ sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.

[10:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.

[10:14]  ⁵⁵ sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.

[10:15]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:15]  ⁵⁷ sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.

[10:15]  ⁵⁸ tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[10:16]  ⁵⁹ sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.

[10:16]  ⁶⁰ sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.

[10:16]  ⁶¹ sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).

[10:17]  ⁶² sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.

[10:17]  ⁶³ sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.

[10:17]  ⁶⁴ sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.

[10:18]  ⁶⁵ sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.

[10:18]  ⁶⁶ sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.

[10:18]  ⁶⁷ sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.

[10:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “were.”

[10:19]  ⁶⁹ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:19]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:21]  ⁷² tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”

[10:21]  ⁷³ tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.

[10:22]  ⁷⁴ sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.

[10:22]  ⁷⁵ sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.

[10:22]  ⁷⁶ sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.

[10:22]  ⁷⁷ sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.

[10:22]  ⁷⁸ sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.

[10:23]  ⁷⁹ tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”

[10:24]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:24]  ⁸¹ tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.

[10:24]  ⁸² sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).

[10:25]  ⁸³ tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.

[10:26]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:26]  ⁸⁵ sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.

[10:26]  ⁸⁶ sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.

[10:26]  ⁸⁷ sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.

[10:26]  ⁸⁸ sn The name Jerah means “moon.”

[10:27]  ⁸⁹ sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.

[10:27]  ⁹⁰ sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”

[10:28]  ⁹¹ sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.

[10:28]  ⁹² sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”

[10:28]  ⁹³ sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.

[10:29]  ⁹⁴ sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).

[10:29]  ⁹⁵ sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.

[10:30]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:32]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “separated.”

[11:1]  ⁹⁸ sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.

[11:1]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.

[11:2]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”

[11:2]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”

[11:3]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”

[11:3]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).

[11:3]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[11:3]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.

[11:4]  ¹⁰⁷ tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.

[11:4]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.

[11:4]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”

[11:4]  ¹¹⁰ sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.

[11:5]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.

[11:5]  ¹¹² tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.

[11:6]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”

[11:6]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”

[11:6]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”

[11:7]  ¹¹⁶ tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the Lord our God said to us…. And the Lord went down and we went down with him. And we saw the city and the tower which the sons of men built.” On the chiastic structure of the story, see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:235.

[11:7]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”

[11:8]  ¹¹⁸ tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.

[11:9]  ¹¹⁹ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.

[11:9]  ¹²⁰ sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[11:11]  ¹²¹ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:13]  ¹²² tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:13]  ¹²³ tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.

[11:15]  ¹²⁴ tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:28]  ¹²⁵ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[11:28]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”

[11:29]  ¹²⁷ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

[11:29]  ¹²⁸ sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

[11:32]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”

[11:32]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[12:1]  ¹³¹ sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

[12:1]  ¹³² tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

[12:1]  ¹³³ tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

[12:1]  ¹³⁴ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[12:2]  ¹³⁵ tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.

[12:2]  ¹³⁶ sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.

[12:2]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “I will make you famous.”

[12:2]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.

[12:3]  ¹³⁹ tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the Lord binds himself to Abram by covenant, those who enrich Abram in any way share in the blessings.

[12:3]  ¹⁴⁰ tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic mss read the plural. But if it had been plural, there would be no reason to change it to the singular and alter the parallelism. On the other hand, if it was indeed singular, it is easy to see why the versions would change it to match the first participle. The MT preserves the original reading: “the one who treats you lightly.” The point would be a contrast with the lavish way that God desires to bless many. The second change is in the vocabulary. The English usually says, “I will curse those who curse you.” But there are two different words for curse here. The first is קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light” in the Qal, and in the Piel “to treat lightly, to treat with contempt, to curse.” The second verb is אָרַר (’arar), which means “to banish, to remove from the blessing.” The point is simple: Whoever treats Abram and the covenant with contempt as worthless God will banish from the blessing. It is important also to note that the verb is not a cohortative, but a simple imperfect. Since God is binding himself to Abram, this would then be an obligatory imperfect: “but the one who treats you with contempt I must curse.”

[12:3]  ¹⁴¹ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[12:4]  ¹⁴² sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).

[12:4]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “just as the Lord said to him.”

[12:4]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.

[12:4]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “the son of his brother.”

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁷ tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.

[12:5]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “went out to go.”

[12:6]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Or “terebinth.”

[12:6]  ¹⁵⁰ sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.

[12:6]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”

[12:6]  ¹⁵² tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.

[12:7]  ¹⁵³ tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[12:7]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:8]  ¹⁵⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[12:8]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[12:9]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”

[12:9]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “the South [country].”

[12:10]  ¹⁵⁹ sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.

[12:10]  ¹⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.

[12:10]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[12:11]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “drew near to enter.”

[12:11]  ¹⁶³ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.

[12:11]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”

[12:12]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.

[12:13]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “say.”

[12:13]  ¹⁶⁷ sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.

[12:13]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.

[12:13]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and my life will live.”

[12:15]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.

[12:15]  ¹⁷¹ tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.

[12:15]  ¹⁷² tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.

[12:16]  ¹⁷³ sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.

[12:16]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[12:17]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the Lord inflicted numerous plagues, probably diseases (see Exod 15:26). The adjective “great” emphasizes that the plagues were severe and overwhelming.

[12:18]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[12:19]  ¹⁷⁷ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.

[12:19]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “to me for a wife.”

[12:19]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “Look, your wife!”

[12:19]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “take and go.”

[12:20]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ¹⁸² tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).

[13:1]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”

[13:2]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “heavy.”

[13:2]  ¹⁸⁵ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.

[13:3]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ¹⁸⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ¹⁸⁸ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:4]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).

[13:4]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[13:5]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “was going.”

[13:5]  ¹⁹³ tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.

[13:6]  ¹⁹⁴ tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”

[13:6]  ¹⁹⁵ tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.

[13:6]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.

[13:7]  ¹⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.

[13:7]  ¹⁹⁸ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ¹⁹⁹ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.

[13:8]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.

[13:9]  ²⁰¹ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[13:10]  ²⁰² tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.

[13:10]  ²⁰³ tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ²⁰⁴ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ²⁰⁵ sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).

[13:10]  ²⁰⁶ tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ²⁰⁷ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[13:11]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:12]  ²¹⁰ tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[13:13]  ²¹¹ tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.

[13:13]  ²¹² tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ²¹³ tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly.” The description of the sinfulness of the Sodomites is very emphatic. First, two nouns are used to form a hendiadys: “wicked and sinners” means “wicked sinners,” the first word becoming adjectival. The text is saying these were no ordinary sinners; they were wicked sinners, the type that cause pain for others. Then to this phrase is added “against the Lord,” stressing their violation of the laws of heaven and their culpability. Finally, to this is added מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).

[13:14]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “and the Lord said to Abram after Lot separated himself from with him.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse signals a new scene.

[13:14]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”

[13:15]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”

[13:16]  ²¹⁷ tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.

[13:17]  ²¹⁸ tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.

[13:17]  ²¹⁹ tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.

[13:17]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).

[13:18]  ²²¹ tn Heb “he came and lived.”

[13:18]  ²²² tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:1]  ²²³ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ²²⁴ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ²²⁵ tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

[14:2]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “made war.”

[14:2]  ²²⁷ sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.

[14:3]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ²²⁹ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.

[14:3]  ²³⁰ sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[14:4]  ²³¹ tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

[14:4]  ²³² tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

[14:4]  ²³³ sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.

[14:5]  ²³⁴ tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.

[14:6]  ²³⁵ sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.

[14:7]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[14:8]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “against.”

[14:9]  ²³⁸ tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

[14:9]  ²³⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”

[14:10]  ²⁴¹ tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).

[14:10]  ²⁴² tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ²⁴³ sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.

[14:11]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

[14:12]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[14:12]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ²⁴⁸ tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

[14:13]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.

[14:13]  ²⁵⁰ sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).

[14:13]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  ²⁵² tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.

[14:13]  ²⁵⁴ tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.

[14:14]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).

[14:14]  ²⁵⁶ tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.

[14:14]  ²⁵⁷ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  ²⁵⁸ sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.

[14:15]  ²⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ²⁶² tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:16]  ²⁶³ tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:16]  ²⁶⁴ tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:17]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ²⁶⁷ sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[14:18]  ²⁶⁸ sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

[14:18]  ²⁶⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[14:19]  ²⁷⁰ tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  ²⁷¹ tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”

[14:19]  ²⁷² tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

[14:20]  ²⁷⁴ sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

[14:20]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:22]  ²⁷⁶ tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”

[14:22]  ²⁷⁷ tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:23]  ²⁷⁸ tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the Lord deal with me] if I take,” meaning, “I will surely not take.” The positive oath would add the negative adverb and be the reverse: “[God will deal with me] if I do not take,” meaning, “I certainly will.”

[14:23]  ²⁷⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

[14:24]  ²⁸⁰ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[15:1]  ²⁸² sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.

[15:1]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).

[15:2]  ²⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master, Lord”). Since the tetragrammaton (YHWH) usually is pointed with the vowels for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “master”) to avoid pronouncing the divine name, that would lead in this place to a repetition of אֲדֹנָי. So the tetragrammaton is here pointed with the vowels for the word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) instead. That would produce the reading of the Hebrew as “Master, God” in the Jewish textual tradition. But the presence of “Master” before the holy name is rather compelling evidence that the original would have been “Master, Lord,” which is rendered here “sovereign Lord.”

[15:2]  ²⁸⁵ tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.

[15:2]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “I am going.”

[15:2]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”

[15:2]  ²⁸⁸ tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).

[15:2]  ²⁸⁹ sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.

[15:3]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “And Abram said.”

[15:3]  ²⁹¹ tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).

[15:3]  ²⁹² tn Heb “is inheriting me.”

[15:4]  ²⁹³ tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.

[15:4]  ²⁹⁴ tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.

[15:4]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “inherit you.”

[15:4]  ²⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.

[15:4]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:4]  ²⁹⁸ tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”

[15:4]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “will inherit you.”

[15:5]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ³⁰¹ tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.

[15:6]  ³⁰² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.

[15:6]  ³⁰⁴ tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).

[15:7]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “And he said.”

[15:7]  ³⁰⁶ sn I am the Lord. The Lord initiates the covenant-making ceremony with a declaration of who he is and what he has done for Abram. The same form appears at the beginning of the covenant made at Sinai (see Exod 20:1).

[15:7]  ³⁰⁷ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[15:8]  ³⁰⁸ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

[15:8]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ³¹⁰ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

[15:8]  ³¹¹ tn Or “how.”

[15:9]  ³¹² tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ³¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[15:12]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”

[15:12]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”

[15:13]  ³¹⁸ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.

[15:13]  ³¹⁹ tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.

[15:13]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”

[15:13]  ³²¹ tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.

[15:14]  ³²² tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.

[15:15]  ³²³ tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.

[15:15]  ³²⁴ sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.

[15:15]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “in a good old age.”

[15:16]  ³²⁶ sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.

[15:16]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[15:16]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “is not yet complete.”

[15:17]  ³²⁹ sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).

[15:17]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “these pieces.”

[15:18]  ³³¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ³³² tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).

[15:18]  ³³³ sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[15:19]  ³³⁴ tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:21]  ³³⁵ tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.

[16:1]  ³³⁶ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ³³⁷ sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.

[16:1]  ³³⁸ tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.

[16:1]  ³³⁹ sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)

[16:2]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2]  ³⁴² tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[16:3]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.

[16:3]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3]  ³⁴⁶ sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.

[16:4]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.

[16:4]  ³⁴⁸ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)

[16:4]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.

[16:5]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

[16:5]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

[16:5]  ³⁵² tn Heb “saw.”

[16:5]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.

[16:5]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “me and you.”

[16:6]  ³⁵⁵ tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ³⁵⁹ tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:7]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).

[16:7]  ³⁶² tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”

[16:8]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “from the presence of.”

[16:9]  ³⁶⁴ tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.

[16:10]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “The Lord’s angel said, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants….” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:10]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

[16:11]  ³⁶⁷ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

[16:11]  ³⁶⁸ tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

[16:11]  ³⁶⁹ sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”

[16:11]  ³⁷⁰ tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.

[16:12]  ³⁷¹ sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.

[16:12]  ³⁷² tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.

[16:12]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”

[16:12]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).

[16:13]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).

[16:13]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “after one who sees me.”

[16:14]  ³⁷⁷ tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.

[16:14]  ³⁷⁸ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.

[16:14]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:15]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”

[16:16]  ³⁸¹ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.

[16:16]  ³⁸² tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”

[16:16]  ³⁸³ tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.

[17:1]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:1]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[17:1]  ³⁸⁶ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with “breasts” suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד, shadad, “destroy”] in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Finally, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which the Hebrew שַׁד, shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally have depicted God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, ruled from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[17:1]  ³⁸⁷ tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”

[17:1]  ³⁸⁸ tn Or “in my presence.”

[17:1]  ³⁸⁹ tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the Lord, then the second imperative is likely sequential. (2) But if it has a positive moral connotation (“serve me faithfully”), then the second imperative probably indicates purpose (or result). For other uses of the idiom see 1 Sam 2:30, 35 and 12:2 (where it occurs twice).

[17:2]  ³⁹⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:3]  ³⁹² tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

[17:3]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:4]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “I.”

[17:4]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

[17:5]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “will your name be called.”

[17:5]  ³⁹⁷ sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.

[17:5]  ³⁹⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.

[17:6]  ³⁹⁹ tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.

[17:6]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:6]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”

[17:7]  ⁴⁰² tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  ⁴⁰³ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[17:10]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”

[17:10]  ⁴¹⁰ sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.

[17:11]  ⁴¹¹ tn Or “sign.”

[17:12]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “the son of eight days.”

[17:13]  ⁴¹³ tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

[17:13]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:13]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Or “an eternal.”

[17:14]  ⁴¹⁶ tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.

[17:14]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:14]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:15]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”

[17:15]  ⁴²⁰ sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.

[17:16]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “she will become nations.”

[17:16]  ⁴²² tn Heb “peoples.”

[17:17]  ⁴²³ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ⁴²⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ⁴²⁷ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[17:18]  ⁴²⁹ tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  ⁴³⁰ tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).

[17:19]  ⁴³² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  ⁴³³ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ⁴³⁵ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[17:22]  ⁴³⁶ tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:23]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”

[17:23]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”

[18:1]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁴⁴³ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

[18:2]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

[18:2]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ⁴⁵¹ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

[18:2]  ⁴⁵² sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

[18:3]  ⁴⁵³ 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 Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.

[18:5]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.

[18:5]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[18:6]  ⁴⁶¹ tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.

[18:6]  ⁴⁶² sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.

[18:6]  ⁴⁶³ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”

[18:8]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:8]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[18:9]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[18:10]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ⁴⁷¹ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  ⁴⁷² tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ⁴⁷³ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[18:11]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ⁴⁸¹ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ⁴⁸² tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ⁴⁸³ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”

[18:16]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Heb “toward the face of.”

[18:16]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.

[18:16]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.

[18:17]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.

[18:18]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”

[18:18]  ⁴⁹¹ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ⁴⁹² tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[18:19]  ⁴⁹³ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:20]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁵⁰² sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ⁵⁰³ tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ⁵⁰⁵ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ⁵⁰⁸ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:27]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ⁵¹⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ⁵¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ⁵¹² tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ⁵¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ⁵¹⁴ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ⁵¹⁷ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33]  ⁵²⁰ tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33]  ⁵²¹ tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33]  ⁵²² tn Heb “to his place.”

[20:9]  ⁵²³ 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.

[20:9]  ⁵²⁴ tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.

[6:29]  ⁵²⁵ tn Heb “and Yahweh spoke to Moses saying.” This has been simplified in the translation as “he said to him” for stylistic reasons.

[6:29]  ⁵²⁶ tn The verb is דַּבֵּר (dabber), the Piel imperative. It would normally be translated “speak,” but in English that verb does not sound as natural with a direct object as “tell.”

[6:29]  ⁵²⁷ tn The clause begins with אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר (’et kol-’asher) indicating that this is a noun clause functioning as the direct object of the imperative and providing the content of the commanded speech.

[6:29]  ⁵²⁸ tn דֹּבֵר (dover) is the Qal active participle; it functions here as the predicate in the noun clause: “that I [am] telling you.” This one could be rendered, “that I am speaking to you.”

[6:30]  ⁵²⁹ tn See note on Exod 6:12.

[3:2]  ⁵³⁰ sn The commands of 1:2 are repeated here. See the note there on the combination of “arise” and “go.”

[3:2]  ⁵³¹ tn Heb “Nineveh, the great city.”

[3:2]  ⁵³² tn The verb קָרָא (qara’, “proclaim”) is repeated from 1:2 but with a significant variation. The phrase in 1:2 was the adversative קְרָא עָל (qÿra’ ’al, “proclaim against”), which often designates an announcement of threatened judgment (1 Kgs 13:4, 32; Jer 49:29; Lam 1:15). However, here the phrase is the more positive קְרָא אֶל (qÿra’ ’el, “proclaim to”) which often designates an oracle of deliverance or a call to repentance, with an accompanying offer of deliverance that is either explicit or implied (Deut 20:10; Isa 40:2; Zech 1:4; HALOT 1129 s.v. קרא 8; BDB 895 s.v. קָרָא 3.a). This shift from the adversative preposition עַל (“against”) to the more positive preposition אֶל (“to”) might signal a shift in God’s intentions or perhaps it simply makes his original intention more clear. While God threatened to judge Nineveh, he was very willing to relent and forgive when the people repented from their sins (3:8-10). Jonah later complains that he knew that God was likely to relent from the threatened judgment all along (4:2).