Discovery BoxGenesis 11:1--21:34
Context11:1 The whole earth 1 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 2 11:2 When the people 3 moved eastward, 4 they found a plain in Shinar 5 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 6 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 7 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 8 instead of mortar.) 9 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 10 so that 11 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 12 we will be scattered 13 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 14 had started 15 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 16 they have begun to do this, then 17 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 18 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 19 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 20
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 21 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 22 Babel 23 – 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.
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 24 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 25 sons and daughters. 26
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 27 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.
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, 28 while his father Terah was still alive. 29 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 30 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 31 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 32 of Terah was 205 years, and he 33 died in Haran.
12:1 Now the Lord said 34 to Abram, 35
“Go out 36 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 37
12:2 Then I will make you 38 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 39
and I will make your name great, 40
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 41
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 42
but the one who treats you lightly 43 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 44 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 45 just as the Lord had told him to do, 46 and Lot went with him. (Now 47 Abram was 75 years old 48 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 49 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 50 in Haran, and they left for 51 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 52 of Moreh 53 at Shechem. 54 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 55 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 56 I will give this land.” So Abram 57 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 58 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. 59 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 60 down to the Negev. 61
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 62 to stay for a while 63 because the famine was severe. 64 12:11 As he approached 65 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 66 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 67 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 68 12:13 So tell them 69 you are my sister 70 so that it may go well 71 for me because of you and my life will be spared 72 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 73 was taken 74 into the household of Pharaoh, 75 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 76 on account of her. Abram received 77 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 78 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 79 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 80 to be my wife? 81 Here is your wife! 82 Take her and go!” 83 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 84 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 85 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 86 13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 87 in livestock, silver, and gold.) 88
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 89 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 90 He returned 91 to the place where he had pitched his tent 92 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 93 and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 94
13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 95 with Abram, also had 96 flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 97 not support them while they were living side by side. 98 Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 99 alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 100 between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 101 (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 102
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. 103 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 104 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 105 the whole region 106 of the Jordan. He noticed 107 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 108 Sodom and Gomorrah) 109 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 110 all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 111 toward the east.
So the relatives separated from each other. 112 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 113 and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 114 the people 115 of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 116
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 117 “Look 118 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 119 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. 120 13:17 Get up and 121 walk throughout 122 the land, 123 for I will give it to you.”
13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 124 by the oaks 125 of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
14:1 At that time 126 Amraphel king of Shinar, 127 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 128 14:2 went to war 129 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). 130 14:3 These last five kings 131 joined forces 132 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 133 14:4 For twelve years 134 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 135 they rebelled. 136 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 137 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. 138 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 139 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 140 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 141 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 142 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 143 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 144 but some survivors 145 fled to the hills. 146 14:11 The four victorious kings 147 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 148 Lot and his possessions when 149 they left, for Lot 150 was living in Sodom. 151
14:13 A fugitive 152 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 153 Now Abram was living by the oaks 154 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 155 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 156 with Abram.) 157 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 158 had been taken captive, he mobilized 159 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 160 as far as Dan. 161 14:15 Then, during the night, 162 Abram 163 divided his forces 164 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 165 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 166 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 167 the people.
14:17 After Abram 168 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 169 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 170 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 171 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 172 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 173 the Most High God,
Creator 174 of heaven and earth. 175
14:20 Worthy of praise is 176 the Most High God,
who delivered 177 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 178 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 179 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 180 14:23 that I will take nothing 181 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 182 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 183 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 184 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 185 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 186
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 187 what will you give me since 188 I continue to be 189 childless, and my heir 190 is 191 Eliezer of Damascus?” 192 15:3 Abram added, 193 “Since 194 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 195
15:4 But look, 196 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 197 will not be your heir, 198 but instead 199 a son 200 who comes from your own body will be 201 your heir.” 202 15:5 The Lord 203 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 204 the Lord, and the Lord 205 considered his response of faith 206 as proof of genuine loyalty. 207
15:7 The Lord said 208 to him, “I am the Lord 209 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 210 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 211 Abram 212 said, “O sovereign Lord, 213 by what 214 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 215 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 216 took all these for him and then cut them in two 217 and placed each half opposite the other, 218 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, 219 and great terror overwhelmed him. 220 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 221 that your descendants will be strangers 222 in a foreign country. 223 They will be enslaved and oppressed 224 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 225 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 226 you will go to your ancestors 227 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 228 15:16 In the fourth generation 229 your descendants 230 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 231
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 232 passed between the animal parts. 233 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 234 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 235 this land, from the river of Egypt 236 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 237 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 238
16:1 Now Sarai, 239 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 240 but she had an Egyptian servant 241 named Hagar. 242 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 243 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 244 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 245 Abram did what 246 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 247 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 248 to her husband to be his wife. 249 16:4 He had sexual relations with 250 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 251 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 252 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 253 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 254 but when she realized 255 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 256 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 257
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 258 servant is under your authority, 259 do to her whatever you think best.” 260 Then Sarai treated Hagar 261 harshly, 262 so she ran away from Sarai. 263
16:7 The Lord’s angel 264 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 265 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 266 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 267 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 268 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 269 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 270 pregnant
and are about to give birth 271 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 272
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 273
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 274 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 275
and everyone will be hostile to him. 276
He will live away from 277 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 278 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 279 16:14 That is why the well was called 280 Beer Lahai Roi. 281 (It is located 282 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 283 16:16 (Now 284 Abram was 86 years old 285 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 286
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 287 the Lord appeared to him and said, 288 “I am the sovereign God. 289 Walk 290 before me 291 and be blameless. 292 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 293 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 294
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 295 and God said to him, 296 17:4 “As for me, 297 this 298 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 299 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 300 because I will make you 301 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 302 extremely 303 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 304 17:7 I will confirm 305 my covenant as a perpetual 306 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. 307 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 308 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 309 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 310 the covenantal requirement 311 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: 312 Every male among you must be circumcised. 313 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 314 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 315 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, 316 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 317 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 318 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 319 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 320 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 321
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 322 Sarah 323 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. 324 Kings of countries 325 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 326 as he said to himself, 327 “Can 328 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 329 Can Sarah 330 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 331 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 332 Ishmael might live before you!” 333
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 334 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 335 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 336 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 337 He will become the father of twelve princes; 338 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. 339
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 340 and circumcised them 341 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 342 when he was circumcised; 343 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 344 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.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 345 by the oaks 346 of Mamre while 347 he was sitting at the entrance 348 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 349 looked up 350 and saw 351 three men standing across 352 from him. When he saw them 353 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 354 to the ground. 355
18:3 He said, “My lord, 356 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 357 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 358 you may all 359 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 360 a bit of food 361 so that you may refresh yourselves 362 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 363 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 364 three measures 365 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 366 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 367 who quickly prepared it. 368 18:8 Abraham 369 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 370 before them. They ate while 371 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 372 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 373 said, “I will surely return 374 to you when the season comes round again, 375 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 376 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 377 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 378 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 379 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 380 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 381 especially when my husband is old too?” 382
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 383 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 384 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 385 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 386 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 387
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 388 they looked out over 389 Sodom. (Now 390 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 391 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 392 18:18 After all, Abraham 393 will surely become 394 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 395 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 396 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 397 the way of the Lord by doing 398 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 399 to Abraham what he promised 400 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 401 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 402 18:21 that I must go down 403 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 404 If not, 405 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 406 and headed 407 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 408 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 409 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 410 of the whole earth do what is right?” 411
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 412 (although I am but dust and ashes), 413 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 414 the whole city because five are lacking?” 415 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 416 spoke to him again, 417 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 418 said, “May the Lord not be angry 419 so that I may speak! 420 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 421 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 422 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 423 when he had finished speaking 424 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 425
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 426 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 427 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 428 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 429 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 430
19:3 But he urged 431 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 432 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 433 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 434 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 435 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 436 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 437 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 438 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 439 of my roof.” 440
19:9 “Out of our way!” 441 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 442 and now he dares to judge us! 443 We’ll do more harm 444 to you than to them!” They kept 445 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 446 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 447 reached out 448 and pulled Lot back into the house 449 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 450 with blindness. The men outside 451 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 452 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 453 Do you have 454 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 455 Get them out of this 456 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 457 it. The outcry against this place 458 is so great before the Lord that he 459 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 460 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 461 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 462
19:15 At dawn 463 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 464 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 465 19:16 When Lot 466 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 467 They led them away and placed them 468 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 469 said, “Run 470 for your lives! Don’t look 471 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 472 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 473 19:19 Your 474 servant has found favor with you, 475 and you have shown me great 476 kindness 477 by sparing 478 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 479 this disaster will overtake 480 me and I’ll die. 481 19:20 Look, this town 482 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 483 Let me go there. 484 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 485 Then I’ll survive.” 486
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 487 “I will grant this request too 488 and will not overthrow 489 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 490 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 491
19:23 The sun had just risen 492 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 493 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 494 sulfur and fire 495 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 496 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 497 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 498 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 499 wife looked back longingly 500 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 501 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 502 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 503 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 504
19:29 So when God destroyed 505 the cities of the region, 506 God honored 507 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 508 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 509 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 510 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 511 to have sexual relations with us, 512 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 513 so we can have sexual relations 514 with him and preserve 515 our family line through our father.” 516
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 517 and the older daughter 518 came and had sexual relations with her father. 519 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 520 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 521 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 522 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 523 19:35 So they made their father drunk 524 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 525 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 526
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 527 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 528 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 529 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 530 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 531 in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God appeared 532 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 533 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 534
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 535 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 536 20:5 Did Abraham 537 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 538 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 539 and with innocent hands!”
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 540 That is why I have kept you 541 from sinning against me and why 542 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 543 he is a prophet 544 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 545 But if you don’t give her back, 546 know that you will surely die 547 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 548 Abimelech summoned 549 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 550 they 551 were terrified. 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? 552 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 553 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 554 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 555
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 556 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 557 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 558 she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander 559 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 560 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 561 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” 562
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 563 to your ‘brother.’ 564 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 565
20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord 566 had caused infertility to strike every woman 567 in the household of Abimelech because he took 568 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 569 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 570 for Sarah what he had promised. 571 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 572 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 573 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 574 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 575 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 576
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 577 Everyone who hears about this 578 will laugh 579 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 580 “Who would 581 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 582 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 583 21:9 But Sarah noticed 584 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 585 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 586 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 587 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 588 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 589 all that Sarah is telling 590 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 591 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 592 some food 593 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 594 and sent her away. So she went wandering 595 aimlessly through the wilderness 596 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 597 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 598 away; for she thought, 599 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 600 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 601
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 602 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 603 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 604 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 605 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 606 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 607
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 608 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 609 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 610 Show me, and the land 611 where you are staying, 612 the same loyalty 613 that I have shown you.” 614
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 615 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 616 against Abimelech concerning a well 617 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 618 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 619 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 620 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 621 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 622 that I dug this well.” 623 21:31 That is why he named that place 624 Beer Sheba, 625 because the two of them swore 626 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 627 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 628 to the land of the Philistines. 629 21:33 Abraham 630 planted a tamarisk tree 631 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 632 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 633
Genesis 3:1-17
Context3:1 Now 634 the serpent 635 was more shrewd 636
than any of the wild animals 637 that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that 638 God 639 said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” 640 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat 641 of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, 642 or else you will die.’” 643 3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 644 3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open 645 and you will be like divine beings who know 646 good and evil.” 647
3:6 When 648 the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, 649 was attractive 650 to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, 651 she took some of its fruit and ate it. 652 She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 653 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about 654 in the orchard at the breezy time 655 of the day, and they hid 656 from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 3:9 But the Lord God called to 657 the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 658 3:10 The man replied, 659 “I heard you moving about 660 in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God 661 said, “Who told you that you were naked? 662 Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 663 3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave 664 me some fruit 665 from the tree and I ate it.” 3:13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this 666 you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent 667 tricked 668 me, and I ate.”
3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, 669
“Because you have done this,
cursed 670 are you above all the wild beasts
and all the living creatures of the field!
On your belly you will crawl 671
and dust you will eat 672 all the days of your life.
3:15 And I will put hostility 673 between you and the woman
and between your offspring and her offspring; 674
her offspring will attack 675 your head,
and 676 you 677 will attack her offspring’s heel.” 678
3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase 679 your labor pains; 680
with pain you will give birth to children.
You will want to control your husband, 681
but he will dominate 682 you.”
“Because you obeyed 684 your wife
and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,
‘You must not eat from it,’
cursed is the ground 685 thanks to you; 686
in painful toil you will eat 687 of it all the days of your life.
[11:1] 1 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] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:2] 4 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
[11:2] 5 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
[11:3] 6 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
[11:3] 7 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] 8 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[11:3] 9 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[11:4] 10 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] 11 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] 12 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
[11:4] 13 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] 14 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] 15 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] 16 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
[11:6] 17 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] 18 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
[11:7] 19 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
[11:7] 20 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 21 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] 22 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
[11:9] 23 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] 24 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 25 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 26 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] 27 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] 28 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
[11:28] 29 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
[11:29] 30 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] 31 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] 32 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
[11:32] 33 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:1] 34 sn The
[12:1] 35 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] 36 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] 37 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
[12:2] 38 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] 39 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] 40 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
[12:2] 41 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] 42 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
[12:3] 43 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
[12:3] 44 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] 45 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
[12:4] 46 tn Heb “just as the
[12:4] 47 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] 48 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
[12:5] 49 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
[12:5] 50 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
[12:5] 51 tn Heb “went out to go.”
[12:6] 53 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] 54 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
[12:6] 55 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
[12:7] 56 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] 57 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:8] 58 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:8] 59 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[12:9] 60 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] 61 tn Or “the South [country].”
[12:10] 62 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] 63 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] 64 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] 65 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
[12:11] 66 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
[12:11] 67 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
[12:12] 68 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] 70 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] 71 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] 72 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
[12:15] 73 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] 74 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] 75 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] 76 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] 77 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[12:17] 78 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
[12:18] 79 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] 80 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
[12:19] 81 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
[12:19] 82 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
[12:19] 83 tn Heb “take and go.”
[12:20] 84 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:1] 85 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
[13:1] 86 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] 88 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
[13:3] 89 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
[13:3] 90 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:3] 91 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:3] 92 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
[13:4] 93 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
[13:4] 94 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[13:5] 96 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
[13:6] 97 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] 98 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] 99 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
[13:7] 100 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] 101 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
[13:7] 102 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] 103 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] 104 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
[13:10] 105 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] 106 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
[13:10] 107 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:10] 108 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] 109 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] 110 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
[13:11] 111 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
[13:11] 112 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
[13:12] 113 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] 114 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] 115 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
[13:13] 116 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
[13:14] 117 tn Heb “and the
[13:14] 118 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
[13:15] 119 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
[13:16] 120 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
[13:17] 121 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
[13:17] 122 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] 123 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] 124 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
[13:18] 125 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:1] 126 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 127 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 128 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] 130 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] 131 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] 132 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] 133 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 134 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 135 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 136 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] 137 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] 138 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] 139 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.”
[14:9] 141 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 142 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 143 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] 144 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] 145 tn Heb “the rest.”
[14:10] 146 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] 147 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 148 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 150 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 151 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 152 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] 153 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] 154 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 155 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 156 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] 157 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] 158 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] 159 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] 160 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 161 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] 162 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 163 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 164 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 165 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 166 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 167 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 168 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 169 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 170 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 171 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
[14:18] 172 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:19] 173 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 174 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] 175 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 176 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] 177 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] 178 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 179 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] 180 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 181 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 182 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 183 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 184 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[15:1] 185 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] 186 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] 187 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 188 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 189 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 190 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
[15:2] 191 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 192 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] 193 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 194 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 195 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 196 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] 197 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 198 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 199 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 200 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] 201 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 202 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 203 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 204 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] 205 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 206 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] 207 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] 208 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 209 sn I am the
[15:7] 210 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
[15:8] 211 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 212 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 213 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 215 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 216 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 217 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 218 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
[15:12] 219 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 220 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 221 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] 222 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] 223 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 224 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] 225 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] 226 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 227 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 228 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 229 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] 230 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 231 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:17] 232 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] 233 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 234 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 235 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] 236 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 237 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 238 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] 239 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 240 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] 241 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] 242 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] 243 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 244 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 245 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 246 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 247 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] 248 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 249 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] 250 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 251 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 252 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] 253 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 254 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 256 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] 257 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 258 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 259 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 260 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 261 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 262 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 263 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 264 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 265 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 266 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 267 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] 268 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 269 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 270 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 271 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 272 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] 273 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 274 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] 275 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] 276 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 277 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] 278 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] 279 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 280 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 281 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] 282 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 283 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 284 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 285 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 286 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] 287 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 288 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] 289 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
[17:1] 290 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] 291 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 292 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
[17:2] 293 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 294 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 295 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] 296 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] 298 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 299 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 300 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] 301 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 302 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 303 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 304 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 305 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] 306 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 307 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 308 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] 309 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 310 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] 311 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] 312 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 313 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.
[17:12] 315 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 316 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 317 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] 318 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 319 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 320 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] 321 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] 322 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 323 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] 324 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 326 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] 327 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 328 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 329 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 330 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] 331 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 332 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 333 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 334 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] 335 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 336 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] 337 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 338 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] 339 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] 340 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] 341 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 342 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 343 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 344 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 345 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 346 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 347 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 348 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 349 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 350 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 351 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] 352 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] 353 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 354 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] 355 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 356 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
[18:3] 357 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 358 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 359 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] 360 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 361 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] 362 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 363 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] 364 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] 365 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] 366 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 367 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 368 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] 369 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 370 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] 371 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 372 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 373 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
[18:10] 374 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 375 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 376 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 377 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 379 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 381 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] 382 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 383 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 384 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 385 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 386 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
[18:15] 387 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 388 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 389 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 390 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 391 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] 392 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 393 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] 394 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 395 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] 396 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
[18:19] 397 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] 398 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 399 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 400 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 401 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
[18:21] 403 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 404 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 405 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 406 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
[18:22] 408 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 409 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 411 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] 412 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 413 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 414 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 415 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 416 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 417 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 418 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 419 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 420 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 421 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 422 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 423 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 424 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 425 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 426 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 427 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 428 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 429 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 430 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 431 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
[19:4] 432 tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.
[19:4] 433 tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.
[19:5] 434 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 435 tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.
[19:7] 436 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 437 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 438 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 440 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
[19:9] 441 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 442 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 443 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
[19:9] 444 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
[19:9] 445 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 446 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 447 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:10] 448 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 449 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 450 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 451 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 452 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 453 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 454 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 455 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 456 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 457 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 458 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 459 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 460 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
[19:14] 461 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 462 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
[19:15] 463 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 464 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
[19:15] 465 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 466 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 467 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 468 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
[19:17] 469 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
[19:17] 471 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
[19:17] 472 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 473 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 474 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
[19:19] 475 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 476 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 477 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
[19:19] 478 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 480 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
[19:19] 481 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 482 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
[19:20] 483 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 484 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 485 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 486 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 487 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
[19:21] 488 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 489 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
[19:22] 490 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 491 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
[19:23] 492 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 493 tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.
[19:24] 494 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 495 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 496 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 497 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 498 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 499 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 500 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 501 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 502 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 503 tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:28] 504 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 505 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 506 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 507 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 508 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 509 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 510 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 511 tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.
[19:31] 512 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 513 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 514 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
[19:32] 515 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 516 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 517 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 518 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 519 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:33] 520 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 521 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 522 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 523 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 524 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 525 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 526 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 527 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 528 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
[19:38] 529 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
[20:1] 530 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 531 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 533 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
[20:3] 534 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 535 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 536 tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.
[20:5] 537 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 538 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 539 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 540 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 541 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 542 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 543 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 544 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 545 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 546 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 547 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 548 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 549 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 550 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 551 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 552 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] 553 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 554 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 555 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 556 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 557 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 558 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 559 tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”
[20:13] 560 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 561 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 562 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 563 sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).
[20:16] 564 sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).
[20:16] 565 tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).
[20:18] 566 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 567 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 568 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[21:1] 569 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
[21:1] 570 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 572 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 573 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
[21:4] 574 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 575 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 576 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
[21:6] 577 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 578 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 579 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
[21:7] 581 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 583 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
[21:9] 585 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
[21:10] 586 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
[21:11] 587 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
[21:12] 588 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 589 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
[21:12] 590 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 591 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
[21:14] 592 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 593 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 594 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
[21:14] 595 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 596 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
[21:15] 597 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
[21:16] 598 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 600 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
[21:16] 601 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
[21:17] 602 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
[21:17] 603 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 604 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 605 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:21] 606 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
[21:21] 607 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 608 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 609 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 610 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 611 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 612 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 614 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
[21:24] 615 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
[21:25] 616 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
[21:25] 617 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 618 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:26] 619 tn Heb “and also.”
[21:27] 620 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 621 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 622 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 623 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
[21:31] 624 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
[21:31] 625 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
[21:31] 626 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 627 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 628 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 629 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
[21:33] 630 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 631 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
[21:33] 632 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 633 tn Heb “many days.”
[3:1] 634 tn The chapter begins with a disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate) that introduces a new character and a new scene in the story.
[3:1] 635 sn Many theologians identify or associate the serpent with Satan. In this view Satan comes in the disguise of a serpent or speaks through a serpent. This explains the serpent’s capacity to speak. While later passages in the Bible may indicate there was a satanic presence behind the serpent (see, for example, Rev 12:9), the immediate context pictures the serpent as simply one of the animals of the field created by God (see vv. 1, 14). An ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent in a literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the orchard. This text (Jub. 3:28) states, “On that day [the day the man and woman were expelled from the orchard] the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from speaking because all of them used to speak to one another with one speech and one language [presumed to be Hebrew, see 12:26].” Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.41) attributes the serpent’s actions to jealousy. He writes that “the serpent, living in the company of Adam and his wife, grew jealous of the blessings which he supposed were destined for them if they obeyed God’s behests, and, believing that disobedience would bring trouble on them, he maliciously persuaded the woman to taste of the tree of wisdom.”
[3:1] 636 tn The Hebrew word עָרוּם (’arum) basically means “clever.” This idea then polarizes into the nuances “cunning” (in a negative sense, see Job 5:12; 15:5), and “prudent” in a positive sense (Prov 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3; 27:12). This same polarization of meaning can be detected in related words derived from the same root (see Exod 21:14; Josh 9:4; 1 Sam 23:22; Job 5:13; Ps 83:3). The negative nuance obviously applies in Gen 3, where the snake attempts to talk the woman into disobeying God by using half-truths and lies.
[3:1] 637 tn Heb “animals of the field.”
[3:1] 638 tn Heb “Indeed that God said.” The beginning of the quotation is elliptical and therefore difficult to translate. One must supply a phrase like “is it true”: “Indeed, [is it true] that God said.”
[3:1] 639 sn God. The serpent does not use the expression “Yahweh God” [
[3:1] 640 tn Heb “you must not eat from all the tree[s] of the orchard.” After the negated prohibitive verb, מִכֹּל (mikkol, “from all”) has the meaning “from any.” Note the construction in Lev 18:26, where the statement “you must not do from all these abominable things” means “you must not do any of these abominable things.” See Lev 22:25 and Deut 28:14 as well.
[3:2] 641 tn There is a notable change between what the
[3:3] 642 sn And you must not touch it. The woman adds to God’s prohibition, making it say more than God expressed. G. von Rad observes that it is as though she wanted to set a law for herself by means of this exaggeration (Genesis [OTL], 86).
[3:3] 643 tn The Hebrew construction is פֶּן (pen) with the imperfect tense, which conveys a negative purpose: “lest you die” = “in order that you not die.” By stating the warning in this way, the woman omits the emphatic infinitive used by God (“you shall surely die,” see 2:17).
[3:4] 644 tn The response of the serpent includes the infinitive absolute with a blatant negation equal to saying: “Not – you will surely die” (לֹא מוֹת תִּמֻתען, lo’ mot tÿmutun). The construction makes this emphatic because normally the negative particle precedes the finite verb. The serpent is a liar, denying that there is a penalty for sin (see John 8:44).
[3:5] 645 tn Or “you will have understanding.” This obviously refers to the acquisition of the “knowledge of good and evil,” as the next statement makes clear.
[3:5] 646 tn Or perhaps “like God, knowing.” It is unclear how the plural participle translated “knowing” is functioning. On the one hand, יֹדְעֵי (yodÿ’e) could be taken as a substantival participle functioning as a predicative adjective in the sentence. In this case one might translate: “You will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil.” On the other hand, it could be taken as an attributive adjective modifying אֱלֹהִים (’elohim). In this case אֱלֹהִים has to be taken as a numerical plural referring to “gods,” “divine beings,” for if the one true God were the intended referent, a singular form of the participle would almost certainly appear as a modifier. Following this line of interpretation, one could translate, “You will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” The following context may favor this translation, for in 3:22 God says to an unidentified group, “Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” It is probable that God is addressing his heavenly court (see the note on the word “make” in 1:26), the members of which can be called “gods” or “divine beings” from the ancient Israelite perspective. (We know some of these beings as messengers or “angels.”) An examination of parallel constructions shows that a predicative understanding (“you will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil,” cf. NIV, NRSV) is possible, but rare (see Gen 27:23, where “hairy” is predicative, complementing the verb “to be”). The statistical evidence strongly suggests that the participle is attributive, modifying “divine beings” (see Ps 31:12; Isa 1:30; 13:14; 16:2; 29:5; 58:11; Jer 14:9; 20:9; 23:9; 31:12; 48:41; 49:22; Hos 7:11; Amos 4:11). In all of these texts, where a comparative clause and accompanying adjective/participle follow a copulative (“to be”) verb, the adjective/participle is attributive after the noun in the comparative clause.
[3:5] 647 sn You will be like divine beings who know good and evil. The serpent raises doubts about the integrity of God. He implies that the only reason for the prohibition was that God was protecting the divine domain. If the man and woman were to eat, they would enter into that domain. The temptation is to overstep divinely established boundaries. (See D. E. Gowan, When Man Becomes God [PTMS], 25.)
[3:6] 648 tn Heb “And the woman saw.” The clause can be rendered as a temporal clause subordinate to the following verb in the sequence.
[3:6] 649 tn Heb “that the tree was good for food.” The words “produced fruit that was” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[3:6] 650 tn The Hebrew word תַּאֲוָה (ta’avah, translated “attractive” here) actually means “desirable.” This term and the later term נֶחְמָד (nekhmad, “desirable”) are synonyms.
[3:6] 651 tn Heb “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.” On the connection between moral wisdom and the “knowledge of good and evil,” see the note on the word “evil” in 2:9.
[3:6] 652 tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied (here and also after “ate” at the end of this verse) for stylistic reasons.
[3:6] 653 sn This pericope (3:1-7) is a fine example of Hebrew narrative structure. After an introductory disjunctive clause that introduces a new character and sets the stage (3:1), the narrative tension develops through dialogue, culminating in the action of the story. Once the dialogue is over, the action is told in a rapid sequence of verbs – she took, she ate, she gave, and he ate.
[3:8] 654 tn The Hitpael participle of הָלָךְ (halakh, “to walk, to go”) here has an iterative sense, “moving” or “going about.” While a translation of “walking about” is possible, it assumes a theophany, the presence of the
[3:8] 655 tn The expression is traditionally rendered “cool of the day,” because the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) can mean “wind.” U. Cassuto (Genesis: From Adam to Noah, 152-54) concludes after lengthy discussion that the expression refers to afternoon when it became hot and the sun was beginning to decline. J. J. Niehaus (God at Sinai [SOTBT], 155-57) offers a different interpretation of the phrase, relating יוֹם (yom, usually understood as “day”) to an Akkadian cognate umu (“storm”) and translates the phrase “in the wind of the storm.” If Niehaus is correct, then God is not pictured as taking an afternoon stroll through the orchard, but as coming in a powerful windstorm to confront the man and woman with their rebellion. In this case קוֹל יְהוָה (qol yÿhvah, “sound of the
[3:8] 656 tn The verb used here is the Hitpael, giving the reflexive idea (“they hid themselves”). In v. 10, when Adam answers the
[3:9] 657 tn The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call”) followed by the preposition אֶל־ or לְ (’el- or lÿ, “to, unto”) often carries the connotation of “summon.”
[3:9] 658 sn Where are you? The question is probably rhetorical (a figure of speech called erotesis) rather than literal, because it was spoken to the man, who answers it with an explanation of why he was hiding rather than a location. The question has more the force of “Why are you hiding?”
[3:10] 659 tn Heb “and he said.”
[3:10] 660 tn Heb “your sound.” If one sees a storm theophany here (see the note on the word “time” in v. 8), then one could translate, “your powerful voice.”
[3:11] 661 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (the
[3:11] 662 sn Who told you that you were naked? This is another rhetorical question, asking more than what it appears to ask. The second question in the verse reveals the
[3:11] 663 sn The Hebrew word order (“Did you from the tree – which I commanded you not to eat from it – eat?”) is arranged to emphasize that the man’s and the woman’s eating of the fruit was an act of disobedience. The relative clause inserted immediately after the reference to the tree brings out this point very well.
[3:12] 664 tn The Hebrew construction in this sentence uses an independent nominative absolute (formerly known as a casus pendens). “The woman” is the independent nominative absolute; it is picked up by the formal subject, the pronoun “she” written with the verb (“she gave”). The point of the construction is to throw the emphasis on “the woman.” But what makes this so striking is that a relative clause has been inserted to explain what is meant by the reference to the woman: “whom you gave me.” Ultimately, the man is blaming God for giving him the woman who (from the man’s viewpoint) caused him to sin.
[3:12] 665 tn The words “some fruit” here and the pronoun “it” at the end of the sentence are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[3:13] 666 tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun is enclitic, serving as an undeclined particle for emphasis. It gives the sense of “What in the world have you done?” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[3:13] 667 sn The Hebrew word order puts the subject (“the serpent”) before the verb here, giving prominence to it.
[3:13] 668 tn This verb (the Hiphil of נָשָׁא, nasha) is used elsewhere of a king or god misleading his people into false confidence (2 Kgs 18:29 = 2 Chr 32:15 = Isa 36:14; 2 Kgs 19:10 = Isa 37:10), of an ally deceiving a partner (Obad 7), of God deceiving his sinful people as a form of judgment (Jer 4:10), of false prophets instilling their audience with false hope (Jer 29:8), and of pride and false confidence producing self-deception (Jer 37:9; 49:16; Obad 3).
[3:14] 669 sn Note that God asks no question of the serpent, does not call for confession, as he did to the man and the woman; there is only the announcement of the curse. The order in this section is chiastic: The man is questioned, the woman is questioned, the serpent is cursed, sentence is passed on the woman, sentence is passed on the man.
[3:14] 670 tn The Hebrew word translated “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as comparative, then the idea is “cursed [i.e., punished] are you above [i.e., more than] all the wild beasts.” In this case the comparative preposition reflects the earlier comparison: The serpent was more shrewd than all others, and so more cursed than all others. If the preposition is taken as separative (see the note on the word “ground” in 4:11), then the idea is “cursed and banished from all the wild beasts.” In this case the serpent is condemned to isolation from all the other animals.
[3:14] 671 tn Heb “go”; “walk,” but in English “crawl” or “slither” better describes a serpent’s movement.
[3:14] 672 sn Dust you will eat. Being restricted to crawling on the ground would necessarily involve “eating dust,” although that is not the diet of the serpent. The idea of being brought low, of “eating dust” as it were, is a symbol of humiliation.
[3:15] 673 tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.
[3:15] 674 sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).
[3:15] 675 tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.
[3:15] 676 tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).
[3:15] 677 sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the
[3:15] 678 tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.
[3:16] 679 tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.
[3:16] 680 tn Heb “your pain and your conception,” suggesting to some interpreters that having a lot of children was a result of the judgment (probably to make up for the loss through death). But the next clause shows that the pain is associated with conception and childbirth. The two words form a hendiadys (where two words are joined to express one idea, like “good and angry” in English), the second explaining the first. “Conception,” if the correct meaning of the noun, must be figurative here since there is no pain in conception; it is a synecdoche, representing the entire process of childbirth and child rearing from the very start. However, recent etymological research suggests the noun is derived from a root הרר (hrr), not הרה (hrh), and means “trembling, pain” (see D. Tsumura, “A Note on הרוֹן (Gen 3,16),” Bib 75 [1994]: 398-400). In this case “pain and trembling” refers to the physical effects of childbirth. The word עִצְּבוֹן (’itsÿvon, “pain”), an abstract noun related to the verb (עָצַב, ’atsav), includes more than physical pain. It is emotional distress as well as physical pain. The same word is used in v. 17 for the man’s painful toil in the field.
[3:16] 681 tn Heb “and toward your husband [will be] your desire.” The nominal sentence does not have a verb; a future verb must be supplied, because the focus of the oracle is on the future struggle. The precise meaning of the noun תְּשׁוּקָה (tÿshuqah, “desire”) is debated. Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.” Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain. (Even in Song of Songs it carries the basic idea of “control,” for it describes the young man’s desire to “have his way sexually” with the young woman.) In Gen 3:16 the
[3:16] 682 tn The Hebrew verb מָשַׁל (mashal) means “to rule over,” but in a way that emphasizes powerful control, domination, or mastery. This also is part of the baser human nature. The translation assumes the imperfect verb form has an objective/indicative sense here. Another option is to understand it as having a modal, desiderative nuance, “but he will want to dominate you.” In this case, the
[3:17] 683 tn Since there is no article on the word, the personal name is used, rather than the generic “the man” (cf. NRSV).
[3:17] 684 tn The idiom “listen to the voice of” often means “obey.” The man “obeyed” his wife and in the process disobeyed God.
[3:17] 685 sn For the ground to be cursed means that it will no longer yield its bounty as the blessing from God had promised. The whole creation, Paul writes in Rom 8:22, is still groaning under this curse, waiting for the day of redemption.
[3:17] 686 tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ (ba’avurekha) is more literally translated “on your account” or “because of you.” The idiomatic “thanks to you” in the translation tries to capture the point of this expression.
[3:17] 687 sn In painful toil you will eat. The theme of eating is prominent throughout Gen 3. The prohibition was against eating from the tree of knowledge. The sin was in eating. The interrogation concerned the eating from the tree of knowledge. The serpent is condemned to eat the dust of the ground. The curse focuses on eating in a “measure for measure” justice. Because the man and the woman sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God will forbid the ground to cooperate, and so it will be through painful toil that they will eat.
