Genesis 12:1--14:24

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ¹  to Abram, ² 

“Go out ³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁴ 

12:2 Then I will make you ⁵  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ⁶ 

and I will make your name great, ⁷ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ⁸ 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ¹⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ¹¹  by your name.”

12:4 So Abram left, ¹²  just as the Lord had told him to do, ¹³  and Lot went with him. (Now ¹⁴  Abram was 75 years old ¹⁵  when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew ¹⁶  Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired ¹⁷  in Haran, and they left for ¹⁸  the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ¹⁹  of Moreh ²⁰  at Shechem. ²¹  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ²²  12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants ²³  I will give this land.” So Abram ²⁴  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 ²⁵  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. ²⁶  12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages ²⁷  down to the Negev. ²⁸ 

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ²⁹  to stay for a while ³⁰  because the famine was severe. ³¹  12:11 As he approached ³²  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, ³³  I know that you are a beautiful woman. ³⁴  12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. ³⁵  12:13 So tell them ³⁶  you are my sister ³⁷  so that it may go well ³⁸  for me because of you and my life will be spared ³⁹  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 ⁴⁰  was taken ⁴¹  into the household of Pharaoh, ⁴²  12:16 and he did treat Abram well ⁴³  on account of her. Abram received ⁴⁴  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 ⁴⁵  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this ⁴⁶  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 ⁴⁷  to be my wife? ⁴⁸  Here is your wife! ⁴⁹  Take her and go!” ⁵⁰  12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, ⁵¹  and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ⁵²  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ⁵³  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ⁵⁴  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ⁵⁵ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ⁵⁶  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁵⁷  He returned ⁵⁸  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁵⁹  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ⁶⁰  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ⁶¹ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ⁶²  with Abram, also had ⁶³  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ⁶⁴  not support them while they were living side by side. ⁶⁵  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ⁶⁶  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ⁶⁷  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ⁶⁸  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ⁶⁹ 

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. ⁷⁰  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ⁷¹  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 ⁷²  the whole region ⁷³  of the Jordan. He noticed ⁷⁴  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ⁷⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah) ⁷⁶  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ⁷⁷  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ⁷⁸  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ⁷⁹  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ⁸⁰  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ⁸¹  the people ⁸²  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ⁸³ 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ⁸⁴  “Look ⁸⁵  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 ⁸⁶  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. ⁸⁷  13:17 Get up and ⁸⁸  walk throughout ⁸⁹  the land, ⁹⁰  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ⁹¹  by the oaks ⁹²  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ⁹³  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁹⁴  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁹⁵  14:2 went to war ⁹⁶  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). ⁹⁷  14:3 These last five kings ⁹⁸  joined forces ⁹⁹  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ¹⁰⁰  14:4 For twelve years ¹⁰¹  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ¹⁰²  they rebelled. ¹⁰³  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ¹⁰⁴  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. ¹⁰⁵  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ¹⁰⁶  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 ¹⁰⁷  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ¹⁰⁸  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ¹⁰⁹  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ¹¹⁰  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ¹¹¹  but some survivors ¹¹²  fled to the hills. ¹¹³  14:11 The four victorious kings ¹¹⁴  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ¹¹⁵  Lot and his possessions when ¹¹⁶  they left, for Lot ¹¹⁷  was living in Sodom. ¹¹⁸ 

14:13 A fugitive ¹¹⁹  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ¹²⁰  Now Abram was living by the oaks ¹²¹  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ¹²²  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ¹²³  with Abram.) ¹²⁴  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ¹²⁵  had been taken captive, he mobilized ¹²⁶  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ¹²⁷  as far as Dan. ¹²⁸  14:15 Then, during the night, ¹²⁹  Abram ¹³⁰  divided his forces ¹³¹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ¹³²  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ¹³³  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ¹³⁴  the people.

14:17 After Abram ¹³⁵  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ¹³⁶  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ¹³⁷  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ¹³⁸  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ¹³⁹  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ¹⁴⁰  the Most High God,

Creator ¹⁴¹  of heaven and earth. ¹⁴² 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ¹⁴³  the Most High God,

who delivered ¹⁴⁴  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ¹⁴⁵  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 ¹⁴⁶  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ¹⁴⁷  14:23 that I will take nothing ¹⁴⁸  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ¹⁴⁹  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ¹⁵⁰  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ¹⁵¹  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 1:3-10

1:3 God said, ¹⁵²  “Let there be ¹⁵³  light.” ¹⁵⁴  And there was light! 1:4 God saw ¹⁵⁵  that the light was good, ¹⁵⁶  so God separated ¹⁵⁷  the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called ¹⁵⁸  the light “day” and the darkness ¹⁵⁹  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ¹⁶⁰ 

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ¹⁶¹  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ¹⁶²  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ¹⁶³  It was so. ¹⁶⁴  1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” ¹⁶⁵  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place ¹⁶⁶  and let dry ground appear.” ¹⁶⁷  It was so. 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” ¹⁶⁸  and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

Genesis 8:18-21

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.

8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ¹⁶⁹  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ¹⁷⁰  and said ¹⁷¹  to himself, ¹⁷²  “I will never again curse ¹⁷³  the ground because of humankind, even though ¹⁷⁴  the inclination of their minds ¹⁷⁵  is evil from childhood on. ¹⁷⁶  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

Hebrews 10:1-22

Concluding Exposition: Old and New Sacrifices Contrasted

10:1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. ¹⁷⁷  10:2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have ¹⁷⁸  no further consciousness of sin? 10:3 But in those sacrifices ¹⁷⁹  there is a reminder of sins year after year. 10:4 For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. ¹⁸⁰  10:5 So when he came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

10:6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.

10:7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am: ¹⁸¹  I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’” ¹⁸² 

10:8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” ¹⁸³  (which are offered according to the law), 10:9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” ¹⁸⁴  He does away with ¹⁸⁵  the first to establish the second. 10:10 By his will ¹⁸⁶  we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 10:11 And every priest stands day after day ¹⁸⁷  serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again – sacrifices that can never take away sins. 10:12 But when this priest ¹⁸⁸  had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand ¹⁸⁹  of God, 10:13 where he is now waiting ¹⁹⁰  until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁹¹  10:14 For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy. 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us, for after saying, ¹⁹²  10:16 “This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will put ¹⁹³  my laws on their hearts and I will inscribe them on their minds,” ¹⁹⁴  10:17 then he says, ¹⁹⁵  “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.” ¹⁹⁶  10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Drawing Near to God in Enduring Faith

10:19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, ¹⁹⁷  since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 10:20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us ¹⁹⁸  through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ¹⁹⁹  10:21 and since we have a great priest ²⁰⁰  over the house of God, 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, ²⁰¹  because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience ²⁰²  and our bodies washed in pure water.

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

[12:1]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[12:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Or “I will make you famous.”

[12:2]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the Lord binds himself to Abram by covenant, those who enrich Abram in any way share in the blessings.

[12:3]  ¹⁰ tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic mss read the plural. But if it had been plural, there would be no reason to change it to the singular and alter the parallelism. On the other hand, if it was indeed singular, it is easy to see why the versions would change it to match the first participle. The MT preserves the original reading: “the one who treats you lightly.” The point would be a contrast with the lavish way that God desires to bless many. The second change is in the vocabulary. The English usually says, “I will curse those who curse you.” But there are two different words for curse here. The first is קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light” in the Qal, and in the Piel “to treat lightly, to treat with contempt, to curse.” The second verb is אָרַר (’arar), which means “to banish, to remove from the blessing.” The point is simple: Whoever treats Abram and the covenant with contempt as worthless God will banish from the blessing. It is important also to note that the verb is not a cohortative, but a simple imperfect. Since God is binding himself to Abram, this would then be an obligatory imperfect: “but the one who treats you with contempt I must curse.”

[12:3]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).

[12:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “just as the Lord said to him.”

[12:4]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”

[12:5]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the son of his brother.”

[12:5]  ¹⁷ tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.

[12:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “went out to go.”

[12:6]  ¹⁹ tn Or “terebinth.”

[12:6]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”

[12:6]  ²² tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.

[12:7]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:8]  ²⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

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

[12:9]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Or “the South [country].”

[12:10]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Heb “drew near to enter.”

[12:11]  ³³ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.

[12:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”

[12:12]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Heb “say.”

[12:13]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Heb “and my life will live.”

[12:15]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[12:17]  ⁴⁵ tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the Lord inflicted numerous plagues, probably diseases (see Exod 15:26). The adjective “great” emphasizes that the plagues were severe and overwhelming.

[12:18]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.

[12:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “to me for a wife.”

[12:19]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Look, your wife!”

[12:19]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “take and go.”

[12:20]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ⁵² tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).

[13:1]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “heavy.”

[13:2]  ⁵⁵ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.

[13:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ⁵⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ⁵⁸ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:4]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).

[13:4]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[13:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “was going.”

[13:5]  ⁶³ tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.

[13:6]  ⁶⁴ 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]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.

[13:7]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[13:10]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ⁷⁴ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[13:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:12]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ⁸³ tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly.” The description of the sinfulness of the Sodomites is very emphatic. First, two nouns are used to form a hendiadys: “wicked and sinners” means “wicked sinners,” the first word becoming adjectival. The text is saying these were no ordinary sinners; they were wicked sinners, the type that cause pain for others. Then to this phrase is added “against the Lord,” stressing their violation of the laws of heaven and their culpability. Finally, to this is added מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).

[13:14]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and the Lord said to Abram after Lot separated himself from with him.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse signals a new scene.

[13:14]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”

[13:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”

[13:16]  ⁸⁷ tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.

[13:17]  ⁸⁸ tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.

[13:17]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “he came and lived.”

[13:18]  ⁹² tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:1]  ⁹³ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ⁹⁴ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “made war.”

[14:2]  ⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[14:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

[14:4]  ¹⁰² tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

[14:4]  ¹⁰³ 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]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[14:8]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “against.”

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

[14:9]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ¹¹³ 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]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

[14:12]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[14:12]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ¹¹⁸ tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

[14:13]  ¹¹⁹ 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]  ¹²⁰ 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]  ¹²¹ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  ¹²² tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  ¹²³ 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]  ¹²⁴ 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]  ¹²⁵ 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]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  ¹²⁸ 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]  ¹²⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ¹³² tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:16]  ¹³³ tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:16]  ¹³⁴ tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:17]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ¹³⁷ sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[14:18]  ¹³⁸ sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

[14:18]  ¹³⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[14:19]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴² tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  ¹⁴³ 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]  ¹⁴⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:22]  ¹⁴⁶ 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]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:23]  ¹⁴⁸ tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the Lord deal with me] if I take,” meaning, “I will surely not take.” The positive oath would add the negative adverb and be the reverse: “[God will deal with me] if I do not take,” meaning, “I certainly will.”

[14:23]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

[14:24]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[1:3]  ¹⁵² tn The prefixed verb form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the narrative sequence. Ten times in the chapter the decree of God in creation will be so expressed. For the power of the divine word in creation, see Ps 33:9, John 1:1-3, 1 Cor 8:6, and Col 1:16.

[1:3]  ¹⁵³ tn “Let there be” is the short jussive form of the verb “to be”; the following expression “and there was” is the short preterite form of the same verb. As such, יְהִי (yÿhi) and וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfillment of the divine word.

[1:3]  ¹⁵⁴ sn Light. The Hebrew word simply means “light,” but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:5]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”

[1:6]  ¹⁶¹ tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”

[1:6]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”

[1:7]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “the expanse.”

[1:7]  ¹⁶⁴ tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

[1:8]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Though the Hebrew word can mean “heaven,” it refers in this context to “the sky.”

[1:9]  ¹⁶⁶ sn Let the water…be gathered to one place. In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns.

[1:9]  ¹⁶⁷ tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water.

[1:10]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “earth,” but here the term refers to the dry ground as opposed to the sea.

[8:20]  ¹⁶⁹ sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the Lord. After the flood Noah could see that God was not only a God of wrath, but a God of redemption and restoration. The one who escaped the catastrophe could best express his gratitude and submission through sacrificial worship, acknowledging God as the sovereign of the universe.

[8:21]  ¹⁷⁰ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

[8:21]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

[8:21]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “in his heart.”

[8:21]  ¹⁷³ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

[8:21]  ¹⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

[8:21]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

[8:21]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[10:1]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “those who approach.”

[10:2]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “the worshipers, having been purified once for all, would have.”

[10:3]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “in them”; the referent (those sacrifices) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

[10:7]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “behold,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).

[10:7]  ¹⁸² sn A quotation from Ps 40:6-8 (LXX). The phrase a body you prepared for me (in v. 5) is apparently an interpretive expansion of the HT reading “ears you have dug out for me.”

[10:8]  ¹⁸³ sn Various phrases from the quotation of Ps 40:6 in Heb 10:5-6 are repeated in Heb 10:8.

[10:9]  ¹⁸⁴ tc The majority of mss, especially the later ones (א² 0278^vid 1739 Ï lat), have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”) at this point, while most of the earliest and best witnesses lack such an explicit addressee (so Ì⁴⁶ א* A C D K P Ψ 33 1175 1881 2464 al). The longer reading is a palpable corruption, apparently motivated in part by the wording of Ps 40:8 (39:9 LXX) and by the word order of this same verse as quoted in Heb 10:7.

[10:9]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Or “abolishes.”

[10:10]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “by which will.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[10:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Or “daily,” “every day.”

[10:12]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Grk “this one.” This pronoun refers to Jesus, but “this priest” was used in the translation to make the contrast between the Jewish priests in v. 11 and Jesus as a priest clearer in English.

[10:12]  ¹⁸⁹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[10:13]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “from then on waiting.”

[10:13]  ¹⁹¹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[10:15]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “after having said,” emphasizing the present impact of this utterance.

[10:16]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”

[10:16]  ¹⁹⁴ sn A quotation from Jer 31:33.

[10:17]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “and.”

[10:17]  ¹⁹⁶ sn A quotation from Jer 31:34.

[10:19]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[10:20]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “that he inaugurated for us as a fresh and living way,” referring to the entrance mentioned in v. 19.

[10:20]  ¹⁹⁹ sn Through his flesh. In a bold shift the writer changes from a spatial phrase (Christ opened the way through the curtain into the inner sanctuary) to an instrumental phrase (he did this through [by means of] his flesh in his sacrifice of himself), associating the two in an allusion to the splitting of the curtain in the temple from top to bottom (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). Just as the curtain was split, so Christ’s body was broken for us, to give us access into God’s presence.

[10:21]  ²⁰⁰ tn Grk “and a great priest,” continuing the construction begun in v. 19.

[10:22]  ²⁰¹ tn Grk “in assurance of faith.”

[10:22]  ²⁰² sn The phrase our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience combines the OT imagery of the sprinkling with blood to give ritual purity with the emphasis on the interior cleansing provided by the new covenant: It is the heart that is cleansed and the conscience made perfect (cf. Heb 8:10; 9:9, 14; 10:2, 16).