Genesis 13:1--20:18

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ¹  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ²  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ³  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ⁴ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ⁵  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁶  He returned ⁷  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁸  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ⁹  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ¹⁰ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ¹¹  with Abram, also had ¹²  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ¹³  not support them while they were living side by side. ¹⁴  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ¹⁵  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ¹⁶  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ¹⁷  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ¹⁸ 

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. ¹⁹  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ²⁰  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 ²¹  the whole region ²²  of the Jordan. He noticed ²³  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ²⁴  Sodom and Gomorrah) ²⁵  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ²⁶  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ²⁷  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ²⁸  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ²⁹  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ³⁰  the people ³¹  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ³² 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ³³  “Look ³⁴  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 ³⁵  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. ³⁶  13:17 Get up and ³⁷  walk throughout ³⁸  the land, ³⁹  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ⁴⁰  by the oaks ⁴¹  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 ⁴²  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁴³  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁴⁴  14:2 went to war ⁴⁵  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). ⁴⁶  14:3 These last five kings ⁴⁷  joined forces ⁴⁸  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ⁴⁹  14:4 For twelve years ⁵⁰  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ⁵¹  they rebelled. ⁵²  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ⁵³  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. ⁵⁴  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ⁵⁵  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 ⁵⁶  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ⁵⁷  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ⁵⁸  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ⁵⁹  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ⁶⁰  but some survivors ⁶¹  fled to the hills. ⁶²  14:11 The four victorious kings ⁶³  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ⁶⁴  Lot and his possessions when ⁶⁵  they left, for Lot ⁶⁶  was living in Sodom. ⁶⁷ 

14:13 A fugitive ⁶⁸  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ⁶⁹  Now Abram was living by the oaks ⁷⁰  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ⁷¹  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ⁷²  with Abram.) ⁷³  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ⁷⁴  had been taken captive, he mobilized ⁷⁵  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ⁷⁶  as far as Dan. ⁷⁷  14:15 Then, during the night, ⁷⁸  Abram ⁷⁹  divided his forces ⁸⁰  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁸¹  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ⁸²  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ⁸³  the people.

14:17 After Abram ⁸⁴  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ⁸⁵  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ⁸⁶  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ⁸⁷  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ⁸⁸  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ⁸⁹  the Most High God,

Creator ⁹⁰  of heaven and earth. ⁹¹ 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ⁹²  the Most High God,

who delivered ⁹³  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ⁹⁴  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 ⁹⁵  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ⁹⁶  14:23 that I will take nothing ⁹⁷  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ⁹⁸  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ⁹⁹  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ¹⁰⁰  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹⁰¹  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ¹⁰² 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹⁰³  what will you give me since ¹⁰⁴  I continue to be ¹⁰⁵  childless, and my heir ¹⁰⁶  is ¹⁰⁷  Eliezer of Damascus?” ¹⁰⁸  15:3 Abram added, ¹⁰⁹  “Since ¹¹⁰  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ¹¹¹ 

15:4 But look, ¹¹²  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ¹¹³  will not be your heir, ¹¹⁴  but instead ¹¹⁵  a son ¹¹⁶  who comes from your own body will be ¹¹⁷  your heir.” ¹¹⁸  15:5 The Lord ¹¹⁹  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 ¹²⁰  the Lord, and the Lord ¹²¹  considered his response of faith ¹²²  as proof of genuine loyalty. ¹²³ 

15:7 The Lord said ¹²⁴  to him, “I am the Lord ¹²⁵  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ¹²⁶  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ¹²⁷  Abram ¹²⁸  said, “O sovereign Lord, ¹²⁹  by what ¹³⁰  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ¹³¹  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 ¹³²  took all these for him and then cut them in two ¹³³  and placed each half opposite the other, ¹³⁴  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, ¹³⁵  and great terror overwhelmed him. ¹³⁶  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ¹³⁷  that your descendants will be strangers ¹³⁸  in a foreign country. ¹³⁹  They will be enslaved and oppressed ¹⁴⁰  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ¹⁴¹  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ¹⁴²  you will go to your ancestors ¹⁴³  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ¹⁴⁴  15:16 In the fourth generation ¹⁴⁵  your descendants ¹⁴⁶  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ¹⁴⁷ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ¹⁴⁸  passed between the animal parts. ¹⁴⁹  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹⁵⁰  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ¹⁵¹  this land, from the river of Egypt ¹⁵²  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ¹⁵³  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ¹⁵⁴ 

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ¹⁵⁵  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ¹⁵⁶  but she had an Egyptian servant ¹⁵⁷  named Hagar. ¹⁵⁸  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ¹⁵⁹  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ¹⁶⁰  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ¹⁶¹  Abram did what ¹⁶²  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ¹⁶³  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ¹⁶⁴  to her husband to be his wife. ¹⁶⁵  16:4 He had sexual relations with ¹⁶⁶  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ¹⁶⁷  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ¹⁶⁸  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ¹⁶⁹  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ¹⁷⁰  but when she realized ¹⁷¹  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ¹⁷²  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ¹⁷³ 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ¹⁷⁴  servant is under your authority, ¹⁷⁵  do to her whatever you think best.” ¹⁷⁶  Then Sarai treated Hagar ¹⁷⁷  harshly, ¹⁷⁸  so she ran away from Sarai. ¹⁷⁹ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ¹⁸⁰  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ¹⁸¹  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 ¹⁸²  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ¹⁸³  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ¹⁸⁴  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ¹⁸⁵  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ¹⁸⁶  pregnant

and are about to give birth ¹⁸⁷  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ¹⁸⁸ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ¹⁸⁹ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ¹⁹⁰  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ¹⁹¹ 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ¹⁹² 

He will live away from ¹⁹³  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ¹⁹⁴  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ¹⁹⁵  16:14 That is why the well was called ¹⁹⁶  Beer Lahai Roi. ¹⁹⁷  (It is located ¹⁹⁸  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ¹⁹⁹  16:16 (Now ²⁰⁰  Abram was 86 years old ²⁰¹  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ²⁰² 

The Sign of the Covenant

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ²⁰³  the Lord appeared to him and said, ²⁰⁴  “I am the sovereign God. ²⁰⁵  Walk ²⁰⁶  before me ²⁰⁷  and be blameless. ²⁰⁸  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ²⁰⁹  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ²¹⁰ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ²¹¹  and God said to him, ²¹²  17:4 “As for me, ²¹³  this ²¹⁴  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ²¹⁵  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ²¹⁶  because I will make you ²¹⁷  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ²¹⁸  extremely ²¹⁹  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ²²⁰  17:7 I will confirm ²²¹  my covenant as a perpetual ²²²  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. ²²³  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ²²⁴  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ²²⁵  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²²⁶  the covenantal requirement ²²⁷  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: ²²⁸  Every male among you must be circumcised. ²²⁹  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ²³⁰  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ²³¹  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, ²³²  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ²³³  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ²³⁴  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ²³⁵  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ²³⁶  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ²³⁷ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ²³⁸  Sarah ²³⁹  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. ²⁴⁰  Kings of countries ²⁴¹  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ²⁴²  as he said to himself, ²⁴³  “Can ²⁴⁴  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ²⁴⁵  Can Sarah ²⁴⁶  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁴⁷  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ²⁴⁸  Ishmael might live before you!” ²⁴⁹ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ²⁵⁰  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ²⁵¹  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ²⁵²  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ²⁵³  He will become the father of twelve princes; ²⁵⁴  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. ²⁵⁵ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ²⁵⁶  and circumcised them ²⁵⁷  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ²⁵⁸  when he was circumcised; ²⁵⁹  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ²⁶⁰  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ²⁶¹  by the oaks ²⁶²  of Mamre while ²⁶³  he was sitting at the entrance ²⁶⁴  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ²⁶⁵  looked up ²⁶⁶  and saw ²⁶⁷  three men standing across ²⁶⁸  from him. When he saw them ²⁶⁹  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ²⁷⁰  to the ground. ²⁷¹ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ²⁷²  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ²⁷³  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ²⁷⁴  you may all ²⁷⁵  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ²⁷⁶  a bit of food ²⁷⁷  so that you may refresh yourselves ²⁷⁸  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ²⁷⁹  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ²⁸⁰  three measures ²⁸¹  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²⁸²  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ²⁸³  who quickly prepared it. ²⁸⁴  18:8 Abraham ²⁸⁵  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ²⁸⁶  before them. They ate while ²⁸⁷  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ²⁸⁸  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ²⁸⁹  said, “I will surely return ²⁹⁰  to you when the season comes round again, ²⁹¹  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ²⁹²  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ²⁹³  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ²⁹⁴  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ²⁹⁵  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ²⁹⁶  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ²⁹⁷  especially when my husband is old too?” ²⁹⁸ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ²⁹⁹  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ³⁰⁰  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ³⁰¹  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ³⁰²  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ³⁰³ 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ³⁰⁴  they looked out over ³⁰⁵  Sodom. (Now ³⁰⁶  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ³⁰⁷  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ³⁰⁸  18:18 After all, Abraham ³⁰⁹  will surely become ³¹⁰  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³¹¹  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ³¹²  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ³¹³  the way of the Lord by doing ³¹⁴  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ³¹⁵  to Abraham what he promised ³¹⁶  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ³¹⁷  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ³¹⁸  18:21 that I must go down ³¹⁹  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ³²⁰  If not, ³²¹  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ³²²  and headed ³²³  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ³²⁴  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 ³²⁵  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 ³²⁶  of the whole earth do what is right?” ³²⁷ 

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 ³²⁸  (although I am but dust and ashes), ³²⁹  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ³³⁰  the whole city because five are lacking?” ³³¹  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ³³²  spoke to him again, ³³³  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ³³⁴  said, “May the Lord not be angry ³³⁵  so that I may speak! ³³⁶  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ³³⁷  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 ³³⁸  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 ³³⁹  when he had finished speaking ³⁴⁰  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ³⁴¹ 

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ³⁴²  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ³⁴³  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 ³⁴⁴  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ³⁴⁵  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ³⁴⁶ 

19:3 But he urged ³⁴⁷  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, ³⁴⁸  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ³⁴⁹  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ³⁵⁰  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ³⁵¹  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! ³⁵²  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ³⁵³  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ³⁵⁴  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ³⁵⁵  of my roof.” ³⁵⁶ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ³⁵⁷  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ³⁵⁸  and now he dares to judge us! ³⁵⁹  We’ll do more harm ³⁶⁰  to you than to them!” They kept ³⁶¹  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ³⁶²  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ³⁶³  reached out ³⁶⁴  and pulled Lot back into the house ³⁶⁵  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, ³⁶⁶  with blindness. The men outside ³⁶⁷  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ³⁶⁸  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ³⁶⁹  Do you have ³⁷⁰  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ³⁷¹  Get them out of this ³⁷²  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ³⁷³  it. The outcry against this place ³⁷⁴  is so great before the Lord that he ³⁷⁵  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. ³⁷⁶  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ³⁷⁷  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ³⁷⁸ 

19:15 At dawn ³⁷⁹  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ³⁸⁰  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ³⁸¹  19:16 When Lot ³⁸²  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ³⁸³  They led them away and placed them ³⁸⁴  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ³⁸⁵  said, “Run ³⁸⁶  for your lives! Don’t look ³⁸⁷  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ³⁸⁸  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ³⁸⁹  19:19 Your ³⁹⁰  servant has found favor with you, ³⁹¹  and you have shown me great ³⁹²  kindness ³⁹³  by sparing ³⁹⁴  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ³⁹⁵  this disaster will overtake ³⁹⁶  me and I’ll die. ³⁹⁷  19:20 Look, this town ³⁹⁸  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ³⁹⁹  Let me go there. ⁴⁰⁰  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ⁴⁰¹  Then I’ll survive.” ⁴⁰² 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ⁴⁰³  “I will grant this request too ⁴⁰⁴  and will not overthrow ⁴⁰⁵  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ⁴⁰⁶  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ⁴⁰⁷ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ⁴⁰⁸  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ⁴⁰⁹  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ⁴¹⁰  sulfur and fire ⁴¹¹  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ⁴¹²  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ⁴¹³  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ⁴¹⁴  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ⁴¹⁵  wife looked back longingly ⁴¹⁶  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ⁴¹⁷  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ⁴¹⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ⁴¹⁹  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ⁴²⁰ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ⁴²¹  the cities of the region, ⁴²²  God honored ⁴²³  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ⁴²⁴  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ⁴²⁵  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 ⁴²⁶  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ⁴²⁷  to have sexual relations with us, ⁴²⁸  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ⁴²⁹  so we can have sexual relations ⁴³⁰  with him and preserve ⁴³¹  our family line through our father.” ⁴³² 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ⁴³³  and the older daughter ⁴³⁴  came and had sexual relations with her father. ⁴³⁵  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴³⁶  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ⁴³⁷  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ⁴³⁸  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ⁴³⁹  19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁴⁴⁰  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁴⁴¹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁴⁴² 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ⁴⁴³  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ⁴⁴⁴  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. ⁴⁴⁵  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁴⁴⁶  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁴⁴⁷  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 ⁴⁴⁸  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ⁴⁴⁹  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁴⁵⁰ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ⁴⁵¹  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁴⁵²  20:5 Did Abraham ⁴⁵³  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ⁴⁵⁴  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ⁴⁵⁵  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. ⁴⁵⁶  That is why I have kept you ⁴⁵⁷  from sinning against me and why ⁴⁵⁸  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁴⁵⁹  he is a prophet ⁴⁶⁰  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ⁴⁶¹  But if you don’t give her back, ⁴⁶²  know that you will surely die ⁴⁶³  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ⁴⁶⁴  Abimelech summoned ⁴⁶⁵  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ⁴⁶⁶  they ⁴⁶⁷  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? ⁴⁶⁸  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁴⁶⁹  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ⁴⁷⁰  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ⁴⁷¹ 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ⁴⁷²  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ⁴⁷³  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ⁴⁷⁴  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 ⁴⁷⁵  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ⁴⁷⁶  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ⁴⁷⁷  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.” ⁴⁷⁸ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ⁴⁷⁹  to your ‘brother.’ ⁴⁸⁰  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ⁴⁸¹ 

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 ⁴⁸²  had caused infertility to strike every woman ⁴⁸³  in the household of Abimelech because he took ⁴⁸⁴  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Exodus 2:16

2:16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to draw ⁴⁸⁵  water ⁴⁸⁶  and fill ⁴⁸⁷  the troughs in order to water their father’s flock.

Exodus 2:1

The Birth of the Deliverer

2:1 ⁴⁸⁸ A man from the household ⁴⁸⁹  of Levi married ⁴⁹⁰  a woman who was a descendant of Levi. ⁴⁹¹ 

Exodus 9:11

9:11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians.

John 4:7

4:7 A Samaritan woman ⁴⁹²  came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water ⁴⁹³  to drink.”

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

[13:1]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “heavy.”

[13:2]  ⁴ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.

[13:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ⁷ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).

[13:4]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “was going.”

[13:5]  ¹² tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.

[13:6]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.

[13:7]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[13:10]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ²³ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:12]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”

[13:15]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”

[13:16]  ³⁶ tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.

[13:17]  ³⁷ tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.

[13:17]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “he came and lived.”

[13:18]  ⁴¹ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:1]  ⁴² tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ⁴³ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “made war.”

[14:2]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[14:4]  ⁵⁰ tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

[14:4]  ⁵¹ tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

[14:4]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “against.”

[14:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

[14:9]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

[14:12]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and.”

[14:12]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ⁶⁷ tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

[14:13]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  ⁷¹ tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:16]  ⁸² tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:16]  ⁸³ tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:17]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁸⁶ sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[14:18]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[14:19]  ⁸⁹ tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  ⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹ tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  ⁹² 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]  ⁹³ 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]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:22]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:23]  ⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

[14:24]  ⁹⁹ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[15:1]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² 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]  ¹⁰³ tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master, Lord”). Since the tetragrammaton (YHWH) usually is pointed with the vowels for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “master”) to avoid pronouncing the divine name, that would lead in this place to a repetition of אֲדֹנָי. So the tetragrammaton is here pointed with the vowels for the word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) instead. That would produce the reading of the Hebrew as “Master, God” in the Jewish textual tradition. But the presence of “Master” before the holy name is rather compelling evidence that the original would have been “Master, Lord,” which is rendered here “sovereign Lord.”

[15:2]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.

[15:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “I am going.”

[15:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”

[15:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).

[15:2]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “And Abram said.”

[15:3]  ¹¹⁰ tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).

[15:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “is inheriting me.”

[15:4]  ¹¹² 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]  ¹¹³ tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.

[15:4]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “inherit you.”

[15:4]  ¹¹⁵ tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.

[15:4]  ¹¹⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁷ tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”

[15:4]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “will inherit you.”

[15:5]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ¹²⁰ 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]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ¹²² 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]  ¹²³ 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]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “And he said.”

[15:7]  ¹²⁵ sn I am the Lord. The Lord initiates the covenant-making ceremony with a declaration of who he is and what he has done for Abram. The same form appears at the beginning of the covenant made at Sinai (see Exod 20:1).

[15:7]  ¹²⁶ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[15:8]  ¹²⁷ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

[15:8]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ¹²⁹ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

[15:8]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “how.”

[15:9]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ¹³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ¹³³ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[15:12]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”

[15:12]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”

[15:13]  ¹³⁷ 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]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”

[15:13]  ¹⁴⁰ 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]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴² tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.

[15:15]  ¹⁴³ sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.

[15:15]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “in a good old age.”

[15:16]  ¹⁴⁵ 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]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[15:16]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “is not yet complete.”

[15:17]  ¹⁴⁸ 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]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “these pieces.”

[15:18]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ¹⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵² sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[15:19]  ¹⁵³ tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:21]  ¹⁵⁴ 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]  ¹⁵⁵ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[16:3]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.

[16:4]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)

[16:4]  ¹⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

[16:5]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

[16:5]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “saw.”

[16:5]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “me and you.”

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁴ tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁸ tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:7]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).

[16:7]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”

[16:8]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “from the presence of.”

[16:9]  ¹⁸³ 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]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “The Lord’s angel said, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants….” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:10]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

[16:11]  ¹⁸⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

[16:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

[16:11]  ¹⁸⁸ 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]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.

[16:12]  ¹⁹⁰ 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]  ¹⁹¹ 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]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”

[16:12]  ¹⁹³ 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]  ¹⁹⁴ 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]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “after one who sees me.”

[16:14]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.

[16:14]  ¹⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:15]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”

[16:16]  ²⁰⁰ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.

[16:16]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”

[16:16]  ²⁰² 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]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:1]  ²⁰⁴ 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]  ²⁰⁵ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with “breasts” suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד, shadad, “destroy”] in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Finally, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which the Hebrew שַׁד, shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally have depicted God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, ruled from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[17:1]  ²⁰⁶ 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]  ²⁰⁷ tn Or “in my presence.”

[17:1]  ²⁰⁸ tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the Lord, then the second imperative is likely sequential. (2) But if it has a positive moral connotation (“serve me faithfully”), then the second imperative probably indicates purpose (or result). For other uses of the idiom see 1 Sam 2:30, 35 and 12:2 (where it occurs twice).

[17:2]  ²⁰⁹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:3]  ²¹¹ 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]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ tn Heb “I.”

[17:4]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

[17:5]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “will your name be called.”

[17:5]  ²¹⁶ 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]  ²¹⁷ tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.

[17:6]  ²¹⁸ tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.

[17:6]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:6]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”

[17:7]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ²²³ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  ²²⁶ 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]  ²²⁷ 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]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”

[17:10]  ²²⁹ sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.

[17:11]  ²³⁰ tn Or “sign.”

[17:12]  ²³¹ tn Heb “the son of eight days.”

[17:13]  ²³² tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

[17:13]  ²³³ 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]  ²³⁴ tn Or “an eternal.”

[17:14]  ²³⁵ tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.

[17:14]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:14]  ²³⁷ 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]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”

[17:15]  ²³⁹ 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]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “she will become nations.”

[17:16]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “peoples.”

[17:17]  ²⁴² 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]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ²⁴⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ²⁴⁶ 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]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[17:18]  ²⁴⁸ tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  ²⁴⁹ tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  ²⁵⁰ 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]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  ²⁵² 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]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ²⁵⁴ 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]  ²⁵⁵ 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]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”

[18:1]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ²⁶² tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ²⁶³ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ²⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ²⁶⁷ 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]  ²⁶⁸ 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]  ²⁶⁹ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ²⁷⁰ 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]  ²⁷¹ sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

[18:3]  ²⁷² tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ²⁷⁴ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ²⁷⁵ 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]  ²⁷⁶ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ²⁷⁷ 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]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ²⁷⁹ 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]  ²⁸⁰ 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]  ²⁸¹ 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]  ²⁸² sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ²⁸⁴ 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]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ²⁸⁶ 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]  ²⁸⁷ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[18:9]  ²⁸⁸ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[18:10]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ²⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ²⁹² tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ²⁹³ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[18:11]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ²⁹⁷ 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]  ²⁹⁸ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ³⁰⁰ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ³⁰¹ tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ³⁰² sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”

[18:16]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “toward the face of.”

[18:16]  ³⁰⁶ tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.

[18:16]  ³⁰⁷ 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]  ³⁰⁸ tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.

[18:18]  ³⁰⁹ 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]  ³¹⁰ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ³¹¹ 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]  ³¹² tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ³¹³ 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]  ³¹⁴ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:20]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ³¹⁹ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ³²¹ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ³²² tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ³²³ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ³²⁴ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ³²⁶ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ³²⁷ 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]  ³²⁸ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ³²⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ³³⁰ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ³³¹ tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ³³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ³³³ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ³³⁶ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33]  ³⁴⁰ tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “to his place.”

[19:1]  ³⁴² tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.

[19:1]  ³⁴³ 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]  ³⁴⁴ tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.

[19:2]  ³⁴⁵ tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”

[19:2]  ³⁴⁶ sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.

[19:3]  ³⁴⁷ 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]  ³⁴⁸ 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]  ³⁴⁹ 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]  ³⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:5]  ³⁵¹ 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]  ³⁵² tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”

[19:8]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[19:8]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”

[19:8]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “shadow.”

[19:8]  ³⁵⁶ 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]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”

[19:9]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”

[19:9]  ³⁵⁹ 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]  ³⁶⁰ 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]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”

[19:9]  ³⁶² tn Heb “and they drew near.”

[19:10]  ³⁶³ 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]  ³⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:10]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “to them into the house.”

[19:11]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”

[19:11]  ³⁶⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:12]  ³⁶⁸ 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]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”

[19:12]  ³⁷⁰ tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:12]  ³⁷¹ tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”

[19:12]  ³⁷² tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.

[19:13]  ³⁷³ tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.

[19:13]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:13]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “the Lord.” The repetition of the divine name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.

[19:14]  ³⁷⁶ 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]  ³⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.

[19:14]  ³⁷⁸ 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]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “When dawn came up.”

[19:15]  ³⁸⁰ 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]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[19:16]  ³⁸² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “in the compassion of the Lord to them.”

[19:16]  ³⁸⁴ 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]  ³⁸⁵ 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]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “escape.”

[19:17]  ³⁸⁷ 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]  ³⁸⁸ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:18]  ³⁸⁹ tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[19:19]  ³⁹⁰ 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]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “in your eyes.”

[19:19]  ³⁹² tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”

[19:19]  ³⁹³ 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]  ³⁹⁴ tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.

[19:19]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “lest.”

[19:19]  ³⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁹⁷ tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.

[19:20]  ³⁹⁸ 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]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”

[19:20]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.

[19:20]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “Is it not little?”

[19:20]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.

[19:21]  ⁴⁰³ 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 Lord here. Most English translations leave the referent of the pronoun unspecified and maintain the ambiguity.

[19:21]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”

[19:21]  ⁴⁰⁵ 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]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.

[19:22]  ⁴⁰⁷ 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]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).

[19:23]  ⁴⁰⁹ 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]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.

[19:24]  ⁴¹¹ tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).

[19:24]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “from the Lord from the heavens.” The words “It was sent down” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:25]  ⁴¹³ tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:25]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”

[19:26]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:26]  ⁴¹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).

[19:27]  ⁴¹⁷ tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:28]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “upon the face of.”

[19:28]  ⁴¹⁹ 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]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”

[19:29]  ⁴²¹ tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.

[19:29]  ⁴²² tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:29]  ⁴²³ tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the Lord not destroy the righteous with the wicked. While the requisite minimum number of righteous people (ten, v. 32) needed for God to spare the cities was not found, God nevertheless rescued the righteous before destroying the wicked.

[19:29]  ⁴²⁴ sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.

[19:29]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”

[19:31]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”

[19:31]  ⁴²⁷ 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]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:32]  ⁴²⁹ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:32]  ⁴³⁰ 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]  ⁴³¹ tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.

[19:32]  ⁴³² tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:33]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:33]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:33]  ⁴³⁵ 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]  ⁴³⁶ tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”

[19:34]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:34]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”

[19:34]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:35]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[19:37]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:37]  ⁴⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[20:3]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “came.”

[20:3]  ⁴⁴⁹ 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]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.

[20:4]  ⁴⁵¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[20:4]  ⁴⁵² 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]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:5]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “and she, even she.”

[20:5]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”

[20:6]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “therefore.”

[20:7]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ⁴⁶⁰ sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ⁴⁶¹ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  ⁴⁶² tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ⁴⁶³ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

[20:8]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”

[20:8]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”

[20:8]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”

[20:8]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:9]  ⁴⁶⁸ 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]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.

[20:10]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”

[20:10]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.

[20:11]  ⁴⁷² tn Heb “Because I said.”

[20:11]  ⁴⁷³ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[20:12]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Heb “but also.”

[20:13]  ⁴⁷⁵ 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]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[20:14]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “took and gave.”

[20:15]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”

[20:16]  ⁴⁷⁹ 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]  ⁴⁸⁰ 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]  ⁴⁸¹ 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]  ⁴⁸² tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ⁴⁸³ tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:16]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn The preterites describing their actions must be taken in an ingressive sense, since they did not actually complete the job. Shepherds drove them away, and Moses watered the flocks.

[2:16]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn The object “water” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[2:16]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn This also has the ingressive sense, “began to fill,” but for stylistic reasons is translated simply “fill” here.

[2:1]  ⁴⁸⁸ sn The chapter records the exceptional survival of Moses under the decree of death by Pharaoh (vv. 1-10), the flight of Moses from Pharaoh after killing the Egyptian (vv. 11-15), the marriage of Moses (vv. 16-22), and finally a note about the Lord’s hearing the sighing of the people in bondage (vv. 23-25). The first part is the birth. The Bible has several stories about miraculous or special births and deliverances of those destined to lead Israel. Their impact is essentially to authenticate the individual’s ministry. If the person’s beginning was providentially provided and protected by the Lord, then the mission must be of divine origin too. In this chapter the plot works around the decree for the death of the children – a decree undone by the women. The second part of the chapter records Moses’ flight and marriage. Having introduced the deliverer Moses in such an auspicious way, the chapter then records how this deliverer acted presumptuously and had to flee for his life. Any deliverance God desired had to be supernatural, as the chapter’s final note about answering prayer shows.

[2:1]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “house.” In other words, the tribe of Levi.

[2:1]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “went and took”; NASB “went and married.”

[2:1]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Heb “a daughter of Levi.” The word “daughter” is used in the sense of “descendant” and connects the new account with Pharaoh’s command in 1:22. The words “a woman who was” are added for clarity in English.

[4:7]  ⁴⁹² tn Grk “a woman from Samaria.” According to BDAG 912 s.v. Σαμάρεια, the prepositional phrase is to be translated as a simple attributive: “γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας a Samaritan woman J 4:7.”

[4:7]  ⁴⁹³ tn The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).