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Genesis 14:1-24

Context
The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time 1  Amraphel king of Shinar, 2  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 3  14:2 went to war 4  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). 5  14:3 These last five kings 6  joined forces 7  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 8  14:4 For twelve years 9  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 10  they rebelled. 11  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 12  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. 13  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 14  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 15  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 16  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 17  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 18  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 19  but some survivors 20  fled to the hills. 21  14:11 The four victorious kings 22  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 23  Lot and his possessions when 24  they left, for Lot 25  was living in Sodom. 26 

14:13 A fugitive 27  came and told Abram the Hebrew. 28  Now Abram was living by the oaks 29  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 30  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 31  with Abram.) 32  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 33  had been taken captive, he mobilized 34  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 35  as far as Dan. 36  14:15 Then, during the night, 37  Abram 38  divided his forces 39  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 40  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 41  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 42  the people.

14:17 After Abram 43  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 44  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 45  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 46  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 47  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by 48  the Most High God,

Creator 49  of heaven and earth. 50 

14:20 Worthy of praise is 51  the Most High God,

who delivered 52  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek 53  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 54  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 55  14:23 that I will take nothing 56  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 57  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 58  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 59  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 1:15-16

Context
1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights 60  – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 61 

Proverbs 13:10

Context

13:10 With pride 62  comes only 63  contention,

but wisdom is with the well-advised. 64 

Romans 13:13

Context
13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

Romans 13:1

Context
Submission to Civil Government

13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God’s appointment, 65  and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.

Colossians 3:3

Context
3:3 for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:2

Context
3:2 Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

Colossians 1:20

Context

1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, 66  whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Galatians 5:15

Context
5:15 However, if you continually bite and devour one another, 67  beware that you are not consumed 68  by one another.

Galatians 5:20-21

Context
5:20 idolatry, sorcery, 69  hostilities, 70  strife, 71  jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, 72  factions, 5:21 envying, 73  murder, 74  drunkenness, carousing, 75  and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God!

Galatians 5:26

Context
5:26 Let us not become conceited, 76  provoking 77  one another, being jealous 78  of one another.

Colossians 3:8

Context
3:8 But now, put off all such things 79  as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth.

Colossians 3:1

Context
Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 1:4

Context
1:4 since 80  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

James 3:14-16

Context
3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 3:15 Such 81  wisdom does not come 82  from above but is earthly, natural, 83  demonic. 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice.

James 4:5-6

Context
4:5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, 84  “The spirit that God 85  caused 86  to live within us has an envious yearning”? 87  4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” 88 

James 4:1

Context
Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where 89  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, 90  from your passions that battle inside you? 91 

James 2:1-2

Context
Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, 92  do not show prejudice 93  if you possess faith 94  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 95  2:2 For if someone 96  comes into your assembly 97  wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes,

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

[14:1]  2 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  3 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]  4 tn Heb “made war.”

[14:2]  5 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]  6 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]  7 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]  8 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[14:4]  9 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

[14:4]  10 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

[14:4]  11 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]  12 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]  13 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]  14 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]  15 tn Heb “against.”

[14:9]  16 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

[14:9]  17 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  18 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]  19 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]  20 tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  21 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]  22 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  23 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

[14:12]  24 tn Heb “and.”

[14:12]  25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  26 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

[14:13]  27 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]  28 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]  29 tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  30 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  31 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]  32 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]  33 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]  34 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]  35 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  36 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]  37 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  39 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  40 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:16]  41 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:16]  42 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:17]  43 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  44 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  45 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[14:18]  46 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]  47 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[14:19]  48 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  49 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]  50 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  51 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]  52 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]  53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:22]  54 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]  55 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:23]  56 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]  57 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

[14:24]  58 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  59 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[1:16]  60 sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.

[1:16]  61 tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.

[13:10]  62 sn The parallelism suggests pride here means contempt for the opinions of others. The wise listen to advice rather than argue out of stubborn pride.

[13:10]  63 tn The particle רַק (raq, “only”) modifies the noun “contention” – only contention can come from such a person.

[13:10]  64 tn The Niphal of יָעַץ (yaats, “to advise; to counsel”) means “to consult together; to take counsel.” It means being well-advised, receiving advice or consultation (cf. NCV “those who take advice are wise”).

[13:1]  65 tn Grk “by God.”

[1:20]  66 tc The presence or absence of the second occurrence of the phrase δι᾿ αὐτοῦ (diautou, “through him”) is a difficult textual problem to solve. External evidence is fairly evenly divided. Many ancient and excellent witnesses lack the phrase (B D* F G I 0278 81 1175 1739 1881 2464 al latt sa), but equally important witnesses have it (Ì46 א A C D1 Ψ 048vid 33 Ï). Both readings have strong Alexandrian support, which makes the problem difficult to decide on external evidence alone. Internal evidence points to the inclusion of the phrase as original. The word immediately preceding the phrase is the masculine pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou); thus the possibility of omission through homoioteleuton in various witnesses is likely. Scribes might have deleted the phrase because of perceived redundancy or awkwardness in the sense: The shorter reading is smoother and more elegant, so scribes would be prone to correct the text in that direction. As far as style is concerned, repetition of key words and phrases for emphasis is not foreign to the corpus Paulinum (see, e.g., Rom 8:23, Eph 1:13, 2 Cor 12:7). In short, it is easier to account for the shorter reading arising from the longer reading than vice versa, so the longer reading is more likely original.

[5:15]  67 tn That is, “if you are harming and exploiting one another.” Paul’s metaphors are retained in most modern translations, but it is possible to see the meanings of δάκνω and κατεσθίω (daknw and katesqiw, L&N 20.26 and 88.145) as figurative extensions of the literal meanings of these terms and to translate them accordingly. The present tenses here are translated as customary presents (“continually…”).

[5:15]  68 tn Or “destroyed.”

[5:20]  69 tn Or “witchcraft.”

[5:20]  70 tn Or “enmities,” “[acts of] hatred.”

[5:20]  71 tn Or “discord” (L&N 39.22).

[5:20]  72 tn Or “discord(s)” (L&N 39.13).

[5:21]  73 tn This term is plural in Greek (as is “murder” and “carousing”), but for clarity these abstract nouns have been translated as singular.

[5:21]  74 tcφόνοι (fonoi, “murders”) is absent in such important mss as Ì46 א B 33 81 323 945 pc sa, while the majority of mss (A C D F G Ψ 0122 0278 1739 1881 Ï lat) have the word. Although the pedigree of the mss which lack the term is of the highest degree, homoioteleuton may well explain the shorter reading. The preceding word has merely one letter difference, making it quite possible to overlook this term (φθόνοι φόνοι, fqonoi fonoi).

[5:21]  75 tn Or “revelings,” “orgies” (L&N 88.287).

[5:26]  76 tn Or “falsely proud.”

[5:26]  77 tn Or “irritating.” BDAG 871 s.v. προκαλέω has “provoke, challenge τινά someone.

[5:26]  78 tn Or “another, envying one another.”

[3:8]  79 tn The Greek article with τὰ πάντα (ta panta) is anaphoric, referring to the previous list of vices, and has been translated here as “all such things.”

[1:4]  80 tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[3:15]  81 tn Grk “This.”

[3:15]  82 tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”

[3:15]  83 tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.

[4:5]  84 tn Grk “vainly says.”

[4:5]  85 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:5]  86 tc The Byzantine text and a few other mss (P 33 Ï) have the intransitive κατῴκησεν (katwkhsen) here, which turns τὸ πνεῦμα (to pneuma) into the subject of the verb: “The spirit which lives within us.” But the more reliable and older witnesses (Ì74 א B Ψ 049 1241 1739 al) have the causative verb, κατῴκισεν (katwkisen), which implies a different subject and τὸ πνεῦμα as the object: “The spirit that he causes to live within us.” Both because of the absence of an explicit subject and the relative scarcity of the causative κατοικίζω (katoikizw, “cause to dwell”) compared to the intransitive κατοικέω (katoikew, “live, dwell”) in biblical Greek (κατοικίζω does not occur in the NT at all, and occurs one twelfth as frequently as κατοικέω in the LXX), it is easy to see why scribes would replace κατῴκισεν with κατῴκησεν. Thus, on internal and external grounds, κατῴκισεν is the preferred reading.

[4:5]  87 tn Interpreters debate the referent of the word “spirit” in this verse: (1) The translation takes “spirit” to be the lustful capacity within people that produces a divided mind (1:8, 14) and inward conflicts regarding God (4:1-4). God has allowed it to be in man since the fall, and he provides his grace (v. 6) and the new birth through the gospel message (1:18-25) to counteract its evil effects. (2) On the other hand the word “spirit” may be taken positively as the Holy Spirit and the sense would be, “God yearns jealously for the Spirit he caused to live within us.” But the word for “envious” or “jealous” is generally negative in biblical usage and the context before and after seems to favor the negative interpretation.

[4:6]  88 sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.

[4:1]  89 tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  90 tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  91 tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[2:1]  92 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:1]  93 tn Or “partiality.”

[2:1]  94 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

[2:1]  95 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[2:2]  96 tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, “equivalent to τὶς someone.”

[2:2]  97 tn Grk “synagogue.” Usually συναγωγή refers to Jewish places of worship (e.g., Matt 4:23, Mark 1:21, Luke 4:15, John 6:59). The word can be used generally to refer to a place of assembly, and here it refers specifically to a Christian assembly (BDAG 963 s.v. 2.b.).



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