Discovery BoxGenesis 14:1--16:16
Context14:1 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.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 60 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 61
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 62 what will you give me since 63 I continue to be 64 childless, and my heir 65 is 66 Eliezer of Damascus?” 67 15:3 Abram added, 68 “Since 69 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 70
15:4 But look, 71 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 72 will not be your heir, 73 but instead 74 a son 75 who comes from your own body will be 76 your heir.” 77 15:5 The Lord 78 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 79 the Lord, and the Lord 80 considered his response of faith 81 as proof of genuine loyalty. 82
15:7 The Lord said 83 to him, “I am the Lord 84 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 85 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 86 Abram 87 said, “O sovereign Lord, 88 by what 89 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 90 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 91 took all these for him and then cut them in two 92 and placed each half opposite the other, 93 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, 94 and great terror overwhelmed him. 95 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 96 that your descendants will be strangers 97 in a foreign country. 98 They will be enslaved and oppressed 99 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 100 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 101 you will go to your ancestors 102 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 103 15:16 In the fourth generation 104 your descendants 105 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 106
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 107 passed between the animal parts. 108 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 109 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 110 this land, from the river of Egypt 111 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 112 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 113
16:1 Now Sarai, 114 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 115 but she had an Egyptian servant 116 named Hagar. 117 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 118 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 119 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 120 Abram did what 121 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 122 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 123 to her husband to be his wife. 124 16:4 He had sexual relations with 125 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 126 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 127 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 128 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 129 but when she realized 130 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 131 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 132
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 133 servant is under your authority, 134 do to her whatever you think best.” 135 Then Sarai treated Hagar 136 harshly, 137 so she ran away from Sarai. 138
16:7 The Lord’s angel 139 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 140 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 141 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 142 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 143 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 144 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 145 pregnant
and are about to give birth 146 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 147
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 148
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 149 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 150
and everyone will be hostile to him. 151
He will live away from 152 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 153 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 154 16:14 That is why the well was called 155 Beer Lahai Roi. 156 (It is located 157 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 158 16:16 (Now 159 Abram was 86 years old 160 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 161
Genesis 25:1--26:35
Context25:1 Abraham had taken 162 another 163 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 164 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 165 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 166 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 167
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 168 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 169 He joined his ancestors. 170 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 171 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 172 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 173 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 174
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 175 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 176 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 177 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 178 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 179 25:18 His descendants 180 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 181 to Egypt all the way 182 to Asshur. 183 They settled 184 away from all their relatives. 185
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 186 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 187 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 188
25:21 Isaac prayed to 189 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 190 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 191 So she asked the Lord, 192 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 193 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 194 there were 195 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 196 all over, 197 like a hairy 198 garment, so they named him Esau. 199 25:26 When his brother came out with 200 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 201 Isaac was sixty years old 202 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 203 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 204 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 205 but Rebekah loved 206 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 207 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 208 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 209 Edom.) 210
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 211 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 212 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 213 So Esau 214 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 215 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 216 So Esau despised his birthright. 217
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 218 in the days of Abraham. 219 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 220 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 221 26:3 Stay 222 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 223 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 224 and I will fulfill 225 the solemn promise I made 226 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 227 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 228 26:5 All this will come to pass 229 because Abraham obeyed me 230 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 231 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 232 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 233 “The men of this place will kill me to get 234 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 235 had been there a long time, 236 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 237 Isaac caressing 238 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 239 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 240
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 241 One of the men 242 might easily have had sexual relations with 243 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 244 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 245
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 246 because the Lord blessed him. 247 26:13 The man became wealthy. 248 His influence continued to grow 249 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 250 so many sheep 251 and cattle 252 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 253 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 254 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 255 for you have become much more powerful 256 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 257 26:18 Isaac reopened 258 the wells that had been dug 259 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 260 after Abraham died. Isaac 261 gave these wells 262 the same names his father had given them. 263
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 264 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 265 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 266 named the well 267 Esek 268 because they argued with him about it. 269 26:21 His servants 270 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 271 Sitnah. 272 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 273 named it 274 Rehoboth, 275 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 276 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 277 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 278
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 279 to him from Gerar along with 280 Ahuzzah his friend 281 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 282 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 283 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 284 a pact between us 285 – between us 286 and you. Allow us to make 287 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 288 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 289 you, but have always treated you well 290 before sending you away 291 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 292
26:30 So Isaac 293 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 294 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 295 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 296
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 297 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 298 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 299 to this day.
26:34 When 300 Esau was forty years old, 301 he married 302 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 303
Genesis 5:21
Context5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.
Job 30:5-7
Context30:5 They were banished from the community 304 –
people 305 shouted at them
like they would shout at thieves 306 –
30:6 so that they had to live 307
in the dry stream beds, 308
in the holes of the ground, and among the rocks.
30:7 They brayed 309 like animals among the bushes
and were huddled together 310 under the nettles.
[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] 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.”
[14:9] 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] 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] 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
[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
[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.”
[15:1] 60 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] 61 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] 62 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 63 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 64 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 65 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
[15:2] 66 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 67 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] 68 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 69 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 70 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 71 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] 72 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 73 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 74 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 75 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] 76 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 77 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 78 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 79 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] 80 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 81 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] 82 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] 83 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 84 sn I am the
[15:7] 85 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[15:8] 86 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 87 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 88 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 90 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 91 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 92 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 93 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
[15:12] 94 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 95 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 96 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] 97 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] 98 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 99 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] 100 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] 101 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 102 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 103 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 104 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] 105 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 106 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:17] 107 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] 108 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 109 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 110 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] 111 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 112 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 113 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] 114 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 115 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] 116 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] 117 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] 118 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 119 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 120 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 121 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 122 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] 123 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 124 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] 125 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 126 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 127 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] 128 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 129 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 131 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] 132 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 133 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 134 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 135 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 136 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 137 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 138 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 139 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 140 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 141 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 142 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] 143 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 144 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 145 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 146 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 147 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] 148 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 149 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] 150 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] 151 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 152 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] 153 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] 154 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 155 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 156 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] 157 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 158 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 159 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 160 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 161 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.
[25:1] 163 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
[25:3] 164 sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.
[25:6] 166 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
[25:6] 167 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
[25:7] 168 tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.
[25:8] 169 tn Heb “old and full.”
[25:8] 170 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:9] 171 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
[25:10] 172 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[25:11] 173 sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).
[25:11] 174 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
[25:12] 175 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
[25:13] 176 tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”
[25:16] 177 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
[25:17] 178 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
[25:17] 179 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:18] 180 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 181 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
[25:18] 182 tn Heb “as you go.”
[25:18] 183 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
[25:18] 185 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
[25:19] 186 sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.
[25:20] 187 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
[25:20] 188 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
[25:21] 189 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the
[25:22] 190 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
[25:22] 191 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
[25:22] 192 sn Asked the
[25:23] 193 sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.
[25:24] 194 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
[25:24] 195 tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.
[25:25] 196 sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.
[25:25] 197 tn Heb “all of him.”
[25:25] 198 sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.
[25:25] 199 tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.
[25:26] 200 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
[25:26] 201 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
[25:26] 202 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
[25:27] 204 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”
[25:28] 205 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
[25:28] 206 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
[25:29] 207 sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[25:30] 208 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
[25:30] 209 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
[25:30] 210 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
[25:32] 212 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
[25:33] 213 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
[25:33] 214 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:33] 215 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
[25:34] 216 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
[25:34] 217 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
[26:1] 218 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 219 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 220 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:2] 221 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 222 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 223 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] 224 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] 225 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 226 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:4] 227 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 228 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 229 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 230 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 231 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 232 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 233 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 234 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 235 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 236 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 237 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:9] 239 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 240 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 241 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 243 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 244 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 245 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 246 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 247 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 248 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 249 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 250 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 251 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 252 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 253 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 254 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 255 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 256 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 257 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:18] 258 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 259 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 260 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 261 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 262 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 263 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 264 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 265 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 266 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 267 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 268 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 269 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 270 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 271 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 272 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 273 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 274 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 275 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 276 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 277 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 278 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 279 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 281 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 282 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 283 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 284 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 285 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 286 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 287 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 288 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 290 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 291 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 292 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 293 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 294 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 295 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 296 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 297 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 298 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 299 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 300 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 301 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 302 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 303 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[30:5] 304 tn The word גֵּו (gev) is an Aramaic term meaning “midst,” indicating “midst [of society].” But there is also a Phoenician word that means “community” (DISO 48).
[30:5] 305 tn The form simply is the plural verb, but it means those who drove them from society.
[30:5] 306 tn The text merely says “as thieves,” but it obviously compares the poor to the thieves.
[30:6] 307 tn This use of the infinitive construct expresses that they were compelled to do something (see GKC 348-49 §114.h, k).
[30:6] 308 tn The adjectives followed by a partitive genitive take on the emphasis of a superlative: “in the most horrible of valleys” (see GKC 431 §133.h).
[30:7] 309 tn The verb נָהַק (nahaq) means “to bray.” It has cognates in Arabic, Aramaic, and Ugaritic, so there is no need for emendation here. It is the sign of an animal’s hunger. In the translation the words “like animals” are supplied to clarify the metaphor for the modern reader.
[30:7] 310 tn The Pual of the verb סָפַח (safakh, “to join”) also brings out the passivity of these people – “they were huddled together” (E. Dhorme, Job, 434).
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