Discovery BoxGenesis 14:1--20:18
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
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 162 the Lord appeared to him and said, 163 “I am the sovereign God. 164 Walk 165 before me 166 and be blameless. 167 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 168 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 169
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 170 and God said to him, 171 17:4 “As for me, 172 this 173 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 174 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 175 because I will make you 176 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 177 extremely 178 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 179 17:7 I will confirm 180 my covenant as a perpetual 181 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. 182 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 183 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 184 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 185 the covenantal requirement 186 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: 187 Every male among you must be circumcised. 188 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 189 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 190 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, 191 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 192 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 193 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 194 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 195 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 196
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 197 Sarah 198 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. 199 Kings of countries 200 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 201 as he said to himself, 202 “Can 203 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 204 Can Sarah 205 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 206 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 207 Ishmael might live before you!” 208
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 209 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 210 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 211 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 212 He will become the father of twelve princes; 213 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. 214
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 215 and circumcised them 216 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 217 when he was circumcised; 218 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 219 when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 220 by the oaks 221 of Mamre while 222 he was sitting at the entrance 223 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 224 looked up 225 and saw 226 three men standing across 227 from him. When he saw them 228 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 229 to the ground. 230
18:3 He said, “My lord, 231 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 232 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 233 you may all 234 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 235 a bit of food 236 so that you may refresh yourselves 237 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 238 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 239 three measures 240 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 241 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 242 who quickly prepared it. 243 18:8 Abraham 244 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 245 before them. They ate while 246 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 247 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 248 said, “I will surely return 249 to you when the season comes round again, 250 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 251 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 252 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 253 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 254 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 255 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 256 especially when my husband is old too?” 257
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 258 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 259 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 260 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 261 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 262
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 263 they looked out over 264 Sodom. (Now 265 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 266 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 267 18:18 After all, Abraham 268 will surely become 269 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 270 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 271 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 272 the way of the Lord by doing 273 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 274 to Abraham what he promised 275 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 276 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 277 18:21 that I must go down 278 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 279 If not, 280 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 281 and headed 282 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 283 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 284 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 285 of the whole earth do what is right?” 286
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 287 (although I am but dust and ashes), 288 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 289 the whole city because five are lacking?” 290 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 291 spoke to him again, 292 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 293 said, “May the Lord not be angry 294 so that I may speak! 295 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 296 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 297 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 298 when he had finished speaking 299 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 300
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 301 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 302 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 303 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 304 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 305
19:3 But he urged 306 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, 307 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 308 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 309 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 310 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! 311 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 312 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 313 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 314 of my roof.” 315
19:9 “Out of our way!” 316 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 317 and now he dares to judge us! 318 We’ll do more harm 319 to you than to them!” They kept 320 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 321 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 322 reached out 323 and pulled Lot back into the house 324 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, 325 with blindness. The men outside 326 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 327 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 328 Do you have 329 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 330 Get them out of this 331 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 332 it. The outcry against this place 333 is so great before the Lord that he 334 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. 335 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 336 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 337
19:15 At dawn 338 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 339 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 340 19:16 When Lot 341 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 342 They led them away and placed them 343 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 344 said, “Run 345 for your lives! Don’t look 346 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 347 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 348 19:19 Your 349 servant has found favor with you, 350 and you have shown me great 351 kindness 352 by sparing 353 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 354 this disaster will overtake 355 me and I’ll die. 356 19:20 Look, this town 357 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 358 Let me go there. 359 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 360 Then I’ll survive.” 361
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 362 “I will grant this request too 363 and will not overthrow 364 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 365 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 366
19:23 The sun had just risen 367 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 368 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 369 sulfur and fire 370 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 371 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 372 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 373 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 374 wife looked back longingly 375 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 376 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 377 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 378 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 379
19:29 So when God destroyed 380 the cities of the region, 381 God honored 382 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 383 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 384 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 385 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 386 to have sexual relations with us, 387 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 388 so we can have sexual relations 389 with him and preserve 390 our family line through our father.” 391
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 392 and the older daughter 393 came and had sexual relations with her father. 394 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 395 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 396 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 397 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 398 19:35 So they made their father drunk 399 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 400 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 401
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 402 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 403 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. 404 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 405 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 406 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 407 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 408 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 409
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 410 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 411 20:5 Did Abraham 412 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 413 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 414 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. 415 That is why I have kept you 416 from sinning against me and why 417 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 418 he is a prophet 419 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 420 But if you don’t give her back, 421 know that you will surely die 422 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 423 Abimelech summoned 424 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 425 they 426 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? 427 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 428 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 429 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 430
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 431 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 432 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 433 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 434 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 435 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 436 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.” 437
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 438 to your ‘brother.’ 439 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 440
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 441 had caused infertility to strike every woman 442 in the household of Abimelech because he took 443 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
Psalms 40:6
Context40:6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. 444
You make that quite clear to me! 445
You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.
Ecclesiastes 5:1
Context5:1 446 Be careful what you do 447 when you go to the temple 448 of God;
draw near to listen 449 rather than to offer a sacrifice 450 like fools, 451
for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
[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.
[17:1] 162 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 163 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] 164 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[17:1] 165 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] 166 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 167 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
[17:2] 168 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 169 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 170 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] 171 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] 173 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 174 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 175 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] 176 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 177 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 178 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 179 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 180 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] 181 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 182 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 183 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] 184 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 185 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] 186 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] 187 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 188 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.
[17:12] 190 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 191 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 192 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] 193 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 194 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 195 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] 196 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] 197 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 198 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] 199 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 201 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] 202 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 203 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 204 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 205 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] 206 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 207 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 208 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 209 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] 210 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 211 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] 212 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 213 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] 214 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] 215 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] 216 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 217 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 218 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 219 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 220 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 221 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 222 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 223 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 224 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 225 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 226 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] 227 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] 228 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 229 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] 230 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 231 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
[18:3] 232 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 233 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 234 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] 235 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 236 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] 237 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 238 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] 239 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] 240 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] 241 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 242 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 243 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] 244 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 245 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] 246 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 247 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 248 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
[18:10] 249 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 250 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 251 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 252 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 254 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 256 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] 257 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 258 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 259 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 260 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 261 sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the
[18:15] 262 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 263 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 264 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 265 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 266 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] 267 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 268 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] 269 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 270 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] 271 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
[18:19] 272 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] 273 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 274 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 275 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 276 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
[18:21] 278 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 279 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 280 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 281 tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the
[18:22] 283 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 284 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 286 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] 287 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 288 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 289 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 290 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 291 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 292 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 293 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 294 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 295 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 296 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 297 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 298 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 299 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 300 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 301 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 302 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] 303 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 304 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 305 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 306 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] 307 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] 308 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] 309 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 310 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] 311 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 312 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 313 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 315 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] 316 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 317 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 318 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] 319 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] 320 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 321 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 322 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] 323 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 324 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 325 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 326 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 327 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] 328 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 329 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 330 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 331 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 332 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 333 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 334 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 335 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] 336 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 337 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] 338 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 339 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] 340 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 341 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 342 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 343 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] 344 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] 346 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] 347 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 348 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 349 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] 350 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 351 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 352 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] 353 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 355 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] 356 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 357 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] 358 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 359 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 360 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 361 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 362 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
[19:21] 363 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 364 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] 365 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 366 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] 367 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 368 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] 369 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 370 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 371 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 372 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 373 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 374 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 375 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 376 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 377 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 378 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] 379 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 380 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 381 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 382 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 383 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 384 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 385 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 386 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] 387 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 388 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 389 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] 390 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 391 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 392 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 393 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 394 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] 395 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 396 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 397 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 398 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 399 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 400 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 401 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 402 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 403 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] 404 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] 405 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 406 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 408 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] 409 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 410 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 411 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] 412 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 413 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 414 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 415 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 416 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 417 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 418 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 419 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 420 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 421 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 422 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 423 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 424 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 425 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 426 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 427 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] 428 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 429 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 430 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 431 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 432 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 433 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 434 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] 435 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 436 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 437 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 438 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] 439 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] 440 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] 441 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 442 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 443 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[40:6] 444 tn Heb “sacrifice and offering you do not desire.” The statement is exaggerated for the sake of emphasis (see Ps 51:16 as well). God is pleased with sacrifices, but his first priority is obedience and loyalty (see 1 Sam 15:22). Sacrifices and offerings apart from genuine allegiance are meaningless (see Isa 1:11-20).
[40:6] 445 tn Heb “ears you hollowed out for me.” The meaning of this odd expression is debated (this is the only collocation of “hollowed out” and “ears” in the OT). It may have been an idiomatic expression referring to making a point clear to a listener. The LXX has “but a body you have prepared for me,” a reading which is followed in Heb 10:5.
[5:1] 446 sn Beginning with 5:1, the verse numbers through 5:20 in the English Bible differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 5:1 ET = 4:17 HT, 5:2 ET = 5:1 HT, etc., through 5:20 ET = 5:19 HT. Beginning with 6:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Hebrew Bible are again the same.
[5:1] 447 tn Heb “Guard your feet.” The Kethib is the plural רַגְלֶיךָ (raglekha, “your feet”), while the Qere is the singular רַגְלְךָ (raglÿkha, “your foot”), which is preserved in several medieval Hebrew
[5:1] 448 tn Heb “the house of God.” The term “house” (בַּיִת, bayit) is a synecdoche of general (i.e., house) for specific (i.e., temple), e.g., 1 Kgs 6:3; 7:12; 1 Chr 9:11; 2 Chr 3:8; 28:11. See E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 620.
[5:1] 449 tn Alternately, “to obey.” The term לִשְׁמֹעַ (lishmoa’, preposition + Qal infinitive construct from שָׁמַע, shama’, “to hear”) may be taken in one of two ways: (1) literal: “to listen” in contrast to speak or (2) figurative (metonymy of cause for effect) “to obey” in contrast to sacrifice (HALOT 1572 s.v. שׁמע 4; BDB 1033–34 s.v. שָׁמַע). The LXX took the term in the literal sense: τοῦ ἀκούειν (tou akouein, “to listen”). The English versions reflect both literal and figurative options: “obedience” (NJPS, Douay, NAB, NEB) versus “to hear [or listen]” (KJV, ASV, YLT, MLB, RSV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). The section warns against rash vows therefore, the nuance “to listen” is more appropriate: the wise man will be slow to speak and quick to listen in the presence of God; however, the fool is unrestrained and speaks rashly.
[5:1] 450 tn The term “sacrifice” (זֶבַח, zevakh) is the general term that refers to the thank offering and free will offering (Lev 7:12, 16). This section focuses on making vows in prayer and fulfilling them, such as the vow offering. The term “sacrifice” functions as a synecdoche of general (i.e., sacrifice) for specific (i.e., vow offering).
[5:1] 451 tn Heb “the fools, a sacrifice.” The term “fools” (הַכְּסִילִים, hakkÿsilim) is an adverbial accusative of comparison (e.g., GKC 375 §118.r): “rather than giving a sacrifice like fools” (מִתֵּת הַכְּסִילִים זָבַח, mittet hakkÿsilim zavakh). Contextually, the “sacrifice” is a rash vow made to God that is not fulfilled. The rash vow is referred to in 5:2 as the “voice of a fool.” Qoheleth admonishes the fool against making a rash vow that is not paid: “When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it; for God takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow! It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it” (vv. 4-5 [3-4 HT]).
