Discovery BoxGenesis 16:1--24:67
Context16:1 Now Sarai, 1 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 2 but she had an Egyptian servant 3 named Hagar. 4 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 5 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 6 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 7 Abram did what 8 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 9 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 10 to her husband to be his wife. 11 16:4 He had sexual relations with 12 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 13 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 14 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 15 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 16 but when she realized 17 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 18 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 19
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 20 servant is under your authority, 21 do to her whatever you think best.” 22 Then Sarai treated Hagar 23 harshly, 24 so she ran away from Sarai. 25
16:7 The Lord’s angel 26 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 27 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 28 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 29 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 30 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 31 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 32 pregnant
and are about to give birth 33 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 34
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 35
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 36 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 37
and everyone will be hostile to him. 38
He will live away from 39 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 40 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 41 16:14 That is why the well was called 42 Beer Lahai Roi. 43 (It is located 44 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 45 16:16 (Now 46 Abram was 86 years old 47 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 48
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 49 the Lord appeared to him and said, 50 “I am the sovereign God. 51 Walk 52 before me 53 and be blameless. 54 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 55 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 56
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 57 and God said to him, 58 17:4 “As for me, 59 this 60 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 61 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 62 because I will make you 63 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 64 extremely 65 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 66 17:7 I will confirm 67 my covenant as a perpetual 68 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. 69 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 70 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 71 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 72 the covenantal requirement 73 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: 74 Every male among you must be circumcised. 75 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 76 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 77 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, 78 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 79 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 80 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 81 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 82 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 83
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 84 Sarah 85 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. 86 Kings of countries 87 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 88 as he said to himself, 89 “Can 90 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 91 Can Sarah 92 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 93 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 94 Ishmael might live before you!” 95
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 96 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 97 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 98 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 99 He will become the father of twelve princes; 100 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. 101
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 102 and circumcised them 103 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 104 when he was circumcised; 105 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 106 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 107 by the oaks 108 of Mamre while 109 he was sitting at the entrance 110 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 111 looked up 112 and saw 113 three men standing across 114 from him. When he saw them 115 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 116 to the ground. 117
18:3 He said, “My lord, 118 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 119 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 120 you may all 121 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 122 a bit of food 123 so that you may refresh yourselves 124 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 125 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 126 three measures 127 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 128 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 129 who quickly prepared it. 130 18:8 Abraham 131 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 132 before them. They ate while 133 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 134 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 135 said, “I will surely return 136 to you when the season comes round again, 137 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 138 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 139 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 140 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 141 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 142 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 143 especially when my husband is old too?” 144
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 145 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 146 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 147 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 148 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 149
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 150 they looked out over 151 Sodom. (Now 152 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 153 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 154 18:18 After all, Abraham 155 will surely become 156 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 157 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 158 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 159 the way of the Lord by doing 160 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 161 to Abraham what he promised 162 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 163 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 164 18:21 that I must go down 165 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 166 If not, 167 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 168 and headed 169 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 170 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 171 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 172 of the whole earth do what is right?” 173
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 174 (although I am but dust and ashes), 175 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 176 the whole city because five are lacking?” 177 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 178 spoke to him again, 179 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 180 said, “May the Lord not be angry 181 so that I may speak! 182 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 183 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 184 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 185 when he had finished speaking 186 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 187
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 188 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 189 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 190 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 191 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 192
19:3 But he urged 193 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, 194 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 195 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 196 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 197 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! 198 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 199 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 200 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 201 of my roof.” 202
19:9 “Out of our way!” 203 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 204 and now he dares to judge us! 205 We’ll do more harm 206 to you than to them!” They kept 207 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 208 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 209 reached out 210 and pulled Lot back into the house 211 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, 212 with blindness. The men outside 213 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 214 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 215 Do you have 216 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 217 Get them out of this 218 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 219 it. The outcry against this place 220 is so great before the Lord that he 221 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. 222 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 223 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 224
19:15 At dawn 225 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 226 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 227 19:16 When Lot 228 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 229 They led them away and placed them 230 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 231 said, “Run 232 for your lives! Don’t look 233 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 234 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 235 19:19 Your 236 servant has found favor with you, 237 and you have shown me great 238 kindness 239 by sparing 240 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 241 this disaster will overtake 242 me and I’ll die. 243 19:20 Look, this town 244 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 245 Let me go there. 246 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 247 Then I’ll survive.” 248
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 249 “I will grant this request too 250 and will not overthrow 251 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 252 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 253
19:23 The sun had just risen 254 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 255 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 256 sulfur and fire 257 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 258 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 259 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 260 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 261 wife looked back longingly 262 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 263 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 264 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 265 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 266
19:29 So when God destroyed 267 the cities of the region, 268 God honored 269 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 270 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 271 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 272 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 273 to have sexual relations with us, 274 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 275 so we can have sexual relations 276 with him and preserve 277 our family line through our father.” 278
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 279 and the older daughter 280 came and had sexual relations with her father. 281 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 282 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 283 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 284 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 285 19:35 So they made their father drunk 286 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 287 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 288
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 289 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 290 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. 291 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 292 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 293 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 294 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 295 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 296
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 297 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 298 20:5 Did Abraham 299 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 300 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 301 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. 302 That is why I have kept you 303 from sinning against me and why 304 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 305 he is a prophet 306 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 307 But if you don’t give her back, 308 know that you will surely die 309 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 310 Abimelech summoned 311 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 312 they 313 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? 314 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 315 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 316 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 317
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 318 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 319 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 320 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 321 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 322 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 323 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.” 324
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 325 to your ‘brother.’ 326 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 327
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 328 had caused infertility to strike every woman 329 in the household of Abimelech because he took 330 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 331 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 332 for Sarah what he had promised. 333 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 334 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 335 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 336 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 337 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 338
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 339 Everyone who hears about this 340 will laugh 341 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 342 “Who would 343 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 344 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 345 21:9 But Sarah noticed 346 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 347 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 348 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 349 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 350 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 351 all that Sarah is telling 352 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 353 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 354 some food 355 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 356 and sent her away. So she went wandering 357 aimlessly through the wilderness 358 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 359 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 360 away; for she thought, 361 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 362 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 363
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 364 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 365 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 366 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 367 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 368 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 369
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 370 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 371 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 372 Show me, and the land 373 where you are staying, 374 the same loyalty 375 that I have shown you.” 376
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 377 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 378 against Abimelech concerning a well 379 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 380 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 381 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 382 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 383 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 384 that I dug this well.” 385 21:31 That is why he named that place 386 Beer Sheba, 387 because the two of them swore 388 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 389 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 390 to the land of the Philistines. 391 21:33 Abraham 392 planted a tamarisk tree 393 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 394 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 395
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 396 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 397 replied. 22:2 God 398 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 399 – and go to the land of Moriah! 400 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 401 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 402 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 403 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 404 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 405 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 406 said to his servants, “You two stay 407 here with the donkey while 408 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 409 and then return to you.” 410
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 411 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 412 “My father?” “What is it, 413 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 414 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 415 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 416 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 417 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 418 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 419 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 420 the angel said. 421 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 422 that you fear 423 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 424 and saw 425 behind him 426 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 427 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 428 It is said to this day, 429 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 430
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 431 decrees the Lord, 432 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 433 and I will greatly multiply 434 your descendants 435 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 436 of the strongholds 437 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 438 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 439 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 440 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 441
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 442 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 443 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 444 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 445 23:2 Then she 446 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 447
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 448 and said to the sons of Heth, 449 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 450 among you. Grant 451 me ownership 452 of a burial site among you so that I may 453 bury my dead.” 454
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 455 23:6 “Listen, sir, 456 you are a mighty prince 457 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 458 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 459 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 460 that I may bury my dead, 461 then hear me out. 462 Ask 463 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 464 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 465 for the full price, 466 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 467 replied to Abraham in the hearing 468 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 469 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 470 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 471 In the presence of my people 472 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 473 to you the price 474 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 475 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 476 400 pieces of silver, 477 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 478 and weighed 479 out for him 480 the price 481 that Ephron had quoted 482 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 483
23:17 So Abraham secured 484 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 485
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 486 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 487 and the Lord had blessed him 488 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 489 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 490 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 491 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 492 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 493 to find 494 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 495 to this land? Must I then 496 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 497 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 498 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 499 promised me with a solemn oath, 500 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 501 before you so that you may find 502 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 503 you will be free 504 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 505
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 506 He journeyed 507 to the region of Aram Naharaim 508 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 509 outside the city. It was evening, 510 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 511 Be faithful 512 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 513 and the daughters of the people 514 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 515 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 516
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 517 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 518 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 519 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 520 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 521 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 522 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 523 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 524 if the Lord had made his journey successful 525 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 526 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 527 and gave them to her. 528 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 529 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 530 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 531 “and room for you 532 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 533 for my master! The Lord has led me 534 to the house 535 of my master’s relatives!” 536
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 537 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 538 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 539 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 540 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 541 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 542 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 543 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 544 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 545 went to the house and unloaded 546 the camels. Straw and feed were given 547 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 548 24:33 When food was served, 549 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 550 “Tell us,” Laban said. 551
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 552 The Lord 553 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 554 when she was old, 555 and my master 556 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 557 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 558 with me?’ 559 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 560 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 561 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 562 may events unfold as follows: 563 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 564 When 565 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 566 along came Rebekah 567 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 568 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 569 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 570
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 571 Our wishes are of no concern. 572 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 573 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 574
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 575 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 576
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 577 24:55 But Rebekah’s 578 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 579 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 580 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 581 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 582 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 583
“Our sister, may you become the mother 584 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 585 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 586 the man. So Abraham’s servant 587 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 588 Isaac came from 589 Beer Lahai Roi, 590 for 591 he was living in the Negev. 592 24:63 He 593 went out to relax 594 in the field in the early evening. 595 Then he looked up 596 and saw that 597 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 598 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 599 Abraham’s servant, 600 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 601 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 602 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 603 as his wife and loved her. 604 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 605
[16:1] 1 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 2 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] 3 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] 4 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] 5 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 6 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 7 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 8 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 9 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] 10 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 11 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] 12 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 13 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 14 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] 15 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 16 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 18 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] 19 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 20 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 21 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 22 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 23 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 24 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 25 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 26 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 27 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 28 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 29 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] 30 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 31 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 32 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 33 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 34 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] 35 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 36 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] 37 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] 38 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 39 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] 40 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] 41 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 42 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 43 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] 44 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 45 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 46 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 47 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 48 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] 49 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 50 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] 51 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] 52 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] 53 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 54 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] 55 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 56 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 57 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] 58 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] 60 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 61 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 62 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] 63 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 64 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 65 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 66 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 67 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] 68 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 69 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 70 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] 71 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 72 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] 73 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] 74 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 75 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] 77 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 78 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 79 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] 80 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 81 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 82 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] 83 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] 84 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 85 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] 86 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 88 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] 89 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 90 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 91 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 92 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] 93 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 94 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 95 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 96 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] 97 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 98 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] 99 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 100 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] 101 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] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 104 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 105 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 106 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 107 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 108 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 109 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 110 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 111 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 112 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 113 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] 114 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] 115 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 116 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] 117 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 118 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] 119 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 120 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 121 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] 122 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 123 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] 124 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 125 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] 126 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] 127 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] 128 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 129 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 130 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] 131 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 132 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] 133 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 134 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 135 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] 136 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 137 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 138 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 139 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 141 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 143 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] 144 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 145 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 146 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 147 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 148 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] 149 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 150 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 151 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 152 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 153 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] 154 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 155 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] 156 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 157 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] 158 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] 159 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] 160 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 161 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 162 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 163 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] 165 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 166 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 167 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 168 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] 170 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 171 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 173 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] 174 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 175 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 176 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 177 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 178 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 179 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 180 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 181 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 182 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 183 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 184 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 185 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 186 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 187 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 188 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 189 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] 190 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 191 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 192 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 193 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] 194 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] 195 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] 196 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 197 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] 198 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 199 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 200 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 202 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] 203 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 204 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 205 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] 206 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] 207 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 208 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 209 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] 210 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 211 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 212 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 213 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 214 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] 215 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 216 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 217 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 218 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 219 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 220 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 221 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 222 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] 223 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 224 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] 225 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 226 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] 227 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 228 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 229 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 230 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] 231 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] 233 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] 234 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 235 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 236 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] 237 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 238 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 239 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] 240 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 242 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] 243 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 244 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] 245 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 246 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 247 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 248 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 249 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] 250 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 251 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] 252 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 253 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] 254 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 255 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] 256 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 257 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 258 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 259 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 260 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 261 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 262 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 263 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 264 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 265 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] 266 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 267 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 268 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 269 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 270 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 271 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 272 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 273 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] 274 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 275 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 276 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] 277 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 278 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 279 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 280 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 281 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] 282 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 283 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 284 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 285 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 286 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 287 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 288 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 289 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 290 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] 291 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] 292 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 293 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 295 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] 296 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 297 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 298 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] 299 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 300 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 301 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 302 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 303 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 304 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 305 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 306 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 307 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 308 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 309 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 310 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 311 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 312 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 313 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 314 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] 315 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 316 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 317 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 318 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 319 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 320 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 321 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] 322 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 323 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 324 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 325 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] 326 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] 327 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] 328 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 329 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 330 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[21:1] 331 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
[21:1] 332 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 334 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 335 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
[21:4] 336 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 337 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 338 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
[21:6] 339 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 340 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 341 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
[21:7] 343 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 345 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
[21:9] 347 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
[21:10] 348 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
[21:11] 349 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
[21:12] 350 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 351 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
[21:12] 352 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 353 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
[21:14] 354 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 355 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 356 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
[21:14] 357 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 358 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
[21:15] 359 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
[21:16] 360 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 362 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
[21:16] 363 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
[21:17] 364 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
[21:17] 365 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 366 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 367 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:21] 368 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
[21:21] 369 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 370 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 371 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 372 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 373 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 374 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 376 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
[21:24] 377 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
[21:25] 378 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
[21:25] 379 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 380 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:26] 381 tn Heb “and also.”
[21:27] 382 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 383 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 384 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 385 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
[21:31] 386 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
[21:31] 387 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
[21:31] 388 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 389 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 390 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 391 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
[21:33] 392 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 393 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
[21:33] 394 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 395 tn Heb “many days.”
[22:1] 396 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
[22:1] 397 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 398 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 399 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
[22:2] 400 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
[22:2] 401 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
[22:2] 402 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 403 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 404 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 405 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 406 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 407 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 408 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 409 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 410 sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
[22:6] 411 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 412 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 413 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 414 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:8] 415 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:9] 416 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
[22:9] 417 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
[22:10] 418 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 419 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 420 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 421 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:12] 422 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 423 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 424 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 425 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
[22:13] 426 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 427 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 428 tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
[22:14] 429 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[22:14] 430 sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.
[22:16] 431 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 432 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 433 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
[22:17] 434 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] 435 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.
[22:17] 437 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
[22:18] 438 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
[22:18] 439 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 26:4). 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.)
[22:19] 440 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 441 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 442 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 443 sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.
[22:23] 444 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
[23:1] 445 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
[23:2] 446 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
[23:2] 447 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
[23:3] 448 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
[23:3] 449 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[23:4] 450 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
[23:4] 451 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
[23:4] 452 tn Or “possession.”
[23:4] 453 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
[23:4] 454 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:5] 455 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
[23:6] 456 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
[23:6] 457 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
[23:6] 458 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:7] 459 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
[23:8] 460 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
[23:8] 461 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:8] 463 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
[23:9] 464 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
[23:9] 465 tn Heb “in your presence.”
[23:10] 467 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
[23:10] 468 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
[23:10] 469 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
[23:11] 470 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
[23:11] 471 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[23:11] 472 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
[23:13] 475 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
[23:15] 476 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:15] 477 sn Four hundred pieces 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 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
[23:16] 478 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
[23:16] 479 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
[23:16] 480 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 482 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 483 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
[23:17] 484 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:18] 485 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:20] 486 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
[24:1] 488 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[24:2] 489 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
[24:2] 490 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
[24:3] 491 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
[24:3] 492 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
[24:4] 493 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
[24:5] 495 tn Heb “to go after me.”
[24:5] 496 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
[24:6] 497 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
[24:6] 498 tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:7] 499 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
[24:7] 500 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
[24:7] 501 tn Or “his messenger.”
[24:7] 502 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
[24:8] 503 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
[24:8] 504 sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.
[24:9] 505 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
[24:10] 506 tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.
[24:10] 507 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[24:10] 508 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:11] 509 tn Heb “well of water.”
[24:11] 510 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
[24:12] 511 tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).
[24:12] 512 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
[24:13] 513 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:14] 515 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
[24:14] 516 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
[24:15] 517 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
[24:15] 518 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:16] 519 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
[24:17] 520 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 521 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 522 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 523 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 525 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
[24:22] 526 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 527 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
[24:22] 528 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 529 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:24] 530 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 531 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:25] 532 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 533 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 534 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 535 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:27] 536 tn Heb “brothers.”
[24:28] 537 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 538 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 539 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[24:30] 540 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 541 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
[24:31] 542 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 543 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 544 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 545 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 546 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
[24:32] 547 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 548 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 549 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 550 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 551 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:35] 552 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 553 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 554 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 555 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 556 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 557 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
[24:39] 558 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:39] 559 tn Heb “after me.”
[24:40] 560 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the
[24:41] 561 tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).
[24:42] 562 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 563 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 564 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 565 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 566 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
[24:45] 567 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 568 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 569 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
[24:49] 570 tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.
[24:50] 571 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 572 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
[24:51] 573 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 574 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 575 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 576 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 577 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 578 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 579 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 580 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 581 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 582 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 583 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 584 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 585 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
[24:61] 586 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 587 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 588 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 589 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 590 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.” See Gen 16:14.
[24:62] 591 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 592 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:63] 593 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 594 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 595 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 596 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 597 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
[24:64] 598 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 599 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 600 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 601 tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 602 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 603 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 604 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 605 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
