Discovery BoxGenesis 18:1-33
Context18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 1 by the oaks 2 of Mamre while 3 he was sitting at the entrance 4 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 5 looked up 6 and saw 7 three men standing across 8 from him. When he saw them 9 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 10 to the ground. 11
18:3 He said, “My lord, 12 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 13 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 14 you may all 15 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 16 a bit of food 17 so that you may refresh yourselves 18 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 19 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 20 three measures 21 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 22 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 23 who quickly prepared it. 24 18:8 Abraham 25 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 26 before them. They ate while 27 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 28 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 29 said, “I will surely return 30 to you when the season comes round again, 31 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 32 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 33 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 34 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 35 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 36 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 37 especially when my husband is old too?” 38
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 39 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 40 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 41 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 42 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 43
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 44 they looked out over 45 Sodom. (Now 46 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 47 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 48 18:18 After all, Abraham 49 will surely become 50 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 51 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 52 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 53 the way of the Lord by doing 54 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 55 to Abraham what he promised 56 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 57 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 58 18:21 that I must go down 59 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 60 If not, 61 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 62 and headed 63 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 64 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 65 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 66 of the whole earth do what is right?” 67
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 68 (although I am but dust and ashes), 69 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 70 the whole city because five are lacking?” 71 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 72 spoke to him again, 73 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 74 said, “May the Lord not be angry 75 so that I may speak! 76 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 77 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 78 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 79 when he had finished speaking 80 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 81
Genesis 41:12
Context41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant 82 of the captain of the guards, 83 was with us there. We told him our dreams, 84 and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. 85
Genesis 41:25-26
Context41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 86 God has revealed 87 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 88 41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. 89
Jude 1:14
Context1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh in descent beginning with Adam, 90 even prophesied of them, 91 saying, “Look! The Lord is coming 92 with thousands and thousands 93 of his holy ones,
Daniel 2:36-45
Context2:36 This was the dream. Now we 94 will set forth before the king its interpretation.
2:37 “You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has granted you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. 2:38 Wherever human beings, 95 wild animals, 96 and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. 97 He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold. 2:39 Now after you another kingdom 98 will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth. 2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces 99 all of these metals, 100 so it will break in pieces and crush the others. 101 2:41 In that you were seeing feet and toes 102 partly of wet clay 103 and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. Some of the strength of iron will be in it, for you saw iron mixed with wet clay. 104 2:42 In that the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, the latter stages of this kingdom will be partly strong and partly fragile. 2:43 And 105 in that you saw iron mixed with wet clay, so people will be mixed 106 with one another 107 without adhering to one another, just as 108 iron does not mix with clay. 2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. 109 The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”
Daniel 4:19-33
Context4:19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; 110 his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, 111 if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries! 4:20 The tree that you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky, and which could be seen 112 in all the land, 4:21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals 113 used to live, and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest – 4:22 it is you, 114 O king! For you have become great and strong. Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth. 4:23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’ – 4:24 this is the interpretation, O king! It is the decision of the Most High that this has happened to my lord the king. 4:25 You will be driven 115 from human society, 116 and you will live 117 with the wild animals. You will be fed 118 grass like oxen, 119 and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before 120 you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes. 4:26 They said to leave the taproot of the tree, for your kingdom will be restored to you when you come to understand that heaven 121 rules. 4:27 Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you. Break away from your sins by doing what is right, and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.” 122
4:28 Now all of this happened 123 to King Nebuchadnezzar. 4:29 After twelve months, he happened to be walking around on the battlements 124 of the royal palace of Babylon. 4:30 The king uttered these words: “Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for a royal residence 125 by my own mighty strength 126 and for my majestic honor?” 4:31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, 127 a voice came down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you, 128 King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! 4:32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before 129 you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.”
4:33 Now in that very moment 130 this pronouncement about 131 Nebuchadnezzar came true. 132 He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws. 133
[18:1] 1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 3 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 4 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 6 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 7 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] 8 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] 9 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 10 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] 11 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 12 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] 13 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 14 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 15 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] 16 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 17 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] 18 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 19 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] 20 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] 21 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] 22 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 23 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 24 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] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 26 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] 27 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 28 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 29 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] 30 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 31 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 32 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 33 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 35 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 37 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] 38 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 39 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 40 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 41 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 42 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] 43 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 44 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 45 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 46 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 47 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] 48 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 49 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] 50 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 51 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] 52 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] 53 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] 54 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 55 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:20] 57 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] 59 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 60 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 61 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 62 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] 64 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 65 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 67 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] 68 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 69 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 70 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 71 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 72 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 73 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 74 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 75 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 76 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 77 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 78 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 79 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 80 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 81 tn Heb “to his place.”
[41:12] 83 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
[41:12] 84 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:12] 85 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
[41:25] 86 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
[41:25] 88 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
[41:26] 89 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
[1:14] 90 tn Grk “the seventh from Adam.”
[1:14] 91 tn Grk “against them.” The dative τούτοις (toutois) is a dativus incommodi (dative of disadvantage).
[1:14] 92 tn Grk “has come,” a proleptic aorist.
[1:14] 93 tn Grk “ten thousands.” The word μυριάς (muria"), from which the English myriad is derived, means “ten thousand.” In the plural it means “ten thousands.” This would mean, minimally, 20,000 (a multiple of ten thousand). At the same time, the term was often used in apocalyptic literature to represent simply a rather large number, without any attempt to be specific.
[2:36] 94 tn Various suggestions have been made concerning the plural “we.” It is probably the editorial plural and could be translated here as “I.”
[2:38] 95 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
[2:38] 96 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
[2:39] 98 sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
[2:40] 99 tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”
[2:40] 100 tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.
[2:40] 101 tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.
[2:41] 102 tc The LXX lacks “and toes.”
[2:41] 103 tn Aram “potter’s clay.”
[2:41] 104 tn Aram “clay of clay” (also in v. 43).
[2:43] 105 tc The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew
[2:43] 106 sn The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.
[2:43] 107 tn Aram “with the seed of men.”
[2:43] 108 tc The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh diy) rather than the MT הֵא־כְדִי (he’-khÿdi). It is a case of wrong word division.
[2:45] 109 tn Aram “after this.”
[4:19] 110 tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.
[4:20] 112 tn Aram “its sight.”
[4:21] 113 tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
[4:22] 114 sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.
[4:25] 115 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.
[4:25] 116 tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.
[4:25] 117 tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.
[4:25] 118 tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”
[4:25] 119 sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder known as boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.
[4:26] 121 sn The reference to heaven here is a circumlocution for God. There was a tendency in Jewish contexts to avoid direct reference to God. Cf. the expression “kingdom of heaven” in the NT and such statements as “I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:21).
[4:27] 122 tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”
[4:29] 124 tn The word “battlements” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied from context. Many English versions supply “roof” here (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NLT “on the flat roof.”
[4:30] 126 tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”
[4:31] 127 tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”
[4:31] 128 tn Aram “to you they say.”
[4:33] 132 tn Aram “was fulfilled.”
[4:33] 133 tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
