Discovery BoxGenesis 20:1--22:24
Context20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 1 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 2 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 3 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 4 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 5
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 6 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 7 20:5 Did Abraham 8 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 9 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 10 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. 11 That is why I have kept you 12 from sinning against me and why 13 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 14 he is a prophet 15 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 16 But if you don’t give her back, 17 know that you will surely die 18 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 19 Abimelech summoned 20 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 21 they 22 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? 23 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 24 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 25 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 26
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 27 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 28 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 29 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 30 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 31 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 32 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.” 33
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 34 to your ‘brother.’ 35 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 36
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 37 had caused infertility to strike every woman 38 in the household of Abimelech because he took 39 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 40 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 41 for Sarah what he had promised. 42 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 43 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. 44 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 45 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 46 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 47
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 48 Everyone who hears about this 49 will laugh 50 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 51 “Who would 52 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 53 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 54 21:9 But Sarah noticed 55 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 56 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 57 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. 58 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 59 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 60 all that Sarah is telling 61 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 62 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 63 some food 64 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 65 and sent her away. So she went wandering 66 aimlessly through the wilderness 67 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 68 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 69 away; for she thought, 70 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 71 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 72
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 73 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 74 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 75 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. 76 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. 77 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 78
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 79 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 80 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 81 Show me, and the land 82 where you are staying, 83 the same loyalty 84 that I have shown you.” 85
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 86 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 87 against Abimelech concerning a well 88 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 89 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 90 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. 91 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 92 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 93 that I dug this well.” 94 21:31 That is why he named that place 95 Beer Sheba, 96 because the two of them swore 97 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 98 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 99 to the land of the Philistines. 100 21:33 Abraham 101 planted a tamarisk tree 102 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 103 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 104
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 105 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 106 replied. 22:2 God 107 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 108 – and go to the land of Moriah! 109 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 110 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 111 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 112 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 113 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 114 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 115 said to his servants, “You two stay 116 here with the donkey while 117 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 118 and then return to you.” 119
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, 120 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 121 “My father?” “What is it, 122 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 123 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 124 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 125 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 126 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 127 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 128 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 129 the angel said. 130 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 131 that you fear 132 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 133 and saw 134 behind him 135 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 136 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.” 137 It is said to this day, 138 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 139
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,’ 140 decrees the Lord, 141 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 142 and I will greatly multiply 143 your descendants 144 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 145 of the strongholds 146 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 147 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 148 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 149 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 150
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 151 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 152 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 153 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.
Genesis 26:1-35
Context26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 154 in the days of Abraham. 155 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 156 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 157 26:3 Stay 158 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 159 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 160 and I will fulfill 161 the solemn promise I made 162 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 163 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 164 26:5 All this will come to pass 165 because Abraham obeyed me 166 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 167 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 168 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 169 “The men of this place will kill me to get 170 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 171 had been there a long time, 172 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 173 Isaac caressing 174 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 175 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 176
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 177 One of the men 178 might easily have had sexual relations with 179 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 180 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 181
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 182 because the Lord blessed him. 183 26:13 The man became wealthy. 184 His influence continued to grow 185 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 186 so many sheep 187 and cattle 188 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 189 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 190 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 191 for you have become much more powerful 192 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 193 26:18 Isaac reopened 194 the wells that had been dug 195 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 196 after Abraham died. Isaac 197 gave these wells 198 the same names his father had given them. 199
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 200 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 201 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 202 named the well 203 Esek 204 because they argued with him about it. 205 26:21 His servants 206 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 207 Sitnah. 208 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 209 named it 210 Rehoboth, 211 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 212 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 213 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 214
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 215 to him from Gerar along with 216 Ahuzzah his friend 217 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 218 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 219 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 220 a pact between us 221 – between us 222 and you. Allow us to make 223 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 224 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 225 you, but have always treated you well 226 before sending you away 227 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 228
26:30 So Isaac 229 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 230 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 231 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 232
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 233 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 234 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 235 to this day.
26:34 When 236 Esau was forty years old, 237 he married 238 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 239
Genesis 4:5
Context4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. 240 So Cain became very angry, 241 and his expression was downcast. 242
Genesis 5:1
Context5:1 This is the record 243 of the family line 244 of Adam.
When God created humankind, 245 he made them 246 in the likeness of God.
Genesis 8:3
Context8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 247 from the earth, so that they 248 had gone down 249 by the end of the 150 days.
John 3:14-18
Context3:14 Just as 250 Moses lifted up the serpent 251 in the wilderness, 252 so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 253 3:15 so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 254
3:16 For this is the way 255 God loved the world: He gave his one and only 256 Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish 257 but have eternal life. 258 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, 259 but that the world should be saved through him. 3:18 The one who believes in him is not condemned. 260 The one who does not believe has been condemned 261 already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only 262 Son of God.
John 5:24
Context5:24 “I tell you the solemn truth, 263 the one who hears 264 my message 265 and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, 266 but has crossed over from death to life.
John 6:40
Context6:40 For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up 267 at the last day.” 268
Acts 13:38-39
Context13:38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that through this one 269 forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 13:39 and by this one 270 everyone who believes is justified 271 from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify 272 you. 273
Acts 13:1
Context13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: 274 Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, 275 Lucius the Cyrenian, 276 Manaen (a close friend of Herod 277 the tetrarch 278 from childhood 279 ) and Saul.
Colossians 1:11
Context1:11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of 280 all patience and steadfastness, joyfully
Galatians 2:16
Context2:16 yet we know 281 that no one 282 is justified by the works of the law 283 but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. 284 And 285 we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ 286 and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one 287 will be justified.
Galatians 3:8
Context3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, 288 saying, “All the nations 289 will be blessed in you.” 290
Galatians 3:11-14
Context3:11 Now it is clear no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous one will live by faith. 291 3:12 But the law is not based on faith, 292 but the one who does the works of the law 293 will live by them. 294 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming 295 a curse for us (because it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) 296 3:14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles, 297 so that we could receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.
Galatians 3:24
Context3:24 Thus the law had become our guardian 298 until Christ, so that we could be declared righteous 299 by faith.
Philippians 3:9
Context3:9 and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness 300 – a righteousness from God that is in fact 301 based on Christ’s 302 faithfulness. 303
Titus 3:7
Context3:7 And so, 304 since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life.” 305
[20:1] 1 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 2 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 4 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] 5 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 6 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 7 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] 8 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 9 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 10 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 11 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 12 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:7] 14 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 15 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 16 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 17 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 18 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 19 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 20 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 21 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 22 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 23 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] 24 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 25 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 26 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 27 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 28 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:13] 30 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] 31 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 32 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 33 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 34 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] 35 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] 36 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] 37 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 38 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 39 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[21:1] 40 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] 41 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 43 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 46 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 47 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] 48 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 49 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 50 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] 52 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 54 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] 56 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] 57 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] 58 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] 59 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 60 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] 61 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 62 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] 63 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 64 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 65 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] 66 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 67 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] 68 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] 69 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 71 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] 72 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] 73 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] 74 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 75 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 76 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] 77 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] 78 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 79 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 80 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 81 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 82 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 83 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 85 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] 86 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] 87 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] 88 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 89 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:27] 91 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 92 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 93 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 94 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] 95 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] 96 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] 97 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 98 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 99 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 100 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] 101 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 104 tn Heb “many days.”
[22:1] 105 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] 106 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 107 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 108 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] 109 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] 110 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] 111 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 112 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 113 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 114 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 115 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 116 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 117 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 118 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 119 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] 120 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 121 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 122 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 123 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] 124 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:9] 125 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] 126 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] 127 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 128 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 129 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 130 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] 131 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 132 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 133 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 134 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] 135 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 136 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 137 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] 138 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] 139 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] 140 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 141 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 142 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] 143 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] 144 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] 146 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] 147 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] 148 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] 149 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 150 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 151 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 152 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] 153 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
[26:1] 154 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 155 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 156 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:2] 157 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 158 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 159 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] 160 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] 161 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 162 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:4] 163 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 164 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 165 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 166 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 167 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 168 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 169 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 170 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 171 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 172 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 173 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:9] 175 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 176 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 177 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 179 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 180 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 181 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 182 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 183 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 184 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 185 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 186 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 187 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 188 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 189 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 190 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 191 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 192 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 193 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:18] 194 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 195 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 196 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 197 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 198 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 199 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 200 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 201 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 202 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 203 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 204 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 205 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 206 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 207 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 208 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 209 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 210 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 211 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 212 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 213 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 214 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 215 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 217 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 218 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 219 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 220 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 221 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 222 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 223 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 224 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 226 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 227 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 228 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 229 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 230 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 231 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 232 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 233 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 234 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 235 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 236 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 237 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 238 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 239 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[4:5] 240 sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith – Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.
[4:5] 241 tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.
[4:5] 242 tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the
[5:1] 243 tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”
[5:1] 244 tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.
[5:1] 245 tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).
[5:1] 246 tn Heb “him.” The Hebrew text uses the third masculine singular pronominal suffix on the accusative sign. The pronoun agrees grammatically with its antecedent אָדָם (’adam). However, the next verse makes it clear that אָדָם is collective here and refers to “humankind,” so it is preferable to translate the pronoun with the English plural.
[8:3] 247 tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”
[8:3] 248 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 249 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
[3:14] 250 tn Grk “And just as.”
[3:14] 251 sn Or the snake, referring to the bronze serpent mentioned in Num 21:9.
[3:14] 252 sn An allusion to Num 21:5-9.
[3:14] 253 sn So must the Son of Man be lifted up. This is ultimately a prediction of Jesus’ crucifixion. Nicodemus could not have understood this, but John’s readers, the audience to whom the Gospel is addressed, certainly could have (compare the wording of John 12:32). In John, being lifted up refers to one continuous action of ascent, beginning with the cross but ending at the right hand of the Father. Step 1 is Jesus’ death; step 2 is his resurrection; and step 3 is the ascension back to heaven. It is the upward swing of the “pendulum” which began with the incarnation, the descent of the Word become flesh from heaven to earth (cf. Paul in Phil 2:5-11). See also the note on the title Son of Man in 1:51.
[3:15] 254 tn This is the first use of the term ζωὴν αἰώνιον (zwhn aiwnion) in the Gospel, although ζωή (zwh) in chap. 1 is to be understood in the same way without the qualifying αἰώνιος (aiwnios).
[3:16] 255 tn Or “this is how much”; or “in this way.” The Greek adverb οὕτως (Joutws) can refer (1) to the degree to which God loved the world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own Son (see R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) simply to the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own son (see R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, “The Sense and Syntax of John 3:14-17 with Special Reference to the Use of Οὕτως…ὥστε in John 3:16,” NovT 41 [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner in which something is done (see BDAG 741-42 s.v. οὕτω/οὕτως), the following clause involving ὥστε (Jwste) plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but [usually] unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has given. With this in mind, then, it is likely (3) that John is emphasizing both the degree to which God loved the world as well as the manner in which He chose to express that love. This is in keeping with John’s style of using double entendre or double meaning. Thus, the focus of the Greek construction here is on the nature of God's love, addressing its mode, intensity, and extent.
[3:16] 256 tn Although this word is often translated “only begotten,” such a translation is misleading, since in English it appears to express a metaphysical relationship. The word in Greek was used of an only child (a son [Luke 7:12, 9:38] or a daughter [Luke 8:42]). It was also used of something unique (only one of its kind) such as the mythological Phoenix (1 Clement 25:2). From here it passes easily to a description of Isaac (Heb 11:17 and Josephus, Ant. 1.13.1 [1.222]) who was not Abraham’s only son, but was one-of-a-kind because he was the child of the promise. Thus the word means “one-of-a-kind” and is reserved for Jesus in the Johannine literature of the NT. While all Christians are children of God (τέκνα θεοῦ, tekna qeou), Jesus is God’s Son in a unique, one-of-a-kind sense. The word is used in this way in all its uses in the Gospel of John (1:14, 1:18, 3:16, and 3:18).
[3:16] 257 tn In John the word ἀπόλλυμι (apollumi) can mean either (1) to be lost (2) to perish or be destroyed, depending on the context.
[3:16] 258 sn The alternatives presented are only two (again, it is typical of Johannine thought for this to be presented in terms of polar opposites): perish or have eternal life.
[3:17] 259 sn That is, “to judge the world to be guilty and liable to punishment.”
[3:18] 262 tn See the note on the term “one and only” in 3:16.
[5:24] 263 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
[5:24] 266 tn Grk “and does not come into judgment.”
[6:40] 267 tn Or “resurrect him,” or “make him live again.”
[6:40] 268 sn Notice that here the result (having eternal life and being raised up at the last day) is produced by looking on the Son and believing in him. Compare John 6:54 where the same result is produced by eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood. This suggests that the phrase in 6:54 (eats my flesh and drinks my blood) is to be understood in terms of the phrase here (looks on the Son and believes in him).
[13:38] 269 tn That is, Jesus. This pronoun is in emphatic position in the Greek text. Following this phrase in the Greek text is the pronoun ὑμῖν (Jumin, “to you”), so that the emphasis for the audience is that “through Jesus to you” these promises have come.
[13:39] 270 sn This one refers here to Jesus.
[13:39] 271 tn Or “is freed.” The translation of δικαιωθῆναι (dikaiwqhnai) and δικαιοῦται (dikaioutai) in Acts 13:38-39 is difficult. BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 3 categorizes δικαιωθῆναι in 13:38 (Greek text) under the meaning “make free/pure” but categorizes δικαιοῦται in Acts 13:39 as “be found in the right, be free of charges” (BDAG 249 s.v. δικαιόω 2.b.β). In the interest of consistency both verbs are rendered as “justified” in this translation.
[13:39] 272 tn Or “could not free.”
[13:39] 273 tn Grk “from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation, with “by the law of Moses” becoming the subject of the final clause. The words “from everything from which the law of Moses could not justify you” are part of v. 38 in the Greek text, but due to English style and word order must be placed in v. 39 in the translation.
[13:1] 274 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).
[13:1] 275 sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”
[13:1] 276 sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.
[13:1] 277 sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4
[13:1] 278 tn Or “the governor.”
[13:1] 279 tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”
[1:11] 280 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
[2:16] 281 tn Grk “yet knowing”; the participle εἰδότες (eidotes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[2:16] 282 tn Grk “no man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women.
[2:16] 283 sn The law is a reference to the law of Moses.
[2:16] 284 tn Or “faith in Jesus Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in v. 20; Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 3:22; Eph 3:12; Phil 3:9) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.
[2:16] 285 tn In Greek this is a continuation of the preceding sentence, but the construction is too long and complex for contemporary English style, so a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[2:16] 286 tn Or “by faith in Christ.” See comment above on “the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”
[2:16] 287 tn Or “no human being”; Grk “flesh.”
[3:8] 288 tn For the Greek verb προευαγγελίζομαι (proeuangelizomai) translated as “proclaim the gospel ahead of time,” compare L&N 33.216.
[3:8] 289 tn The same plural Greek word, τὰ ἔθνη (ta eqnh), can be translated as “nations” or “Gentiles.”
[3:8] 290 sn A quotation from Gen 12:3; 18:18.
[3:11] 291 tn Or “The one who is righteous by faith will live” (a quotation from Hab 2:4).
[3:12] 292 tn Grk “is not from faith.”
[3:12] 293 tn Grk “who does these things”; the referent (the works of the law, see 3:5) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:12] 294 sn A quotation from Lev 18:5. The phrase the works of the law is an editorial expansion on the Greek text (see previous note); it has been left as normal typeface to indicate it is not part of the OT text.
[3:13] 295 tn Grk “having become”; the participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been taken instrumentally.
[3:13] 296 sn A quotation from Deut 21:23. By figurative extension the Greek word translated tree (ζύλον, zulon) can also be used to refer to a cross (L&N 6.28), the Roman instrument of execution.
[3:14] 297 tn Or “so that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus.”
[3:24] 298 tn Or “disciplinarian,” “custodian,” or “guide.” According to BDAG 748 s.v. παιδαγωγός, “the man, usu. a slave…whose duty it was to conduct a boy or youth…to and from school and to superintend his conduct gener.; he was not a ‘teacher’ (despite the present mng. of the derivative ‘pedagogue’…When the young man became of age, the π. was no longer needed.” L&N 36.5 gives “guardian, leader, guide” here.
[3:24] 299 tn Or “be justified.”
[3:9] 300 tn Or “faith in Christ.” A decision is difficult here. Though traditionally translated “faith in Jesus Christ,” an increasing number of NT scholars are arguing that πίστις Χριστοῦ (pisti" Cristou) and similar phrases in Paul (here and in Rom 3:22, 26; Gal 2:16, 20; 3:22; Eph 3:12) involve a subjective genitive and mean “Christ’s faith” or “Christ’s faithfulness” (cf., e.g., G. Howard, “The ‘Faith of Christ’,” ExpTim 85 [1974]: 212-15; R. B. Hays, The Faith of Jesus Christ [SBLDS]; Morna D. Hooker, “Πίστις Χριστοῦ,” NTS 35 [1989]: 321-42). Noteworthy among the arguments for the subjective genitive view is that when πίστις takes a personal genitive it is almost never an objective genitive (cf. Matt 9:2, 22, 29; Mark 2:5; 5:34; 10:52; Luke 5:20; 7:50; 8:25, 48; 17:19; 18:42; 22:32; Rom 1:8; 12; 3:3; 4:5, 12, 16; 1 Cor 2:5; 15:14, 17; 2 Cor 10:15; Phil 2:17; Col 1:4; 2:5; 1 Thess 1:8; 3:2, 5, 10; 2 Thess 1:3; Titus 1:1; Phlm 6; 1 Pet 1:9, 21; 2 Pet 1:5). On the other hand, the objective genitive view has its adherents: A. Hultgren, “The Pistis Christou Formulations in Paul,” NovT 22 (1980): 248-63; J. D. G. Dunn, “Once More, ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ,” SBL Seminar Papers, 1991, 730-44. Most commentaries on Romans and Galatians usually side with the objective view.
[3:9] 301 tn The words “in fact” are supplied because of English style, picking up the force of the Greek article with πίστει (pistei). See also the following note on the word “Christ’s.”
[3:9] 302 tn Grk “based on the faithfulness.” The article before πίστει (pistei) is taken as anaphoric, looking back to διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ (dia pistew" Cristou); hence, “Christ’s” is implied.
[3:9] 303 tn Or “based on faith.”
[3:7] 304 tn This is the conclusion of a single, skillfully composed sentence in Greek encompassing Titus 3:4-7. Showing the goal of God’s merciful salvation, v. 7 begins literally, “in order that, being justified…we might become heirs…”
[3:7] 305 tn Grk “heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
