Discovery BoxGenesis 28:1-22
Context28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 1 28:2 Leave immediately 2 for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God 3 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 4 Then you will become 5 a large nation. 6 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 7 so that you may possess the land 8 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 9 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 10 As he blessed him, 11 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 12 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 13 that the Canaanite women 14 were displeasing to 15 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 16 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 17 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 18 He took one of the stones 19 and placed it near his head. 20 Then he fell asleep 21 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 22 He saw 23 a stairway 24 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 25 I will give you and your descendants the ground 26 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 27 and you will spread out 28 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 29 using your name and that of your descendants. 30 28:15 I am with you! 31 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 32 and thought, 33 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 34 in the morning Jacob 35 took the stone he had placed near his head 36 and set it up as a sacred stone. 37 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 38 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 39 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 40 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 41 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 42 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 43
Genesis 14:23
Context14:23 that I will take nothing 44 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 45 who made Abram rich.’
Genesis 14:1
Context14:1 At that time 46 Amraphel king of Shinar, 47 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 48
Genesis 4:8
Context4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 49 While they were in the field, Cain attacked 50 his brother 51 Abel and killed him.
Genesis 4:2
Context4:2 Then she gave birth 52 to his brother Abel. 53 Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 54
Genesis 19:12
Context19:12 Then the two visitors 55 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 56 Do you have 57 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 58 Get them out of this 59 place
Genesis 19:2
Context19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 60 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 61 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 62
Genesis 32:13-19
Context32:13 Jacob 63 stayed there that night. Then he sent 64 as a gift 65 to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to 66 his servants, who divided them into herds. 67 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, 68 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? 69 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ 70 32:18 then you must say, 71 ‘They belong 72 to your servant Jacob. 73 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 74 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 75
32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 76
Psalms 50:21-22
Context50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, 77
so you thought I was exactly like you. 78
But now I will condemn 79 you
and state my case against you! 80
50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! 81
Otherwise I will rip you to shreds 82
and no one will be able to rescue you.
Psalms 121:1-2
ContextA song of ascents. 84
121:1 I look up 85 toward the hills.
From where 86 does my help come?
121:2 My help comes from the Lord, 87
the Creator 88 of heaven and earth!
Isaiah 42:8
Context42:8 I am the Lord! That is my name!
I will not share my glory with anyone else,
or the praise due me with idols.
[28:1] 1 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:2] 2 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
[28:3] 3 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[28:3] 4 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
[28:3] 5 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
[28:3] 6 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[28:4] 7 tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.
[28:4] 8 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[28:4] 9 tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.
[28:6] 10 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
[28:6] 11 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
[28:6] 12 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 14 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 15 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
[28:9] 16 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
[28:11] 17 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
[28:11] 18 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 19 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 20 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
[28:12] 22 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 23 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
[28:12] 24 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
[28:13] 25 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
[28:13] 26 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
[28:14] 27 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 28 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 29 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem 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 Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other 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/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 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[28:14] 30 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 31 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
[28:16] 32 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 34 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 35 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 36 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 37 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[28:19] 38 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
[28:20] 39 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 40 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 41 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 42 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 43 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
[14:23] 44 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 45 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:1] 46 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 47 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 48 tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).
[4:8] 49 tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.
[4:8] 50 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).
[4:8] 51 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).
[4:2] 52 tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”
[4:2] 53 sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.
[4:2] 54 tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.
[19:12] 55 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] 56 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 57 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 58 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 59 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:2] 60 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 61 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 62 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[32:13] 63 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:13] 64 tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
[32:13] 65 sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).
[32:16] 66 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
[32:16] 67 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
[32:17] 68 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
[32:17] 69 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
[32:17] 70 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
[32:18] 71 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
[32:18] 72 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:18] 73 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
[32:18] 74 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
[32:18] 75 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:19] 76 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
[50:21] 77 tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.
[50:21] 78 tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).
[50:21] 79 tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).
[50:21] 80 tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the
[50:22] 81 tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.
[50:22] 82 sn Elsewhere in the psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).
[121:1] 83 sn Psalm 121. The psalm affirms that the Lord protects his people Israel. Unless the psalmist addresses an observer (note the second person singular forms in vv. 3-8), it appears there are two or three speakers represented in the psalm, depending on how one takes v. 3. The translation assumes that speaker one talks in vv. 1-2, that speaker two responds to him with a prayer in v. 3 (this assumes the verbs are true jussives of prayer), and that speaker three responds with words of assurance in vv. 4-8. If the verbs in v. 3 are taken as a rhetorical use of the jussive, then there are two speakers. Verses 3-8 are speaker two’s response to the words of speaker one. See the note on the word “sleep” at the end of v. 3.
[121:1] 84 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[121:1] 85 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.”
[121:1] 86 tn The Hebrew term מֵאַיִן (me’ayin) is interrogative, not relative, in function. Rather than directly stating that his source of help descends from the hills, the psalmist is asking, “From where does my help come?” Nevertheless, the first line does indicate that he is looking toward the hills for help, probably indicating that he is looking up toward the sky in anticipation of supernatural intervention. The psalmist assumes the dramatic role of one needing help. He answers his own question in v. 2.
