Genesis 32:1-32

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ¹  met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ²  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ³ 

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead ⁴  to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region ⁵  of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ⁶  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ⁷  this message ⁸  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” ⁹  he thought, ¹⁰  “then the other camp will be able to escape.” ¹¹ 

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ¹²  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ¹³  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ¹⁴  32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love ¹⁵  you have shown ¹⁶  your servant. With only my walking stick ¹⁷  I crossed the Jordan, ¹⁸  but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, ¹⁹  I pray, from the hand ²⁰  of my brother Esau, ²¹  for I am afraid he will come ²²  and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. ²³  32:12 But you ²⁴  said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper ²⁵  and will make ²⁶  your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” ²⁷ 

32:13 Jacob ²⁸  stayed there that night. Then he sent ²⁹  as a gift ³⁰  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 ³¹  his servants, who divided them into herds. ³²  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, ³³  “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? ³⁴  Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ ³⁵  32:18 then you must say, ³⁶  ‘They belong ³⁷  to your servant Jacob. ³⁸  They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. ³⁹  In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” ⁴⁰ 

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. ⁴¹  32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ⁴²  Jacob thought, ⁴³  “I will first appease him ⁴⁴  by sending a gift ahead of me. ⁴⁵  After that I will meet him. ⁴⁶  Perhaps he will accept me.” ⁴⁷  32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ⁴⁸  while he spent that night in the camp. ⁴⁹ 

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took ⁵⁰  his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons ⁵¹  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ⁵²  32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ⁵³  32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man ⁵⁴  wrestled ⁵⁵  with him until daybreak. ⁵⁶  32:25 When the man ⁵⁷  saw that he could not defeat Jacob, ⁵⁸  he struck ⁵⁹  the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man ⁶⁰  said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” ⁶¹  “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, ⁶²  “unless you bless me.” ⁶³  32:27 The man asked him, ⁶⁴  “What is your name?” ⁶⁵  He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ⁶⁶  “but Israel, ⁶⁷  because you have fought ⁶⁸  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” ⁶⁹  “Why ⁷⁰  do you ask my name?” the man replied. ⁷¹  Then he blessed ⁷²  Jacob ⁷³  there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, ⁷⁴  explaining, ⁷⁵  “Certainly ⁷⁶  I have seen God face to face ⁷⁷  and have survived.” ⁷⁸ 

32:31 The sun rose ⁷⁹  over him as he crossed over Penuel, ⁸⁰  but ⁸¹  he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day ⁸²  the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck ⁸³  the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

Genesis 1:11

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: ⁸⁴  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, ⁸⁵  and ⁸⁶  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so.

Genesis 5:31

5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.

Genesis 5:1

From Adam to Noah

5:1 This is the record ⁸⁷  of the family line ⁸⁸  of Adam.

When God created humankind, ⁸⁹  he made them ⁹⁰  in the likeness of God.

Genesis 12:1

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ⁹¹  to Abram, ⁹² 

“Go out ⁹³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁹⁴ 

Genesis 12:1

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ⁹⁵  to Abram, ⁹⁶ 

“Go out ⁹⁷  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ⁹⁸ 

Isaiah 50:2

50:2 Why does no one challenge me when I come?

Why does no one respond when I call? ⁹⁹ 

Is my hand too weak ¹⁰⁰  to deliver ¹⁰¹  you?

Do I lack the power to rescue you?

Look, with a mere shout ¹⁰²  I can dry up the sea;

I can turn streams into a desert,

so the fish rot away and die

from lack of water. ¹⁰³ 

Isaiah 53:1

53:1 Who would have believed ¹⁰⁴  what we ¹⁰⁵  just heard? ¹⁰⁶ 

When ¹⁰⁷  was the Lord’s power ¹⁰⁸  revealed through him?

Isaiah 65:2

65:2 I spread out my hands all day long

to my rebellious people,

who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable,

and who did what they desired. ¹⁰⁹ 

Matthew 23:37

Judgment on Israel

23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, ¹¹⁰  you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! ¹¹¹  How often I have longed ¹¹²  to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but ¹¹³  you would have none of it! ¹¹⁴ 

Acts 22:18

22:18 and saw the Lord ¹¹⁵  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

Acts 28:23-27

28:23 They set ¹¹⁶  a day to meet with him, ¹¹⁷  and they came to him where he was staying ¹¹⁸  in even greater numbers. ¹¹⁹  From morning until evening he explained things ¹²⁰  to them, ¹²¹  testifying ¹²²  about the kingdom of God ¹²³  and trying to convince ¹²⁴  them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 28:24 Some were convinced ¹²⁵  by what he said, ¹²⁶  but others refused ¹²⁷  to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, ¹²⁸  unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors ¹²⁹  through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,

‘Go to this people and say,

“You will keep on hearing, ¹³⁰  but will never understand,

and you will keep on looking, ¹³¹  but will never perceive.

28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, ¹³² 

and their ears are hard of hearing, ¹³³ 

and they have closed their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, ¹³⁴  and I would heal them.”’ ¹³⁵ 

Acts 28:2

28:2 The local inhabitants ¹³⁶  showed us extraordinary ¹³⁷  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ¹³⁸  and was cold.

Colossians 4:4

4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ¹³⁹ 

[32:1]  ¹ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[32:2]  ² tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ³ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “before him.”

[32:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “field.”

[32:4]  ⁶ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

[32:5]  ⁷ tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ⁸ tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”

[32:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.

[32:9]  ¹² tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.

[32:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).

[32:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you have done with.”

[32:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.

[32:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “this Jordan.”

[32:11]  ¹⁹ tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.

[32:11]  ²⁰ tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”

[32:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”

[32:11]  ²² tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”

[32:11]  ²³ sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.

[32:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[32:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.

[32:12]  ²⁶ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.

[32:12]  ²⁷ tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.

[32:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ³² tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.

[32:17]  ³³ tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.

[32:17]  ³⁴ tn Heb “to whom are you?”

[32:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”

[32:18]  ³⁶ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18]  ³⁷ tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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.’”

[32:20]  ⁴² tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ⁴³ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[32:21]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ⁴⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:22]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

[32:22]  ⁵¹ tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

[32:22]  ⁵² sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

[32:23]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”

[32:24]  ⁵⁴ sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.

[32:24]  ⁵⁵ sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.

[32:24]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”

[32:25]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.

[32:26]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:26]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

[32:26]  ⁶² tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:26]  ⁶³ sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

[32:27]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:27]  ⁶⁵ sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.

[32:28]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:28]  ⁶⁷ sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ⁶⁸ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

[32:29]  ⁶⁹ sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.

[32:29]  ⁷⁰ tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.

[32:29]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:29]  ⁷² tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.

[32:29]  ⁷³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ⁷⁴ sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.

[32:30]  ⁷⁵ tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:30]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “because.”

[32:30]  ⁷⁷ sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.

[32:30]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”

[32:31]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “shone.”

[32:31]  ⁸⁰ sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).

[32:31]  ⁸¹ tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.

[32:32]  ⁸² sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[32:32]  ⁸³ tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.

[1:11]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew construction employs a cognate accusative, where the nominal object (“vegetation”) derives from the verbal root employed. It stresses the abundant productivity that God created.

[1:11]  ⁸⁵ sn After their kinds. The Hebrew word translated “kind” (מִין, min) indicates again that God was concerned with defining and dividing time, space, and species. The point is that creation was with order, as opposed to chaos. And what God created and distinguished with boundaries was not to be confused (see Lev 19:19 and Deut 22:9-11).

[1:11]  ⁸⁶ tn The conjunction “and” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the relationship of the clauses.

[5:1]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”

[5:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.

[5:1]  ⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).

[5:1]  ⁹⁰ 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.

[12:1]  ⁹¹ sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

[12:1]  ⁹² tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

[12:1]  ⁹³ tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

[12:1]  ⁹⁴ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[12:1]  ⁹⁵ sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

[12:1]  ⁹⁶ tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

[12:1]  ⁹⁷ tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

[12:1]  ⁹⁸ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[50:2]  ⁹⁹ sn The present tense translation of the verbs assumes that the Lord is questioning why Israel does not attempt to counter his arguments. Another possibility is to take the verbs as referring to past events: “Why did no one meet me when I came? Why did no one answer when I called?” In this case the Lord might be asking why Israel rejected his calls to repent and his offer to deliver them.

[50:2]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “short” (so NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “ransom” (NAB, NASB, NIV).

[50:2]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “with my rebuke.”

[50:2]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “the fish stink from lack of water and die from thirst.”

[53:1]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The perfect has a hypothetical force in this rhetorical question. For another example, see Gen 21:7.

[53:1]  ¹⁰⁵ sn The speaker shifts here from God to an unidentified group (note the first person plural pronouns throughout vv. 1-6). The content of the speech suggests that the prophet speaks here as representative of the sinful nation Israel. The group acknowledges its sin and recognizes that the servant suffered on their behalf.

[53:1]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The first half of v. 1 is traditionally translated, “Who has believed our report?” or “Who has believed our message?” as if the group speaking is lamenting that no one will believe what they have to say. But that doesn’t seem to be the point in this context. Here the group speaking does not cast itself in the role of a preacher or evangelist. No, they are repentant sinners, who finally see the light. The phrase “our report” can mean (1) the report which we deliver, or (2) the report which was delivered to us. The latter fits better here, where the report is most naturally taken as the announcement that has just been made in 52:13-15.

[53:1]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “to whom” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[53:1]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “the arm of the Lord.” The “arm of the Lord” is a metaphor of military power; it pictures the Lord as a warrior who bares his arm, takes up his weapon, and crushes his enemies (cf. 51:9-10; 63:5-6). But Israel had not seen the Lord’s military power at work in the servant.

[65:2]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “who walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”

[23:37]  ¹¹⁰ sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.

[23:37]  ¹¹¹ tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).

[23:37]  ¹¹² sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.

[23:37]  ¹¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[23:37]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “you were not willing.”

[22:18]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “Having set.” The participle ταξάμενοι (taxamenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “Having set a day with him”; the words “to meet” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[28:23]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “came to him in his rented quarters.”

[28:23]  ¹¹⁹ tn BDAG 848 s.v. πολύς 1.b.β.ב states, “(even) more πλείονες in even greater numbers Ac 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹²⁰ tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[28:23]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “to whom he explained.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation.

[28:23]  ¹²² tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “to make a solemn declaration about the truth of someth. testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…God’s kingdom 28:23.”

[28:23]  ¹²³ sn Testifying about the kingdom of God. The topic is important. Paul’s preaching was about the rule of God and his promise in Jesus. Paul’s text was the Jewish scriptures.

[28:23]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “persuade.”

[28:24]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “persuaded.”

[28:24]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “by the things spoken.”

[28:24]  ¹²⁷ sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).

[28:25]  ¹²⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[28:25]  ¹²⁹ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[28:26]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).

[28:26]  ¹³¹ tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).

[28:27]  ¹³² tn Or “insensitive.”

[28:27]  ¹³³ tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).

[28:27]  ¹³⁴ sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.

[28:27]  ¹³⁵ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.

[28:2]  ¹³⁶ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2]  ¹³⁷ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[4:4]  ¹³⁹ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.