Discovery BoxGenesis 4:1--11:32
Context4:1 Now 1 the man had marital relations with 2 his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 3 and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 4 a man just as the Lord did!” 5 4:2 Then she gave birth 6 to his brother Abel. 7 Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 8
4:3 At the designated time 9 Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering 10 to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought 11 some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest 12 of them. And the Lord was pleased with 13 Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. 14 So Cain became very angry, 15 and his expression was downcast. 16
4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true 17 that if you do what is right, you will be fine? 18 But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching 19 at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” 20
4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 21 While they were in the field, Cain attacked 22 his brother 23 Abel and killed him.
4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 24 And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 25 4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? 26 The voice 27 of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished 28 from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate 29 the
ground it will no longer yield 30 its best 31 for you. You will be a homeless wanderer 32 on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment 33 is too great to endure! 34 4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land 35 today, and I must hide from your presence. 36 I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, 37 if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” 38 Then the Lord put a special mark 39 on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 40 4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, 41 east of Eden.
4:17 Cain had marital relations 42 with his wife, and she became pregnant 43 and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after 44 his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father 45 of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first 46 of those who live in tents and keep 47 livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped 48 all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
4:23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!
You wives of Lamech, hear my words!
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man 49 for hurting me.
4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,
then Lamech seventy-seven times!” 50
4:25 And Adam had marital relations 51 with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 52 me another child 53 in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people 54 began to worship 55 the Lord.
5:1 This is the record 56 of the family line 57 of Adam.
When God created humankind, 58 he made them 59 in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” 60
5:3 When 61 Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived 62 after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had 63 other 64 sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime 65 of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. 66
5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father 67 of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had 68 other 69 sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.
5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.
5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.
5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.
5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.
5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 70 for 300 years, 71 and he had other 72 sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared 73 because God took 74 him away.
5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other 75 sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.
5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, 76 saying, “This one will bring us comfort 77 from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other 78 sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.
5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he 79 became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:1 When humankind 80 began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born 81 to them, 82 6:2 the sons of God 83 saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in 84 humankind indefinitely, 85 since 86 they 87 are mortal. 88 They 89 will remain for 120 more years.” 90
6:4 The Nephilim 91 were on the earth in those days (and also after this) 92 when the sons of God were having sexual relations with 93 the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. 94 They were the mighty heroes 95 of old, the famous men. 96
6:5 But the Lord saw 97 that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 98 of the thoughts 99 of their minds 100 was only evil 101 all the time. 102 6:6 The Lord regretted 103 that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. 104 6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, 105 including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”
6:8 But 106 Noah found favor 107 in the sight of 108 the Lord.
6:9 This is the account of Noah. 109
Noah was a godly man; he was blameless 110
among his contemporaries. 111 He 112 walked with 113 God. 6:10 Noah had 114 three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11 The earth was ruined 115 in the sight of 116 God; the earth was filled with violence. 117 6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed 118 it was ruined, 119 for all living creatures 120 on the earth were sinful. 121 6:13 So God said 122 to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, 123 for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy 124 them and the earth. 6:14 Make 125 for yourself an ark of cypress 126 wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover 127 it with pitch inside and out. 6:15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 128 6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches 129 from the top. 130 Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 6:17 I am about to bring 131 floodwaters 132 on the earth to destroy 133 from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. 134 Everything that is on the earth will die, 6:18 but I will confirm 135 my covenant with you. You will enter 136 the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, 137 male and female, to keep them alive 138 with you. 6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. 139 6:21 And you must take 140 for yourself every kind of food 141 that is eaten, 142 and gather it together. 143 It will be food for you and for them.
6:22 And Noah did all 144 that God commanded him – he did indeed. 145
7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. 146 7:2 You must take with you seven 147 of every kind of clean animal, 148 the male and its mate, 149 two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven 150 of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, 151 to preserve their offspring 152 on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days 153 I will cause it to rain 154 on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”
7:5 And Noah did all 155 that the Lord commanded him.
7:6 Noah 156 was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed 157 the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because 158 of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs 159 of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, 160 just as God had commanded him. 161 7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. 162
7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep 163 burst open and the floodgates of the heavens 164 were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell 165 on the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. 166 7:14 They entered, 167 along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. 168 7:15 Pairs 169 of all creatures 170 that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, 171 just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.
7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed 172 the earth, and the ark floated 173 on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated 174 the earth so that even 175 all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet 176 above the mountains. 177 7:21 And all living things 178 that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life 179 in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord 180 destroyed 181 every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. 182 They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. 183 7:24 The waters prevailed over 184 the earth for 150 days.
8:1 But God remembered 185 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 186 the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 187 and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 188 from the earth, so that they 189 had gone down 190 by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. 191 8:5 The waters kept on receding 192 until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 193
8:6 At the end of forty days, 194 Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 195 8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 196 back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.
8:8 Then Noah 197 sent out a dove 198 to see if the waters had receded 199 from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 200 the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 201 in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 202 and brought it back into the ark. 203 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 204 the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 205 a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, 206 but it did not return to him this time. 207
8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 208 in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that 209 the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 210 was dry.
8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out 211 every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 212 and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” 213
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.
8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 214 8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 215 and said 216 to himself, 217 “I will never again curse 218 the ground because of humankind, even though 219 the inclination of their minds 220 is evil from childhood on. 221 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, 222
planting time 223 and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night will not cease.”
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 224 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 225 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 226 As I gave you 227 the green plants, I now give 228 you everything.
9:4 But 229 you must not eat meat 230 with its life (that is, 231 its blood) in it. 232 9:5 For your lifeblood 233 I will surely exact punishment, 234 from 235 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 236 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 237 since the man was his relative. 238
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 239
by other humans 240
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 241
God 242 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 243 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 244 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 245 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 246 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 247 9:11 I confirm 248 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 249 be wiped out 250 by the waters of a flood; 251 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 252 of the covenant I am making 253 with you 254 and every living creature with you, a covenant 255 for all subsequent 256 generations: 9:13 I will place 257 my rainbow 258 in the clouds, and it will become 259 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 260 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 261 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 262 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 263 all living things. 264 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 265 the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”
9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 266 that are on the earth.”
9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 267 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 268
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 269 began to plant a vineyard. 270 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 271 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 272 saw his father’s nakedness 273 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 274 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 275 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 276 he learned 277 what his youngest son had done 278 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 281
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 282 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 283
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 284
May he live 285 in the tents of Shem
and may Canaan be his slave!”
9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 This is the account 286 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 287 were born 288 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 289 were Gomer, 290 Magog, 291 Madai, 292 Javan, 293 Tubal, 294 Meshech, 295 and Tiras. 296 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 297 Askenaz, 298 Riphath, 299 and Togarmah. 300 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 301 Tarshish, 302 the Kittim, 303 and the Dodanim. 304 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 305 Mizraim, 306 Put, 307 and Canaan. 308 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 309 Havilah, 310 Sabtah, 311 Raamah, 312 and Sabteca. 313 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 314 and Dedan. 315
10:8 Cush was the father of 316 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 317 before the Lord. 318 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 319 of his kingdom were Babel, 320 Erech, 321 Akkad, 322 and Calneh 323 in the land of Shinar. 324 10:11 From that land he went 325 to Assyria, 326 where he built Nineveh, 327 Rehoboth-Ir, 328 Calah, 329 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 330
10:13 Mizraim 331 was the father of 332 the Ludites, 333 Anamites, 334 Lehabites, 335 Naphtuhites, 336 10:14 Pathrusites, 337 Casluhites 338 (from whom the Philistines came), 339 and Caphtorites. 340
10:15 Canaan was the father of 341 Sidon his firstborn, 342 Heth, 343 10:16 the Jebusites, 344 Amorites, 345 Girgashites, 346 10:17 Hivites, 347 Arkites, 348 Sinites, 349 10:18 Arvadites, 350 Zemarites, 351 and Hamathites. 352 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 353 from Sidon 354 all the way to 355 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 356 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 357 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 358 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 359 Asshur, 360 Arphaxad, 361 Lud, 362 and Aram. 363 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 364 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 365 Shelah, 366 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 367 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 368 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 369 Almodad, 370 Sheleph, 371 Hazarmaveth, 372 Jerah, 373 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 374 Diklah, 375 10:28 Obal, 376 Abimael, 377 Sheba, 378 10:29 Ophir, 379 Havilah, 380 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 381 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 382 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 383 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 384 11:2 When the people 385 moved eastward, 386 they found a plain in Shinar 387 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 388 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 389 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 390 instead of mortar.) 391 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 392 so that 393 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 394 we will be scattered 395 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 396 had started 397 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 398 they have begun to do this, then 399 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 400 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 401 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 402
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 403 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 404 Babel 405 – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
11:10 This is the account of Shem.
Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 406 sons and daughters.
11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 407 sons and daughters. 408
11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other 409 sons and daughters.
11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 410 while his father Terah was still alive. 411 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 412 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 413 she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 414 of Terah was 205 years, and he 415 died in Haran.
Genesis 14:1--20:18
Context14:1 At that time 416 Amraphel king of Shinar, 417 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 418 14:2 went to war 419 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 420 14:3 These last five kings 421 joined forces 422 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 423 14:4 For twelve years 424 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 425 they rebelled. 426 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 427 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 428 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 429 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 430 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 431 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 432 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 433 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 434 but some survivors 435 fled to the hills. 436 14:11 The four victorious kings 437 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 438 Lot and his possessions when 439 they left, for Lot 440 was living in Sodom. 441
14:13 A fugitive 442 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 443 Now Abram was living by the oaks 444 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 445 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 446 with Abram.) 447 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 448 had been taken captive, he mobilized 449 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 450 as far as Dan. 451 14:15 Then, during the night, 452 Abram 453 divided his forces 454 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 455 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 456 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 457 the people.
14:17 After Abram 458 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 459 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 460 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 461 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 462 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 463 the Most High God,
Creator 464 of heaven and earth. 465
14:20 Worthy of praise is 466 the Most High God,
who delivered 467 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 468 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 469 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 470 14:23 that I will take nothing 471 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 472 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 473 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 474 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 475 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 476
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 477 what will you give me since 478 I continue to be 479 childless, and my heir 480 is 481 Eliezer of Damascus?” 482 15:3 Abram added, 483 “Since 484 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 485
15:4 But look, 486 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 487 will not be your heir, 488 but instead 489 a son 490 who comes from your own body will be 491 your heir.” 492 15:5 The Lord 493 took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
15:6 Abram believed 494 the Lord, and the Lord 495 considered his response of faith 496 as proof of genuine loyalty. 497
15:7 The Lord said 498 to him, “I am the Lord 499 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 500 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 501 Abram 502 said, “O sovereign Lord, 503 by what 504 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 505 said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram 506 took all these for him and then cut them in two 507 and placed each half opposite the other, 508 but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, 509 and great terror overwhelmed him. 510 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 511 that your descendants will be strangers 512 in a foreign country. 513 They will be enslaved and oppressed 514 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 515 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 516 you will go to your ancestors 517 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 518 15:16 In the fourth generation 519 your descendants 520 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 521
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 522 passed between the animal parts. 523 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 524 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 525 this land, from the river of Egypt 526 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 527 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 528
16:1 Now Sarai, 529 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 530 but she had an Egyptian servant 531 named Hagar. 532 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 533 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 534 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 535 Abram did what 536 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 537 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 538 to her husband to be his wife. 539 16:4 He had sexual relations with 540 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 541 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 542 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 543 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 544 but when she realized 545 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 546 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 547
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 548 servant is under your authority, 549 do to her whatever you think best.” 550 Then Sarai treated Hagar 551 harshly, 552 so she ran away from Sarai. 553
16:7 The Lord’s angel 554 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 555 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 556 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 557 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 558 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 559 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 560 pregnant
and are about to give birth 561 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 562
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 563
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 564 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 565
and everyone will be hostile to him. 566
He will live away from 567 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 568 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 569 16:14 That is why the well was called 570 Beer Lahai Roi. 571 (It is located 572 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 573 16:16 (Now 574 Abram was 86 years old 575 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 576
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 577 the Lord appeared to him and said, 578 “I am the sovereign God. 579 Walk 580 before me 581 and be blameless. 582 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 583 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 584
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 585 and God said to him, 586 17:4 “As for me, 587 this 588 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 589 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 590 because I will make you 591 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 592 extremely 593 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 594 17:7 I will confirm 595 my covenant as a perpetual 596 covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 597 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 598 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 599 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 600 the covenantal requirement 601 I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: 602 Every male among you must be circumcised. 603 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 604 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 605 must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, 606 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 607 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 608 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 609 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 610 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 611
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 612 Sarah 613 will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 614 Kings of countries 615 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 616 as he said to himself, 617 “Can 618 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 619 Can Sarah 620 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 621 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 622 Ishmael might live before you!” 623
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 624 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 625 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 626 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 627 He will become the father of twelve princes; 628 I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 629
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 630 and circumcised them 631 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 632 when he was circumcised; 633 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 634 when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 635 by the oaks 636 of Mamre while 637 he was sitting at the entrance 638 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 639 looked up 640 and saw 641 three men standing across 642 from him. When he saw them 643 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 644 to the ground. 645
18:3 He said, “My lord, 646 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 647 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 648 you may all 649 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 650 a bit of food 651 so that you may refresh yourselves 652 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 653 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 654 three measures 655 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 656 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 657 who quickly prepared it. 658 18:8 Abraham 659 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 660 before them. They ate while 661 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 662 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 663 said, “I will surely return 664 to you when the season comes round again, 665 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 666 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 667 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 668 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 669 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 670 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 671 especially when my husband is old too?” 672
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 673 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 674 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 675 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 676 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 677
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 678 they looked out over 679 Sodom. (Now 680 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 681 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 682 18:18 After all, Abraham 683 will surely become 684 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 685 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 686 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 687 the way of the Lord by doing 688 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 689 to Abraham what he promised 690 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 691 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 692 18:21 that I must go down 693 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 694 If not, 695 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 696 and headed 697 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 698 18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 699 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 700 of the whole earth do what is right?” 701
18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord 702 (although I am but dust and ashes), 703 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 704 the whole city because five are lacking?” 705 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 706 spoke to him again, 707 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 708 said, “May the Lord not be angry 709 so that I may speak! 710 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 711 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 712 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 713 when he had finished speaking 714 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 715
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 716 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 717 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 718 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 719 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 720
19:3 But he urged 721 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 722 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 723 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 724 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 725 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 726 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 727 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 728 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 729 of my roof.” 730
19:9 “Out of our way!” 731 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 732 and now he dares to judge us! 733 We’ll do more harm 734 to you than to them!” They kept 735 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 736 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 737 reached out 738 and pulled Lot back into the house 739 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 740 with blindness. The men outside 741 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 742 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 743 Do you have 744 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 745 Get them out of this 746 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 747 it. The outcry against this place 748 is so great before the Lord that he 749 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 750 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 751 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 752
19:15 At dawn 753 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 754 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 755 19:16 When Lot 756 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 757 They led them away and placed them 758 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 759 said, “Run 760 for your lives! Don’t look 761 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 762 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 763 19:19 Your 764 servant has found favor with you, 765 and you have shown me great 766 kindness 767 by sparing 768 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 769 this disaster will overtake 770 me and I’ll die. 771 19:20 Look, this town 772 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 773 Let me go there. 774 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 775 Then I’ll survive.” 776
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 777 “I will grant this request too 778 and will not overthrow 779 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 780 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 781
19:23 The sun had just risen 782 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 783 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 784 sulfur and fire 785 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 786 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 787 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 788 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 789 wife looked back longingly 790 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 791 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 792 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 793 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 794
19:29 So when God destroyed 795 the cities of the region, 796 God honored 797 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 798 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 799 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 800 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 801 to have sexual relations with us, 802 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 803 so we can have sexual relations 804 with him and preserve 805 our family line through our father.” 806
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 807 and the older daughter 808 came and had sexual relations with her father. 809 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 810 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 811 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 812 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 813 19:35 So they made their father drunk 814 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 815 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 816
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 817 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 818 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 819 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 820 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 821 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 822 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 823 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 824
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 825 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 826 20:5 Did Abraham 827 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 828 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 829 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. 830 That is why I have kept you 831 from sinning against me and why 832 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 833 he is a prophet 834 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 835 But if you don’t give her back, 836 know that you will surely die 837 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 838 Abimelech summoned 839 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 840 they 841 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? 842 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 843 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 844 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 845
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 846 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 847 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 848 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 849 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 850 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 851 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.” 852
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 853 to your ‘brother.’ 854 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 855
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 856 had caused infertility to strike every woman 857 in the household of Abimelech because he took 858 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
[4:1] 1 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.
[4:1] 2 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:1] 3 tn Or “she conceived.”
[4:1] 4 tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.
[4:1] 5 tn Heb “with the
[4:2] 6 tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”
[4:2] 7 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] 8 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.
[4:3] 9 tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.
[4:3] 10 tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.
[4:4] 11 tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.
[4:4] 12 tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[4:4] 13 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (sha’ah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.
[4:5] 14 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] 15 tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.
[4:5] 16 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
[4:7] 17 tn The introduction of the conditional clause with an interrogative particle prods the answer from Cain, as if he should have known this. It is not a condemnation, but an encouragement to do what is right.
[4:7] 18 tn The Hebrew text is difficult, because only one word occurs, שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et), which appears to be the infinitive construct from the verb “to lift up” (נָאָשׂ, na’as). The sentence reads: “If you do well, uplifting.” On the surface it seems to be the opposite of the fallen face. Everything will be changed if he does well. God will show him favor, he will not be angry, and his face will reflect that. But more may be intended since the second half of the verse forms the contrast: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching….” Not doing well leads to sinful attack; doing well leads to victory and God’s blessing.
[4:7] 19 tn The Hebrew term translated “crouching” (רֹבֵץ, rovets) is an active participle. Sin is portrayed with animal imagery here as a beast crouching and ready to pounce (a figure of speech known as zoomorphism). An Akkadian cognate refers to a type of demon; in this case perhaps one could translate, “Sin is the demon at the door” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 29, 32-33).
[4:7] 20 tn Heb “and toward you [is] its desire, but you must rule over it.” As in Gen 3:16, the Hebrew noun “desire” refers to an urge to control or dominate. Here the desire is that which sin has for Cain, a desire to control for the sake of evil, but Cain must have mastery over it. The imperfect is understood as having an obligatory sense. Another option is to understand it as expressing potential (“you can have [or “are capable of having”] mastery over it.”). It will be a struggle, but sin can be defeated by righteousness. In addition to this connection to Gen 3, other linguistic and thematic links between chaps. 3 and 4 are discussed by A. J. Hauser, “Linguistic and Thematic Links Between Genesis 4:1-6 and Genesis 2–3,” JETS 23 (1980): 297-306.
[4:8] 21 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] 22 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).
[4:8] 23 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).
[4:9] 24 sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the
[4:9] 25 tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”
[4:10] 26 sn What have you done? Again the
[4:10] 27 tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.
[4:11] 28 tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).
[4:12] 30 tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.
[4:12] 31 tn Heb “its strength.”
[4:12] 32 tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (na’ vanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).
[4:13] 33 tn The primary meaning of the Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon) is “sin, iniquity.” But by metonymy it can refer to the “guilt” of sin, or to “punishment” for sin. The third meaning applies here. Just before this the
[4:13] 34 tn Heb “great is my punishment from bearing.” The preposition מִן (min, “from”) is used here in a comparative sense.
[4:14] 35 tn Heb “from upon the surface of the ground.”
[4:14] 36 sn I must hide from your presence. The motif of hiding from the
[4:15] 37 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”
[4:15] 38 sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
[4:15] 39 tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.
[4:15] 40 sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace – Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.
[4:16] 41 sn The name Nod means “wandering” in Hebrew (see vv. 12, 14).
[4:17] 42 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:17] 43 tn Or “she conceived.”
[4:17] 44 tn Heb “according to the name of.”
[4:18] 45 tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”
[4:20] 46 tn Heb “father.” In this passage the word “father” means “founder,” referring to the first to establish such lifestyles and occupations.
[4:20] 47 tn The word “keep” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. Other words that might be supplied instead are “tend,” “raise” (NIV), or “have” (NRSV).
[4:22] 48 tn The traditional rendering here, “who forged” (or “a forger of”) is now more commonly associated with counterfeit or fraud (e.g., “forged copies” or “forged checks”) than with the forging of metal. The phrase “heated metal and shaped [it]” has been used in the translation instead.
[4:23] 49 tn The Hebrew term יֶלֶד (yeled) probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.
[4:24] 50 sn Seventy-seven times. Lamech seems to reason this way: If Cain, a murderer, is to be avenged seven times (see v. 15), then how much more one who has been unjustly wronged! Lamech misses the point of God’s merciful treatment of Cain. God was not establishing a principle of justice when he warned he would avenge Cain’s murder. In fact he was trying to limit the shedding of blood, something Lamech wants to multiply instead. The use of “seventy-seven,” a multiple of seven, is hyperbolic, emphasizing the extreme severity of the vengeance envisioned by Lamech.
[4:25] 51 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:25] 52 sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).
[4:26] 54 tn The word “people” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. The construction uses a passive verb without an expressed subject. “To call was begun” can be interpreted to mean that people began to call.
[4:26] 55 tn Heb “call in the name.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[5:1] 56 tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”
[5:1] 57 tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.
[5:1] 58 tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).
[5:1] 59 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.
[5:2] 60 tn The Hebrew word used here is אָדָם (’adam).
[5:3] 61 tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.
[5:4] 62 tn Heb “The days of Adam.”
[5:4] 63 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:4] 64 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:5] 65 tn Heb “all the days of Adam which he lived”
[5:5] 66 sn The genealogy traces the line from Adam to Noah and forms a bridge between the earlier accounts and the flood story. Its constant theme of the reign of death in the human race is broken once with the account of Enoch, but the genealogy ends with hope for the future through Noah. See further G. F. Hasel, “The Genealogies of Gen. 5 and 11 and their Alleged Babylonian Background,” AUSS 16 (1978): 361-74; idem, “Genesis 5 and 11,” Origins 7 (1980): 23-37.
[5:6] 67 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:7] 68 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:7] 69 tn Here and in vv. 10, 13, 16, 19 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:22] 70 sn With the seventh panel there is a digression from the pattern. Instead of simply saying that Enoch lived, the text observes that he “walked with God.” The rare expression “walked with” (the Hitpael form of the verb הָלָךְ, halakh, “to walk” collocated with the preposition אֶת, ’et, “with”) is used in 1 Sam 25:15 to describe how David’s men maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Nabal’s men as they worked and lived side by side in the fields. In Gen 5:22 the phrase suggests that Enoch and God “got along.” This may imply that Enoch lived in close fellowship with God, leading a life of devotion and piety. An early Jewish tradition, preserved in 1 En. 1:9 and alluded to in Jude 14, says that Enoch preached about the coming judgment. See F. S. Parnham, “Walking with God,” EvQ 46 (1974): 117-18.
[5:22] 71 tn Heb “and Enoch walked with God, after he became the father of Methuselah, [for] 300 years.”
[5:22] 72 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:24] 73 tn The Hebrew construction has the negative particle אֵין (’en, “there is not,” “there was not”) with a pronominal suffix, “he was not.” Instead of saying that Enoch died, the text says he no longer was present.
[5:24] 74 sn The text simply states that God took Enoch. Similar language is used of Elijah’s departure from this world (see 2 Kgs 2:10). The text implies that God overruled death for this man who walked with him.
[5:26] 75 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:29] 76 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
[5:29] 77 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
[5:30] 78 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:32] 79 tn Heb “Noah.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:1] 80 tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”
[6:1] 81 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.
[6:1] 82 tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.
[6:2] 83 sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.
[6:3] 84 tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the
[6:3] 86 tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).
[6:3] 87 tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).
[6:3] 89 tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.
[6:3] 90 tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.
[6:4] 91 tn The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (nÿfilim) is simply transliterated here, because the meaning of the term is uncertain. According to the text, the Nephilim became mighty warriors and gained great fame in the antediluvian world. The text may imply they were the offspring of the sexual union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humankind” (v. 2), but it stops short of saying this in a direct manner. The Nephilim are mentioned in the OT only here and in Num 13:33, where it is stated that they were giants (thus KJV, TEV, NLT “giants” here). The narrator observes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim. Certainly these later Anakite Nephilim could not be descendants of the antediluvian Nephilim (see also the following note on the word “this”).
[6:4] 92 tn This observation is parenthetical, explaining that there were Nephilim even after the flood. If all humankind, with the exception of Noah and his family, died in the flood, it is difficult to understand how the postdiluvian Nephilim could be related to the antediluvian Nephilim or how the Anakites of Canaan could be their descendants (see Num 13:33). It is likely that the term Nephilim refers generally to “giants” (see HALOT 709 s.v. נְפִילִים) without implying any ethnic connection between the antediluvian and postdiluvian varieties.
[6:4] 93 tn Heb “were entering to,” referring euphemistically to sexual intercourse here. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the ongoing nature of such sexual unions during the time before the flood.
[6:4] 94 tn Heb “and they gave birth to them.” The masculine plural suffix “them” refers to the “sons of God,” to whom the “daughters of humankind” bore children. After the Qal form of the verb יָלָד (yalad, “to give birth”) the preposition לְ (lÿ, “to”) introduces the father of the child(ren). See Gen 16:1, 15; 17:19, 21; 21:2-3, 9; 22:23; 24:24, 47; 25:2, etc.
[6:4] 95 tn The parenthetical/explanatory clause uses the word הַגִּבֹּרִים (haggibborim) to describe these Nephilim. The word means “warriors; mighty men; heroes.” The appositional statement further explains that they were “men of renown.” The text refers to superhuman beings who held the world in their power and who lived on in ancient lore outside the Bible. See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 45-46; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:379-80; and Anne D. Kilmer, “The Mesopotamian Counterparts of the Biblical Nephilim,” Perspectives on Language and Text, 39-43.
[6:4] 96 tn Heb “men of name” (i.e., famous men).
[6:5] 97 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.
[6:5] 98 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).
[6:5] 99 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.
[6:5] 100 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”
[6:5] 101 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.
[6:5] 102 tn Heb “all the day.”
[6:6] 103 tn Or “was grieved”; “was sorry.” In the Niphal stem the verb נָחָם (nakham) can carry one of four semantic meanings, depending on the context: (1) “to experience emotional pain or weakness,” “to feel regret,” often concerning a past action (see Exod 13:17; Judg 21:6, 15; 1 Sam 15:11, 35; Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). In several of these texts כִּי (ki, “because”) introduces the cause of the emotional sorrow. (2) Another meaning is “to be comforted” or “to comfort oneself” (sometimes by taking vengeance). See Gen 24:67; 38:12; 2 Sam 13:39; Ps 77:3; Isa 1:24; Jer 31:15; Ezek 14:22; 31:16; 32:31. (This second category represents a polarization of category one.) (3) The meaning “to relent from” or “to repudiate” a course of action which is already underway is also possible (see Judg 2:18; 2 Sam 24:16 = 1 Chr 21:15; Pss 90:13; 106:45; Jer 8:6; 20:16; 42:10). (4) Finally, “to retract” (a statement) or “to relent or change one’s mind concerning,” “to deviate from” (a stated course of action) is possible (see Exod 32:12, 14; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 110:4; Isa 57:6; Jer 4:28; 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3, 13, 19; Ezek 24:14; Joel 2:13-14; Am 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2; Zech 8:14). See R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 388. The first category applies here because the context speaks of God’s grief and emotional pain (see the following statement in v. 6) as a result of a past action (his making humankind). For a thorough study of the word נָחָם, see H. Van Dyke Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.
[6:6] 104 tn Heb “and he was grieved to his heart.” The verb עָצָב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic senses, depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain”; “to be depressed emotionally”; “to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed”; “to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself); “to be insulted” (Gen 34:7; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 34:7). The third category fits best in Gen 6:6 because humankind’s sin does not merely wound God emotionally. On the contrary, it prompts him to strike out in judgment against the source of his distress (see v. 7). The verb וַיִּתְעַצֵּב (vayyit’atsev), a Hitpael from עָצָב, alludes to the judgment oracles in Gen 3:16-19. Because Adam and Eve sinned, their life would be filled with pain; but sin in the human race also brought pain to God. The wording of v. 6 is ironic when compared to Gen 5:29. Lamech anticipated relief (נָחָם, nakham) from their work (מַעֲשֶׂה, ma’aseh) and their painful toil (עִצְּבֹן, ’itsÿvon), but now we read that God was sorry (נָחָם, nakham) that he had made (עָשָׂה, ’asah) humankind for it brought him great pain (עָצָב, ’atsav).
[6:7] 105 tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.
[6:8] 106 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is contrastive here: God condemns the human race, but he is pleased with Noah.
[6:8] 107 tn The Hebrew expression “find favor [in the eyes of]” is an idiom meaning “to be an object of another’s favorable disposition or action,” “to be a recipient of another’s favor, kindness, mercy.” The favor/kindness is often earned, coming in response to an action or condition (see Gen 32:5; 39:4; Deut 24:1; 1 Sam 25:8; Prov 3:4; Ruth 2:10). This is the case in Gen 6:8, where v. 9 gives the basis (Noah’s righteous character) for the divine favor.
[6:8] 108 tn Heb “in the eyes of,” an anthropomorphic expression for God’s opinion or decision. The
[6:9] 109 sn There is a vast body of scholarly literature about the flood story. The following studies are particularly helpful: A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and the Old Testament Parallels; M. Kessler, “Rhetorical Criticism of Genesis 7,” Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg (PTMS), 1-17; I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; A. R. Millard, “A New Babylonian ‘Genesis Story’,” TynBul 18 (1967): 3-18; G. J. Wenham, “The Coherence of the Flood Narrative,” VT 28 (1978): 336-48.
[6:9] 110 tn The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “blameless”) is used of men in Gen 17:1 (associated with the idiom “walk before,” which means “maintain a proper relationship with,” see 24:40); Deut 18:13 (where it means “blameless” in the sense of not guilty of the idolatrous practices listed before this; see Josh 24:14); Pss 18:23, 26 (“blameless” in the sense of not having violated God’s commands); 37:18 (in contrast to the wicked); 101:2, 6 (in contrast to proud, deceitful slanderers; see 15:2); Prov 2:21; 11:5 (in contrast to the wicked); 28:10; Job 12:4.
[6:9] 111 tn Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.
[6:9] 112 tn Heb “Noah.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:9] 113 tn The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”
[6:11] 115 tn Apart from Gen 6:11-12, the Niphal form of this verb occurs in Exod 8:20 HT (8:24 ET), where it describes the effect of the swarms of flies on the land of Egypt; Jer 13:7 and 18:4, where it is used of a “ruined” belt and “marred” clay pot, respectively; and Ezek 20:44, where it describes Judah’s morally “corrupt” actions. The sense “morally corrupt” fits well in Gen 6:11 because of the parallelism (note “the earth was filled with violence”). In this case “earth” would stand by metonymy for its sinful inhabitants. However, the translation “ruined” works just as well, if not better. In this case humankind’s sin is viewed has having an adverse effect upon the earth. Note that vv. 12b-13 make a distinction between the earth and the living creatures who live on it.
[6:11] 117 tn The Hebrew word translated “violence” refers elsewhere to a broad range of crimes, including unjust treatment (Gen 16:5; Amos 3:10), injurious legal testimony (Deut 19:16), deadly assault (Gen 49:5), murder (Judg 9:24), and rape (Jer 13:22).
[6:12] 118 tn Or “God saw how corrupt the earth was.”
[6:12] 119 tn The repetition in the text (see v. 11) emphasizes the point.
[6:12] 120 tn Heb “flesh.” Since moral corruption is in view here, most modern western interpreters understand the referent to be humankind. However, the phrase “all flesh” is used consistently of humankind and the animals in Gen 6-9 (6:17, 19; 7:15-16, 21; 8:17; 9:11, 15-17), suggesting that the author intends to picture all living creatures, humankind and animals, as guilty of moral failure. This would explain why the animals, not just humankind, are victims of the ensuing divine judgment. The OT sometimes views animals as morally culpable (Gen 9:5; Exod 21:28-29; Jonah 3:7-8). The OT also teaches that a person’s sin can contaminate others (people and animals) in the sinful person’s sphere (see the story of Achan, especially Josh 7:10). So the animals could be viewed here as morally contaminated because of their association with sinful humankind.
[6:12] 121 tn Heb “had corrupted its way.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “way” refers to the collective “all flesh.” The construction “corrupt one’s way” occurs only here (though Ezek 16:47 uses the Hiphil in an intransitive sense with the preposition בְּ [bet, “in”] followed by “ways”). The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) means “to ruin, to destroy, to corrupt,” often as here in a moral/ethical sense. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to behavior or moral character, a sense that it frequently carries (see BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a).
[6:13] 122 sn On the divine style utilized here, see R. Lapointe, “The Divine Monologue as a Channel of Revelation,” CBQ 32 (1970): 161-81.
[6:13] 123 tn Heb “the end of all flesh is coming [or “has come”] before me.” (The verb form is either a perfect or a participle.) The phrase “end of all flesh” occurs only here. The term “end” refers here to the end of “life,” as v. 3 and the following context (which describes how God destroys all flesh) make clear. The statement “the end has come” occurs in Ezek 7:2, 6, where it is used of divine judgment. The phrase “come before” occurs in Exod 28:30, 35; 34:34; Lev 15:14; Num 27:17; 1 Sam 18:13, 16; 2 Sam 19:8; 20:8; 1 Kgs 1:23, 28, 32; Ezek 46:9; Pss 79:11 (groans come before God); 88:3 (a prayer comes before God); 100:2; 119:170 (prayer comes before God); Lam 1:22 (evil doing comes before God); Esth 1:19; 8:1; 9:25; 1 Chr 16:29. The expression often means “have an audience with” or “appear before.” But when used metaphorically, it can mean “get the attention of” or “prompt a response.” This is probably the sense in Gen 6:13. The necessity of ending the life of all flesh on earth is an issue that has gotten the attention of God. The term “end” may even be a metonymy for that which has prompted it – violence (see the following clause).
[6:13] 124 tn The participle, especially after הִנֵּה (hinneh) has an imminent future nuance. The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) here has the sense “to destroy” (in judgment). Note the wordplay involving this verb in vv. 11-13: The earth is “ruined” because all flesh has acted in a morally “corrupt” manner. Consequently, God will “destroy” all flesh (the referent of the suffix “them”) along with the ruined earth. They had ruined themselves and the earth with violence, and now God would ruin them with judgment. For other cases where “earth” occurs as the object of the Hiphil of שָׁחָת, see 1 Sam 6:5; 1 Chr 20:1; Jer 36:29; 51:25.
[6:14] 125 sn The Hebrew verb is an imperative. A motif of this section is that Noah did as the
[6:14] 126 tn A transliteration of the Hebrew term yields “gopher (גֹּפֶר, gofer) wood” (so KJV, NAB, NASB). While the exact nature of the wood involved is uncertain (cf. NLT “resinous wood”), many modern translations render the Hebrew term as “cypress” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[6:14] 127 tn The Hebrew term כָּפָר (kafar, “to cover, to smear” [= to caulk]) appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, nonmetaphorical meaning. The Piel form כִּפֶּר (kipper), which has the metaphorical meaning “to atone, to expiate, to pacify,” is used in Levitical texts (see HALOT 493-94 s.v. כפר). Some authorities regard the form in v. 14 as a homonym of the much more common Levitical term (see BDB 498 s.v. כָּפָר).
[6:15] 128 tn Heb “300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about 18 inches (45 cm) long.
[6:16] 130 tn Heb “to a cubit you shall finish it from above.” The idea is that Noah was to leave an 18-inch opening from the top for a window for light.
[6:17] 131 tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the a participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”
[6:17] 132 tn Heb “the flood, water.”
[6:17] 133 tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.
[6:17] 134 tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.
[6:18] 135 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
[6:18] 136 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
[6:19] 137 tn Heb “from all life, from all flesh, two from all you must bring.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse (note the conjunction with prepositional phrase, followed by two more prepositional phrases in apposition and then the imperfect verb form) signals a change in mood from announcement (vv. 17-18) to instruction.
[6:19] 138 tn The Piel infinitive construct לְהַחֲיוֹת (lÿhakhayot, here translated as “to keep them alive”) shows the purpose of bringing the animals into the ark – saving life. The Piel of this verb means here “to preserve alive.”
[6:20] 139 tn Heb “to keep alive.”
[6:21] 140 tn The verb is a direct imperative: “And you, take for yourself.” The form stresses the immediate nature of the instruction; the pronoun underscores the directness.
[6:21] 141 tn Heb “from all food,” meaning “some of every kind of food.”
[6:21] 142 tn Or “will be eaten.”
[6:21] 143 tn Heb “and gather it to you.”
[6:22] 144 tn Heb “according to all.”
[6:22] 145 tn The last clause seems redundant: “and thus (כֵּן, ken) he did.” It underscores the obedience of Noah to all that God had said.
[7:1] 146 tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.
[7:2] 147 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
[7:2] 148 sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.
[7:2] 149 tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.
[7:3] 150 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
[7:3] 151 tn Here (and in v. 9) the Hebrew text uses the normal generic terms for “male and female” (זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, zakhar unÿqevah).
[7:3] 152 tn Heb “to keep alive offspring.”
[7:4] 153 tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”
[7:4] 154 tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.
[7:5] 155 tn Heb “according to all.”
[7:6] 156 tn Heb “Now Noah was.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate nominative after implied “to be” verb) provides background information. The age of Noah receives prominence.
[7:6] 157 tn Heb “and the flood was water upon.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial/temporal in relation to the preceding clause. The verb הָיָה (hayah) here carries the nuance “to come” (BDB 225 s.v. הָיָה). In this context the phrase “come upon” means “to engulf.”
[7:7] 158 tn The preposition מִן (min) is causal here, explaining why Noah and his family entered the ark.
[7:8] 159 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
[7:9] 160 tn The Hebrew text of vv. 8-9a reads, “From the clean animal[s] and from the animal[s] which are not clean and from the bird[s] and everything that creeps on the ground, two two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female.”
[7:9] 161 tn Heb “Noah”; the pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:10] 162 tn Heb “came upon.”
[7:11] 163 tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 1:2).
[7:11] 164 sn On the prescientific view of the sky reflected here, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 46.
[7:13] 166 tn Heb “On that very day Noah entered, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.”
[7:14] 167 tn The verb “entered” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:14] 168 tn Heb “every bird, every wing.”
[7:15] 169 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
[7:16] 171 tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”
[7:18] 172 tn Heb “and the waters were great and multiplied exceedingly.” The first verb in the sequence is וַיִּגְבְּרוּ (vayyigbÿru, from גָּבַר, gavar), meaning “to become great, mighty.” The waters did not merely rise; they “prevailed” over the earth, overwhelming it.
[7:19] 174 tn Heb “and the waters were great exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition emphasizes the depth of the waters.
[7:20] 176 tn Heb “rose fifteen cubits.” Since a cubit is considered by most authorities to be about eighteen inches, this would make the depth 22.5 feet. This figure might give the modern reader a false impression of exactness, however, so in the translation the phrase “fifteen cubits” has been rendered “more than twenty feet.”
[7:20] 177 tn Heb “the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward and they covered the mountains.” Obviously, a flood of twenty feet did not cover the mountains; the statement must mean the flood rose about twenty feet above the highest mountain.
[7:22] 179 tn Heb “everything which [has] the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils from all which is in the dry land.”
[7:23] 180 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[7:23] 181 tn Heb “wiped away” (cf. NRSV “blotted out”).
[7:23] 182 tn Heb “from man to animal to creeping thing and to the bird of the sky.”
[7:23] 183 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁאָר (sha’ar) means “to be left over; to survive” in the Niphal verb stem. It is the word used in later biblical texts for the remnant that escapes judgment. See G. F. Hasel, “Semantic Values of Derivatives of the Hebrew Root só’r,” AUSS 11 (1973): 152-69.
[7:24] 184 sn The Hebrew verb translated “prevailed over” suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth. The earth and everything in it were no match for the return of the chaotic deep.
[8:1] 185 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).
[8:1] 186 tn Heb “to pass over.”
[8:2] 187 tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.
[8:3] 188 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] 189 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 190 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
[8:4] 191 tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).
[8:5] 192 tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.
[8:5] 193 tn Or “could be seen.”
[8:6] 194 tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.
[8:6] 195 tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.
[8:7] 196 tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.
[8:8] 197 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 198 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[8:8] 199 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
[8:9] 200 tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:9] 201 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 202 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 203 tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”
[8:11] 204 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
[8:11] 205 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
[8:12] 206 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:12] 207 tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.
[8:13] 208 tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:13] 209 tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.
[8:14] 210 tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.
[8:17] 211 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:17] 212 tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.
[8:17] 213 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
[8:20] 214 sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the
[8:21] 215 tn The
[8:21] 216 tn Heb “and the
[8:21] 217 tn Heb “in his heart.”
[8:21] 218 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.
[8:21] 219 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.
[8:21] 220 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”
[8:21] 221 tn Heb “from his youth.”
[8:22] 222 tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”
[8:22] 223 tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.
[9:2] 224 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.
[9:2] 225 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.
[9:3] 226 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 227 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 228 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 231 tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.
[9:4] 232 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:5] 233 tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.
[9:5] 234 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.
[9:5] 235 tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.
[9:5] 236 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 237 tn Heb “of the man.”
[9:5] 238 tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.
[9:6] 239 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 240 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 241 sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.
[9:6] 242 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 243 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).
[9:8] 244 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 245 tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”
[9:9] 246 tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.
[9:10] 247 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 248 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
[9:11] 249 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:11] 251 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 253 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
[9:12] 254 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 255 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 256 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 257 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
[9:13] 258 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
[9:13] 259 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 260 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 261 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 262 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:15] 263 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:15] 264 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:16] 265 tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”
[9:17] 266 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:18] 267 sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.
[9:19] 268 tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.
[9:20] 269 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 270 tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”
[9:21] 271 tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.
[9:22] 272 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
[9:22] 273 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
[9:23] 274 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
[9:23] 275 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 276 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 278 tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.
[9:25] 279 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
[9:25] 280 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
[9:25] 281 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
[9:26] 282 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 283 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 284 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 285 tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).
[10:1] 286 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 287 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 288 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[10:2] 289 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 290 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
[10:2] 291 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
[10:2] 292 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 293 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 294 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 295 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 296 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 297 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 298 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
[10:3] 299 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 300 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
[10:4] 301 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 302 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
[10:4] 303 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
[10:4] 304 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 305 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 306 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 307 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 308 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 309 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 310 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
[10:7] 311 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 312 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 313 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 314 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 315 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 316 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
[10:9] 317 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
[10:9] 318 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 319 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
[10:10] 321 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 322 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 323 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
[10:10] 324 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 325 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
[10:11] 327 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 328 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 329 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 330 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 331 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 332 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 333 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 334 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 335 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 336 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 337 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 338 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 339 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
[10:14] 340 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 341 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 342 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 343 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[10:16] 344 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 345 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
[10:16] 346 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
[10:17] 347 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 348 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 349 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 350 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 351 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 352 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 354 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 355 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 356 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 357 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 358 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
[10:22] 359 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 360 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
[10:22] 361 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 362 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 363 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 364 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:24] 365 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 366 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[10:24] 367 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 368 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
[10:26] 369 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 370 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 371 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 372 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 373 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 374 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 375 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 376 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 377 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 378 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 379 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
[10:29] 380 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
[10:30] 381 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:32] 382 tn Or “separated.”
[11:1] 383 sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.
[11:1] 384 tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.
[11:2] 385 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:2] 386 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
[11:2] 387 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
[11:3] 388 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
[11:3] 389 tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).
[11:3] 390 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[11:3] 391 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[11:4] 392 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
[11:4] 393 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
[11:4] 394 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
[11:4] 395 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
[11:5] 396 tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.
[11:5] 397 tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.
[11:6] 398 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
[11:6] 399 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
[11:6] 400 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
[11:7] 401 tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the
[11:7] 402 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 403 tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.
[11:9] 404 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
[11:9] 405 sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[11:11] 406 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 407 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 408 tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[11:15] 409 tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:28] 410 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[11:28] 411 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
[11:29] 412 sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.
[11:29] 413 sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.
[11:32] 414 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
[11:32] 415 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:1] 416 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 417 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 418 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”).
[14:2] 420 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
[14:3] 421 tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.
[14:3] 422 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.
[14:3] 423 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 424 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 425 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 426 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
[14:5] 427 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
[14:6] 428 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
[14:7] 429 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”
[14:9] 431 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 432 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 433 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”
[14:10] 434 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
[14:10] 435 tn Heb “the rest.”
[14:10] 436 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.
[14:11] 437 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 438 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 440 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 441 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 442 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
[14:13] 443 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
[14:13] 444 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 445 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 446 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
[14:13] 447 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
[14:14] 448 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
[14:14] 449 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
[14:14] 450 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 451 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
[14:15] 452 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 453 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 454 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 455 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 456 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 457 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 458 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 459 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 460 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 461 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
[14:18] 462 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:19] 463 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 464 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
[14:19] 465 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 466 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
[14:20] 467 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
[14:20] 468 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 469 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 470 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 471 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 472 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 473 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 474 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[15:1] 475 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
[15:1] 476 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
[15:2] 477 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 478 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 479 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 480 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
[15:2] 481 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 482 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
[15:3] 483 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 484 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 485 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 486 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
[15:4] 487 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 488 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 489 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 490 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:4] 491 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 492 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 493 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 494 tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.
[15:6] 495 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 496 tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.
[15:6] 497 tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).
[15:7] 498 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 499 sn I am the
[15:7] 500 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[15:8] 501 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 502 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 503 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 505 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 506 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 507 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 508 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
[15:12] 509 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 510 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 511 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.
[15:13] 512 tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.
[15:13] 513 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 514 tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.
[15:14] 515 tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.
[15:15] 516 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 517 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 518 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 519 sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.
[15:16] 520 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 521 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:17] 522 sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).
[15:17] 523 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 524 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 525 tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).
[15:18] 526 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 527 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 528 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
[16:1] 529 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 530 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 531 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 532 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[16:2] 533 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 534 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 535 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 536 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 537 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
[16:3] 538 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 539 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
[16:4] 540 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 541 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 542 tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.
[16:5] 543 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 544 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 546 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
[16:5] 547 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 548 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 549 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 550 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 551 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 552 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 553 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 554 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 555 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 556 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 557 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
[16:10] 558 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 559 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 560 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 561 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 562 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
[16:11] 563 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 564 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
[16:12] 565 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
[16:12] 566 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 567 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
[16:13] 568 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
[16:13] 569 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 570 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 571 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
[16:14] 572 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 573 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 574 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 575 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 576 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
[17:1] 577 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 578 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[17:1] 579 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[17:1] 580 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”
[17:1] 581 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 582 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
[17:2] 583 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 584 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 585 tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.
[17:3] 586 tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:4] 588 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 589 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 590 sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.
[17:5] 591 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 592 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 593 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 594 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 595 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).
[17:7] 596 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 597 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 598 tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.
[17:8] 599 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 600 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
[17:9] 601 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
[17:10] 602 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 603 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.
[17:12] 605 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 606 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 607 tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:13] 608 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 609 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 610 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] 611 tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:15] 612 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 613 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.
[17:16] 614 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 616 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
[17:17] 617 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 618 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 619 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 620 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
[17:17] 621 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 622 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 623 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 624 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).
[17:19] 625 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 626 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
[17:20] 627 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 628 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
[17:22] 629 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:23] 630 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
[17:23] 631 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 632 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 633 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 634 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 635 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 636 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 637 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 638 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 639 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 640 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 641 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.
[18:2] 642 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
[18:2] 643 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 644 tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).
[18:2] 645 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 646 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
[18:3] 647 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 648 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 649 tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.
[18:5] 650 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 651 tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.
[18:5] 652 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 653 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
[18:6] 654 tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.
[18:6] 655 sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.
[18:6] 656 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 657 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 658 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
[18:8] 659 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 660 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:8] 661 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 662 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 663 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
[18:10] 664 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 665 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 666 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 667 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 669 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 671 tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.
[18:12] 672 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 673 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 674 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 675 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 676 sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the
[18:15] 677 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 678 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 679 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 680 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 681 tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.
[18:17] 682 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 683 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
[18:18] 684 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 685 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[18:19] 686 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
[18:19] 687 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
[18:19] 688 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 689 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 690 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 691 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
[18:21] 693 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 694 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 695 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 696 tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the
[18:22] 698 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 699 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 701 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
[18:27] 702 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 703 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 704 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 705 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 706 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 707 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 708 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 709 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 710 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 711 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 712 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 713 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 714 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 715 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 716 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 717 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 718 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 719 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 720 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 721 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
[19:4] 722 tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.
[19:4] 723 tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.
[19:5] 724 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 725 tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.
[19:7] 726 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 727 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 728 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 730 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
[19:9] 731 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 732 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 733 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
[19:9] 734 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
[19:9] 735 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 736 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 737 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:10] 738 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 739 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 740 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 741 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 742 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] 743 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 744 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 745 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 746 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 747 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 748 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 749 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 750 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
[19:14] 751 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 752 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
[19:15] 753 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 754 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
[19:15] 755 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 756 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 757 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 758 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
[19:17] 759 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
[19:17] 761 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
[19:17] 762 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 763 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 764 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
[19:19] 765 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 766 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 767 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
[19:19] 768 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 770 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
[19:19] 771 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 772 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
[19:20] 773 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 774 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 775 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 776 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 777 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
[19:21] 778 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 779 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
[19:22] 780 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 781 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
[19:23] 782 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 783 tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.
[19:24] 784 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 785 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 786 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 787 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 788 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 789 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 790 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 791 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 792 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 793 tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:28] 794 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 795 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 796 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 797 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 798 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 799 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 800 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 801 tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.
[19:31] 802 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 803 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 804 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
[19:32] 805 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 806 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 807 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 808 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 809 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:33] 810 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 811 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 812 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 813 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 814 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 815 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 816 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 817 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 818 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
[19:38] 819 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
[20:1] 820 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 821 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 823 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] 824 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 825 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 826 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] 827 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 828 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 829 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 830 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 831 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 832 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 833 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 834 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 835 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 836 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 837 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 838 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 839 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 840 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 841 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 842 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] 843 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 844 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 845 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 846 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 847 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 848 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 849 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] 850 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 851 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 852 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 853 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] 854 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] 855 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] 856 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 857 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 858 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
