Genesis 8:1-22

8:1 But God remembered ¹  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over ²  the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, ³  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily ⁴  from the earth, so that they ⁵  had gone down ⁶  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. ⁷  8:5 The waters kept on receding ⁸  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. ⁹ 

8:6 At the end of forty days, ¹⁰  Noah opened the window he had made in the ark ¹¹  8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying ¹²  back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

8:8 Then Noah ¹³  sent out a dove ¹⁴  to see if the waters had receded ¹⁵  from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ¹⁶  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ¹⁷  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ¹⁸  and brought it back into the ark. ¹⁹  8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When ²⁰  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ²¹  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, ²²  but it did not return to him this time. ²³ 

8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, ²⁴  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 ²⁵  the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ²⁶  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 ²⁷  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ²⁸  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ²⁹ 

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. ³⁰  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ³¹  and said ³²  to himself, ³³  “I will never again curse ³⁴  the ground because of humankind, even though ³⁵  the inclination of their minds ³⁶  is evil from childhood on. ³⁷  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, ³⁸ 

planting time ³⁹  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

Genesis 9:4

9:4 But ⁴⁰  you must not eat meat ⁴¹  with its life (that is, ⁴²  its blood) in it. ⁴³ 

Genesis 22:7

22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ⁴⁴  “My father?” “What is it, ⁴⁵  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ⁴⁶  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Genesis 22:17-18

22:17 I will indeed bless you, ⁴⁷  and I will greatly multiply ⁴⁸  your descendants ⁴⁹  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ⁵⁰  of the strongholds ⁵¹  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ⁵²  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁵³  using the name of your descendants.’”

Genesis 26:14-19

26:14 He had ⁵⁴  so many sheep ⁵⁵  and cattle ⁵⁶  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ⁵⁷  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ⁵⁸  all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, ⁵⁹  for you have become much more powerful ⁶⁰  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ⁶¹  26:18 Isaac reopened ⁶²  the wells that had been dug ⁶³  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ⁶⁴  after Abraham died. Isaac ⁶⁵  gave these wells ⁶⁶  the same names his father had given them. ⁶⁷ 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ⁶⁸  water there,

Genesis 27:23

27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. ⁶⁹ 

John 12:29

12:29 The crowd that stood there and heard the voice ⁷⁰  said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to him. ⁷¹ 

[8:1]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “to pass over.”

[8:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:3]  ⁶ tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.

[8:4]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Or “could be seen.”

[8:6]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[8:8]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.

[8:9]  ¹⁶ tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”

[8:11]  ²⁰ tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.

[8:11]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:12]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.

[8:17]  ²⁷ tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:17]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

[8:20]  ³⁰ 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 Lord. After the flood Noah could see that God was not only a God of wrath, but a God of redemption and restoration. The one who escaped the catastrophe could best express his gratitude and submission through sacrificial worship, acknowledging God as the sovereign of the universe.

[8:21]  ³¹ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

[8:21]  ³² tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

[8:21]  ³³ tn Heb “in his heart.”

[8:21]  ³⁴ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

[8:21]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

[8:21]  ³⁷ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[8:22]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.

[9:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁴¹ tn Or “flesh.”

[9:4]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:7]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[22:7]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).

[22:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:17]  ⁴⁷ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  ⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[22:18]  ⁵² tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

[22:18]  ⁵³ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[26:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ⁶⁰ sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).

[26:17]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ⁶³ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[27:23]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:29]  ⁷⁰ tn “The voice” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[12:29]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” The direct discourse in the second half of v. 29 was converted to indirect discourse in the translation to maintain the parallelism with the first half of the verse, which is better in keeping with English style.