Discovery BoxGenesis 8:1--10:32
Context8:1 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.”
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. 40 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 41 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 42 As I gave you 43 the green plants, I now give 44 you everything.
9:4 But 45 you must not eat meat 46 with its life (that is, 47 its blood) in it. 48 9:5 For your lifeblood 49 I will surely exact punishment, 50 from 51 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 52 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 53 since the man was his relative. 54
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 55
by other humans 56
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 57
God 58 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 59 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 60 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 61 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 62 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. 63 9:11 I confirm 64 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 65 be wiped out 66 by the waters of a flood; 67 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 68 of the covenant I am making 69 with you 70 and every living creature with you, a covenant 71 for all subsequent 72 generations: 9:13 I will place 73 my rainbow 74 in the clouds, and it will become 75 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 76 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 77 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 78 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 79 all living things. 80 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 81 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 82 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.) 83 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 84
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 85 began to plant a vineyard. 86 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 87 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 88 saw his father’s nakedness 89 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 90 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 91 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 92 he learned 93 what his youngest son had done 94 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 97
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 98 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 99
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 100
May he live 101 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 102 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 103 were born 104 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 105 were Gomer, 106 Magog, 107 Madai, 108 Javan, 109 Tubal, 110 Meshech, 111 and Tiras. 112 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 113 Askenaz, 114 Riphath, 115 and Togarmah. 116 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 117 Tarshish, 118 the Kittim, 119 and the Dodanim. 120 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, 121 Mizraim, 122 Put, 123 and Canaan. 124 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 125 Havilah, 126 Sabtah, 127 Raamah, 128 and Sabteca. 129 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 130 and Dedan. 131
10:8 Cush was the father of 132 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 133 before the Lord. 134 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 135 of his kingdom were Babel, 136 Erech, 137 Akkad, 138 and Calneh 139 in the land of Shinar. 140 10:11 From that land he went 141 to Assyria, 142 where he built Nineveh, 143 Rehoboth-Ir, 144 Calah, 145 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 146
10:13 Mizraim 147 was the father of 148 the Ludites, 149 Anamites, 150 Lehabites, 151 Naphtuhites, 152 10:14 Pathrusites, 153 Casluhites 154 (from whom the Philistines came), 155 and Caphtorites. 156
10:15 Canaan was the father of 157 Sidon his firstborn, 158 Heth, 159 10:16 the Jebusites, 160 Amorites, 161 Girgashites, 162 10:17 Hivites, 163 Arkites, 164 Sinites, 165 10:18 Arvadites, 166 Zemarites, 167 and Hamathites. 168 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 169 from Sidon 170 all the way to 171 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 172 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 173 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 174 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 175 Asshur, 176 Arphaxad, 177 Lud, 178 and Aram. 179 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 180 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 181 Shelah, 182 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 183 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 184 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 185 Almodad, 186 Sheleph, 187 Hazarmaveth, 188 Jerah, 189 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 190 Diklah, 191 10:28 Obal, 192 Abimael, 193 Sheba, 194 10:29 Ophir, 195 Havilah, 196 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 197 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 198 over the earth after the flood.
Genesis 19:1-38
Context19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 199 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 200 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 201 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 202 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 203
19:3 But he urged 204 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, 205 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 206 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 207 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 208 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! 209 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 210 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 211 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 212 of my roof.” 213
19:9 “Out of our way!” 214 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 215 and now he dares to judge us! 216 We’ll do more harm 217 to you than to them!” They kept 218 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 219 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 220 reached out 221 and pulled Lot back into the house 222 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, 223 with blindness. The men outside 224 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 225 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 226 Do you have 227 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 228 Get them out of this 229 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 230 it. The outcry against this place 231 is so great before the Lord that he 232 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. 233 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 234 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 235
19:15 At dawn 236 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 237 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 238 19:16 When Lot 239 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 240 They led them away and placed them 241 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 242 said, “Run 243 for your lives! Don’t look 244 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 245 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 246 19:19 Your 247 servant has found favor with you, 248 and you have shown me great 249 kindness 250 by sparing 251 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 252 this disaster will overtake 253 me and I’ll die. 254 19:20 Look, this town 255 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 256 Let me go there. 257 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 258 Then I’ll survive.” 259
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 260 “I will grant this request too 261 and will not overthrow 262 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 263 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 264
19:23 The sun had just risen 265 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 266 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 267 sulfur and fire 268 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 269 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 270 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 271 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 272 wife looked back longingly 273 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 274 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 275 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 276 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 277
19:29 So when God destroyed 278 the cities of the region, 279 God honored 280 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 281 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 282 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 283 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 284 to have sexual relations with us, 285 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 286 so we can have sexual relations 287 with him and preserve 288 our family line through our father.” 289
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 290 and the older daughter 291 came and had sexual relations with her father. 292 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 293 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 294 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 295 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 296 19:35 So they made their father drunk 297 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 298 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 299
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 300 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 301 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. 302 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
Genesis 26:1-35
Context26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 303 in the days of Abraham. 304 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 305 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 306 26:3 Stay 307 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 308 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 309 and I will fulfill 310 the solemn promise I made 311 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 312 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 313 26:5 All this will come to pass 314 because Abraham obeyed me 315 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 316 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 317 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 318 “The men of this place will kill me to get 319 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 320 had been there a long time, 321 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 322 Isaac caressing 323 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 324 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 325
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 326 One of the men 327 might easily have had sexual relations with 328 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 329 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 330
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 331 because the Lord blessed him. 332 26:13 The man became wealthy. 333 His influence continued to grow 334 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 335 so many sheep 336 and cattle 337 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 338 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 339 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, 340 for you have become much more powerful 341 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 342 26:18 Isaac reopened 343 the wells that had been dug 344 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 345 after Abraham died. Isaac 346 gave these wells 347 the same names his father had given them. 348
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 349 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 350 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 351 named the well 352 Esek 353 because they argued with him about it. 354 26:21 His servants 355 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 356 Sitnah. 357 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 358 named it 359 Rehoboth, 360 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 361 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 362 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 363
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 364 to him from Gerar along with 365 Ahuzzah his friend 366 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 367 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 368 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 369 a pact between us 370 – between us 371 and you. Allow us to make 372 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 373 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 374 you, but have always treated you well 375 before sending you away 376 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 377
26:30 So Isaac 378 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 379 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 380 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 381
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 382 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 383 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 384 to this day.
26:34 When 385 Esau was forty years old, 386 he married 387 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 388
Genesis 35:1-29
Context35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 389 to Bethel 390 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 391 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 392 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 393 35:3 Let us go up at once 394 to Bethel. Then I will make 395 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 396 and has been with me wherever I went.” 397
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 398 and the rings that were in their ears. 399 Jacob buried them 400 under the oak 401 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 402 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 403 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 404 in the land of Canaan. 405 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 406 because there God had revealed himself 407 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 408 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 409 Oak of Weeping.) 410
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 411 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 412 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 413 35:12 The land I gave 414 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 415 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 416 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 417 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 418 35:15 Jacob named the place 419 where God spoke with him Bethel. 420
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 421 Rachel went into labor 422 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 423 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 424 35:18 With her dying breath, 425 she named him Ben-Oni. 426 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 427 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 428 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 429 over her grave; it is 430 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 431 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 432 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 433 to Kiriath Arba 434 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 435 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 436 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 437 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 438 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 3:3-5
Context3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, 439 or else you will die.’” 440 3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 441 3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open 442 and you will be like divine beings who know 443 good and evil.” 444
Genesis 3:9-11
Context3:9 But the Lord God called to 445 the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 446 3:10 The man replied, 447 “I heard you moving about 448 in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God 449 said, “Who told you that you were naked? 450 Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 451
Genesis 3:14-16
Context3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, 452
“Because you have done this,
cursed 453 are you above all the wild beasts
and all the living creatures of the field!
On your belly you will crawl 454
and dust you will eat 455 all the days of your life.
3:15 And I will put hostility 456 between you and the woman
and between your offspring and her offspring; 457
her offspring will attack 458 your head,
and 459 you 460 will attack her offspring’s heel.” 461
3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase 462 your labor pains; 463
with pain you will give birth to children.
You will want to control your husband, 464
but he will dominate 465 you.”
[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
[8:21] 31 tn The
[8:21] 32 tn Heb “and the
[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.
[9:2] 40 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] 41 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] 42 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 43 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 44 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 47 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] 48 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:5] 49 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] 50 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] 51 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] 52 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 54 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] 55 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 56 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 57 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] 58 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 59 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] 60 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 61 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] 62 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] 63 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 64 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] 67 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 69 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] 70 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 71 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 72 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 73 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] 74 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] 75 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 76 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 77 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 79 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:16] 81 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.”
[9:18] 83 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] 84 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] 85 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 86 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] 87 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] 88 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] 89 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] 90 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] 91 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 92 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 94 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] 95 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] 96 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] 97 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] 98 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 99 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 100 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 101 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] 102 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] 103 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] 104 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] 105 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 106 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] 107 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] 108 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 109 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 110 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] 111 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] 112 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 113 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 114 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] 115 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 116 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] 117 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 118 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] 119 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] 120 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 121 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 122 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 123 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 124 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 125 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 126 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] 127 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 128 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 129 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 130 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 131 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 132 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] 133 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] 134 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 135 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] 137 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 138 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 139 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] 140 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 141 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] 143 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 144 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 145 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 146 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 147 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 148 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 149 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 150 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 151 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 152 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 153 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 154 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 155 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] 156 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 157 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 158 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 159 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] 160 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 161 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] 162 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] 163 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 164 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 165 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 166 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 167 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 168 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 170 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 171 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 172 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 173 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 174 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] 175 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 176 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] 177 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 178 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 179 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 180 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:24] 181 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 182 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] 183 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 184 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] 185 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 186 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 187 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 188 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 189 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 190 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 191 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 192 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 193 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 194 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 195 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] 196 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
[10:30] 197 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:32] 198 tn Or “separated.”
[19:1] 199 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 200 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] 201 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 202 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 203 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 204 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] 205 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] 206 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] 207 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 208 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] 209 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 210 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 211 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 213 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] 214 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 215 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 216 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] 217 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] 218 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 219 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 220 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] 221 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 222 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 223 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 224 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 225 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] 226 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 227 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 228 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 229 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 230 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 231 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 232 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 233 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] 234 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 235 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] 236 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 237 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] 238 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 239 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 240 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 241 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] 242 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] 244 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] 245 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 246 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 247 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] 248 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 249 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 250 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] 251 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 253 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] 254 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 255 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] 256 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 257 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 258 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 259 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 260 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] 261 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 262 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] 263 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 264 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] 265 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 266 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] 267 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 268 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 269 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 270 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 271 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 272 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 273 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 274 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 275 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 276 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] 277 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 278 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 279 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 280 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 281 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 282 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 283 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 284 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] 285 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 286 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 287 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] 288 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 289 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 290 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 291 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 292 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] 293 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 294 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 295 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 296 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 297 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 298 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 299 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 300 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 301 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] 302 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.
[26:1] 303 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 304 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 305 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:2] 306 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 307 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 308 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] 309 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] 310 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 311 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:4] 312 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 313 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 314 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 315 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 316 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 317 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 318 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 319 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 320 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 321 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 322 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:9] 324 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 325 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 326 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 328 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 329 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 330 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 331 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 332 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 333 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 334 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 335 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 336 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 337 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 338 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 339 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 340 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 341 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] 342 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:18] 343 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 344 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 345 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 346 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 347 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 348 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 349 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 350 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 351 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 352 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 353 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 354 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 355 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 356 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 357 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 358 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 359 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 360 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 361 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 362 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 363 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 364 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 366 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 367 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 368 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 369 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 370 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 371 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 372 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 373 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 375 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 376 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 377 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 378 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 379 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 380 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 381 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 382 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 383 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 384 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 385 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 386 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 387 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 388 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[35:1] 389 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[35:1] 390 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:1] 391 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
[35:2] 392 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
[35:2] 393 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
[35:3] 394 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
[35:3] 395 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
[35:3] 396 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
[35:3] 397 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
[35:4] 398 tn Heb “in their hand.”
[35:4] 399 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
[35:4] 400 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
[35:5] 402 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
[35:5] 403 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
[35:6] 404 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:6] 405 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
[35:7] 406 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
[35:7] 407 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
[35:8] 408 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
[35:8] 409 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
[35:8] 410 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
[35:10] 411 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:11] 412 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 its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[35:11] 413 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
[35:12] 414 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
[35:12] 415 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
[35:13] 416 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
[35:14] 417 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
[35:14] 418 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
[35:15] 419 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
[35:15] 420 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
[35:16] 421 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
[35:16] 422 tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”
[35:17] 423 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
[35:17] 424 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
[35:18] 425 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
[35:18] 426 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
[35:18] 427 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
[35:19] 428 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
[35:20] 429 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[35:20] 430 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
[35:21] 431 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
[35:22] 432 tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
[35:27] 433 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
[35:27] 434 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
[35:27] 435 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
[35:28] 436 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
[35:29] 437 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[35:29] 438 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
[3:3] 439 sn And you must not touch it. The woman adds to God’s prohibition, making it say more than God expressed. G. von Rad observes that it is as though she wanted to set a law for herself by means of this exaggeration (Genesis [OTL], 86).
[3:3] 440 tn The Hebrew construction is פֶּן (pen) with the imperfect tense, which conveys a negative purpose: “lest you die” = “in order that you not die.” By stating the warning in this way, the woman omits the emphatic infinitive used by God (“you shall surely die,” see 2:17).
[3:4] 441 tn The response of the serpent includes the infinitive absolute with a blatant negation equal to saying: “Not – you will surely die” (לֹא מוֹת תִּמֻתען, lo’ mot tÿmutun). The construction makes this emphatic because normally the negative particle precedes the finite verb. The serpent is a liar, denying that there is a penalty for sin (see John 8:44).
[3:5] 442 tn Or “you will have understanding.” This obviously refers to the acquisition of the “knowledge of good and evil,” as the next statement makes clear.
[3:5] 443 tn Or perhaps “like God, knowing.” It is unclear how the plural participle translated “knowing” is functioning. On the one hand, יֹדְעֵי (yodÿ’e) could be taken as a substantival participle functioning as a predicative adjective in the sentence. In this case one might translate: “You will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil.” On the other hand, it could be taken as an attributive adjective modifying אֱלֹהִים (’elohim). In this case אֱלֹהִים has to be taken as a numerical plural referring to “gods,” “divine beings,” for if the one true God were the intended referent, a singular form of the participle would almost certainly appear as a modifier. Following this line of interpretation, one could translate, “You will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” The following context may favor this translation, for in 3:22 God says to an unidentified group, “Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” It is probable that God is addressing his heavenly court (see the note on the word “make” in 1:26), the members of which can be called “gods” or “divine beings” from the ancient Israelite perspective. (We know some of these beings as messengers or “angels.”) An examination of parallel constructions shows that a predicative understanding (“you will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil,” cf. NIV, NRSV) is possible, but rare (see Gen 27:23, where “hairy” is predicative, complementing the verb “to be”). The statistical evidence strongly suggests that the participle is attributive, modifying “divine beings” (see Ps 31:12; Isa 1:30; 13:14; 16:2; 29:5; 58:11; Jer 14:9; 20:9; 23:9; 31:12; 48:41; 49:22; Hos 7:11; Amos 4:11). In all of these texts, where a comparative clause and accompanying adjective/participle follow a copulative (“to be”) verb, the adjective/participle is attributive after the noun in the comparative clause.
[3:5] 444 sn You will be like divine beings who know good and evil. The serpent raises doubts about the integrity of God. He implies that the only reason for the prohibition was that God was protecting the divine domain. If the man and woman were to eat, they would enter into that domain. The temptation is to overstep divinely established boundaries. (See D. E. Gowan, When Man Becomes God [PTMS], 25.)
[3:9] 445 tn The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call”) followed by the preposition אֶל־ or לְ (’el- or lÿ, “to, unto”) often carries the connotation of “summon.”
[3:9] 446 sn Where are you? The question is probably rhetorical (a figure of speech called erotesis) rather than literal, because it was spoken to the man, who answers it with an explanation of why he was hiding rather than a location. The question has more the force of “Why are you hiding?”
[3:10] 447 tn Heb “and he said.”
[3:10] 448 tn Heb “your sound.” If one sees a storm theophany here (see the note on the word “time” in v. 8), then one could translate, “your powerful voice.”
[3:11] 449 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (the
[3:11] 450 sn Who told you that you were naked? This is another rhetorical question, asking more than what it appears to ask. The second question in the verse reveals the
[3:11] 451 sn The Hebrew word order (“Did you from the tree – which I commanded you not to eat from it – eat?”) is arranged to emphasize that the man’s and the woman’s eating of the fruit was an act of disobedience. The relative clause inserted immediately after the reference to the tree brings out this point very well.
[3:14] 452 sn Note that God asks no question of the serpent, does not call for confession, as he did to the man and the woman; there is only the announcement of the curse. The order in this section is chiastic: The man is questioned, the woman is questioned, the serpent is cursed, sentence is passed on the woman, sentence is passed on the man.
[3:14] 453 tn The Hebrew word translated “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 comparative, then the idea is “cursed [i.e., punished] are you above [i.e., more than] all the wild beasts.” In this case the comparative preposition reflects the earlier comparison: The serpent was more shrewd than all others, and so more cursed than all others. If the preposition is taken as separative (see the note on the word “ground” in 4:11), then the idea is “cursed and banished from all the wild beasts.” In this case the serpent is condemned to isolation from all the other animals.
[3:14] 454 tn Heb “go”; “walk,” but in English “crawl” or “slither” better describes a serpent’s movement.
[3:14] 455 sn Dust you will eat. Being restricted to crawling on the ground would necessarily involve “eating dust,” although that is not the diet of the serpent. The idea of being brought low, of “eating dust” as it were, is a symbol of humiliation.
[3:15] 456 tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.
[3:15] 457 sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).
[3:15] 458 tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.
[3:15] 459 tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).
[3:15] 460 sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the
[3:15] 461 tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.
[3:16] 462 tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.
[3:16] 463 tn Heb “your pain and your conception,” suggesting to some interpreters that having a lot of children was a result of the judgment (probably to make up for the loss through death). But the next clause shows that the pain is associated with conception and childbirth. The two words form a hendiadys (where two words are joined to express one idea, like “good and angry” in English), the second explaining the first. “Conception,” if the correct meaning of the noun, must be figurative here since there is no pain in conception; it is a synecdoche, representing the entire process of childbirth and child rearing from the very start. However, recent etymological research suggests the noun is derived from a root הרר (hrr), not הרה (hrh), and means “trembling, pain” (see D. Tsumura, “A Note on הרוֹן (Gen 3,16),” Bib 75 [1994]: 398-400). In this case “pain and trembling” refers to the physical effects of childbirth. The word עִצְּבוֹן (’itsÿvon, “pain”), an abstract noun related to the verb (עָצַב, ’atsav), includes more than physical pain. It is emotional distress as well as physical pain. The same word is used in v. 17 for the man’s painful toil in the field.
[3:16] 464 tn Heb “and toward your husband [will be] your desire.” The nominal sentence does not have a verb; a future verb must be supplied, because the focus of the oracle is on the future struggle. The precise meaning of the noun תְּשׁוּקָה (tÿshuqah, “desire”) is debated. Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.” Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain. (Even in Song of Songs it carries the basic idea of “control,” for it describes the young man’s desire to “have his way sexually” with the young woman.) In Gen 3:16 the
[3:16] 465 tn The Hebrew verb מָשַׁל (mashal) means “to rule over,” but in a way that emphasizes powerful control, domination, or mastery. This also is part of the baser human nature. The translation assumes the imperfect verb form has an objective/indicative sense here. Another option is to understand it as having a modal, desiderative nuance, “but he will want to dominate you.” In this case, the
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