Genesis 8:1--10:32

8:1 But God remembered ¹  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over ²  the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, ³  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily ⁴  from the earth, so that they ⁵  had gone down ⁶  by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. ⁷  8:5 The waters kept on receding ⁸  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. ⁹ 

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

8:8 Then Noah ¹³  sent out a dove ¹⁴  to see if the waters had receded ¹⁵  from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ¹⁶  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ¹⁷  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ¹⁸  and brought it back into the ark. ¹⁹  8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When ²⁰  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ²¹  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, ²²  but it did not return to him this time. ²³ 

8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, ²⁴  in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that ²⁵  the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ²⁶  was dry.

8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out ²⁷  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ²⁸  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ²⁹ 

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.

8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ³⁰  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ³¹  and said ³²  to himself, ³³  “I will never again curse ³⁴  the ground because of humankind, even though ³⁵  the inclination of their minds ³⁶  is evil from childhood on. ³⁷  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

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

planting time ³⁹  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

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.”

The Curse of Canaan

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,

“Cursed ⁹⁵  be Canaan! ⁹⁶ 

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.

The Table of Nations

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 26:1-35

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹⁹⁹  in the days of Abraham. ²⁰⁰  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; ²⁰¹  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ²⁰²  26:3 Stay ²⁰³  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ²⁰⁴  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ²⁰⁵  and I will fulfill ²⁰⁶  the solemn promise I made ²⁰⁷  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 ²⁰⁸  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ²⁰⁹  26:5 All this will come to pass ²¹⁰  because Abraham obeyed me ²¹¹  and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ²¹²  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.” ²¹³  He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, ²¹⁴  “The men of this place will kill me to get ²¹⁵  Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”

26:8 After Isaac ²¹⁶  had been there a long time, ²¹⁷  Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed ²¹⁸  Isaac caressing ²¹⁹  his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ²²⁰  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ²²¹ 

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ²²²  One of the men ²²³  might easily have had sexual relations with ²²⁴  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches ²²⁵  this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ²²⁶ 

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ²²⁷  because the Lord blessed him. ²²⁸  26:13 The man became wealthy. ²²⁹  His influence continued to grow ²³⁰  until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had ²³¹  so many sheep ²³²  and cattle ²³³  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ²³⁴  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ²³⁵  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, ²³⁶  for you have become much more powerful ²³⁷  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ²³⁸  26:18 Isaac reopened ²³⁹  the wells that had been dug ²⁴⁰  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ²⁴¹  after Abraham died. Isaac ²⁴²  gave these wells ²⁴³  the same names his father had given them. ²⁴⁴ 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ²⁴⁵  water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ²⁴⁶  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ²⁴⁷  named the well ²⁴⁸  Esek ²⁴⁹  because they argued with him about it. ²⁵⁰  26:21 His servants ²⁵¹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ²⁵²  Sitnah. ²⁵³  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ²⁵⁴  named it ²⁵⁵  Rehoboth, ²⁵⁶  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac ²⁵⁷  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 ²⁵⁸  the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. ²⁵⁹ 

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ²⁶⁰  to him from Gerar along with ²⁶¹  Ahuzzah his friend ²⁶²  and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me ²⁶³  and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ²⁶⁴  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ²⁶⁵  a pact between us ²⁶⁶  – between us ²⁶⁷  and you. Allow us to make ²⁶⁸  a treaty with you 26:29 so that ²⁶⁹  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ²⁷⁰  you, but have always treated you well ²⁷¹  before sending you away ²⁷²  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ²⁷³ 

26:30 So Isaac ²⁷⁴  held a feast for them and they celebrated. ²⁷⁵  26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ²⁷⁶  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ²⁷⁷ 

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ²⁷⁸  26:33 So he named it Shibah; ²⁷⁹  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ²⁸⁰  to this day.

26:34 When ²⁸¹  Esau was forty years old, ²⁸²  he married ²⁸³  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. ²⁸⁴ 

Genesis 31:1-55

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ²⁸⁵  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ²⁸⁶  at our father’s expense!” ²⁸⁷  31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ²⁸⁸ 

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ²⁸⁹  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ²⁹⁰  31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah ²⁹¹  to come to the field ²⁹²  where his flocks were. ²⁹³  31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ²⁹⁴  but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, ²⁹⁵  31:7 but your father has humiliated ²⁹⁶  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, ²⁹⁷  ‘The speckled animals ²⁹⁸  will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

31:10 “Once ²⁹⁹  during breeding season I saw ³⁰⁰  in a dream that the male goats mating with ³⁰¹  the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe ³⁰²  that all the male goats mating with ³⁰³  the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, ³⁰⁴  where you anointed ³⁰⁵  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. ³⁰⁶  Now leave this land immediately ³⁰⁷  and return to your native land.’”

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance ³⁰⁸  in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted ³⁰⁹  the money paid for us! ³¹⁰  31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”

31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. ³¹¹  31:18 He took ³¹²  away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. ³¹³ 

31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, ³¹⁴  Rachel stole the household idols ³¹⁵  that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived ³¹⁶  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ³¹⁷  31:21 He left ³¹⁸  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ³¹⁹  the Euphrates River ³²⁰  and headed for ³²¹  the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. ³²²  31:23 So he took his relatives ³²³  with him and pursued Jacob ³²⁴  for seven days. ³²⁵  He caught up with ³²⁶  him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ³²⁷  “Be careful ³²⁸  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ³²⁹ 

31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. ³³⁰  31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me ³³¹  and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! ³³²  31:27 Why did you run away secretly ³³³  and deceive me? ³³⁴  Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? ³³⁵  31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren ³³⁶  good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have ³³⁷  the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful ³³⁸  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ ³³⁹  31:30 Now I understand that ³⁴⁰  you have gone away ³⁴¹  because you longed desperately ³⁴²  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ³⁴³ 

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” ³⁴⁴  Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought ³⁴⁵  you might take your daughters away from me by force. ³⁴⁶  31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! ³⁴⁷  In the presence of our relatives ³⁴⁸  identify whatever is yours and take it.” ³⁴⁹  (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) ³⁵⁰ 

31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. ³⁵¹  Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ³⁵²  31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle ³⁵³  and sat on them.) ³⁵⁴  Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ³⁵⁵  31:35 Rachel ³⁵⁶  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ³⁵⁷  my lord. I cannot stand up ³⁵⁸  in your presence because I am having my period.” ³⁵⁹  So he searched thoroughly, ³⁶⁰  but did not find the idols.

31:36 Jacob became angry ³⁶¹  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ³⁶²  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ³⁶³  31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? ³⁶⁴  Set it here before my relatives and yours, ³⁶⁵  and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! ³⁶⁶ 

31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. ³⁶⁷  You always made me pay for every missing animal, ³⁶⁸  whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat ³⁶⁹  during the day and by piercing cold ³⁷⁰  at night, and I went without sleep. ³⁷¹  31:41 This was my lot ³⁷²  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ³⁷³  for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears ³⁷⁴  – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, ³⁷⁵  and he rebuked you last night.”

31:43 Laban replied ³⁷⁶  to Jacob, “These women ³⁷⁷  are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, ³⁷⁸  and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today ³⁷⁹  or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ³⁸⁰  you and I, and it will be ³⁸¹  proof that we have made peace.” ³⁸² 

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he ³⁸³  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ³⁸⁴  They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ³⁸⁵  but Jacob called it Galeed. ³⁸⁶ 

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement ³⁸⁷  today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah ³⁸⁸  because he said, “May the Lord watch ³⁸⁹  between us ³⁹⁰  when we are out of sight of one another. ³⁹¹  31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ³⁹²  that God is witness to your actions.” ³⁹³ 

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ³⁹⁴  31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. ³⁹⁵  31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ³⁹⁶  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ³⁹⁷  31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice ³⁹⁸  on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. ³⁹⁹  They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

31:55 (32:1) ⁴⁰⁰  Early in the morning Laban kissed ⁴⁰¹  his grandchildren ⁴⁰²  and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. ⁴⁰³ 

Genesis 35:1-29

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ⁴⁰⁴  to Bethel ⁴⁰⁵  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ⁴⁰⁶  35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ⁴⁰⁷  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ⁴⁰⁸  35:3 Let us go up at once ⁴⁰⁹  to Bethel. Then I will make ⁴¹⁰  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ⁴¹¹  and has been with me wherever I went.” ⁴¹² 

35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ⁴¹³  and the rings that were in their ears. ⁴¹⁴  Jacob buried them ⁴¹⁵  under the oak ⁴¹⁶  near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. ⁴¹⁷  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ⁴¹⁸  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) ⁴¹⁹  in the land of Canaan. ⁴²⁰  35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ⁴²¹  because there God had revealed himself ⁴²²  to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, ⁴²³  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ⁴²⁴  Oak of Weeping.) ⁴²⁵ 

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. ⁴²⁶  35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ⁴²⁷  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ⁴²⁸  35:12 The land I gave ⁴²⁹  to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants ⁴³⁰  I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place ⁴³¹  where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. ⁴³²  He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. ⁴³³  35:15 Jacob named the place ⁴³⁴  where God spoke with him Bethel. ⁴³⁵ 

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ⁴³⁶  Rachel went into labor ⁴³⁷  – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, ⁴³⁸  the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” ⁴³⁹  35:18 With her dying breath, ⁴⁴⁰  she named him Ben-Oni. ⁴⁴¹  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ⁴⁴²  35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ⁴⁴³  35:20 Jacob set up a marker ⁴⁴⁴  over her grave; it is ⁴⁴⁵  the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ⁴⁴⁶  35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ⁴⁴⁷  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, ⁴⁴⁸  to Kiriath Arba ⁴⁴⁹  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ⁴⁵⁰  35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. ⁴⁵¹  35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. ⁴⁵²  He died an old man who had lived a full life. ⁴⁵³  His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 5:6

5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father ⁴⁵⁴  of Enosh.

Genesis 6:7

6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, ⁴⁵⁵  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

Genesis 12:8

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ⁴⁵⁶  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ⁴⁵⁷ 

Genesis 14:18

14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ⁴⁵⁸  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ⁴⁵⁹ 

Numbers 15:25

15:25 And the priest is to make atonement ⁴⁶⁰  for the whole community of the Israelites, and they will be forgiven, ⁴⁶¹  because it was unintentional and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their purification offering before the Lord, for their unintentional offense.

Psalms 22:14

22:14 My strength drains away like water; ⁴⁶² 

all my bones are dislocated;

my heart ⁴⁶³  is like wax;

it melts away inside me.

Hebrews 1:3

1:3 The Son is ⁴⁶⁴  the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, ⁴⁶⁵  and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ⁴⁶⁶ 

Hebrews 9:14

9:14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our ⁴⁶⁷  consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

[8:1]  ¹ tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).

[8:1]  ² tn Heb “to pass over.”

[8:2]  ³ tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.

[8:3]  ⁴ tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”

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

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

[8:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).

[8:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.

[8:5]  ⁹ tn Or “could be seen.”

[8:6]  ¹⁰ tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.

[8:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.

[8:7]  ¹² tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[8:11]  ²¹ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.

[8:12]  ²² tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:12]  ²³ tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.

[8:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.

[8:14]  ²⁶ tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.

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

[8:17]  ²⁸ tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.

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

[8:20]  ³⁰ sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the Lord. After the flood Noah could see that God was not only a God of wrath, but a God of redemption and restoration. The one who escaped the catastrophe could best express his gratitude and submission through sacrificial worship, acknowledging God as the sovereign of the universe.

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

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

[8:21]  ³³ tn Heb “in his heart.”

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

[8:21]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

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

[8:21]  ³⁷ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[8:22]  ³⁸ tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”

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

[9:2]  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]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “flesh.”

[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]  ⁵³ tn Heb “of the man.”

[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]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “cut off.”

[9:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”

[9:12]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “sign.”

[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]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:15]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “to destroy.”

[9:15]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[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.”

[9:17]  ⁸² tn Heb “all flesh.”

[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]  ⁹³ tn Heb “he knew.”

[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 mss read “Dodanim” here, but 1 Chr 1:7 has “Rodanim,” perhaps referring to the island of Rhodes. But the Qere reading in 1 Chr 1:7 suggests “Dodanim.” Dodona is one of the most ancient and revered spots in ancient Greece.

[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 Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”

[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]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “Babylon.”

[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]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “Asshur.”

[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]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “were.”

[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.”

[26:1]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ²⁰⁰ 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]  ²⁰¹ 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]  ²⁰² tn Heb “say to you.”

[26:3]  ²⁰³ 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]  ²⁰⁴ tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ²⁰⁵ 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]  ²⁰⁶ 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]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[26:4]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ²⁰⁹ 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]  ²¹⁰ tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[26:5]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[26:5]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.

[26:7]  ²¹⁴ 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]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “kill me on account of.”

[26:8]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:8]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”

[26:8]  ²¹⁸ 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.

[26:8]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “fondling.”

[26:9]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² 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]  ²²³ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ 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]  ²²⁶ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.

[26:12]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ²²⁸ tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[26:13]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.

[26:13]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.

[26:14]  ²³¹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ²³² tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ²³³ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ²³⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ²³⁷ 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]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:18]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ²⁴² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:20]  ²⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ²⁴⁹ 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]  ²⁵⁰ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:21]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ²⁵² tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ²⁵³ 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]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:25]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 21:33). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.

[26:25]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

[26:26]  ²⁶⁰ 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]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ²⁶² 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]  ²⁶³ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.

[26:28]  ²⁶⁴ tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ²⁶⁵ 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]  ²⁶⁶ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ²⁶⁷ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ²⁶⁸ 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]  ²⁶⁹ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

[26:29]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “touched.”

[26:29]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

[26:29]  ²⁷² tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

[26:29]  ²⁷³ 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]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:30]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”

[26:31]  ²⁷⁶ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

[26:31]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

[26:32]  ²⁷⁸ 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]  ²⁷⁹ 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]  ²⁸⁰ 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]  ²⁸¹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.

[26:34]  ²⁸² tn Heb “the son of forty years.”

[26:34]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “took as a wife.”

[26:35]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”

[31:1]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”

[31:1]  ²⁸⁶ sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).

[31:1]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”

[31:2]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.

[31:3]  ²⁸⁹ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ²⁹⁰ sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:4]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.

[31:4]  ²⁹² tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “to his flock.”

[31:5]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:6]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:7]  ²⁹⁶ tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).

[31:8]  ²⁹⁷ tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.

[31:8]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.

[31:10]  ²⁹⁹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”

[31:10]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”

[31:10]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:12]  ³⁰² tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

[31:12]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:13]  ³⁰⁴ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[31:13]  ³⁰⁵ sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

[31:13]  ³⁰⁶ sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

[31:13]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

[31:14]  ³⁰⁸ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

[31:15]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.

[31:15]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.

[31:17]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”

[31:18]  ³¹² tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.

[31:18]  ³¹³ tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”

[31:19]  ³¹⁴ tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.

[31:19]  ³¹⁵ tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.

[31:20]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.

[31:20]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:21]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ³²¹ tn Heb “he set his face.”

[31:22]  ³²² tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”

[31:23]  ³²³ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[31:23]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

[31:23]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “drew close to.”

[31:24]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

[31:25]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.

[31:26]  ³³¹ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

[31:26]  ³³² tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

[31:27]  ³³³ tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”

[31:27]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “and steal me.”

[31:27]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”

[31:28]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:29]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

[31:29]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:29]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

[31:30]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[31:30]  ³⁴¹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

[31:30]  ³⁴² tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

[31:30]  ³⁴³ sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.

[31:31]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:31]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “for I said.”

[31:31]  ³⁴⁶ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”

[31:32]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”

[31:32]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[31:32]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”

[31:32]  ³⁵⁰ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

[31:33]  ³⁵¹ tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:33]  ³⁵² tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”

[31:34]  ³⁵³ tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”

[31:34]  ³⁵⁴ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.

[31:34]  ³⁵⁵ tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:35]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ³⁶⁰ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:36]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.

[31:36]  ³⁶² tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[31:36]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).

[31:37]  ³⁶⁴ tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”

[31:37]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[31:37]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”

[31:39]  ³⁶⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.

[31:39]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.

[31:40]  ³⁶⁹ tn Or “by drought.”

[31:40]  ³⁷⁰ tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.

[31:40]  ³⁷¹ tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”

[31:41]  ³⁷² tn Heb “this to me.”

[31:41]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”

[31:42]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.

[31:42]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[31:43]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[31:43]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “daughters.”

[31:43]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “children.”

[31:43]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”

[31:44]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ³⁸¹ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ³⁸² tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

[31:46]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ³⁸⁴ sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[31:47]  ³⁸⁵ sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”

[31:47]  ³⁸⁶ sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.

[31:48]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”

[31:49]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

[31:49]  ³⁸⁹ sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

[31:49]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:49]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”

[31:50]  ³⁹² tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:51]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:52]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”

[31:53]  ³⁹⁶ tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.

[31:53]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

[31:54]  ³⁹⁸ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

[31:54]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.

[31:55]  ⁴⁰⁰ sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[31:55]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”

[31:55]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “his sons.”

[31:55]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “to his place.”

[35:1]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ⁴⁰⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ⁴⁰⁶ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:2]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

[35:3]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

[35:3]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

[35:3]  ⁴¹¹ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

[35:3]  ⁴¹² 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]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “in their hand.”

[35:4]  ⁴¹⁴ 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]  ⁴¹⁵ 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.

[35:4]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Or “terebinth.”

[35:5]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ⁴¹⁸ 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]  ⁴¹⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ⁴²⁰ 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]  ⁴²¹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²³ 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]  ⁴²⁴ tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ⁴²⁵ 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]  ⁴²⁶ 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]  ⁴²⁷ 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]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:12]  ⁴²⁹ 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 Lord made it certain; but it has the sense “promised to give.”

[35:12]  ⁴³⁰ tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”

[35:13]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”

[35:14]  ⁴³² 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]  ⁴³³ 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]  ⁴³⁴ 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]  ⁴³⁵ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:16]  ⁴³⁶ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ⁴³⁷ 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]  ⁴³⁸ 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]  ⁴³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ⁴⁴¹ 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]  ⁴⁴² tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.

[35:19]  ⁴⁴³ sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.

[35:20]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[35:20]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).

[35:21]  ⁴⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:27]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[35:28]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”

[35:29]  ⁴⁵² 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]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

[5:6]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “he fathered.”

[6:7]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.

[12:8]  ⁴⁵⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[12:8]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[14:18]  ⁴⁵⁸ sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

[14:18]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[15:25]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn The verb is the Piel perfect with vav (ו) consecutive (וְכִפֶּר, vÿkhipper) to continue the instruction of the passage: “the priest shall make atonement,” meaning the priest is to make atonement for the sin (thus the present translation). This verb means “to expiate,” “to atone for,” “to pacify.” It describes the ritual events by which someone who was separated from the holy Lord God could find acceptance into his presence through the sacrificial blood of the substitutionary animal. See Lev 1 and Num 17:6-15.

[15:25]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Or “they will be forgiven.”

[22:14]  ⁴⁶² tn Heb “like water I am poured out.”

[22:14]  ⁴⁶³ sn The heart is viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s strength and courage.

[1:3]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.

[1:3]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁶⁶ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.

[9:14]  ⁴⁶⁷ tc The reading adopted by the translation is attested by many authorities (A D* K P 365 1739* al). But many others (א D² 0278 33 1739^c 1881 Ï lat sa) read “your” instead of “our.” The diversity of evidence makes this a difficult case to decide from external evidence alone. The first and second person pronouns differ by only one letter in Greek, as in English, also making this problem difficult to decide based on internal evidence and transcriptional probability. In the context, the author’s description of sacrificial activities seems to invite the reader to compare his own possible participation in OT liturgy as over against the completed work of Christ, so the second person pronoun “your” might make more sense. On the other hand, TCGNT 599 argues that “our” is preferable because the author of Hebrews uses direct address (i.e., the second person) only in the hortatory sections. What is more, the author seems to prefer the first person in explanatory remarks or when giving the logical grounds for an assertion (cf. Heb 4:15; 7:14). It is hard to reach a definitive conclusion in this case, but the data lean slightly in favor of the first person pronoun.