Discovery BoxGenesis 8:1--13:18
Context8:1 But God remembered 1 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 2 the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 3 and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 4 from the earth, so that they 5 had gone down 6 by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. 7 8:5 The waters kept on receding 8 until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 9
8:6 At the end of forty days, 10 Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 11 8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 12 back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.
8:8 Then Noah 13 sent out a dove 14 to see if the waters had receded 15 from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 16 the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 17 in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 18 and brought it back into the ark. 19 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 20 the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 21 a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, 22 but it did not return to him this time. 23
8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 24 in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that 25 the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 26 was dry.
8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out 27 every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 28 and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” 29
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.
8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 30 8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 31 and said 32 to himself, 33 “I will never again curse 34 the ground because of humankind, even though 35 the inclination of their minds 36 is evil from childhood on. 37 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, 38
planting time 39 and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night will not cease.”
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 40 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 41 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 42 As I gave you 43 the green plants, I now give 44 you everything.
9:4 But 45 you must not eat meat 46 with its life (that is, 47 its blood) in it. 48 9:5 For your lifeblood 49 I will surely exact punishment, 50 from 51 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 52 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 53 since the man was his relative. 54
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 55
by other humans 56
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 57
God 58 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 59 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 60 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 61 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 62 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 63 9:11 I confirm 64 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 65 be wiped out 66 by the waters of a flood; 67 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 68 of the covenant I am making 69 with you 70 and every living creature with you, a covenant 71 for all subsequent 72 generations: 9:13 I will place 73 my rainbow 74 in the clouds, and it will become 75 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 76 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 77 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 78 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 79 all living things. 80 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 81 the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”
9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 82 that are on the earth.”
9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 83 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 84
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 85 began to plant a vineyard. 86 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 87 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 88 saw his father’s nakedness 89 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 90 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 91 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 92 he learned 93 what his youngest son had done 94 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 97
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 98 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 99
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 100
May he live 101 in the tents of Shem
and may Canaan be his slave!”
9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 This is the account 102 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 103 were born 104 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 105 were Gomer, 106 Magog, 107 Madai, 108 Javan, 109 Tubal, 110 Meshech, 111 and Tiras. 112 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 113 Askenaz, 114 Riphath, 115 and Togarmah. 116 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 117 Tarshish, 118 the Kittim, 119 and the Dodanim. 120 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 121 Mizraim, 122 Put, 123 and Canaan. 124 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 125 Havilah, 126 Sabtah, 127 Raamah, 128 and Sabteca. 129 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 130 and Dedan. 131
10:8 Cush was the father of 132 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 133 before the Lord. 134 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 135 of his kingdom were Babel, 136 Erech, 137 Akkad, 138 and Calneh 139 in the land of Shinar. 140 10:11 From that land he went 141 to Assyria, 142 where he built Nineveh, 143 Rehoboth-Ir, 144 Calah, 145 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 146
10:13 Mizraim 147 was the father of 148 the Ludites, 149 Anamites, 150 Lehabites, 151 Naphtuhites, 152 10:14 Pathrusites, 153 Casluhites 154 (from whom the Philistines came), 155 and Caphtorites. 156
10:15 Canaan was the father of 157 Sidon his firstborn, 158 Heth, 159 10:16 the Jebusites, 160 Amorites, 161 Girgashites, 162 10:17 Hivites, 163 Arkites, 164 Sinites, 165 10:18 Arvadites, 166 Zemarites, 167 and Hamathites. 168 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 169 from Sidon 170 all the way to 171 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 172 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 173 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 174 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 175 Asshur, 176 Arphaxad, 177 Lud, 178 and Aram. 179 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 180 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 181 Shelah, 182 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 183 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 184 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 185 Almodad, 186 Sheleph, 187 Hazarmaveth, 188 Jerah, 189 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 190 Diklah, 191 10:28 Obal, 192 Abimael, 193 Sheba, 194 10:29 Ophir, 195 Havilah, 196 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 197 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 198 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 199 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 200 11:2 When the people 201 moved eastward, 202 they found a plain in Shinar 203 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 204 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 205 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 206 instead of mortar.) 207 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 208 so that 209 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 210 we will be scattered 211 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 212 had started 213 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 214 they have begun to do this, then 215 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 216 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 217 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 218
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 219 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 220 Babel 221 – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
11:10 This is the account of Shem.
Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 222 sons and daughters.
11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 223 sons and daughters. 224
11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other 225 sons and daughters.
11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 226 while his father Terah was still alive. 227 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 228 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 229 she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 230 of Terah was 205 years, and he 231 died in Haran.
12:1 Now the Lord said 232 to Abram, 233
“Go out 234 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 235
12:2 Then I will make you 236 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 237
and I will make your name great, 238
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 239
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 240
but the one who treats you lightly 241 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 242 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 243 just as the Lord had told him to do, 244 and Lot went with him. (Now 245 Abram was 75 years old 246 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 247 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 248 in Haran, and they left for 249 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 250 of Moreh 251 at Shechem. 252 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 253 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 254 I will give this land.” So Abram 255 built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 256 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. 257 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 258 down to the Negev. 259
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 260 to stay for a while 261 because the famine was severe. 262 12:11 As he approached 263 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 264 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 265 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 266 12:13 So tell them 267 you are my sister 268 so that it may go well 269 for me because of you and my life will be spared 270 on account of you.”
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife 271 was taken 272 into the household of Pharaoh, 273 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 274 on account of her. Abram received 275 sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases 276 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 277 you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her 278 to be my wife? 279 Here is your wife! 280 Take her and go!” 281 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 282 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 283 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 284 13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 285 in livestock, silver, and gold.) 286
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 287 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 288 He returned 289 to the place where he had pitched his tent 290 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 291 and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 292
13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 293 with Abram, also had 294 flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 295 not support them while they were living side by side. 296 Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 297 alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 298 between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 299 (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 300
13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 301 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 302 to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
13:10 Lot looked up and saw 303 the whole region 304 of the Jordan. He noticed 305 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 306 Sodom and Gomorrah) 307 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 308 all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 309 toward the east.
So the relatives separated from each other. 310 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 311 and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 312 the people 313 of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 314
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 315 “Look 316 from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants 317 forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. 318 13:17 Get up and 319 walk throughout 320 the land, 321 for I will give it to you.”
13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 322 by the oaks 323 of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
Genesis 16:1-16
Context16:1 Now Sarai, 324 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 325 but she had an Egyptian servant 326 named Hagar. 327 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 328 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 329 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 330 Abram did what 331 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 332 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 333 to her husband to be his wife. 334 16:4 He had sexual relations with 335 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 336 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 337 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 338 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 339 but when she realized 340 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 341 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 342
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 343 servant is under your authority, 344 do to her whatever you think best.” 345 Then Sarai treated Hagar 346 harshly, 347 so she ran away from Sarai. 348
16:7 The Lord’s angel 349 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 350 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 351 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 352 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 353 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 354 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 355 pregnant
and are about to give birth 356 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 357
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 358
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 359 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 360
and everyone will be hostile to him. 361
He will live away from 362 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 363 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 364 16:14 That is why the well was called 365 Beer Lahai Roi. 366 (It is located 367 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 368 16:16 (Now 369 Abram was 86 years old 370 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 371
Genesis 1:15-20
Context1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights 372 – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 373 1:17 God placed the lights 374 in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. 375 God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms 376 of living creatures and let birds fly 377 above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
[8:1] 1 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).
[8:1] 2 tn Heb “to pass over.”
[8:2] 3 tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.
[8:3] 4 tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”
[8:3] 5 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 6 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
[8:4] 7 tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).
[8:5] 8 tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.
[8:5] 9 tn Or “could be seen.”
[8:6] 10 tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.
[8:6] 11 tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.
[8:7] 12 tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.
[8:8] 13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 14 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[8:8] 15 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
[8:9] 16 tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:9] 17 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 18 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 19 tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”
[8:11] 20 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
[8:11] 21 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
[8:12] 22 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:12] 23 tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.
[8:13] 24 tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:13] 25 tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.
[8:14] 26 tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.
[8:17] 27 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:17] 28 tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.
[8:17] 29 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
[8:20] 30 sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the
[8:21] 31 tn The
[8:21] 32 tn Heb “and the
[8:21] 33 tn Heb “in his heart.”
[8:21] 34 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.
[8:21] 35 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.
[8:21] 36 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”
[8:21] 37 tn Heb “from his youth.”
[8:22] 38 tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”
[8:22] 39 tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.
[9:2] 40 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.
[9:2] 41 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.
[9:3] 42 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 43 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 44 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 47 tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.
[9:4] 48 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:5] 49 tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.
[9:5] 50 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.
[9:5] 51 tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.
[9:5] 52 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 54 tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.
[9:6] 55 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 56 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 57 sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.
[9:6] 58 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 59 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).
[9:8] 60 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 61 tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”
[9:9] 62 tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.
[9:10] 63 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 64 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
[9:11] 67 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 69 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
[9:12] 70 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 71 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 72 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 73 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
[9:13] 74 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
[9:13] 75 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 76 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 77 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 79 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:16] 81 tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”
[9:18] 83 sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.
[9:19] 84 tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.
[9:20] 85 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 86 tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”
[9:21] 87 tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.
[9:22] 88 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
[9:22] 89 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
[9:23] 90 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
[9:23] 91 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 92 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 94 tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.
[9:25] 95 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
[9:25] 96 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
[9:25] 97 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
[9:26] 98 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 99 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 100 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 101 tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).
[10:1] 102 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 103 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 104 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[10:2] 105 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 106 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
[10:2] 107 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
[10:2] 108 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 109 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 110 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 111 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 112 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 113 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 114 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
[10:3] 115 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 116 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
[10:4] 117 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 118 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
[10:4] 119 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
[10:4] 120 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 121 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 122 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 123 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 124 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 125 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 126 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
[10:7] 127 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 128 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 129 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 130 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 131 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 132 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
[10:9] 133 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
[10:9] 134 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 135 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
[10:10] 137 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 138 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 139 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
[10:10] 140 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 141 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
[10:11] 143 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 144 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 145 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 146 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 147 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 148 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 149 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 150 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 151 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 152 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 153 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 154 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 155 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
[10:14] 156 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 157 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 158 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 159 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[10:16] 160 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 161 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
[10:16] 162 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
[10:17] 163 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 164 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 165 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 166 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 167 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 168 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 170 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 171 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 172 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 173 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 174 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
[10:22] 175 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 176 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
[10:22] 177 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 178 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 179 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 180 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:24] 181 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 182 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[10:24] 183 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 184 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
[10:26] 185 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 186 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 187 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 188 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 189 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 190 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 191 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 192 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 193 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 194 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 195 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
[10:29] 196 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
[10:30] 197 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:32] 198 tn Or “separated.”
[11:1] 199 sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.
[11:1] 200 tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.
[11:2] 201 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:2] 202 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
[11:2] 203 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
[11:3] 204 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
[11:3] 205 tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).
[11:3] 206 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[11:3] 207 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[11:4] 208 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
[11:4] 209 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
[11:4] 210 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
[11:4] 211 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
[11:5] 212 tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.
[11:5] 213 tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.
[11:6] 214 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
[11:6] 215 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
[11:6] 216 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
[11:7] 217 tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the
[11:7] 218 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 219 tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.
[11:9] 220 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
[11:9] 221 sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[11:11] 222 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 223 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 224 tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[11:15] 225 tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:28] 226 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[11:28] 227 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
[11:29] 228 sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.
[11:29] 229 sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.
[11:32] 230 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
[11:32] 231 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:1] 232 sn The
[12:1] 233 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.
[12:1] 234 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”
[12:1] 235 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
[12:2] 236 tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.
[12:2] 237 sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.
[12:2] 238 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
[12:2] 239 tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.
[12:3] 240 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
[12:3] 241 tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic
[12:3] 242 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 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.
[12:4] 243 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
[12:4] 244 tn Heb “just as the
[12:4] 245 tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.
[12:4] 246 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
[12:5] 247 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
[12:5] 248 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
[12:5] 249 tn Heb “went out to go.”
[12:6] 251 sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.
[12:6] 252 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
[12:6] 253 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
[12:7] 254 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[12:7] 255 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:8] 256 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:8] 257 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[12:9] 258 tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”
[12:9] 259 tn Or “the South [country].”
[12:10] 260 sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.
[12:10] 261 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.
[12:10] 262 tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:11] 263 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
[12:11] 264 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
[12:11] 265 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
[12:12] 266 tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.
[12:13] 268 sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.
[12:13] 269 tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.
[12:13] 270 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
[12:15] 271 tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.
[12:15] 272 tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.
[12:15] 273 tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.
[12:16] 274 sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.
[12:16] 275 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[12:17] 276 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
[12:18] 277 tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[12:19] 278 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
[12:19] 279 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
[12:19] 280 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
[12:19] 281 tn Heb “take and go.”
[12:20] 282 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:1] 283 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
[13:1] 284 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
[13:2] 286 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
[13:3] 287 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
[13:3] 288 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:3] 289 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:3] 290 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
[13:4] 291 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
[13:4] 292 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[13:5] 293 tn Heb “was going.”
[13:5] 294 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
[13:6] 295 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
[13:6] 296 tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.
[13:6] 297 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
[13:7] 298 tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.
[13:7] 299 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
[13:7] 300 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.
[13:8] 301 tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.
[13:9] 302 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
[13:10] 303 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.
[13:10] 304 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
[13:10] 305 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:10] 306 sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).
[13:10] 307 tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.
[13:10] 308 sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the
[13:11] 309 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
[13:11] 310 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
[13:12] 311 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[13:13] 312 tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.
[13:13] 313 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
[13:13] 314 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
[13:14] 315 tn Heb “and the
[13:14] 316 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
[13:15] 317 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
[13:16] 318 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
[13:17] 319 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
[13:17] 320 tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.
[13:17] 321 tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).
[13:18] 322 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
[13:18] 323 tn Or “terebinths.”
[16:1] 324 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 325 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 326 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 327 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[16:2] 328 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 329 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 330 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 331 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 332 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
[16:3] 333 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 334 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
[16:4] 335 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 336 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 337 tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.
[16:5] 338 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 339 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 341 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
[16:5] 342 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 343 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 344 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 345 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 346 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 347 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 348 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 349 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 350 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 351 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 352 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
[16:10] 353 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 354 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 355 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 356 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 357 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
[16:11] 358 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 359 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
[16:12] 360 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
[16:12] 361 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 362 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
[16:13] 363 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
[16:13] 364 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 365 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 366 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
[16:14] 367 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 368 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 369 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 370 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 371 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
[1:16] 372 sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.
[1:16] 373 tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.
[1:17] 374 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:18] 375 sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.
[1:20] 376 tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.
[1:20] 377 tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.
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