Discovery BoxGenesis 8:1--19:38
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.
14:1 At that time 324 Amraphel king of Shinar, 325 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 326 14:2 went to war 327 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 328 14:3 These last five kings 329 joined forces 330 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 331 14:4 For twelve years 332 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 333 they rebelled. 334 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 335 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 336 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 337 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 338 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 339 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 340 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 341 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 342 but some survivors 343 fled to the hills. 344 14:11 The four victorious kings 345 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 346 Lot and his possessions when 347 they left, for Lot 348 was living in Sodom. 349
14:13 A fugitive 350 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 351 Now Abram was living by the oaks 352 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 353 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 354 with Abram.) 355 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 356 had been taken captive, he mobilized 357 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 358 as far as Dan. 359 14:15 Then, during the night, 360 Abram 361 divided his forces 362 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 363 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 364 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 365 the people.
14:17 After Abram 366 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 367 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 368 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 369 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 370 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 371 the Most High God,
Creator 372 of heaven and earth. 373
14:20 Worthy of praise is 374 the Most High God,
who delivered 375 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 376 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 377 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 378 14:23 that I will take nothing 379 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 380 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 381 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 382 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 383 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 384
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 385 what will you give me since 386 I continue to be 387 childless, and my heir 388 is 389 Eliezer of Damascus?” 390 15:3 Abram added, 391 “Since 392 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 393
15:4 But look, 394 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 395 will not be your heir, 396 but instead 397 a son 398 who comes from your own body will be 399 your heir.” 400 15:5 The Lord 401 took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
15:6 Abram believed 402 the Lord, and the Lord 403 considered his response of faith 404 as proof of genuine loyalty. 405
15:7 The Lord said 406 to him, “I am the Lord 407 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 408 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 409 Abram 410 said, “O sovereign Lord, 411 by what 412 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 413 said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram 414 took all these for him and then cut them in two 415 and placed each half opposite the other, 416 but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, 417 and great terror overwhelmed him. 418 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 419 that your descendants will be strangers 420 in a foreign country. 421 They will be enslaved and oppressed 422 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 423 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 424 you will go to your ancestors 425 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 426 15:16 In the fourth generation 427 your descendants 428 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 429
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 430 passed between the animal parts. 431 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 432 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 433 this land, from the river of Egypt 434 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 435 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 436
16:1 Now Sarai, 437 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 438 but she had an Egyptian servant 439 named Hagar. 440 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 441 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 442 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 443 Abram did what 444 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 445 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 446 to her husband to be his wife. 447 16:4 He had sexual relations with 448 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 449 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 450 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 451 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 452 but when she realized 453 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 454 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 455
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 456 servant is under your authority, 457 do to her whatever you think best.” 458 Then Sarai treated Hagar 459 harshly, 460 so she ran away from Sarai. 461
16:7 The Lord’s angel 462 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 463 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 464 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 465 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 466 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 467 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 468 pregnant
and are about to give birth 469 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 470
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 471
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 472 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 473
and everyone will be hostile to him. 474
He will live away from 475 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 476 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 477 16:14 That is why the well was called 478 Beer Lahai Roi. 479 (It is located 480 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 481 16:16 (Now 482 Abram was 86 years old 483 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 484
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 485 the Lord appeared to him and said, 486 “I am the sovereign God. 487 Walk 488 before me 489 and be blameless. 490 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 491 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 492
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 493 and God said to him, 494 17:4 “As for me, 495 this 496 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 497 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 498 because I will make you 499 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 500 extremely 501 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 502 17:7 I will confirm 503 my covenant as a perpetual 504 covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 505 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 506 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 507 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 508 the covenantal requirement 509 I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: 510 Every male among you must be circumcised. 511 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 512 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 513 must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, 514 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 515 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 516 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 517 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 518 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 519
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 520 Sarah 521 will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 522 Kings of countries 523 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 524 as he said to himself, 525 “Can 526 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 527 Can Sarah 528 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 529 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 530 Ishmael might live before you!” 531
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 532 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 533 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 534 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 535 He will become the father of twelve princes; 536 I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 537
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 538 and circumcised them 539 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 540 when he was circumcised; 541 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 542 when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 543 by the oaks 544 of Mamre while 545 he was sitting at the entrance 546 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 547 looked up 548 and saw 549 three men standing across 550 from him. When he saw them 551 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 552 to the ground. 553
18:3 He said, “My lord, 554 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 555 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 556 you may all 557 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 558 a bit of food 559 so that you may refresh yourselves 560 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 561 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 562 three measures 563 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 564 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 565 who quickly prepared it. 566 18:8 Abraham 567 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 568 before them. They ate while 569 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 570 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 571 said, “I will surely return 572 to you when the season comes round again, 573 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 574 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 575 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 576 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 577 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 578 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 579 especially when my husband is old too?” 580
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 581 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 582 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 583 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 584 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 585
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 586 they looked out over 587 Sodom. (Now 588 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 589 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 590 18:18 After all, Abraham 591 will surely become 592 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 593 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 594 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 595 the way of the Lord by doing 596 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 597 to Abraham what he promised 598 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 599 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 600 18:21 that I must go down 601 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 602 If not, 603 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 604 and headed 605 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 606 18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 607 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 608 of the whole earth do what is right?” 609
18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord 610 (although I am but dust and ashes), 611 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 612 the whole city because five are lacking?” 613 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 614 spoke to him again, 615 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 616 said, “May the Lord not be angry 617 so that I may speak! 618 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 619 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 620 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 621 when he had finished speaking 622 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 623
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 624 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 625 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 626 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 627 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 628
19:3 But he urged 629 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 630 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 631 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 632 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 633 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 634 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 635 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 636 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 637 of my roof.” 638
19:9 “Out of our way!” 639 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 640 and now he dares to judge us! 641 We’ll do more harm 642 to you than to them!” They kept 643 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 644 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 645 reached out 646 and pulled Lot back into the house 647 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 648 with blindness. The men outside 649 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 650 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 651 Do you have 652 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 653 Get them out of this 654 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 655 it. The outcry against this place 656 is so great before the Lord that he 657 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 658 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 659 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 660
19:15 At dawn 661 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 662 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 663 19:16 When Lot 664 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 665 They led them away and placed them 666 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 667 said, “Run 668 for your lives! Don’t look 669 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 670 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 671 19:19 Your 672 servant has found favor with you, 673 and you have shown me great 674 kindness 675 by sparing 676 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 677 this disaster will overtake 678 me and I’ll die. 679 19:20 Look, this town 680 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 681 Let me go there. 682 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 683 Then I’ll survive.” 684
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 685 “I will grant this request too 686 and will not overthrow 687 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 688 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 689
19:23 The sun had just risen 690 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 691 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 692 sulfur and fire 693 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 694 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 695 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 696 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 697 wife looked back longingly 698 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 699 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 700 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 701 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 702
19:29 So when God destroyed 703 the cities of the region, 704 God honored 705 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 706 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 707 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 708 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 709 to have sexual relations with us, 710 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 711 so we can have sexual relations 712 with him and preserve 713 our family line through our father.” 714
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 715 and the older daughter 716 came and had sexual relations with her father. 717 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 718 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 719 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 720 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 721 19:35 So they made their father drunk 722 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 723 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 724
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 725 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 726 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 727 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
Genesis 24:33
Context24:33 When food was served, 728 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 729 “Tell us,” Laban said. 730
Genesis 24:1
Context24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 731 and the Lord had blessed him 732 in everything.
Genesis 6:1
Context6:1 When humankind 733 began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born 734 to them, 735
[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.”
[14:1] 324 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 325 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 326 tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).
[14:2] 328 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
[14:3] 329 tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.
[14:3] 330 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.
[14:3] 331 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 332 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 333 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 334 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
[14:5] 335 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
[14:6] 336 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
[14:7] 337 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”
[14:9] 339 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 340 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 341 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”
[14:10] 342 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
[14:10] 343 tn Heb “the rest.”
[14:10] 344 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.
[14:11] 345 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 346 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 348 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 349 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 350 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
[14:13] 351 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
[14:13] 352 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 353 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 354 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
[14:13] 355 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
[14:14] 356 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
[14:14] 357 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
[14:14] 358 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 359 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
[14:15] 360 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 361 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 362 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 363 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 364 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 365 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 366 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 367 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 368 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 369 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
[14:18] 370 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:19] 371 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 372 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
[14:19] 373 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 374 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
[14:20] 375 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
[14:20] 376 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 377 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 378 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 379 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 380 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 381 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 382 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[15:1] 383 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
[15:1] 384 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
[15:2] 385 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 386 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 387 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 388 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
[15:2] 389 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 390 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
[15:3] 391 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 392 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 393 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 394 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
[15:4] 395 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 396 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 397 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 398 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:4] 399 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 400 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 401 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 402 tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.
[15:6] 403 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 404 tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.
[15:6] 405 tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).
[15:7] 406 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 407 sn I am the
[15:7] 408 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[15:8] 409 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 410 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 411 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 413 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 414 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 415 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 416 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
[15:12] 417 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 418 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 419 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.
[15:13] 420 tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.
[15:13] 421 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 422 tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.
[15:14] 423 tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.
[15:15] 424 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 425 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 426 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 427 sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.
[15:16] 428 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 429 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:17] 430 sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).
[15:17] 431 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 432 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 433 tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).
[15:18] 434 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 435 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 436 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
[16:1] 437 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 438 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] 439 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] 440 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] 441 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 442 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 443 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 444 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 445 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] 446 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 447 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] 448 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 449 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 450 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] 451 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 452 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 454 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] 455 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 456 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 457 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 458 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 459 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 460 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 461 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 462 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 463 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 464 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 465 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] 466 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 467 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 468 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 469 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 470 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] 471 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 472 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] 473 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] 474 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 475 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] 476 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] 477 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 478 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 479 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] 480 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 481 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 482 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 483 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 484 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
[17:1] 485 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 486 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[17:1] 487 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[17:1] 488 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”
[17:1] 489 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 490 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
[17:2] 491 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 492 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 493 tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.
[17:3] 494 tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:4] 496 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 497 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 498 sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.
[17:5] 499 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 500 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 501 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 502 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 503 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).
[17:7] 504 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 505 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 506 tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.
[17:8] 507 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 508 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
[17:9] 509 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
[17:10] 510 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 511 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.
[17:12] 513 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 514 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 515 tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:13] 516 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 517 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 518 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] 519 tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:15] 520 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 521 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.
[17:16] 522 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 524 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
[17:17] 525 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 526 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 527 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 528 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
[17:17] 529 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 530 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 531 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 532 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).
[17:19] 533 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 534 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
[17:20] 535 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 536 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
[17:22] 537 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:23] 538 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
[17:23] 539 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 540 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 541 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 542 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 543 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 544 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 545 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 546 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 547 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 548 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 549 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.
[18:2] 550 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
[18:2] 551 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 552 tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).
[18:2] 553 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 554 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
[18:3] 555 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 556 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 557 tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.
[18:5] 558 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 559 tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.
[18:5] 560 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 561 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
[18:6] 562 tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.
[18:6] 563 sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.
[18:6] 564 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 565 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 566 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
[18:8] 567 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 568 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:8] 569 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 570 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 571 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
[18:10] 572 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] 573 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 574 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 575 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 577 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 579 tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.
[18:12] 580 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 581 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 582 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 583 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 584 sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the
[18:15] 585 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 586 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 587 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 588 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 589 tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.
[18:17] 590 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 591 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
[18:18] 592 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 593 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[18:19] 594 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
[18:19] 595 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
[18:19] 596 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 597 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 598 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 599 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
[18:21] 601 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] 602 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 603 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 604 tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the
[18:22] 606 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 607 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 609 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
[18:27] 610 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 611 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 612 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 613 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 614 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 615 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 616 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 617 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 618 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 619 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 620 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 621 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 622 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 623 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 624 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 625 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 626 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 627 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 628 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 629 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
[19:4] 630 tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.
[19:4] 631 tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.
[19:5] 632 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 633 tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.
[19:7] 634 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 635 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 636 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 638 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
[19:9] 639 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 640 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 641 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
[19:9] 642 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
[19:9] 643 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 644 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 645 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:10] 646 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 647 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 648 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 649 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 650 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 651 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 652 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 653 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 654 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 655 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 656 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 657 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 658 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
[19:14] 659 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 660 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
[19:15] 661 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 662 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
[19:15] 663 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 664 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 665 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 666 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
[19:17] 667 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
[19:17] 669 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
[19:17] 670 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 671 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 672 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
[19:19] 673 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 674 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 675 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
[19:19] 676 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 678 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
[19:19] 679 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 680 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
[19:20] 681 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 682 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 683 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 684 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 685 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
[19:21] 686 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 687 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
[19:22] 688 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 689 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
[19:23] 690 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 691 tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.
[19:24] 692 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 693 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 694 tn Heb “from the
[19:25] 695 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 696 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 697 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 698 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:27] 699 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 700 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 701 tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:28] 702 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:29] 703 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 704 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 705 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] 706 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 707 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 708 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 709 tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.
[19:31] 710 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 711 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 712 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
[19:32] 713 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 714 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:33] 715 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 716 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 717 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:33] 718 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 719 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 720 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 721 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 722 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 723 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 724 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 725 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 726 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
[19:38] 727 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
[24:33] 728 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 729 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 730 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:1] 732 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[6:1] 733 tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”
[6:1] 734 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.
[6:1] 735 tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.
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