Discovery BoxGenesis 8:1--25:34
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.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 728 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 729 in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God appeared 730 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 731 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 732
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 733 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 734 20:5 Did Abraham 735 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 736 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 737 and with innocent hands!”
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 738 That is why I have kept you 739 from sinning against me and why 740 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 741 he is a prophet 742 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 743 But if you don’t give her back, 744 know that you will surely die 745 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 746 Abimelech summoned 747 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 748 they 749 were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? 750 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 751 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 752 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 753
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 754 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 755 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 756 she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander 757 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 758 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 759 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” 760
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 761 to your ‘brother.’ 762 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 763
20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord 764 had caused infertility to strike every woman 765 in the household of Abimelech because he took 766 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 767 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 768 for Sarah what he had promised. 769 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 770 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 771 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 772 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 773 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 774
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 775 Everyone who hears about this 776 will laugh 777 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 778 “Who would 779 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 780 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 781 21:9 But Sarah noticed 782 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 783 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 784 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 785 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 786 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 787 all that Sarah is telling 788 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 789 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 790 some food 791 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 792 and sent her away. So she went wandering 793 aimlessly through the wilderness 794 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 795 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 796 away; for she thought, 797 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 798 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 799
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 800 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 801 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 802 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 803 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 804 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 805
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 806 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 807 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 808 Show me, and the land 809 where you are staying, 810 the same loyalty 811 that I have shown you.” 812
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 813 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 814 against Abimelech concerning a well 815 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 816 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 817 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 818 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 819 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 820 that I dug this well.” 821 21:31 That is why he named that place 822 Beer Sheba, 823 because the two of them swore 824 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 825 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 826 to the land of the Philistines. 827 21:33 Abraham 828 planted a tamarisk tree 829 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 830 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 831
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 832 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 833 replied. 22:2 God 834 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 835 – and go to the land of Moriah! 836 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 837 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 838 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 839 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 840 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 841 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 842 said to his servants, “You two stay 843 here with the donkey while 844 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 845 and then return to you.” 846
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 847 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 848 “My father?” “What is it, 849 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 850 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 851 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 852 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 853 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 854 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 855 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 856 the angel said. 857 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 858 that you fear 859 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 860 and saw 861 behind him 862 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 863 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 864 It is said to this day, 865 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 866
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 867 decrees the Lord, 868 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 869 and I will greatly multiply 870 your descendants 871 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 872 of the strongholds 873 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 874 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 875 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 876 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 877
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 878 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 879 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 880 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 881 23:2 Then she 882 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 883
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 884 and said to the sons of Heth, 885 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 886 among you. Grant 887 me ownership 888 of a burial site among you so that I may 889 bury my dead.” 890
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 891 23:6 “Listen, sir, 892 you are a mighty prince 893 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 894 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 895 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 896 that I may bury my dead, 897 then hear me out. 898 Ask 899 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 900 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 901 for the full price, 902 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 903 replied to Abraham in the hearing 904 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 905 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 906 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 907 In the presence of my people 908 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 909 to you the price 910 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 911 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 912 400 pieces of silver, 913 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 914 and weighed 915 out for him 916 the price 917 that Ephron had quoted 918 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 919
23:17 So Abraham secured 920 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 921
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 922 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 923 and the Lord had blessed him 924 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 925 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 926 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 927 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 928 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 929 to find 930 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 931 to this land? Must I then 932 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 933 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 934 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 935 promised me with a solemn oath, 936 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 937 before you so that you may find 938 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 939 you will be free 940 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 941
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 942 He journeyed 943 to the region of Aram Naharaim 944 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 945 outside the city. It was evening, 946 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 947 Be faithful 948 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 949 and the daughters of the people 950 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 951 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 952
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 953 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 954 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 955 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 956 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 957 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 958 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 959 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 960 if the Lord had made his journey successful 961 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 962 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 963 and gave them to her. 964 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 965 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 966 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 967 “and room for you 968 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 969 for my master! The Lord has led me 970 to the house 971 of my master’s relatives!” 972
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 973 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 974 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 975 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 976 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 977 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 978 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 979 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 980 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 981 went to the house and unloaded 982 the camels. Straw and feed were given 983 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 984 24:33 When food was served, 985 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 986 “Tell us,” Laban said. 987
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 988 The Lord 989 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 990 when she was old, 991 and my master 992 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 993 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 994 with me?’ 995 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 996 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 997 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 998 may events unfold as follows: 999 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 1000 When 1001 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 1002 along came Rebekah 1003 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 1004 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 1005 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 1006
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 1007 Our wishes are of no concern. 1008 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 1009 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 1010
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 1011 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 1012
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 1013 24:55 But Rebekah’s 1014 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 1015 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 1016 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 1017 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 1018 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 1019
“Our sister, may you become the mother 1020 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 1021 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 1022 the man. So Abraham’s servant 1023 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 1024 Isaac came from 1025 Beer Lahai Roi, 1026 for 1027 he was living in the Negev. 1028 24:63 He 1029 went out to relax 1030 in the field in the early evening. 1031 Then he looked up 1032 and saw that 1033 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 1034 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 1035 Abraham’s servant, 1036 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 1037 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 1038 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 1039 as his wife and loved her. 1040 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 1041
25:1 Abraham had taken 1042 another 1043 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 1044 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 1045 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 1046 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 1047
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 1048 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 1049 He joined his ancestors. 1050 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 1051 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 1052 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 1053 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 1054
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 1055 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 1056 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 1057 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 1058 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 1059 25:18 His descendants 1060 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 1061 to Egypt all the way 1062 to Asshur. 1063 They settled 1064 away from all their relatives. 1065
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 1066 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 1067 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 1068
25:21 Isaac prayed to 1069 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 1070 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 1071 So she asked the Lord, 1072 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 1073 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 1074 there were 1075 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 1076 all over, 1077 like a hairy 1078 garment, so they named him Esau. 1079 25:26 When his brother came out with 1080 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 1081 Isaac was sixty years old 1082 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 1083 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 1084 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 1085 but Rebekah loved 1086 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 1087 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 1088 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 1089 Edom.) 1090
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 1091 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 1092 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 1093 So Esau 1094 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 1095 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 1096 So Esau despised his birthright. 1097
Genesis 28:1-22
Context28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 1098 28:2 Leave immediately 1099 for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God 1100 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 1101 Then you will become 1102 a large nation. 1103 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 1104 so that you may possess the land 1105 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 1106 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 1107 As he blessed him, 1108 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 1109 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 1110 that the Canaanite women 1111 were displeasing to 1112 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 1113 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 1114 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 1115 He took one of the stones 1116 and placed it near his head. 1117 Then he fell asleep 1118 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 1119 He saw 1120 a stairway 1121 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 1122 I will give you and your descendants the ground 1123 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 1124 and you will spread out 1125 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 1126 using your name and that of your descendants. 1127 28:15 I am with you! 1128 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 1129 and thought, 1130 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 1131 in the morning Jacob 1132 took the stone he had placed near his head 1133 and set it up as a sacred stone. 1134 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 1135 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 1136 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 1137 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 1138 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 1139 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 1140
Genesis 13:8
Context13:8 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. 1141
Isaiah 9:6-7
Context9:6 For a child has been 1142 born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called: 1143
Extraordinary Strategist, 1144
Mighty God, 1145
Everlasting Father, 1146
Prince of Peace. 1147
9:7 His dominion will be vast 1148
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 1149
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 1150
establishing it 1151 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 1152
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 1153 will accomplish this.
John 12:34
Context12:34 Then the crowd responded, 1154 “We have heard from the law that the Christ 1155 will remain forever. 1156 How 1157 can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?”
Romans 6:9
Context6:9 We know 1158 that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die 1159 again; death no longer has mastery over him.
Revelation 1:18
Context1:18 and the one who lives! I 1160 was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! 1161
[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.
[20:1] 728 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] 729 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 731 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
[20:3] 732 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 733 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 734 tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.
[20:5] 735 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 736 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 737 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 738 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 739 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 740 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 741 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 742 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 743 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] 744 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 745 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 746 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 747 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 748 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 749 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 750 tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.
[20:9] 751 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 752 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 753 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 754 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 755 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 756 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 757 tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”
[20:13] 758 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 759 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 760 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 761 sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).
[20:16] 762 sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).
[20:16] 763 tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).
[20:18] 764 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 765 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] 766 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[21:1] 767 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
[21:1] 768 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 770 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 771 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
[21:4] 772 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 773 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 774 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
[21:6] 775 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 776 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 777 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
[21:7] 779 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 781 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
[21:9] 783 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
[21:10] 784 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
[21:11] 785 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
[21:12] 786 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 787 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
[21:12] 788 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 789 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
[21:14] 790 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 791 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 792 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
[21:14] 793 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 794 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
[21:15] 795 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
[21:16] 796 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 798 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
[21:16] 799 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
[21:17] 800 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
[21:17] 801 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 802 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 803 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:21] 804 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
[21:21] 805 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 806 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 807 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 808 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 809 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 810 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 812 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
[21:24] 813 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
[21:25] 814 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
[21:25] 815 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 816 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:26] 817 tn Heb “and also.”
[21:27] 818 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 819 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 820 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 821 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
[21:31] 822 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
[21:31] 823 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
[21:31] 824 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 825 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 826 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 827 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
[21:33] 828 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 829 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
[21:33] 830 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 831 tn Heb “many days.”
[22:1] 832 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
[22:1] 833 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 834 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 835 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
[22:2] 836 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
[22:2] 837 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
[22:2] 838 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 839 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 840 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 841 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 842 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 843 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 844 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 845 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 846 sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
[22:6] 847 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 848 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 849 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 850 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:8] 851 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:9] 852 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
[22:9] 853 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
[22:10] 854 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 855 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 856 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 857 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:12] 858 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 859 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 860 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 861 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
[22:13] 862 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 863 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 864 tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
[22:14] 865 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[22:14] 866 sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.
[22:16] 867 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 868 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 869 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
[22:17] 870 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] 871 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[22:17] 873 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
[22:18] 874 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
[22:18] 875 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[22:19] 876 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 877 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 878 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 879 sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.
[22:23] 880 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
[23:1] 881 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
[23:2] 882 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
[23:2] 883 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
[23:3] 884 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
[23:3] 885 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[23:4] 886 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
[23:4] 887 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
[23:4] 888 tn Or “possession.”
[23:4] 889 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
[23:4] 890 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:5] 891 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
[23:6] 892 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
[23:6] 893 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
[23:6] 894 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:7] 895 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
[23:8] 896 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
[23:8] 897 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:8] 899 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
[23:9] 900 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
[23:9] 901 tn Heb “in your presence.”
[23:10] 903 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
[23:10] 904 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
[23:10] 905 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
[23:11] 906 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
[23:11] 907 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[23:11] 908 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
[23:13] 911 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
[23:15] 912 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:15] 913 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
[23:16] 914 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
[23:16] 915 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
[23:16] 916 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 918 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 919 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
[23:17] 920 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:18] 921 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:20] 922 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
[24:1] 924 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[24:2] 925 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
[24:2] 926 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
[24:3] 927 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
[24:3] 928 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
[24:4] 929 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
[24:5] 931 tn Heb “to go after me.”
[24:5] 932 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
[24:6] 933 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
[24:6] 934 tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:7] 935 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
[24:7] 936 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
[24:7] 937 tn Or “his messenger.”
[24:7] 938 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
[24:8] 939 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
[24:8] 940 sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.
[24:9] 941 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
[24:10] 942 tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.
[24:10] 943 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[24:10] 944 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:11] 945 tn Heb “well of water.”
[24:11] 946 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
[24:12] 947 tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).
[24:12] 948 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
[24:13] 949 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:14] 951 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
[24:14] 952 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
[24:15] 953 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
[24:15] 954 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:16] 955 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
[24:17] 956 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 957 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 958 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 959 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 961 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
[24:22] 962 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 963 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
[24:22] 964 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 965 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:24] 966 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 967 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:25] 968 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 969 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 970 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 971 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:27] 972 tn Heb “brothers.”
[24:28] 973 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 974 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 975 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[24:30] 976 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 977 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
[24:31] 978 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 979 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 980 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 981 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 982 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
[24:32] 983 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 984 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 985 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 986 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 987 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:35] 988 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 989 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 990 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 991 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 992 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 993 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
[24:39] 994 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:39] 995 tn Heb “after me.”
[24:40] 996 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the
[24:41] 997 tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).
[24:42] 998 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 999 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 1000 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 1001 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 1002 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
[24:45] 1003 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 1004 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 1005 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
[24:49] 1006 tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.
[24:50] 1007 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 1008 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
[24:51] 1009 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 1010 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 1011 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 1012 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 1013 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 1014 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 1015 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 1016 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 1017 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 1018 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 1019 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 1020 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 1021 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
[24:61] 1022 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 1023 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 1024 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 1025 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 1026 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.” See Gen 16:14.
[24:62] 1027 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 1028 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:63] 1029 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 1030 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 1031 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 1032 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 1033 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
[24:64] 1034 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 1035 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 1036 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 1037 tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 1038 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 1039 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 1040 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 1041 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
[25:1] 1043 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
[25:3] 1044 sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.
[25:6] 1046 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
[25:6] 1047 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
[25:7] 1048 tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.
[25:8] 1049 tn Heb “old and full.”
[25:8] 1050 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:9] 1051 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
[25:10] 1052 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[25:11] 1053 sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).
[25:11] 1054 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
[25:12] 1055 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
[25:13] 1056 tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”
[25:16] 1057 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
[25:17] 1058 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
[25:17] 1059 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:18] 1060 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 1061 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
[25:18] 1062 tn Heb “as you go.”
[25:18] 1063 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
[25:18] 1064 tn Heb “he fell.”
[25:18] 1065 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
[25:19] 1066 sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.
[25:20] 1067 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
[25:20] 1068 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
[25:21] 1069 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the
[25:22] 1070 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
[25:22] 1071 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
[25:22] 1072 sn Asked the
[25:23] 1073 sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.
[25:24] 1074 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
[25:24] 1075 tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.
[25:25] 1076 sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.
[25:25] 1077 tn Heb “all of him.”
[25:25] 1078 sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.
[25:25] 1079 tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.
[25:26] 1080 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
[25:26] 1081 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
[25:26] 1082 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
[25:27] 1083 tn Heb “knowing.”
[25:27] 1084 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”
[25:28] 1085 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
[25:28] 1086 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
[25:29] 1087 sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[25:30] 1088 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
[25:30] 1089 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
[25:30] 1090 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
[25:32] 1092 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
[25:33] 1093 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
[25:33] 1094 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:33] 1095 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
[25:34] 1096 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
[25:34] 1097 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
[28:1] 1098 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:2] 1099 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
[28:3] 1100 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[28:3] 1101 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
[28:3] 1102 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
[28:3] 1103 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[28:4] 1104 tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.
[28:4] 1105 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[28:4] 1106 tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.
[28:6] 1107 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
[28:6] 1108 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
[28:6] 1109 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 1111 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 1112 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
[28:9] 1113 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
[28:11] 1114 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
[28:11] 1115 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 1116 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 1117 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
[28:11] 1118 tn Heb “lay down.”
[28:12] 1119 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 1120 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
[28:12] 1121 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
[28:13] 1122 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
[28:13] 1123 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
[28:14] 1124 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 1125 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 1126 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem 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 Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other 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/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 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[28:14] 1127 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 1128 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
[28:16] 1129 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 1131 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 1132 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 1133 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 1134 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[28:19] 1135 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
[28:20] 1136 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 1137 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 1138 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 1139 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 1140 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
[13:8] 1141 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.
[9:6] 1142 tn The Hebrew perfect (translated “has been born” and “has been given”) is used here as the prophet takes a rhetorical stance in the future. See the note at 9:1.
[9:6] 1143 tn Or “and dominion was on his shoulders and he called his name.” The prefixed verbs with vav (ו) consecutive are used with the same rhetorical sense as the perfects in v. 6a. See the preceding note. There is great debate over the syntactical structure of the verse. No subject is indicated for the verb “he called.” If all the titles that follow are ones given to the king, then the subject of the verb must be indefinite, “one calls.” However, some have suggested that one to three of the titles that follow refer to God, not the king. For example, the traditional punctuation of the Hebrew text suggests the translation, “and the Extraordinary Strategist, the Mighty God calls his name, ‘Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’”
[9:6] 1144 tn Some have seen two titles here (“Wonderful” and “Counselor,” cf. KJV, ASV). However, the pattern of the following three titles (each contains two elements) and the use of the roots פָּלַא (pala’) and יָעַץ (ya’ats) together in Isa 25:1 (cf. כִּי עָשִׂיתָ פֶּלֶא עֵצוֹת מֵרָחוֹק אֱמוּנָה אֹמֶן) and 28:29 (cf. הִפְלִיא עֵצָה) suggest otherwise. The term יוֹעֵץ (yo’ets) could be taken as appositional (genitive or otherwise) of species (“a wonder, i.e., a wonder as a counselor,” cf. NAB “Wonder-Counselor”) or as a substantival participle for which פָּלַא provides the direct object (“one who counsels wonders”). יוֹעֵץ is used as a royal title elsewhere (cf. Mic 4:9). Here it probably refers to the king’s ability to devise military strategy, as suggested by the context (cf. vv. 3-4 and the following title אֵל גִּבּוֹר, ’el gibor). In Isa 11:2 (also a description of this king) עֵצָה (’etsah) is linked with גְּבוּרָה (gÿvurah, the latter being typically used of military might, cf. BDB 150 s.v.). Note also עֵצָה וּגְבוּרָה לַמִּלְחָמָה in Isa 36:5. פֶּלֶא (pele’) is typically used of God (cf. however Lam 1:9). Does this suggest the deity of the messianic ruler? The NT certainly teaches he is God, but did Isaiah necessarily have this in mind over 700 years before his birth? Since Isa 11:2 points out that this king will receive the spirit of the Lord, which will enable him to counsel, it is possible to argue that the king’s counsel is “extraordinary” because it finds its source in the divine spirit. Thus this title does not necessarily suggest that the ruler is deity.
[9:6] 1145 tn גִּבּוֹר (gibbor) is probably an attributive adjective (“mighty God”), though one might translate “God is a warrior” or “God is mighty.” Scholars have interpreted this title is two ways. A number of them have argued that the title portrays the king as God’s representative on the battlefield, whom God empowers in a supernatural way (see J. H. Hayes and S. A. Irvine, Isaiah, 181-82). They contend that this sense seems more likely in the original context of the prophecy. They would suggest that having read the NT, we might in retrospect interpret this title as indicating the coming king’s deity, but it is unlikely that Isaiah or his audience would have understood the title in such a bold way. Ps 45:6 addresses the Davidic king as “God” because he ruled and fought as God’s representative on earth. Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (See Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). According to proponents of this view, Isa 9:6 probably envisions a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself. The other option is to regard this title as a reference to God, confronting Isaiah’s readers with the divinity of this promised “child.” The use of this same title that clearly refers to God in a later passage (Isa 10:21) supports this interpretation. Other passages depict Yahweh as the great God and great warrior (Deut 10:17; Jer. 32:18). Although this connection of a child who is born with deity is unparalleled in any earlier biblical texts, Isaiah’s use of this title to make this connection represents Isaiah’s attempt (at God’s behest) to advance Israel in their understanding of the ideal Davidic king for whom they long.
[9:6] 1146 tn This title must not be taken in an anachronistic Trinitarian sense. (To do so would be theologically problematic, for the “Son” is the messianic king and is distinct in his person from God the “Father.”) Rather, in its original context the title pictures the king as the protector of his people. For a similar use of “father” see Isa 22:21 and Job 29:16. This figurative, idiomatic use of “father” is not limited to the Bible. In a Phoenician inscription (ca. 850-800
[9:6] 1147 tn This title pictures the king as one who establishes a safe socio-economic environment for his people. It hardly depicts him as a meek individual, for he establishes peace through military strength (as the preceding context and the first two royal titles indicate). His people experience safety and prosperity because their invincible king destroys their enemies. See Pss 72 and 144 for parallels to these themes.
[9:7] 1148 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
[9:7] 1149 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
[9:7] 1150 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 1151 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
[9:7] 1152 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
[9:7] 1153 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
[12:34] 1154 tn Grk “Then the crowd answered him.”
[12:34] 1155 tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).
[12:34] 1156 tn Probably an allusion to Ps 89:35-37. It is difficult to pinpoint the passage in the Mosaic law to which the crowd refers. The ones most often suggested are Ps 89:36-37, Ps 110:4, Isa 9:7, Ezek 37:25, and Dan 7:14. None of these passages are in the Pentateuch per se, but “law” could in common usage refer to the entire OT (compare Jesus’ use in John 10:34). Of the passages mentioned, Ps 89:36-37 is the most likely candidate. This verse speaks of David’s “seed” remaining forever. Later in the same psalm, v. 51 speaks of the “anointed” (Messiah), and the psalm was interpreted messianically in both the NT (Acts 13:22, Rev 1:5, 3:14) and in the rabbinic literature (Genesis Rabbah 97).
[12:34] 1157 tn Grk “And how”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been left untranslated here for improved English style.
[6:9] 1158 tn Grk “knowing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[6:9] 1159 tn The present tense here has been translated as a futuristic present (see ExSyn 536, where this verse is listed as an example).
[1:18] 1160 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[1:18] 1161 tn Concerning “Hades” BDAG 19 s.v. ᾅδης 1 and 2 states: “Orig. proper noun, god of the nether world, ‘Hades’, then the nether world, Hades as place of the dead, Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). Of Jonah’s fish ἐκ τοῦ κατωτάτου ᾅδου. In the depths, contrasted w. heaven ἕως (τοῦ) ᾅδου Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (PsSol 15:10; cp.; Is 14:11, 15); ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ 16:23; ἐν ῝Αιδου ApcPt Rainer. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K.=23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence πύλαι ᾅδου (Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss. Sol. 16:2. – Lucian, Menipp. 6 the magicians can open τοῦ ῝Αιδου τὰς πύλας and conduct people in and out safely) Mt 16:18…locked ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Ps.-Apollod. 3, 12, 6, 10 Aeacus, the son of Zeus holds the κλεῖς τοῦ ῝Αιδου; SEG VIII, 574, 3 (III ad) τῷ τὰς κλεῖδας ἔχοντι τῶν καθ᾿ ῝Αιδου (restored)] or possess.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2)…Hades personif.…w. θάνατος (cp. Is 28:15; Job 38:17…) Rv 6:8; 20:13f.”
