Discovery BoxGenesis 9:1--11:32
Context9:1 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. 1 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 2 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 3 As I gave you 4 the green plants, I now give 5 you everything.
9:4 But 6 you must not eat meat 7 with its life (that is, 8 its blood) in it. 9 9:5 For your lifeblood 10 I will surely exact punishment, 11 from 12 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 13 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 14 since the man was his relative. 15
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 16
by other humans 17
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 18
God 19 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 20 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 21 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 22 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 23 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. 24 9:11 I confirm 25 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 26 be wiped out 27 by the waters of a flood; 28 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 29 of the covenant I am making 30 with you 31 and every living creature with you, a covenant 32 for all subsequent 33 generations: 9:13 I will place 34 my rainbow 35 in the clouds, and it will become 36 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 37 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 38 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 39 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 40 all living things. 41 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 42 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 43 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.) 44 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 45
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 46 began to plant a vineyard. 47 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 48 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 49 saw his father’s nakedness 50 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 51 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 52 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 53 he learned 54 what his youngest son had done 55 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 58
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 59 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 60
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 61
May he live 62 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 63 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 64 were born 65 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 66 were Gomer, 67 Magog, 68 Madai, 69 Javan, 70 Tubal, 71 Meshech, 72 and Tiras. 73 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 74 Askenaz, 75 Riphath, 76 and Togarmah. 77 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 78 Tarshish, 79 the Kittim, 80 and the Dodanim. 81 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, 82 Mizraim, 83 Put, 84 and Canaan. 85 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 86 Havilah, 87 Sabtah, 88 Raamah, 89 and Sabteca. 90 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 91 and Dedan. 92
10:8 Cush was the father of 93 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 94 before the Lord. 95 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 96 of his kingdom were Babel, 97 Erech, 98 Akkad, 99 and Calneh 100 in the land of Shinar. 101 10:11 From that land he went 102 to Assyria, 103 where he built Nineveh, 104 Rehoboth-Ir, 105 Calah, 106 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 107
10:13 Mizraim 108 was the father of 109 the Ludites, 110 Anamites, 111 Lehabites, 112 Naphtuhites, 113 10:14 Pathrusites, 114 Casluhites 115 (from whom the Philistines came), 116 and Caphtorites. 117
10:15 Canaan was the father of 118 Sidon his firstborn, 119 Heth, 120 10:16 the Jebusites, 121 Amorites, 122 Girgashites, 123 10:17 Hivites, 124 Arkites, 125 Sinites, 126 10:18 Arvadites, 127 Zemarites, 128 and Hamathites. 129 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 130 from Sidon 131 all the way to 132 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 133 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 134 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 135 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 136 Asshur, 137 Arphaxad, 138 Lud, 139 and Aram. 140 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 141 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 142 Shelah, 143 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 144 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 145 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 146 Almodad, 147 Sheleph, 148 Hazarmaveth, 149 Jerah, 150 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 151 Diklah, 152 10:28 Obal, 153 Abimael, 154 Sheba, 155 10:29 Ophir, 156 Havilah, 157 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 158 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 159 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 160 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 161 11:2 When the people 162 moved eastward, 163 they found a plain in Shinar 164 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 165 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 166 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 167 instead of mortar.) 168 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 169 so that 170 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 171 we will be scattered 172 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 173 had started 174 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 175 they have begun to do this, then 176 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 177 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 178 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 179
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 180 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 181 Babel 182 – 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 183 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 184 sons and daughters. 185
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 186 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, 187 while his father Terah was still alive. 188 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 189 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 190 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 191 of Terah was 205 years, and he 192 died in Haran.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
Context2:8 and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord 193 will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival.
Revelation 11:11-18
Context11:11 But 194 after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized 195 those who were watching them. 11:12 Then 196 they 197 heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets 198 went up to heaven in a cloud while 199 their enemies stared at them. 11:13 Just then 200 a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people 201 were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
11:14 The second woe has come and gone; 202 the third is coming quickly.
11:15 Then 203 the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ, 204
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
11:16 Then 205 the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 206 and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: 207
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 208
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign. 209
11:18 The 210 nations 211 were enraged,
but 212 your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants, 213
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 214 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 215 to destroy those who destroy 216 the earth.”
Revelation 14:8-20
Context14:8 A 217 second 218 angel 219 followed the first, 220 declaring: 221 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! 222 She made all the nations 223 drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 224
14:9 A 225 third angel 226 followed the first two, 227 declaring 228 in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 14:10 that person 229 will also drink of the wine of God’s anger 230 that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur 231 in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 14:11 And the smoke from their 232 torture will go up 233 forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have 234 no rest day or night, along with 235 anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 14:12 This requires 236 the steadfast endurance 237 of the saints – those who obey 238 God’s commandments and hold to 239 their faith in Jesus. 240
14:13 Then 241 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, 242 because their deeds will follow them.” 243
14:14 Then 244 I looked, and a white cloud appeared, 245 and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! 246 He had 247 a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then 248 another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use 249 your sickle and start to reap, 250 because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So 251 the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
14:17 Then 252 another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 14:18 Another 253 angel, who was in charge of 254 the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel 255 who had the sharp sickle, “Use 256 your sharp sickle and gather 257 the clusters of grapes 258 off the vine of the earth, 259 because its grapes 260 are now ripe.” 261 14:19 So 262 the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard 263 of the earth and tossed them into the great 264 winepress of the wrath of God. 14:20 Then 265 the winepress was stomped 266 outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles 267 for a distance of almost two hundred miles. 268
Revelation 19:11-21
Context19:11 Then 269 I saw heaven opened and here came 270 a white horse! The 271 one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice 272 he judges and goes to war. 19:12 His eyes are like a fiery 273 flame and there are many diadem crowns 274 on his head. He has 275 a name written 276 that no one knows except himself. 19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped 277 in blood, and he is called 278 the Word of God. 19:14 The 279 armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, 280 were following him on white horses. 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. 281 He 282 will rule 283 them with an iron rod, 284 and he stomps the winepress 285 of the furious 286 wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 287 19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
19:17 Then 288 I saw one angel standing in 289 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: 290
“Come, gather around for the great banquet 291 of God,
19:18 to eat 292 your fill 293 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals, 294
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, 295
and small and great!”
19:19 Then 296 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 19:20 Now 297 the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf 298 – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 299 19:21 The 300 others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged 301 themselves with their flesh.
Revelation 20:9-15
Context20:9 They 302 went up 303 on the broad plain of the earth 304 and encircled 305 the camp 306 of the saints and the beloved city, but 307 fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. 308 20:10 And the devil who deceived 309 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, 310 where the beast and the false prophet are 311 too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.
20:11 Then 312 I saw a large 313 white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven 314 fled 315 from his presence, and no place was found for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then 316 books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. 317 So 318 the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. 319 20:13 The 320 sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death 321 and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then 322 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If 323 anyone’s name 324 was not found written in the book of life, that person 325 was thrown into the lake of fire.
[9:2] 1 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] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 4 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 5 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 8 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] 9 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:5] 10 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] 11 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] 12 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] 13 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 15 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] 16 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 17 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 18 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] 19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 20 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] 21 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 22 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] 23 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] 24 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 25 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] 28 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 30 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] 31 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 32 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 33 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 34 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] 35 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] 36 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 37 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 38 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 40 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:16] 42 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] 44 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] 45 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] 46 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 47 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] 48 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] 49 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] 50 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] 51 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] 52 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 53 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 55 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] 56 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] 57 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] 58 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] 59 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 60 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 61 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 62 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] 63 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] 64 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] 65 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] 66 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 67 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] 68 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] 69 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 70 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 71 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] 72 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] 73 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 74 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 75 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] 76 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 77 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] 78 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 79 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] 80 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] 81 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 82 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 83 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 84 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 85 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 86 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 87 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] 88 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 89 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 90 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 91 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 92 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 93 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] 94 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] 95 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 96 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] 98 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 99 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 100 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] 101 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 102 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] 104 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 105 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 106 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 107 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 108 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 109 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 110 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 111 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 112 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 113 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 114 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 115 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 116 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] 117 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 118 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 119 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 120 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] 121 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 122 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] 123 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] 124 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 125 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 126 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 127 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 128 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 129 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 131 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 132 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 133 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 134 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 135 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] 136 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 137 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] 138 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 139 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 140 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 141 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:24] 142 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 143 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] 144 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 145 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] 146 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 147 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 148 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 149 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 150 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 151 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 152 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 153 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 154 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 155 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 156 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] 157 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
[10:30] 158 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:32] 159 tn Or “separated.”
[11:1] 160 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] 161 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] 162 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:2] 163 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
[11:2] 164 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
[11:3] 165 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
[11:3] 166 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] 167 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[11:3] 168 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[11:4] 169 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] 170 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] 171 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
[11:4] 172 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] 173 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] 174 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] 175 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
[11:6] 176 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] 177 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
[11:7] 178 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] 179 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 180 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] 181 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
[11:9] 182 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] 183 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 184 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 185 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] 186 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] 187 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] 188 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
[11:29] 189 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] 190 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] 191 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
[11:32] 192 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[2:8] 193 tc ‡ Several important witnesses of the Alexandrian and Western traditions, as well as many other witnesses, read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) after κύριος (kurios, “Lord”; so א A D* F G Lc P Ψ 0278 33 81 104 365 1241 2464 pc latt sy co). But there is sufficient evidence in the Alexandrian tradition for the shorter reading (B 1739 1881), supported by the Byzantine text as well as Irenaeus. Although it is possible that scribes overlooked ᾿Ιησοῦς if the two nomina sacra occurred together (kMsiMs), since “the Lord Jesus” is a frequent enough appellation, it looks to be a motivated reading. NA27 places ᾿Ιησοῦς in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
[11:11] 194 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:11] 195 tn Grk “fell upon.”
[11:12] 196 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:12] 197 tn Though the nearest antecedent to the subject of ἤκουσαν (hkousan) is the people (“those who were watching them”), it could also be (based on what immediately follows) that the two prophets are the ones who heard the voice.
[11:12] 198 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the two prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:12] 199 tn The conjunction καί (kai) seems to be introducing a temporal clause contemporaneous in time with the preceding clause.
[11:13] 200 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:13] 201 tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”
[11:14] 202 tn Grk “has passed.”
[11:15] 203 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:15] 204 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[11:16] 205 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:16] 206 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
[11:17] 208 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
[11:17] 209 tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.
[11:18] 210 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:18] 211 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[11:18] 212 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:18] 213 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[11:18] 214 tn Grk “who fear.”
[11:18] 215 tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.
[11:18] 216 tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.
[14:8] 217 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:8] 218 tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several
[14:8] 219 tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”
[14:8] 220 tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[14:8] 221 tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
[14:8] 222 sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.
[14:8] 223 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[14:8] 224 tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).
[14:9] 225 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:9] 226 tn Grk “And another angel, a third.”
[14:9] 227 tn Grk “followed them.”
[14:9] 228 tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
[14:10] 229 tn Grk “he himself.”
[14:10] 230 tn The Greek word for “anger” here is θυμός (qumos), a wordplay on the “passion” (θυμός) of the personified city of Babylon in 14:8.
[14:10] 231 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[14:11] 232 tn The Greek pronoun is plural here even though the verbs in the previous verse are singular.
[14:11] 233 tn The present tense ἀναβαίνει (anabainei) has been translated as a futuristic present (ExSyn 535-36). This is also consistent with the future passive βασανισθήσεται (basanisqhsetai) in v. 10.
[14:11] 234 tn The present tense ἔχουσιν (ecousin) has been translated as a futuristic present to keep the English tense consistent with the previous verb (see note on “will go up” earlier in this verse).
[14:12] 237 tn Or “the perseverance.”
[14:12] 238 tn Grk “who keep.”
[14:12] 239 tn The words “hold to” are implied as a repetition of the participle translated “keep” (οἱ τηροῦντες, Joi throunte").
[14:12] 240 tn Grk “faith of Jesus.” The construction may mean either “faith in Jesus” or “faithful to Jesus.” Either translation implies that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is to be taken as an objective genitive; the difference is more lexical than grammatical because πίστις (pistis) can mean either “faith” or “faithfulness.”
[14:13] 241 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:13] 242 tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).
[14:13] 243 tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”
[14:14] 244 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:14] 245 tn Grk “and behold, a white cloud.”
[14:14] 246 tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Juio" tou anqrwpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).
[14:14] 247 tn Grk “like a son of man, having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence.
[14:15] 248 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[14:15] 249 tn Grk “Send out.”
[14:15] 250 tn The aorist θέρισον (qerison) has been translated ingressively.
[14:16] 251 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
[14:17] 252 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:18] 253 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:18] 254 tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.
[14:18] 255 tn Grk “to the one having the sharp sickle”; the referent (the angel in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:18] 257 tn On this term BDAG 1018 s.v. τρυγάω states: “‘gather in’ ripe fruit, esp. harvest (grapes) w. acc. of the fruit (POslo. 21, 13 [71 ad]; Jos., Ant. 4, 227) Lk 6:44; Rv 14:18 (in imagery, as in the foll. places)…W. acc. of that which bears the fruit gather the fruit of the vine…or the vineyard (s. ἄμπελος a) Rv 14:19.”
[14:18] 258 tn On this term BDAG 181 s.v. βότρυς states, “bunch of grapes Rv 14:18…The word is also found in the Phrygian Papias of Hierapolis, in a passage in which he speaks of the enormous size of the grapes in the new aeon (in the Lat. transl. in Irenaeus 5, 33, 2f.): dena millia botruum Papias (1:2). On this see Stephan. Byz. s.v. Εὐκαρπία: Metrophanes says that in the district of Εὐκαρπία in Phrygia Minor the grapes were said to be so large that one bunch of them caused a wagon to break down in the middle.”
[14:18] 259 tn The genitive τῆς γῆς (ths ghs), taken symbolically, could be considered a genitive of apposition.
[14:18] 260 tn Or perhaps, “its bunches of grapes” (a different Greek word from the previous clause). L&N 3.38 states, “the fruit of grapevines (see 3.27) – ‘grape, bunch of grapes.’ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς ‘cut the grapes from the vineyard of the earth because its grapes are ripe’ Re 14:18. Some scholars have contended that βότρυς means primarily a bunch of grapes, while σταφυλή designates individual grapes. In Re 14:18 this difference might seem plausible, but there is scarcely any evidence for such a distinction, since both words may signify grapes as well as bunches of grapes.”
[14:18] 261 tn On the use of ἥκμασαν (hkmasan) BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκμάζω states, “to bloom…of grapes…Rv 14:18.”
[14:19] 262 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
[14:19] 263 tn Or “vine.” BDAG 54 s.v. ἄμπελος a states, “τρυγᾶν τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀ. τῆς γῆς to harvest the grapes fr. the vine of the earth (i.e. fr. the earth, symbol. repr. as a grapevine) Rv 14:18f; but ἀ may be taking on the meaning of ἀμπελών, as oft. in pap., possibly PHib. 70b, 2 [III bc].” The latter alternative has been followed in the translation (ἀμπελών = “vineyard”).
[14:19] 264 tn Although the gender of μέγαν (megan, masc.) does not match the gender of ληνόν (lhnon, fem.) it has been taken to modify that word (as do most English translations).
[14:20] 265 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[14:20] 266 sn The winepress was stomped. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process).
[14:20] 267 tn L&N 6.7 states, “In Re 14:20 the reference to a bit and bridle is merely an indication of measurement, that is to say, the height of the bit and bridle from the ground, and one may reinterpret this measurement as ‘about a meter and a half’ or ‘about five feet.’”
[14:20] 268 tn Grk “1,600 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m). Thus the distance here would be 184 mi or 296 km.
[19:11] 269 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:11] 270 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
[19:11] 271 tn A new sentence was started in the translation at this point and καί (kai) was not translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:11] 272 tn Or “in righteousness,” but since the context here involves the punishment of the wicked and the vindication of the saints, “justice” was preferred.
[19:12] 273 tn The genitive noun πυρός (puros) has been translated as an attributive genitive (see also Rev 1:14).
[19:12] 274 tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.
[19:12] 275 tn Grk “head, having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[19:12] 276 tn Although many translations supply a prepositional phrase to specify what the name was written on (“upon Him,” NASB; “on him,” NIV), there is no location for the name specified in the Greek text.
[19:13] 277 tc It appears that “dipped” (βεβαμμένον, bebammenon), supported by several uncials and other witnesses (A 051 Ï), is the original reading. Due to the lack of the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) after the verb (βεβαμμένον αἵματι, bebammenon {aimati), and also probably because of literary allusions to Isa 63:3, several
[19:13] 278 tn Grk “the name of him is called.”
[19:14] 279 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:14] 280 tn On the term translated “fine linen,” BDAG 185 s.v. βύσσινος states, “made of fine linen, subst. τὸ β. fine linen, linen garment…Rv 18:12, 16; 19:8, 14.”
[19:15] 281 tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[19:15] 282 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:15] 283 tn Grk “will shepherd.”
[19:15] 284 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”
[19:15] 285 sn He stomps the winepress. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process), and Rev 14:20.
[19:15] 286 tn The genitive θυμοῦ (qumou) has been translated as an attributed genitive. Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumos) and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9).
[19:15] 287 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
[19:17] 288 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:17] 289 tn The precise significance of ἐν (en) here is difficult to determine.
[19:17] 290 tn On μεσουρανήματι (mesouranhmati) here see L&N 1.10: “high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.” The birds mentioned here are carrion birds like vultures, circling high overhead, and now being summoned to feast on the corpses.
[19:17] 291 tn This is the same Greek word (δεῖπνον, deipnon) used in 19:9.
[19:18] 292 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause, insofar as it is related to the first imperative, has the force of an imperative.
[19:18] 293 tn The idea of eating “your fill” is evident in the context with the use of χορτάζω (cortazw) in v. 21.
[19:18] 294 tn Grk “chiliarchs”; normally a chiliarch was a military officer commanding a thousand soldiers, but here probably used of higher-ranking commanders like generals (see L&N 55.15; cf. Rev 6:15).
[19:18] 295 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[19:19] 296 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:20] 297 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of an unexpected development in the account: The opposing armies do not come together in battle; rather the leader of one side is captured.
[19:20] 298 tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”
[19:20] 299 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[19:21] 300 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:21] 301 tn On the translation of ἐχορτάσθησαν (ecortasqhsan) BDAG 1087 s.v. χορτάζω 1.a states, “of animals, pass. in act. sense πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh Rv 19:21 (cp. TestJud. 21:8).”
[20:9] 302 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:9] 303 tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.
[20:9] 304 tn On the phrase “broad plain of the earth” BDAG 823 s.v. πλάτος states, “τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς Rv 20:9 comes fr. the OT (Da 12:2 LXX. Cp. Hab 1:6; Sir 1:3), but the sense is not clear: breadth = the broad plain of the earth is perh. meant to provide room for the countless enemies of God vs. 8, but the ‘going up’ is better suited to Satan (vs. 7) who has recently been freed, and who comes up again fr. the abyss (vs. 3).” The referent here thus appears to be a plain large enough to accommodate the numberless hoards that have drawn up for battle against the Lord Christ and his saints.
[20:9] 305 tn Or “surrounded.”
[20:9] 306 tn On the term παρεμβολή (parembolh) BDAG 775 s.v. states, “Mostly used as a military t.t.…so always in our lit.…1. a (fortified) camp…ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἁγίων Rv 20:9 is also to be understood fr. the OT use of the word.”
[20:9] 307 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[20:9] 308 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
[20:10] 310 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[20:10] 311 tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.
[20:11] 312 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[20:11] 313 tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.
[20:11] 314 tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.
[20:12] 316 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[20:12] 317 tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”
[20:12] 318 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.
[20:12] 319 tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”
[20:13] 320 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:13] 321 sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).
[20:14] 322 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[20:15] 323 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[20:15] 324 tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[20:15] 325 tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”
