Genesis 10:29

10:29 Ophir, ¹  Havilah, ²  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

Genesis 10:1

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ³  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁴  were born ⁵  to them after the flood.

Genesis 9:28

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years.

Genesis 22:1

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁶  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁷  replied.

Psalms 45:9

45:9 Princesses ⁸  are among your honored guests, ⁹ 

your bride ¹⁰  stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 13:12

13:12 I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,

and people more scarce ¹²  than gold from Ophir.

[10:29]  ¹ 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]  ² sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.

[10:1]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[22:1]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[45:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “daughters of kings.”

[45:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.

[45:9]  ¹⁰ tn This rare Hebrew noun apparently refers to the king’s bride, who will soon be queen (see Neh 2:6). The Aramaic cognate is used of royal wives in Dan 5:2-3, 23.

[45:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a consort stands at your right hand, gold of Ophir.”

[13:12]  ¹² tn The verb is supplied in the translation from the first line. The verb in the first line (“I will make scarce”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.