Genesis 10:9

10:9 He was a mighty hunter ¹  before the Lord. ²  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”)

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 24:11

24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ⁶  outside the city. It was evening, ⁷  the time when the women would go out to draw water.

Genesis 26:20

26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ⁸  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ⁹  named the well ¹⁰  Esek ¹¹  because they argued with him about it. ¹² 

Micah 7:2

7:2 Faithful men have disappeared ¹³  from the land;

there are no godly men left. ¹⁴ 

They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood; ¹⁵ 

they hunt their own brother with a net. ¹⁶ 

[10:9]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”

[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.

[24:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “well of water.”

[24:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

[26:20]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ¹¹ sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”

[26:20]  ¹² tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:2]  ¹³ tn Or “have perished”; “have been destroyed.”

[7:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and an upright one among men there is not.”

[7:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for bloodshed” (so NASB); TEV “for a chance to commit murder.”

[7:2]  ¹⁶ sn Micah compares these ungodly people to hunters trying to capture their prey with a net.