Genesis 14:15

14:15 Then, during the night, ¹  Abram ²  divided his forces ³  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁴  of Damascus.

Genesis 14:1

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ⁵  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁶  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁷ 

Genesis 18:5

18:5 And let me get ⁸  a bit of food ⁹  so that you may refresh yourselves ¹⁰  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ¹¹  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

Acts 9:2

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ¹²  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ¹³  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ¹⁴  to Jerusalem. ¹⁵ 

[14:15]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ³ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:1]  ⁵ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ⁶ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ⁷ 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”).

[18:5]  ⁸ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[9:2]  ¹² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ¹³ sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ¹⁵ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.