Genesis 3:6

3:6 When ¹  the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, ²  was attractive ³  to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, ⁴  she took some of its fruit and ate it. ⁵  She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ⁶ 

Genesis 6:2

6:2 the sons of God ⁷  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

Genesis 6:2

6:2 the sons of God ⁸  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

Genesis 11:2

11:2 When the people ⁹  moved eastward, ¹⁰  they found a plain in Shinar ¹¹  and settled there.

Job 31:1

Job Vindicates Himself

31:1 “I made a covenant with ¹²  my eyes;

how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin? ¹³ 

Psalms 119:37

119:37 Turn my eyes away from what is worthless! ¹⁴ 

Revive me with your word! ¹⁵ 

Proverbs 23:31

23:31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,

when it sparkles ¹⁶  in the cup,

when it goes down smoothly. ¹⁷ 

Proverbs 28:22

28:22 The stingy person ¹⁸  hastens after riches

and does not know that poverty will overtake him. ¹⁹ 

Matthew 5:28-29

5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ²⁰ 

Matthew 5:1

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ²¹  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ²²  After he sat down his disciples came to him.

Matthew 2:15-16

2:15 He stayed there until Herod ²³  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ²⁴ 

2:16 When Herod ²⁵  saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men ²⁶  to kill all the children in Bethlehem ²⁷  and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.

[3:6]  ¹ tn Heb “And the woman saw.” The clause can be rendered as a temporal clause subordinate to the following verb in the sequence.

[3:6]  ² tn Heb “that the tree was good for food.” The words “produced fruit that was” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[3:6]  ³ tn The Hebrew word תַּאֲוָה (ta’avah, translated “attractive” here) actually means “desirable.” This term and the later term נֶחְמָד (nekhmad, “desirable”) are synonyms.

[3:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.” On the connection between moral wisdom and the “knowledge of good and evil,” see the note on the word “evil” in 2:9.

[3:6]  ⁵ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied (here and also after “ate” at the end of this verse) for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ⁶ sn This pericope (3:1-7) is a fine example of Hebrew narrative structure. After an introductory disjunctive clause that introduces a new character and sets the stage (3:1), the narrative tension develops through dialogue, culminating in the action of the story. Once the dialogue is over, the action is told in a rapid sequence of verbs – she took, she ate, she gave, and he ate.

[6:2]  ⁷ sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.

[6:2]  ⁸ sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.

[11:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”

[11:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”

[31:1]  ¹² tn The idea of cutting a covenant for something may suggest a covenant that is imposed, except that this construction elsewhere argues against it (see 2 Chr 29:10).

[31:1]  ¹³ tn This half-verse is the effect of the covenant. The interrogative מָה (mah) may have the force of the negative, and so be translated “not to pay attention.”

[119:37]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Make my eyes pass by from looking at what is worthless.”

[119:37]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “by your word.”

[23:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “its eye gives.” With CEV’s “bubbling up in the glass” one might think champagne was in view.

[23:31]  ¹⁷ tn The expression is difficult, and is suspected of having been added from Song 7:10, although the parallel is not exact. The verb is the Hitpael imperfect of הָלַךְ (halakh); and the prepositional phrase uses the word “upright; equity; pleasing,” from יָשָׁר (yashar). KJV has “when it moveth itself aright”; much more helpful is ASV: “when it goeth down smoothly.” Most recent English versions are similar to ASV. The phrase obviously refers to the pleasing nature of wine.

[28:22]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a man with an evil eye” (as opposed to the generous man who has a “good” eye). This individual is selfish, unkind, unsympathetic to others. He looks only to his own gain. Cf. NAB “The avaricious man”; NLT “A greedy person.”

[28:22]  ¹⁹ sn The one who is hasty to gain wealth is involved in sin in some way, for which he will be punished by poverty. The idea of “hastening” after riches suggests a dishonest approach to acquiring wealth.

[5:29]  ²⁰ sn On this word here and in the following verse, see the note on the word hell in 5:22.

[5:1]  ²¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:1]  ²² tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

[2:15]  ²³ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:15]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

[2:16]  ²⁵ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.

[2:16]  ²⁶ tn Or “soldiers.”

[2:16]  ²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.