Genesis 48:16

48:16 the Angel ¹  who has protected me ² 

from all harm –

bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, ³ 

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

Genesis 48:2

48:2 When Jacob was told, ⁴  “Your son Joseph has just ⁵  come to you,” Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed.

Genesis 4:9

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ⁶  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ⁷ 

Psalms 34:19-22

34:19 The godly ⁸  face many dangers, ⁹ 

but the Lord saves ¹⁰  them ¹¹  from each one of them.

34:20 He protects ¹²  all his bones; ¹³ 

not one of them is broken. ¹⁴ 

34:21 Evil people self-destruct; ¹⁵ 

those who hate the godly are punished. ¹⁶ 

34:22 The Lord rescues his servants; ¹⁷ 

all who take shelter in him escape punishment. ¹⁸ 

Psalms 72:14

72:14 From harm and violence he will defend them; ¹⁹ 

he will value their lives. ²⁰ 

Psalms 136:24

136:24 and snatched us away from our enemies,

for his loyal love endures,

Psalms 138:7

138:7 Even when I must walk in the midst of danger, ²¹  you revive me.

You oppose my angry enemies, ²² 

and your right hand delivers me.

[48:16]  ¹ sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

[48:16]  ² tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

[48:16]  ³ tn Or “be recalled through them.”

[48:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and one told and said.” The verbs have no expressed subject and can be translated with the passive voice.

[48:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “Look, your son Joseph.”

[4:9]  ⁶ sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.

[4:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”

[34:19]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ⁹ tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[34:20]  ¹² tn The Hebrew participial form suggests such protection is characteristic.

[34:20]  ¹³ tn That is, he protects the godly from physical harm.

[34:20]  ¹⁴ sn Not one of them is broken. The author of the Gospel of John saw a fulfillment of these words in Jesus’ experience on the cross (see John 19:31-37), for the Roman soldiers, when they saw that Jesus was already dead, did not break his legs as was customarily done to speed the death of crucified individuals. John’s use of the psalm seems strange, for the statement in its original context suggests that the Lord protects the godly from physical harm. Jesus’ legs may have remained unbroken, but he was brutally and unjustly executed by his enemies. John seems to give the statement a literal sense that is foreign to its original literary context by applying a promise of divine protection to a man who was seemingly not saved by God. However, John saw in this incident a foreshadowing of Jesus’ ultimate deliverance and vindication. His unbroken bones were a reminder of God’s commitment to the godly and a sign of things to come. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end of the story; God vindicated him, as John goes on to explain in the following context (John 19:38-20:18).

[34:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “evil kills the wicked [one].” The singular form is representative; the typical evil person is envisioned. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action.

[34:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “are guilty,” but the verb is sometimes used metonymically with the meaning “to suffer the consequences of guilt,” the effect being substituted for the cause.

[34:22]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “redeems the life of his servants.” The Hebrew participial form suggests such deliverance is characteristic.

[34:22]  ¹⁸ tn “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 2:12; 5:11-12; 31:19).

[72:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “redeem their lives.” The verb “redeem” casts the Lord in the role of a leader who protects members of his extended family in times of need and crisis (see Pss 19:14; 69:18).

[72:14]  ²⁰ tn Heb “their blood will be precious in his eyes.”

[138:7]  ²¹ tn Or “distress.”

[138:7]  ²² tn Heb “against the anger of my enemies you extend your hand.”