Genesis 9:22-24

9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ¹  saw his father’s nakedness ²  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ³  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ⁴  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ⁵  he learned ⁶  what his youngest son had done ⁷  to him.

Genesis 49:4

49:4 You are destructive ⁸  like water and will not excel, ⁹ 

for you got on your father’s bed, ¹⁰ 

then you defiled it – he got on my couch! ¹¹ 

Genesis 49:2

49:2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob;

listen to Israel, your father.

Genesis 15:10-12

15:10 So Abram ¹²  took all these for him and then cut them in two ¹³  and placed each half opposite the other, ¹⁴  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, ¹⁵  and great terror overwhelmed him. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 16:11

16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ¹⁷  pregnant

and are about to give birth ¹⁸  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ¹⁹ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ²⁰ 

Genesis 16:1

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ²¹  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ²²  but she had an Egyptian servant ²³  named Hagar. ²⁴ 

Proverbs 30:11

30:11 There is a generation ²⁵  who curse their fathers

and do not bless their mothers. ²⁶ 

Proverbs 30:17

30:17 The eye ²⁷  that mocks at a father

and despises obeying ²⁸  a mother –

the ravens of the valley will peck it out

and the young vultures will eat it. ²⁹ 

Ezekiel 22:7

22:7 They have treated father and mother with contempt ³⁰  within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow ³¹  within you.

Matthew 10:21

10:21 “Brother ³²  will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against ³³  parents and have them put to death.

Matthew 10:35-36

10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 10:36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. ³⁴ 

Luke 12:53

12:53 They will be divided, ³⁵  father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Luke 21:16

21:16 You will be betrayed even by parents, ³⁶  brothers, relatives, ³⁷  and friends, and they will have some of you put to death.

Luke 21:2

21:2 He also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. ³⁸ 

Luke 3:2-3

3:2 during the high priesthood ³⁹  of Annas and Caiaphas, the word ⁴⁰  of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ⁴¹  3:3 He ⁴²  went into all the region around the Jordan River, ⁴³  preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁴⁴ 

[9:22]  ¹ sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.

[9:22]  ² tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).

[9:23]  ³ tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?

[9:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”

[9:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.

[9:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “he knew.”

[9:24]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.

[49:4]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).

[49:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).

[49:4]  ¹⁰ sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).

[49:4]  ¹¹ tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.

[15:10]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[15:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”

[15:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”

[16:11]  ¹⁷ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

[16:11]  ¹⁸ tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

[16:11]  ¹⁹ sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”

[16:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.

[16:1]  ²¹ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ²² sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.

[16:1]  ²³ tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.

[16:1]  ²⁴ sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)

[30:11]  ²⁵ sn The next four verses all start with the Hebrew expression translated “There is a generation.” This is a series of denunciations of things that are dangerous in society without mentioning specific punishments or proscriptions. The word “generation” as used in this passage refers to a class or group of people.

[30:11]  ²⁶ sn The first observation is that there is a segment in society that lacks respect for parents. This uses the antonyms “curse” and [not] “bless” to make the point. To “curse” a parent could include treating them lightly, defaming them, or showing disrespect in general. To “bless” would mean to honor, respect, or enrich in some way, which is what should be done (e.g., Exod 21:17; Prov 20:20).

[30:17]  ²⁷ sn The “eye” as the organ that exhibits the inner feelings most clearly, here represents a look of scorn or disdain that speaks volumes (a metonymy of cause or of adjunct). It is comparable to the “evil eye” which is stinginess (28:22).

[30:17]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew word לִיקֲּהַת (liqqahat, “obeying”) occurs only here and in Gen 49:10; it seems to mean “to receive” in the sense of “receiving instruction” or “obeying.” C. H. Toy suggests emending to “to old age” (לְזִקְנַת, lÿziqnat) of the mother (Proverbs [ICC], 530). The LXX with γῆρας (ghra", “old age”) suggests that a root lhq had something to do with “white hair.” D. W. Thomas suggests a corruption from lhyqt to lyqht; it would have read, “The eye that mocks a father and despises an aged mother” (“A Note on לִיקֲּהַת in Proverbs 30:17,” JTS 42 [1941]: 154-55); this is followed by NAB “or scorns an aged mother.”

[30:17]  ²⁹ sn The sternest punishment is for the evil eye. The punishment is talionic – eye for eye. The reference to “the valley” may indicate a place where people are not be given decent burials and the birds of prey pick the corpses clean. It is an image the prophets use in judgment passages.

[22:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “treated lightly, cursed.”

[22:7]  ³¹ tn Widows and orphans are often coupled together in the OT (Deut 14:29; 16:11, 14; 24:19-21; 26:12-13; Jer 7:6; 22:3). They represented all who were poor and vulnerable to economic exploitation.

[10:21]  ³² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:21]  ³³ tn Or “will rebel against.”

[10:36]  ³⁴ tn Matt 10:35-36 are an allusion to Mic 7:6.

[12:53]  ³⁵ tn There is dispute whether this phrase belongs to the end of v. 52 or begins v. 53. Given the shift of object, a connection to v. 53 is slightly preferred.

[21:16]  ³⁶ sn To confess Christ might well mean rejection by one’s own family, even by parents.

[21:16]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and brothers and relatives,” but καί (kai) has not been translated twice here since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[21:2]  ³⁸ sn These two small copper coins were lepta (sing. “lepton”), the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in Palestine, worth one-half of a quadrans or 1/128 of a denarius, or about six minutes of an average daily wage. This was next to nothing in value.

[3:2]  ³⁹ sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from a.d. 6-15 and then his relatives were chosen for many of the next several years. After two brief tenures by others, his son-in-law Caiaphas came to power and stayed there until a.d. 36.

[3:2]  ⁴⁰ tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.

[3:2]  ⁴¹ tn Or “desert.”

[3:3]  ⁴² tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:3]  ⁴³ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[3:3]  ⁴⁴ sn A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was a call for preparation for the arrival of the Lord’s salvation. To participate in this baptism was a recognition of the need for God’s forgiveness with a sense that one needed to live differently as a response to it (Luke 3:10-14).