Genesis 11:27-31

The Record of Terah

11:27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, ¹  while his father Terah was still alive. ²  11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ³  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ⁴  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there.

Genesis 45:24

45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” ⁵ 

Exodus 2:13

2:13 When he went out ⁶  the next day, ⁷  there were ⁸  two Hebrew men fighting. So he said to the one who was in the wrong, ⁹  “Why are you attacking ¹⁰  your fellow Hebrew?” ¹¹ 

Psalms 133:1

Psalm 133 ¹² 

A song of ascents, ¹³  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ¹⁴ 

Acts 7:26

7:26 The next day Moses ¹⁵  saw two men ¹⁶  fighting, and tried to make peace between ¹⁷  them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’

Romans 12:10

12:10 Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another.

Ephesians 4:2-3

4:2 with all humility and gentleness, ¹⁸  with patience, bearing with ¹⁹  one another in love, 4:3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1

Live in Unity

4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, ²⁰  urge you to live ²¹  worthily of the calling with which you have been called, ²² 

Ephesians 4:9

4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended ²³  to the lower regions, ²⁴  namely, the earth? ²⁵ 

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 13:1

Final Exhortations

13:1 Brotherly love must continue.

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ²⁶  in various portions ²⁷  and in various ways ²⁸  to our ancestors ²⁹  through the prophets,

Hebrews 2:17

2:17 Therefore he had ³⁰  to be made like his brothers and sisters ³¹  in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement ³²  for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 3:8

3:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness.

Hebrews 4:8

4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God ³³  would not have spoken afterward about another day.

Hebrews 4:2

4:2 For we had good news proclaimed to us just as they did. But the message they heard did them no good, since they did not join in ³⁴  with those who heard it in faith. ³⁵ 

Hebrews 1:7

1:7 And he says ³⁶  of the angels, “He makes ³⁷  his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,” ³⁸ 

Hebrews 1:1

Introduction: God Has Spoken Fully and Finally in His Son

1:1 After God spoke long ago ³⁹  in various portions ⁴⁰  and in various ways ⁴¹  to our ancestors ⁴²  through the prophets,

Hebrews 2:9-11

2:9 but we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, ⁴³  now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, ⁴⁴  so that by God’s grace he would experience ⁴⁵  death on behalf of everyone. 2:10 For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, ⁴⁶  in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer ⁴⁷  of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2:11 For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, ⁴⁸  and so ⁴⁹  he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, ⁵⁰ 

Hebrews 2:1

Warning Against Drifting Away

2:1 Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Hebrews 3:14-19

3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence ⁵¹  firm until the end. 3:15 As it says, ⁵²  “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! ⁵³  Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” ⁵⁴  3:16 For which ones heard and rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Egypt under Moses’ leadership? ⁵⁵  3:17 And against whom was God ⁵⁶  provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? ⁵⁷  3:18 And to whom did he swear they would never enter into his rest, except those who were disobedient? 3:19 So ⁵⁸  we see that they could not enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:7

4:7 So God ⁵⁹  again ordains a certain day, “Today,” speaking through David ⁶⁰  after so long a time, as in the words quoted before, ⁶¹  “O, that today you would listen as he speaks! ⁶²  Do not harden your hearts.”

Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ⁶³  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

Hebrews 4:1

God’s Promised Rest

4:1 Therefore we must be wary ⁶⁴  that, while the promise of entering his rest remains open, none of you may seem to have come short of it.

[11:28]  ¹ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[11:28]  ² tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”

[11:29]  ³ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

[11:29]  ⁴ sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

[45:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.

[2:13]  ⁶ tn The preterite with the vav consecutive is subordinated to the main idea of the verse.

[2:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “the second day” (so KJV, ASV).

[2:13]  ⁸ tn The deictic particle is used here to predicate existence, as in “here were” or “there were.” But this use of הִנֵּה (hinneh) indicates also that what he encountered was surprising or sudden – as in “Oh, look!”

[2:13]  ⁹ tn The word רָשָׁע (rasha’) is a legal term, meaning the guilty. This guilty man rejects Moses’ intervention for much the same reason Pharaoh will later (5:2) – he does not recognize his authority. Later Pharaoh will use this term to declare himself as in the wrong (9:27) and God in the right.

[2:13]  ¹⁰ tn This is the third use of the verb נָכָה (nakha) in the passage; here it is the Hiphil imperfect. It may be given a progressive imperfect nuance – the attack was going on when Moses tried to intervene.

[2:13]  ¹¹ sn Heb “your neighbor.” The word רֵעֶךָ (re’ekha) appears again in 33:11 to describe the ease with which God and Moses conversed. The Law will have much to say about how the Israelites were to treat their “neighbors, fellow citizens” (Exod 20:16-17; 21:14, 18, 35; 22:7-11, 14, 26; cf. Luke 10:25-37).

[133:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  ¹³ sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.

[133:1]  ¹⁴ sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.

[7:26]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:26]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).

[7:26]  ¹⁷ tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).

[4:2]  ¹⁸ tn Or “meekness.” The word is often used in Hellenistic Greek of the merciful execution of justice on behalf of those who have no voice by those who are in a position of authority (Matt 11:29; 21:5).

[4:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “putting up with”; or “forbearing.”

[4:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “prisoner in the Lord.”

[4:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “walk.” The verb “walk” in the NT letters refers to the conduct of one’s life, not to physical walking.

[4:1]  ²² sn With which you have been called. The calling refers to the Holy Spirit’s prompting that caused them to believe. The author is thus urging his readers to live a life that conforms to their saved status before God.

[4:9]  ²³ tc The majority of mss (א² B C³ Ψ Ï) read πρῶτον (prwton, “first”) here in conjunction with this verb: “he first descended.” The shorter reading, which lacks πρῶτον, should be considered original on the basis of both external and internal evidence: It has strong external support from the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (Ì⁴⁶ א* A C* D F G I^vid 082 6 33 81 1739 1881 pc); internally, the inclusion of πρῶτον is most likely an addition to clarify the sense of the passage.

[4:9]  ²⁴ tc The Western texttype (D* F G it) lacks the plural noun μέρη (merh, “regions”); the shorter reading cannot be dismissed out of hand since it is also supported by Ì⁴⁶ (which often has strong affinities, however, with the Western text). The inclusion of the word has strong external support from important, early mss as well as the majority of Byzantine cursives (א A B C D² I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï). Certain scribes may have deleted the word, thinking it superfluous; in addition, if the shorter reading were original one would expect to see at least a little variation in clarifying additions to the text. For these reasons the inclusion of μέρη should be regarded as original.

[4:9]  ²⁵ tn Grk “to the lower parts of the earth.” This phrase has been variously interpreted: (1) The traditional view understands it as a reference to the underworld (hell), where Jesus is thought to have descended in the three days between his death and resurrection. In this case, “of the earth” would be a partitive genitive. (2) A second option is to translate the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition: “to the lower parts, namely, the earth” (as in the present translation). Many recent scholars hold this view and argue that it is a reference to the incarnation. (3) A third option, which also sees the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition, is that the descent in the passage occurs after the ascent rather than before it, and refers to the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost (cf. Acts 4:11-16). Support for this latter view is found in the intertestamental and rabbinic use of Ps 68:18 (quoted in v. 8), which is consistently and solely interpreted as a reference to Moses’ ascent of Mt. Sinai to “capture” the words of the law. The probability, therefore, is that the comments here in v. 9 reflect a polemic against the interpretation of Ps 68:18 in certain circles as a reference to Moses. See W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ (AGJU 32), 46-54; 171-204.

[1:1]  ²⁶ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ²⁷ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ²⁸ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[2:17]  ³⁰ tn Or “he was obligated.”

[2:17]  ³¹ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[2:17]  ³² tn Or “propitiation.”

[4:8]  ³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:2]  ³⁴ tn Or “they were not united.”

[4:2]  ³⁵ tc A few mss (א and a few versional witnesses) have the nominative singular participle συγκεκερασμένος (sunkekerasmeno", “since it [the message] was not combined with faith by those who heard it”), a reading that refers back to the ὁ λόγος (Jo logo", “the message”). There are a few other variants here (e.g., συγκεκεραμμένοι [sunkekerammenoi] in 104, συγκεκεραμένους [sunkekeramenou"] in 1881 Ï), but the accusative plural participle συγκεκερασμένους (sunkekerasmenou"), found in Ì^13vid,46 A B C D* Ψ 0243 0278 33 81 1739 2464 pc, has by far the best external credentials. This participle agrees with the previous ἐκείνους (ekeinou", “those”), a more difficult construction grammatically than the nominative singular. Thus, both on external and internal grounds, συγκεκερασμένους is preferred.

[1:7]  ³⁶ sn The Greek correlative conjunctions μέν and δέ (men and de) emphasize the contrastive parallelism of vs. 7 (what God says about the angels) over against vv. 8-9 and vv. 10-12 (what God says about the son).

[1:7]  ³⁷ tn Grk “He who makes.”

[1:7]  ³⁸ sn A quotation from Ps 104:4.

[1:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “spoke formerly.”

[1:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “parts.” The idea is that God’s previous revelation came in many parts and was therefore fragmentary or partial (L&N 63.19), in comparison with the final and complete revelation contained in God’s Son. However, some interpret πολυμερῶς (polumerw") in Heb 1:1 to mean “on many different occasions” and would thus translate “many times” (L&N 67.11). This is the option followed by the NIV: “at many times and in various ways.” Finally, this word is also understood to refer to the different manners in which something may be done, and would then be translated “in many different ways” (L&N 89.81). In this last case, the two words πολυμερῶς and πολυτρόπως (polutropw") mutually reinforce one another (“in many and various ways,” NRSV).

[1:1]  ⁴¹ tn These two phrases are emphasized in Greek by being placed at the beginning of the sentence and by alliteration.

[1:1]  ⁴² tn Grk “to the fathers.”

[2:9]  ⁴³ tn Or “who was made a little lower than the angels.”

[2:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “because of the suffering of death.”

[2:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “would taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).

[2:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “for whom are all things and through whom are all things.”

[2:10]  ⁴⁷ sn The Greek word translated pioneer is used of a “prince” or leader, the representative head of a family. It also carries nuances of “trailblazer,” one who breaks through to new ground for those who follow him. It is used some thirty-five times in the Greek OT and four times in the NT, always of Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2).

[2:11]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “are all from one.”

[2:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “for which reason.”

[2:11]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The context here also indicates both men and women are in view; note especially the collective τὰ παιδία (ta paidia) in v. 14.

[3:14]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the beginning of the confidence.”

[3:15]  ⁵² tn Grk “while it is said.”

[3:15]  ⁵³ tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”

[3:15]  ⁵⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 95:7b-8.

[3:16]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “through Moses.”

[3:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (God) has been specified for clarity.

[3:17]  ⁵⁷ sn An allusion to God’s judgment pronounced in Num 14:29, 32.

[3:19]  ⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate a summary or conclusion to the argument of the preceding paragraph.

[4:7]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ⁶⁰ sn Ps 95 does not mention David either in the text or the superscription. It is possible that the writer of Hebrews is attributing the entire collection of psalms to David (although some psalms are specifically attributed to other individuals or groups).

[4:7]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “as it has been said before” (see Heb 3:7).

[4:7]  ⁶² tn Grk “today if you hear his voice.”

[4:1]  ⁶³ tn Grk “let us fear.”

[4:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “let us fear.”