Genesis 1:18

1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ¹  God saw that it was good.

Genesis 2:4

The Creation of Man and Woman

2:4 This is the account ²  of the heavens and

the earth ³  when they were created – when the Lord God ⁴  made the earth and heavens. ⁵ 

Genesis 5:1-2

From Adam to Noah

5:1 This is the record ⁶  of the family line ⁷  of Adam.

When God created humankind, ⁸  he made them ⁹  in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” ¹⁰ 

Genesis 21:8

21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared ¹¹  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ¹² 

Genesis 22:4

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ¹³  the place in the distance.

Genesis 31:40

31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat ¹⁴  during the day and by piercing cold ¹⁵  at night, and I went without sleep. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 42:18

42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say ¹⁷  and you will live, ¹⁸  for I fear God. ¹⁹ 

[1:18]  ¹ sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.

[2:4]  ² tn The Hebrew phrase אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot) is traditionally translated as “these are the generations of” because the noun was derived from the verb “beget.” Its usage, however, shows that it introduces more than genealogies; it begins a narrative that traces what became of the entity or individual mentioned in the heading. In fact, a good paraphrase of this heading would be: “This is what became of the heavens and the earth,” for what follows is not another account of creation but a tracing of events from creation through the fall and judgment (the section extends from 2:4 through 4:26). See M. H. Woudstra, “The Toledot of the Book of Genesis and Their Redemptive-Historical Significance,” CTJ 5 (1970): 184-89.

[2:4]  ³ tn See the note on the phrase “the heavens and the earth” in 1:1.

[2:4]  ⁴ sn Advocates of the so-called documentary hypothesis of pentateuchal authorship argue that the introduction of the name Yahweh (Lord) here indicates that a new source (designated J), a parallel account of creation, begins here. In this scheme Gen 1:1-2:3 is understood as the priestly source (designated P) of creation. Critics of this approach often respond that the names, rather than indicating separate sources, were chosen to reflect the subject matter (see U. Cassuto, The Documentary Hypothesis). Gen 1:1–2:3 is the grand prologue of the book, showing the sovereign God creating by decree. The narrative beginning in 2:4 is the account of what this God invested in his creation. Since it deals with the close, personal involvement of the covenant God, the narrative uses the covenantal name Yahweh (Lord) in combination with the name God. For a recent discussion of the documentary hypothesis from a theologically conservative perspective, see D. A. Garrett, Rethinking Genesis. For an attempt by source critics to demonstrate the legitimacy of the source critical method on the basis of ancient Near Eastern parallels, see J. H. Tigay, ed., Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism. For reaction to the source critical method by literary critics, see I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 131-54; and Adele Berlin, Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative, 111-34.

[2:4]  ⁵ tn See the note on the phrase “the heavens and the earth” in 1:1; the order here is reversed, but the meaning is the same.

[5:1]  ³ tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.

[5:1]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).

[5:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “him.” The Hebrew text uses the third masculine singular pronominal suffix on the accusative sign. The pronoun agrees grammatically with its antecedent אָדָם (’adam). However, the next verse makes it clear that אָדָם is collective here and refers to “humankind,” so it is preferable to translate the pronoun with the English plural.

[5:2]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew word used here is אָדָם (’adam).

[21:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “made.”

[21:8]  ⁶ sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.

[22:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”

[31:40]  ⁷ tn Or “by drought.”

[31:40]  ⁸ tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.

[31:40]  ⁹ tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”

[42:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “Do this.”

[42:18]  ⁹ tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.

[42:18]  ¹⁰ sn For I fear God. Joseph brings God into the picture to awaken his brothers’ consciences. The godly person cares about the welfare of people, whether they live or die. So he will send grain back, but keep one of them in Egypt. This action contrasts with their crime of selling their brother into slavery.