Genesis 1:4

1:4 God saw ¹  that the light was good, ²  so God separated ³  the light from the darkness.

Genesis 5:1

From Adam to Noah

5:1 This is the record ⁴  of the family line ⁵  of Adam.

When God created humankind, ⁶  he made them ⁷  in the likeness of God.

Genesis 10:1

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ⁸  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁹  were born ¹⁰  to them after the flood.

Genesis 11:10

The Genealogy of Shem

11:10 This is the account of Shem.

Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood.

Genesis 25:12

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ¹¹  whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 25:19

Jacob and Esau

25:19 This is the account of Isaac, ¹²  the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac.

Genesis 36:1

The Descendants of Esau

36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). ¹³ 

Genesis 36:9

36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father ¹⁴  of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

Exodus 6:16

6:16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records: ¹⁵  Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)

Job 38:28

38:28 Does the rain have a father,

or who has fathered the drops of the dew?

Psalms 90:1-2

Book 4
(Psalms 90-106)

Psalm 90 ¹⁶ 

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

90:1 O Lord, you have been our protector ¹⁷  through all generations!

90:2 Even before the mountains came into existence, ¹⁸ 

or you brought the world into being, ¹⁹ 

you were the eternal God. ²⁰ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ² tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ³ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”

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

[5:1]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).

[5:1]  ⁷ 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.

[10:1]  ⁸ tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.

[10:1]  ⁹ sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.

[10:1]  ¹⁰ tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.

[25:12]  ¹¹ sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).

[25:19]  ¹² sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.

[36:1]  ¹³ sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.

[36:9]  ¹⁴ sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.

[6:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “generations.”

[90:1]  ¹⁶ sn Psalm 90. In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.

[90:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “place of safety.” See Ps 71:3.

[90:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “were born.”

[90:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and you gave birth to the earth and world.” The Polel verbal form in the Hebrew text pictures God giving birth to the world. The LXX and some other ancient textual witnesses assume a polal (passive) verbal form here. In this case the earth becomes the subject of the verb and the verb is understood as third feminine singular rather than second masculine singular.

[90:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and from everlasting to everlasting you [are] God.” Instead of אֵל (’el, “God”) the LXX reads אַל (’al, “not”) and joins the negative particle to the following verse, making the verb תָּשֵׁב (tashev) a jussive. In this case v. 3a reads as a prayer, “do not turn man back to a low place.” However, taking תָּשֵׁב as a jussive is problematic in light of the following following wayyiqtol form וַתֹּאמֶר (vato’mer, “and you said/say”).