Genesis 14:18

14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ¹  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ² 

Genesis 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ³  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁴  in Gerar,

Genesis 22:1

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁵  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁶  replied.

Genesis 35:6

35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) ⁷  in the land of Canaan. ⁸ 

Genesis 35:27

35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, ⁹  to Kiriath Arba ¹⁰  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ¹¹ 

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.” ¹² 

Genesis 46:2

46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night ¹³  and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!”

[14:18]  ¹ sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

[14:18]  ² tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[20:1]  ³ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[22:1]  ⁵ sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

[22:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:6]  ⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”

[35:27]  ⁹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ¹⁰ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[45:24]  ¹¹ 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.

[46:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.