Genesis 14:20

14:20 Worthy of praise is ¹  the Most High God,

who delivered ²  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ³  a tenth of everything.

Genesis 16:1

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ⁴  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ⁵  but she had an Egyptian servant ⁶  named Hagar. ⁷ 

Genesis 24:19

24:19 When she had done so, ⁸  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.”

Genesis 46:18

46:18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, sixteen in all.

Genesis 46:25

46:25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all.

[14:20]  ¹ tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

[14:20]  ² sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

[14:20]  ³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:1]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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.)

[24:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.