Discovery BoxGenesis 14:20-24
Context14:20 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.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 4 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 5 14:23 that I will take nothing 6 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 7 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 8 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 9 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
[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.
[14:22] 4 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 5 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 6 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 7 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 8 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 9 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
