Genesis 15:18-21

15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ²  this land, from the river of Egypt ³  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ⁴  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ⁵ 

Genesis 28:3-20

28:3 May the sovereign God ⁶  bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! ⁷  Then you will become ⁸  a large nation. ⁹  28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham ¹⁰  so that you may possess the land ¹¹  God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” ¹²  28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. ¹³  As he blessed him, ¹⁴  Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” ¹⁵  28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized ¹⁶  that the Canaanite women ¹⁷  were displeasing to ¹⁸  his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married ¹⁹  Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place ²⁰  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ²¹  He took one of the stones ²²  and placed it near his head. ²³  Then he fell asleep ²⁴  in that place 28:12 and had a dream. ²⁵  He saw ²⁶  a stairway ²⁷  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ²⁸  I will give you and your descendants the ground ²⁹  you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ³⁰  and you will spread out ³¹  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³²  using your name and that of your descendants. ³³  28:15 I am with you! ³⁴  I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

28:16 Then Jacob woke up ³⁵  and thought, ³⁶  “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

28:18 Early ³⁷  in the morning Jacob ³⁸  took the stone he had placed near his head ³⁹  and set it up as a sacred stone. ⁴⁰  Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, ⁴¹  although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food ⁴²  to eat and clothing to wear,

Exodus 3:8

3:8 I have come down ⁴³  to deliver them ⁴⁴  from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, ⁴⁵  to a land flowing with milk and honey, ⁴⁶  to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ⁴⁷ 

Exodus 34:11

34:11 “Obey ⁴⁸  what I am commanding you this day. I am going to drive out ⁴⁹  before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Numbers 34:2-15

34:2 “Give these instructions ⁵⁰  to the Israelites, and tell them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that has been assigned to you as an inheritance, ⁵¹  the land of Canaan with its borders, 34:3 your southern border ⁵²  will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt Sea, 34:4 and then the border will turn from the south to the Scorpion Ascent, ⁵³  continue to Zin, and then its direction ⁵⁴  will be from the south to Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and pass over to Azmon. 34:5 There the border will turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and then its direction is to the sea. ⁵⁵ 

The Western Border of the Land

34:6 “‘And for a western border ⁵⁶  you will have the Great Sea. ⁵⁷  This will be your western border.

The Northern Border of the Land

34:7 “‘And this will be your northern border: From the Great Sea you will draw a line to Mount Hor; 34:8 from Mount Hor you will draw a line to Lebo Hamath, ⁵⁸  and the direction of the border will be to Zedad. 34:9 The border will continue to Ziphron, and its direction will be to Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

The Eastern Border of the Land

34:10 “‘For your eastern border you will draw a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 34:11 The border will run down from Shepham to Riblah, on the east side of Ain, and the border will descend and reach the eastern side of the Sea of Chinnereth. ⁵⁹  34:12 Then the border will continue down the Jordan River ⁶⁰  and its direction will be to the Salt Sea. This will be your land by its borders that surround it.’”

34:13 Then Moses commanded the Israelites: “This is the land which you will inherit by lot, which the Lord has commanded to be given ⁶¹  to the nine and a half tribes, 34:14 because the tribe of the Reubenites by their families, ⁶²  the tribe of the Gadites by their families, and half of the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance. 34:15 The two and a half tribes have received their inheritance on this side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, ⁶³  toward the sunrise.”

Joshua 12:8-24

12:8 including the hill country, the lowlands, ⁶⁴  the Arabah, the slopes, the wilderness, and the Negev – the land of ⁶⁵  the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites:

12:9 the king of Jericho ⁶⁶  (one),

the king of Ai – located near Bethel – (one),

12:10 the king of Jerusalem ⁶⁷  (one),

the king of Hebron (one),

12:11 the king of Jarmuth (one),

the king of Lachish (one),

12:12 the king of Eglon (one),

the king of Gezer (one),

12:13 the king of Debir (one),

the king of Geder (one),

12:14 the king of Hormah (one),

the king of Arad (one),

12:15 the king of Libnah (one),

the king of Adullam (one),

12:16 the king of Makkedah (one),

the king of Bethel ⁶⁸  (one),

12:17 the king of Tappuah (one),

the king of Hepher (one),

12:18 the king of Aphek (one),

the king of Lasharon (one),

12:19 the king of Madon (one),

the king of Hazor ⁶⁹  (one),

12:20 the king of Shimron Meron (one),

the king of Acshaph (one),

12:21 the king of Taanach (one),

the king of Megiddo ⁷⁰  (one),

12:22 the king of Kedesh (one),

the king of Jokneam near Carmel (one),

12:23 the king of Dor – near Naphath Dor – (one),

the king of Goyim – near Gilgal – (one),

12:24 the king of Tirzah (one),

a total of thirty-one kings.

Joshua 12:2

12:2 King Sihon of the Amorites who lived ⁷¹  in Heshbon and ruled from Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) – including the city in the middle of the valley ⁷²  and half of Gilead – all the way to the Jabbok Valley bordering Ammonite territory.

Joshua 11:3

11:3 Canaanites came ⁷³  from the east and west; Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites from the hill country; and Hivites from below Hermon in the area ⁷⁴  of Mizpah.

[15:18]  ¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ² tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).

[15:18]  ³ sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[15:19]  ⁴ tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:21]  ⁵ tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.

[28:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3]  ⁸ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4]  ¹¹ tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ¹² tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.

[28:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”

[28:6]  ¹⁴ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.

[28:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “saw.”

[28:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”

[28:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “took for a wife.”

[28:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ²² tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ²³ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “lay down.”

[28:12]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the Lord himself” (Narrative Art in Genesis [SSN], 51-52).

[28:12]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.

[28:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.

[28:13]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.

[28:14]  ³⁰ tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

[28:14]  ³¹ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.

[28:14]  ³² tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[28:14]  ³³ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[28:15]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).

[28:16]  ³⁵ tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[28:16]  ³⁶ tn Heb “said.”

[28:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”

[28:18]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:18]  ³⁹ tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.

[28:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[28:19]  ⁴¹ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).

[28:20]  ⁴² tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[3:8]  ⁴³ sn God’s coming down is a frequent anthropomorphism in Genesis and Exodus. It expresses his direct involvement, often in the exercise of judgment.

[3:8]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hiphil infinitive with the suffix is לְהַצִּילוֹ (lÿhatsilo, “to deliver them”). It expresses the purpose of God’s coming down. The verb itself is used for delivering or rescuing in the general sense, and snatching out of danger for the specific.

[3:8]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “to a land good and large”; NRSV “to a good and broad land.” In the translation the words “that is both” are supplied because in contemporary English “good and” combined with any additional descriptive term can be understood as elative (“good and large” = “very large”; “good and spacious” = “very spacious”; “good and ready” = “very ready”). The point made in the Hebrew text is that the land to which they are going is both good (in terms of quality) and large (in terms of size).

[3:8]  ⁴⁶ tn This vibrant description of the promised land is a familiar one. Gesenius classifies “milk and honey” as epexegetical genitives because they provide more precise description following a verbal adjective in the construct state (GKC 418-19 §128.x). The land is modified by “flowing,” and “flowing” is explained by the genitives “milk and honey.” These two products will be in abundance in the land, and they therefore exemplify what a desirable land it is. The language is hyperbolic, as if the land were streaming with these products.

[3:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Each people group is joined to the preceding by the vav conjunction, “and.” Each also has the definite article, as in other similar lists (3:17; 13:5; 34:11). To repeat the conjunction and article in the translation seems to put more weight on the list in English than is necessary to its function in identifying what land God was giving the Israelites.

[34:11]  ⁴⁸ tn The covenant duties begin with this command to “keep well” what is being commanded. The Hebrew expression is “keep for you”; the preposition and the suffix form the ethical dative, adding strength to the imperative.

[34:11]  ⁴⁹ tn Again, this is the futur instans use of the participle.

[34:2]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “command.”

[34:2]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance.”

[34:3]  ⁵² tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.

[34:4]  ⁵³ tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).

[34:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “its going forth,” or the way it runs.

[34:5]  ⁵⁵ sn That is, the Mediterranean.

[34:6]  ⁵⁶ tn The word for west is simply “sea,” because the sea is west of Israel.

[34:6]  ⁵⁷ sn That is, the Mediterranean Sea (also in the following verse).

[34:8]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “to the entrance to Hamath.”

[34:11]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “the Sea of Galilee” (so NLT); NCV, TEV, CEV “Lake Galilee.”

[34:12]  ⁶⁰ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:13]  ⁶¹ tn The infinitive forms the direct object of what the Lord commanded. It actually means “to give,” but without an expressed subject may be made passive.

[34:14]  ⁶² tn Heb “the house of their fathers.” So also a little later in this verse.

[34:15]  ⁶³ map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[12:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”

[12:8]  ⁶⁵ tn The words “the land of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:9]  ⁶⁶ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[12:10]  ⁶⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:16]  ⁶⁸ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[12:19]  ⁶⁹ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[12:21]  ⁷⁰ map For location see Map1 D4; Map2 C1; Map4 C2; Map5 F2; Map7 B1.

[12:2]  ⁷¹ tn Or perhaps, “reigned.”

[12:2]  ⁷² tc The MT reads here, “and the middle of the valley,” but the reading “the city in the middle of valley” can be reconstructed on the basis of Josh 13:9, 16.

[11:3]  ⁷³ tn The verb “came” is supplied in the translation (see v. 4).

[11:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “land.”