Genesis 2:21

2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ¹  and while he was asleep, ²  he took part of the man’s side ³  and closed up the place with flesh. ⁴ 

Genesis 14:10

14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ⁵  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ⁶  but some survivors ⁷  fled to the hills. ⁸ 

Genesis 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁹  as he said to himself, ¹⁰  “Can ¹¹  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ¹²  Can Sarah ¹³  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁴ 

Genesis 25:18

25:18 His descendants ¹⁵  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ¹⁶  to Egypt all the way ¹⁷  to Asshur. ¹⁸  They settled ¹⁹  away from all their relatives. ²⁰ 

Genesis 46:29

46:29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, ²¹  he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.

Genesis 49:17

49:17 May Dan be a snake beside the road,

a viper by the path,

that bites the heels of the horse

so that its rider falls backward. ²² 

[2:21]  ¹ tn Heb “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man.”

[2:21]  ² tn Heb “and he slept.” In the sequence the verb may be subordinated to the following verb to indicate a temporal clause (“while…”).

[2:21]  ³ tn Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone.

[2:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “closed up the flesh under it.”

[14:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”

[14:10]  ⁶ tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).

[14:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ⁸ sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.

[17:17]  ⁹ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ¹² tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ¹³ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[25:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ¹⁶ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

[46:29]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and he appeared to him.”

[49:17]  ²¹ sn The comparison of the tribe of Dan to a venomous serpent is meant to say that Dan, though small, would be potent, gaining victory through its skill and shrewdness. Jewish commentators have linked the image in part with Samson. That link at least illustrates the point: Though a minority tribe, Dan would gain the upper hand over others.