Genesis 20:17-18

20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord ¹  had caused infertility to strike every woman ²  in the household of Abimelech because he took ³  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Genesis 18:23-25

18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁴  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ⁵  of the whole earth do what is right?” ⁶ 

Genesis 19:24

19:24 Then the Lord rained down ⁷  sulfur and fire ⁸  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ⁹ 

Genesis 19:2

19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night ¹⁰  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ¹¹  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ¹² 

Genesis 4:11

4:11 So now, you are banished ¹³  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

Genesis 4:1

The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now ¹⁴  the man had marital relations with ¹⁵  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ¹⁶  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ¹⁷  a man just as the Lord did!” ¹⁸ 

Genesis 21:17

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ¹⁹  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ²⁰  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ²¹  the boy’s voice right where he is crying.

[20:18]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ² tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  ³ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[18:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ⁵ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ⁶ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[19:24]  ⁷ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.

[19:24]  ⁸ tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).

[19:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the Lord from the heavens.” The words “It was sent down” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:2]  ¹⁰ tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.

[19:2]  ¹¹ tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”

[19:2]  ¹² sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.

[4:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).

[4:1]  ¹⁴ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.

[4:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:1]  ¹⁷ tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.

[4:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “with the Lord.” The particle אֶת־ (’et) is not the accusative/object sign, but the preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with” in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some understand אֶת־ as the accusative/object sign and translate, “I have acquired a man – the Lord.” They suggest that the woman thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the incarnate Lord, the Messiah who would bruise the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:15 (see the note there on the word “heel”).

[21:17]  ¹⁹ sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the Lord are focused on the child’s imminent death.

[21:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “What to you?”

[21:17]  ²¹ sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.