Genesis 24:17

24:17 Abraham’s servant ¹  ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.”

Genesis 33:4

33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept.

Genesis 15:10

15:10 So Abram ²  took all these for him and then cut them in two ³  and placed each half opposite the other, ⁴  but he did not cut the birds in half.

Genesis 18:2

18:2 Abraham ⁵  looked up ⁶  and saw ⁷  three men standing across ⁸  from him. When he saw them ⁹  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ¹⁰  to the ground. ¹¹ 

Genesis 19:1

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ¹²  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ¹³  When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.

Genesis 24:65

24:65 and asked ¹⁴  Abraham’s servant, ¹⁵  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ¹⁶  So she took her veil and covered herself.

Genesis 32:6

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”

Genesis 46:29

46:29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, ¹⁷  he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.

Genesis 14:17

14:17 After Abram ¹⁸  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ¹⁹  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ²⁰ 

Genesis 29:13

29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ²¹  told Laban how he was related to him. ²² 

Genesis 30:16

30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep ²³  with me because I have paid for your services ²⁴  with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations ²⁵  with her that night.

[24:17]  ¹ tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:10]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ³ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[18:2]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

[18:2]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

[18:2]  ⁷ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ⁸ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

[18:2]  ⁹ sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

[19:1]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.

[19:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.

[24:65]  ⁵ tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ⁶ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[46:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he appeared to him.”

[14:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁹ sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[29:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).

[30:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.

[30:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.

[30:16]  ¹¹ tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.