Genesis 25:23

25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ¹  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 25:2

25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Genesis 8:14

8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ²  was dry.

Genesis 8:1

8:1 But God remembered ³  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over ⁴  the earth and the waters receded.

Genesis 11:15-17

11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other ⁵  sons and daughters.

11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:2

11:2 When the people ⁶  moved eastward, ⁷  they found a plain in Shinar ⁸  and settled there.

Genesis 14:7

14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ⁹  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

Genesis 14:10

14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ¹⁰  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ¹¹  but some survivors ¹²  fled to the hills. ¹³ 

Genesis 14:1

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ¹⁴  Amraphel king of Shinar, ¹⁵  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ¹⁶ 

Genesis 18:11-13

18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ¹⁷  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ¹⁸  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ¹⁹  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ²⁰  especially when my husband is old too?” ²¹ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ²²  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ²³  have a child when I am old?’

Genesis 18:2

18:2 Abraham ²⁴  looked up ²⁵  and saw ²⁶  three men standing across ²⁷  from him. When he saw them ²⁸  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ²⁹  to the ground. ³⁰ 

Genesis 25:11-12

25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ³¹  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ³² 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ³³  whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

Psalms 60:8

60:8 Moab is my washbasin. ³⁴ 

I will make Edom serve me. ³⁵ 

I will shout in triumph over Philistia.” ³⁶ 

Obadiah 1:17-21

1:17 But on Mount Zion there will be a remnant of those who escape, ³⁷ 

and it will be a holy place once again.

The descendants ³⁸  of Jacob will conquer ³⁹ 

those who had conquered them. ⁴⁰ 

1:18 The descendants of Jacob will be a fire,

and the descendants of Joseph a flame.

The descendants of Esau will be like stubble.

They will burn them up and devour them.

There will not be a single survivor ⁴¹  of the descendants of Esau!”

Indeed, the Lord has spoken it.

1:19 The people of the Negev ⁴²  will take possession ⁴³  of Esau’s mountain,

and the people of the Shephelah ⁴⁴  will take

possession ⁴⁵  of the land of ⁴⁶  the Philistines.

They will also take possession of the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,

and the people of Benjamin will take possession ⁴⁷  of Gilead. ⁴⁸ 

1:20 The exiles of this fortress ⁴⁹  of the people of Israel

will take possession ⁵⁰  of what belongs to

the people of Canaan, as far as Zarephath, ⁵¹ 

and the exiles of Jerusalem ⁵²  who are in Sepharad ⁵³ 

will take possession of the towns of the Negev.

1:21 Those who have been delivered ⁵⁴  will go up on Mount Zion

in order to rule over ⁵⁵  Esau’s mountain.

Then the Lord will reign as King! ⁵⁶ 

[25:23]  ¹ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[8:14]  ² tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.

[8:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).

[8:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “to pass over.”

[11:15]  ⁵ tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”

[11:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”

[14:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[14:10]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ¹³ 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.

[14:1]  ¹⁴ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ¹⁵ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

[18:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ²⁰ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ²¹ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ²² tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ²³ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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.

[25:11]  ³¹ sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).

[25:11]  ³² sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ³³ sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).

[60:8]  ³⁴ sn The metaphor of the washbasin, used to rinse one’s hands and feet, suggests that Moab, in contrast to Israel’s elevated position (vv. 6-7), would be reduced to the status of a servant.

[60:8]  ³⁵ tn Heb “over Edom I will throw my sandal.” The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Some interpret this as idiomatic for “taking possession of,” i.e., “I will take possession of Edom.” Others translate עַל (’al) as “to” and understand this as referring to a master throwing his dirty sandal to a servant so that the latter might dust it off.

[60:8]  ³⁶ tc Heb “over me, O Philistia, shout in triumph.” The translation follows the text of Ps 108:9. When the initial עֲלֵיוֹ (’aleyo, “over”) was misread as עָלַי (’alay, “over me”), the first person verb form was probably altered to an imperative to provide better sense to the line.

[1:17]  ³⁷ tn Heb “will be a fugitive.” This is a collective singular. Cf. NCV “some will escape the judgment.”

[1:17]  ³⁸ tn Heb “house” (so most English versions); NCV, TEV “the people of Jacob.” The word “house” also occurs four times in v. 18.

[1:17]  ³⁹ tn Heb “dispossess.” This root is repeated in the following line to emphasize poetic justice: The punishment will fit the crime.

[1:17]  ⁴⁰ tc The present translation follows the reading מוֹרִשֵׁיהֶם (morishehem; literally, “those dispossessing them”; cf. NAB, NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹרָשֵׁיהֶם (morashehem, “their possessions”) of the MT (cf. LXX, Syriac, and Vg, followed by KJV, ASV, NASB).

[1:18]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “will be no survivor”; NAB “none shall survive.”

[1:19]  ⁴² tn Heb “the Negev”; ASV “the South”; NCV, TEV “southern Judah.” The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but these words have been supplied in the translation for clarity. The place name “the Negev” functions as a synecdoche (container for contents) for the people living in the Negev.

[1:19]  ⁴³ sn The verb יָרַשׁ (yarash, “to take possession of [something]”) which is repeated three times in vv. 19-20 for emphasis, often implies a violent means of acquisition, such as through military conquest. Obadiah here pictures a dramatic reversal: Judah’s enemies, who conquered them then looted all her valuable possessions, will soon be conquered by the Judeans who will in turn take possession of their valuables. The punishment will fit the crime.

[1:19]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew text does not have the words “the people of,” but they are supplied in the translation since “the Shephelah” functions as a synecdoche referring to residents of this region.

[1:19]  ⁴⁵ tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[1:19]  ⁴⁶ tn The words “the land of” are not present in the Hebrew text. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:19]  ⁴⁷ tn The phrase “will take possession” does not appear in this clause, but is implied from its previous use in this verse. It is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:19]  ⁴⁸ sn Gilead is a mountainous region on the eastern side of the Jordan River in what is today the country of Jordan.

[1:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “army” (TEV); KJV, NAB, NASB “host”; NIV “company.” Some text critics suggest revocalizing MT הַחֵל (hakhel, “the fortress”) to the place- name הָלָה (halah, “Halah”; so NRSV), the location to which many of the Israelite exiles were sent in the 8th century (2 Kgs 7:6; 18:11; 1 Chr 5:26). The MT form is from הַיִל (hayil, “strength”), which is used elsewhere to refer to an army (Exod 14:17; 1 Sam 17:20; 2 Sam 8:9), military fortress (2 Sam 20:15; 22:33), leaders (Exod 18:21) and even wealth or possessions (Obad 1:11, 13).

[1:20]  ⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew text has no verb here. The words “will possess” have been supplied from the context.

[1:20]  ⁵¹ sn Zarephath was a Phoenician coastal city located some ten miles south of Sidon.

[1:20]  ⁵² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:20]  ⁵³ sn The exact location of Sepharad is uncertain. Suggestions include a location in Spain, or perhaps Sparta in Greece, or perhaps Sardis in Asia Minor. For inscriptional evidence that bears on this question see E. Lipinski, “Obadiah 20,” VT 23 (1973): 368-70. The reason for mentioning this location in v. 20 seems to be that even though it was far removed from Jerusalem, the Lord will nonetheless enable the Jewish exiles there to return and participate in the restoration of Israel that Obadiah describes.

[1:21]  ⁵⁴ tc The present translation follows the reading מוּשָׁעִים (musha’im, “those who have been delivered”; cf. NRSV, CEV) rather than מוֹשִׁעִים (moshi’im,“deliverers”; cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) of the MT (cf. LXX, Aquila, Theodotion, and Syriac).

[1:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “to judge.” In this context the term does not mean “to render judgment on,” but “to rule over” (cf. NAB “to rule”; NIV “to govern”).

[1:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “then the kingdom will belong to the Lord.”