Discovery BoxGenesis 32:1
Context32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God 1 met him.
Genesis 14:1-24
Context14:1 At that time 2 Amraphel king of Shinar, 3 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 4 14:2 went to war 5 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 6 14:3 These last five kings 7 joined forces 8 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 9 14:4 For twelve years 10 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 11 they rebelled. 12 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 13 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 14 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 15 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 16 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 17 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 18 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 19 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 20 but some survivors 21 fled to the hills. 22 14:11 The four victorious kings 23 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 24 Lot and his possessions when 25 they left, for Lot 26 was living in Sodom. 27
14:13 A fugitive 28 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 29 Now Abram was living by the oaks 30 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 31 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 32 with Abram.) 33 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 34 had been taken captive, he mobilized 35 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 36 as far as Dan. 37 14:15 Then, during the night, 38 Abram 39 divided his forces 40 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 41 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 42 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 43 the people.
14:17 After Abram 44 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 45 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 46 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 47 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 48 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 49 the Most High God,
Creator 50 of heaven and earth. 51
14:20 Worthy of praise is 52 the Most High God,
who delivered 53 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 54 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 55 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 56 14:23 that I will take nothing 57 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 58 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 59 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 60 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
Genesis 16:1-16
Context16:1 Now Sarai, 61 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 62 but she had an Egyptian servant 63 named Hagar. 64 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 65 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 66 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 67 Abram did what 68 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 69 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 70 to her husband to be his wife. 71 16:4 He had sexual relations with 72 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 73 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 74 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 75 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 76 but when she realized 77 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 78 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 79
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 80 servant is under your authority, 81 do to her whatever you think best.” 82 Then Sarai treated Hagar 83 harshly, 84 so she ran away from Sarai. 85
16:7 The Lord’s angel 86 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 87 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 88 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 89 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 90 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 91 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 92 pregnant
and are about to give birth 93 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 94
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 95
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 96 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 97
and everyone will be hostile to him. 98
He will live away from 99 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 100 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 101 16:14 That is why the well was called 102 Beer Lahai Roi. 103 (It is located 104 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 105 16:16 (Now 106 Abram was 86 years old 107 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 108
[32:1] 1 sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.
[14:1] 2 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 3 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 4 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”).
[14:2] 4 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
[14:3] 4 tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.
[14:3] 5 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.
[14:3] 6 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 5 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 6 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 7 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
[14:5] 6 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
[14:6] 7 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
[14:7] 8 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.”
[14:9] 10 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 11 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 11 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] 12 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] 14 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.
[14:11] 12 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 13 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 16 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 14 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
[14:13] 15 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
[14:13] 16 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 17 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 18 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
[14:13] 19 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
[14:14] 15 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
[14:14] 16 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
[14:14] 17 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 18 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
[14:15] 16 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 18 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 19 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 17 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 18 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 19 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 20 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 19 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
[14:18] 20 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:19] 20 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 21 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
[14:19] 22 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 21 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
[14:20] 22 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
[14:20] 23 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 22 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 23 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 23 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 24 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 24 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 25 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[16:1] 25 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 26 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 27 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 28 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[16:2] 26 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 27 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] 28 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 29 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:3] 27 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
[16:3] 28 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 29 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
[16:4] 28 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 29 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 30 tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.
[16:5] 29 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 30 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 32 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
[16:5] 33 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:6] 30 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 31 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 32 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 33 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 34 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 35 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 31 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 32 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 32 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 33 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
[16:10] 34 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 35 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 35 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 36 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 37 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
[16:11] 38 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:12] 36 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
[16:12] 37 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
[16:12] 38 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 39 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
[16:13] 37 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
[16:13] 38 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:14] 38 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 39 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
[16:14] 40 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 39 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:16] 40 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 41 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 42 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
