Genesis 49:27

49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

in the morning devouring the prey,

and in the evening dividing the plunder.”

Genesis 10:25

10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, ¹  and his brother’s name was Joktan.

Genesis 14:15

14:15 Then, during the night, ²  Abram ³  divided his forces ⁴  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁵  of Damascus.

Genesis 32:7

32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels.

Genesis 33:1

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ⁶  and saw that Esau was coming ⁷  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.

Genesis 2:10

2:10 Now ⁸  a river flows ⁹  from Eden ¹⁰  to

water the orchard, and from there it divides ¹¹  into four headstreams. ¹² 

Genesis 49:7

49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,

and their fury, for it was cruel.

I will divide them in Jacob,

and scatter them in Israel! ¹³ 

Genesis 15:10

15:10 So Abram ¹⁴  took all these for him and then cut them in two ¹⁵  and placed each half opposite the other, ¹⁶  but he did not cut the birds in half.

Genesis 1:4

1:4 God saw ¹⁷  that the light was good, ¹⁸  so God separated ¹⁹  the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:6-7

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ²⁰  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ²¹  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ²²  It was so. ²³ 

Genesis 1:18

1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ²⁴  God saw that it was good.

Genesis 10:32

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ²⁵  over the earth after the flood.

Genesis 1:14

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ²⁶  in the expanse ²⁷  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ²⁸  to indicate seasons and days and years,

Genesis 25:23

25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ²⁹  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 10:5

10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

Genesis 32:16

32:16 He entrusted them to ³⁰  his servants, who divided them into herds. ³¹  He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.”

[10:25]  ¹ tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.

[14:15]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ³ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[33:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

[33:1]  ² tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[2:10]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause (note the construction conjunction + subject + predicate) introduces an entire paragraph about the richness of the region in the east.

[2:10]  ² tn The Hebrew active participle may be translated here as indicating past durative action, “was flowing,” or as a present durative, “flows.” Since this river was the source of the rivers mentioned in vv. 11-14, which appear to describe a situation contemporary with the narrator, it is preferable to translate the participle in v. 10 with the present tense. This suggests that Eden and its orchard still existed in the narrator’s time. According to ancient Jewish tradition, Enoch was taken to the Garden of Eden, where his presence insulated the garden from the destructive waters of Noah’s flood. See Jub. 4:23-24.

[2:10]  ³ sn Eden is portrayed here as a source of life-giving rivers (that is, perennial streams). This is no surprise because its orchard is where the tree of life is located. Eden is a source of life, but tragically its orchard is no longer accessible to humankind. The river flowing out of Eden is a tantalizing reminder of this. God continues to provide life-giving water to sustain physical existence on the earth, but immortality has been lost.

[2:10]  ⁴ tn The imperfect verb form has the same nuance as the preceding participle. (If the participle is taken as past durative, then the imperfect would be translated “was dividing.”)

[2:10]  ⁵ tn Or “branches”; Heb “heads.” Cf. NEB “streams”; NASB “rivers.”

[49:7]  ¹ sn Divide…scatter. What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.

[15:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ² tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ³ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ² tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ³ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:6]  ¹ tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”

[1:6]  ² tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”

[1:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the expanse.”

[1:7]  ² tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

[1:18]  ¹ sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.

[10:32]  ¹ tn Or “separated.”

[1:14]  ¹ sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).

[1:14]  ² tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”

[1:14]  ³ tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”

[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.

[32:16]  ¹ tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ² tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.