Genesis 6:2

6:2 the sons of God ¹  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

Genesis 39:7

39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of ²  Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” ³ 

Joshua 7:21

7:21 I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, ⁴  two hundred silver pieces, ⁵  and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”

Joshua 7:2

7:2 Joshua sent men from Jericho ⁶  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ⁷ ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.

Joshua 11:2

11:2 and the northern kings who ruled in ⁸  the hill country, the Arabah south of Kinnereth, ⁹  the lowlands, and the heights of Dor to the west.

Job 31:1

Job Vindicates Himself

31:1 “I made a covenant with ¹⁰  my eyes;

how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin? ¹¹ 

Matthew 5:28

5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:1

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ¹²  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ¹³  After he sat down his disciples came to him.

Matthew 2:16

2:16 When Herod ¹⁴  saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men ¹⁵  to kill all the children in Bethlehem ¹⁶  and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.

[6:2]  ¹ sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.

[39:7]  ² tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.

[39:7]  ³ tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[7:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “Shinar,” a reference to Babylon (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1). Many modern translations retain the Hebrew name “Shinar” (cf. NEB, NRSV) but some use the more familiar “Babylon” (cf. NIV, NLT).

[7:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “shekels.”

[7:2]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[7:2]  ⁷ map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[11:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and to the kings who [are] from the north in.”

[11:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “Chinneroth,” a city and plain located in the territory of Naphtali in Galilee (BDB 490 s.v. כִּנֶּרֶת, כִּנֲרוֹת).

[31:1]  ¹⁰ tn The idea of cutting a covenant for something may suggest a covenant that is imposed, except that this construction elsewhere argues against it (see 2 Chr 29:10).

[31:1]  ¹¹ tn This half-verse is the effect of the covenant. The interrogative מָה (mah) may have the force of the negative, and so be translated “not to pay attention.”

[5:1]  ¹² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:1]  ¹³ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

[2:16]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “soldiers.”

[2:16]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.