Genesis 6:22

6:22 And Noah did all ¹  that God commanded him – he did indeed. ² 

Genesis 21:1

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ³  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁴  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁵ 

Genesis 21:8

21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared ⁶  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁷ 

Genesis 43:17

43:17 The man did just as Joseph said; he ⁸  brought the men into Joseph’s house. ⁹ 

[6:22]  ¹ tn Heb “according to all.”

[6:22]  ² tn The last clause seems redundant: “and thus (כֵּן, ken) he did.” It underscores the obedience of Noah to all that God had said.

[21:1]  ³ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

[21:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “spoken.”

[21:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “made.”

[21:8]  ⁶ sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.

[43:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “the man.” This has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.

[43:17]  ⁸ sn This verse is a summary statement. The next verses delineate intermediate steps (see v. 24) in the process.