Genesis 8:8
Context8:8 Then Noah 1 sent out a dove 2 to see if the waters had receded 3 from the surface of the ground.
Genesis 12:3
Context12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 4
but the one who treats you lightly 5 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 6 by your name.”
Genesis 16:4
Context16:4 He had sexual relations with 7 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 8 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 9


[8:8] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 2 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[8:8] 3 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
[12:3] 4 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
[12:3] 5 tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic
[12:3] 6 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[16:4] 7 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 8 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 9 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.