Genesis 9:13

9:13 I will place ¹  my rainbow ²  in the clouds, and it will become ³  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth.

Genesis 17:11

17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ⁴  of the covenant between me and you.

Genesis 21:27

21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. ⁵ 

Genesis 31:44

31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ⁶  you and I, and it will be ⁷  proof that we have made peace.” ⁸ 

[9:13]  ¹ tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).

[9:13]  ² sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.

[9:13]  ³ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.

[17:11]  ⁴ tn Or “sign.”

[21:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ¹¹ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ¹² tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”