Genesis 9:16

9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ¹  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

Genesis 14:13

14:13 A fugitive ²  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ³  Now Abram was living by the oaks ⁴  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ⁵  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ⁶  with Abram.) ⁷ 

Genesis 21:32

21:32 So they made a treaty ⁸  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ⁹  to the land of the Philistines. ¹⁰ 

Genesis 26:28

26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ¹¹  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ¹²  a pact between us ¹³  – between us ¹⁴  and you. Allow us to make ¹⁵  a treaty with you

[9:16]  ¹ tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[14:13]  ² tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.

[14:13]  ³ sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).

[14:13]  ⁴ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  ⁵ tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.

[14:13]  ⁷ tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.

[21:32]  ³ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[21:32]  ⁴ tn Heb “arose and returned.”

[21:32]  ⁵ sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.

[26:28]  ⁴ tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ⁵ tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:28]  ⁶ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ⁷ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ⁸ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”