Discovery BoxGenesis 9:25-26
Context9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 3
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 4 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 5
Genesis 22:17-18
Context22:17 I will indeed bless you, 6 and I will greatly multiply 7 your descendants 8 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 9 of the strongholds 10 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 11 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 12 using the name of your descendants.’”
Genesis 49:8-10
Context49:8 Judah, 13 your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 14
until he comes to whom it belongs; 15
the nations will obey him. 16
Genesis 49:2
Context49:2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel, your father.
Genesis 8:1-18
Context8:1 But God remembered 17 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 18 the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 19 and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 20 from the earth, so that they 21 had gone down 22 by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. 23 8:5 The waters kept on receding 24 until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 25
8:6 At the end of forty days, 26 Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 27 8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 28 back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.
8:8 Then Noah 29 sent out a dove 30 to see if the waters had receded 31 from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 32 the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 33 in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 34 and brought it back into the ark. 35 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 36 the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 37 a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, 38 but it did not return to him this time. 39
8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 40 in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that 41 the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 42 was dry.
8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out 43 every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 44 and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” 45
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.
Genesis 10:1-19
Context10:1 This is the account 46 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 47 were born 48 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 49 were Gomer, 50 Magog, 51 Madai, 52 Javan, 53 Tubal, 54 Meshech, 55 and Tiras. 56 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 57 Askenaz, 58 Riphath, 59 and Togarmah. 60 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 61 Tarshish, 62 the Kittim, 63 and the Dodanim. 64 10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.
10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, 65 Mizraim, 66 Put, 67 and Canaan. 68 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 69 Havilah, 70 Sabtah, 71 Raamah, 72 and Sabteca. 73 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 74 and Dedan. 75
10:8 Cush was the father of 76 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 77 before the Lord. 78 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 79 of his kingdom were Babel, 80 Erech, 81 Akkad, 82 and Calneh 83 in the land of Shinar. 84 10:11 From that land he went 85 to Assyria, 86 where he built Nineveh, 87 Rehoboth-Ir, 88 Calah, 89 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 90
10:13 Mizraim 91 was the father of 92 the Ludites, 93 Anamites, 94 Lehabites, 95 Naphtuhites, 96 10:14 Pathrusites, 97 Casluhites 98 (from whom the Philistines came), 99 and Caphtorites. 100
10:15 Canaan was the father of 101 Sidon his firstborn, 102 Heth, 103 10:16 the Jebusites, 104 Amorites, 105 Girgashites, 106 10:17 Hivites, 107 Arkites, 108 Sinites, 109 10:18 Arvadites, 110 Zemarites, 111 and Hamathites. 112 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 113 from Sidon 114 all the way to 115 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 116 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Genesis 10:1
Context10:1 This is the account 117 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 118 were born 119 to them after the flood.
Genesis 4:21
Context4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute.
Psalms 2:6-9
Context2:6 “I myself 120 have installed 121 my king
on Zion, my holy hill.”
2:7 The king says, 122 “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: 123
‘You are my son! 124 This very day I have become your father!
2:8 Ask me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, 125
the ends of the earth as your personal property.
2:9 You will break them 126 with an iron scepter; 127
you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” 128
Psalms 72:8
Context72:8 May he rule 129 from sea to sea, 130
and from the Euphrates River 131 to the ends of the earth!
Isaiah 9:7
Context9:7 His dominion will be vast 132
and he will bring immeasurable prosperity. 133
He will rule on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom, 134
establishing it 135 and strengthening it
by promoting justice and fairness, 136
from this time forward and forevermore.
The Lord’s intense devotion to his people 137 will accomplish this.
Daniel 2:44-45
Context2:44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will raise up an everlasting kingdom that will not be destroyed and a kingdom that will not be left to another people. It will break in pieces and bring about the demise of all these kingdoms. But it will stand forever. 2:45 You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. 138 The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”
Revelation 19:16
Context19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
[9:25] 1 sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.
[9:25] 2 sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).
[9:25] 3 tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.
[9:26] 5 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:17] 6 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
[22:17] 7 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] 8 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[22:17] 10 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
[22:18] 11 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
[22:18] 12 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to 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. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[49:8] 13 sn There is a wordplay here; the name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (יוֹדוּךָ, yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance.
[49:10] 14 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
[49:10] 15 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
[49:10] 16 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
[8:1] 17 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).
[8:1] 18 tn Heb “to pass over.”
[8:2] 19 tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.
[8:3] 20 tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”
[8:3] 21 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 22 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
[8:4] 23 tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).
[8:5] 24 tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.
[8:5] 25 tn Or “could be seen.”
[8:6] 26 tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.
[8:6] 27 tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.
[8:7] 28 tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.
[8:8] 29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 30 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[8:8] 31 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
[8:9] 32 tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:9] 33 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 34 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 35 tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”
[8:11] 36 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
[8:11] 37 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
[8:12] 38 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:12] 39 tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.
[8:13] 40 tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[8:13] 41 tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.
[8:14] 42 tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.
[8:17] 43 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:17] 44 tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.
[8:17] 45 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
[10:1] 46 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 47 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 48 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[10:2] 49 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 50 sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.
[10:2] 51 sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.
[10:2] 52 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 53 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 54 sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 55 sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.
[10:2] 56 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 57 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 58 sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.
[10:3] 59 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 60 sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.
[10:4] 61 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 62 sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.
[10:4] 63 sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.
[10:4] 64 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 65 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 66 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 67 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 68 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 69 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 70 sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.
[10:7] 71 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 72 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 73 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 74 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 75 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 76 tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.
[10:9] 77 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
[10:9] 78 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 79 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
[10:10] 81 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 82 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 83 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
[10:10] 84 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 85 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
[10:11] 87 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 88 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 89 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 90 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 91 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 93 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 94 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 95 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 96 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 97 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 98 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 99 tn Several commentators prefer to reverse the order of the words to put this clause after the next word, since the Philistines came from Crete (where the Caphtorites lived). But the table may suggest migration rather than lineage, and the Philistines, like the Israelites, came through the Nile Delta region of Egypt. For further discussion of the origin and migration of the Philistines, see D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 232.
[10:14] 100 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 101 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 102 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 103 tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[10:16] 104 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 105 sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.
[10:16] 106 sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).
[10:17] 107 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 108 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 109 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 110 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 111 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 112 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 114 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 115 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 116 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:1] 117 tn The title אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (’elle tolÿdot, here translated as “This is the account”) here covers 10:1–11:9, which contains the so-called Table of Nations and the account of how the nations came to be dispersed.
[10:1] 118 sn Sons were born to them. A vertical genealogy such as this encompasses more than the names of sons. The list includes cities, tribes, and even nations. In a loose way, the names in the list have some derivation or connection to the three ancestors.
[10:1] 119 tn It appears that the Table of Nations is a composite of at least two ancient sources: Some sections begin with the phrase “the sons of” (בְּנֵי, bÿne) while other sections use “begot” (יָלָד, yalad). It may very well be that the “sons of” list was an old, “bare bones” list that was retained in the family records, while the “begot” sections were editorial inserts by the writer of Genesis, reflecting his special interests. See A. P. Ross, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Structure,” BSac 137 (1980): 340-53; idem, “The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 – Its Content,” BSac 138 (1981): 22-34.
[2:6] 120 tn The first person pronoun appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis, reflected in the translation by “myself.”
[2:6] 121 tn Or perhaps “consecrated.”
[2:7] 122 tn The words “the king says” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The speaker is the Lord’s chosen king.
[2:7] 123 tn Or “I will relate the decree. The
[2:7] 124 sn ‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 89:26-27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty. See M. Weinfeld, “The Covenant of Grant in the Old Testament and in the Ancient Near East,” JAOS 90 (1970): 184-203, for general discussion and some striking extra-biblical parallels.
[2:8] 125 sn I will give you the nations. The
[2:9] 126 tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.
[2:9] 127 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.
[2:9] 128 sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.
[72:8] 129 tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.
[72:8] 130 sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.
[72:8] 131 tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.
[9:7] 132 tc The Hebrew text has לְםַרְבֵּה (lÿmarbeh), which is a corrupt reading. לם is dittographic; note the preceding word, שָׁלוֹם (shalom). The corrected text reads literally, “great is the dominion.”
[9:7] 133 tn Heb “and to peace there will be no end” (KJV and ASV both similar). On the political and socio-economic sense of שָׁלוֹם (shalom) in this context, see the note at v. 6 on “Prince of Peace.”
[9:7] 134 tn Heb “over the throne of David, and over his kingdom.” The referent of the pronoun “his” (i.e., David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 135 tn The feminine singular pronominal suffix on this form and the following one (translated “it” both times) refers back to the grammatically feminine noun “kingdom.”
[9:7] 136 tn Heb “with/by justice and fairness”; ASV “with justice and with righteousness.”
[9:7] 137 tn Heb “the zeal of the Lord.” In this context the Lord’s “zeal” refers to his intense devotion to and love for his people which prompts him to vindicate them and to fulfill his promises to David and the nation.
