Numbers 32:3

32:3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, ¹  Nebo, and Beon, ² 

Genesis 26:18

26:18 Isaac reopened ³  the wells that had been dug ⁴  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ⁵  after Abraham died. Isaac ⁶  gave these wells ⁷  the same names his father had given them. ⁸ 

Exodus 23:13

23:13 “Pay attention to do ⁹  everything I have told you, and do not even mention ¹⁰  the names of other gods – do not let them be heard on your lips. ¹¹ 

Joshua 23:7

23:7 or associate with these nations that remain near ¹²  you. You must not invoke or make solemn declarations by the names of their gods! ¹³  You must not worship ¹⁴  or bow down to them!

Psalms 16:4

16:4 their troubles multiply,

they desire other gods. ¹⁵ 

I will not pour out drink offerings of blood to their gods, ¹⁶ 

nor will I make vows in the name of their gods. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 46:1

The Lord Carries His People

46:1 Bel ¹⁸  kneels down,

Nebo ¹⁹  bends low.

Their images weigh down animals and beasts. ²⁰ 

Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. ²¹ 

[32:3]  ¹ tc Smr and the LXX have Sibmah. Cf. v. 38.

[32:3]  ² tn Cf. Baal-meon in v. 38.

[26:18]  ³ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[23:13]  ⁹ tn The phrase “to do” is added; in Hebrew word order the line says, “In all that I have said to you you will watch yourselves.” The verb for paying attention is a Niphal imperfect with an imperatival force.

[23:13]  ¹⁰ tn Or “honor,” Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar). See also Exod 20:25; Josh 23:7; Isa 26:13.

[23:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[23:7]  ¹² tn Heb “with.”

[23:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “and in the name of their gods you must not invoke and you must not make solemn declarations.” The words “and you must not make solemn declarations” are omitted in the LXX and may represent a later scribal addition to elucidate the immediately preceding command. The Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) without an object occurs only here and in Josh 6:26.

[23:7]  ¹⁴ tn Or “serve.”

[16:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “their troubles multiply, another, they pay a dowry.” The meaning of the text is unclear. The Hebrew term עַצְּבוֹתָם (’atsÿvotam, “troubles”) appears to be a plural form of עַצֶּבֶת (’atsÿvet, “pain, wound”; see Job 9:28; Ps 147:3). Because idolatry appears to be in view (see v. 4b), some prefer to emend the noun to עַצְּבִים (’atsÿvim, “idols”). “Troubles” may be a wordplay on “idols” or a later alteration designed to emphasize that idolatry leads to trouble. The singular form אחר (“another”) is syntactically problematic here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “others”). (The final mem [ם] could have been lost by haplography; note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the next word.) In this case it might be taken as an abbreviated form of the well-attested phrase אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (’elohim ’akherim, “other gods”). (In Isa 42:8 the singular form אַחַר (’akher, “another”) is used of another god.) The verb מָהַר (mahar) appears in the Qal stem; the only other use of a Qal verbal form of a root מָהַר is in Exod 22:15, where the denominative verb מָהֹר (mahor, “purchase [a wife]”) appears; cf. the related noun מֹהַר (mohar, “bride money, purchase price for a wife”). If that verb is understood here, then the idolaters are pictured as eager bridegrooms paying the price to acquire the object of their desire. Another option is to emend the verb to a Piel and translate, “hurry (after).”

[16:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “I will not pour out their drink offerings of blood.” The third masculine plural suffix would appear to refer back to the people/leaders mentioned in v. 3. However, if we emend אֲחֵר (’akher, “another”) to the plural אֲחֵרִים (’akherim, “other [gods]”) in v. 4, the suffix can be understood as referring to these gods – “the drink offerings [made to] them.” The next line favors this interpretation. Perhaps this refers to some type of pagan cultic ritual. Elsewhere wine is the prescribed content of drink offerings.

[16:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will not lift up their names upon my lips.” The expression “lift up the name” probably refers here to swearing an oath in the name of deity (see Exod 20:7; Deut 5:11). If so, the third masculine plural suffix on “names” likely refers to the pagan gods, not the people/leaders. See the preceding note.

[46:1]  ¹⁸ sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.

[46:1]  ¹⁹ sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.

[46:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”

[46:1]  ²¹ tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”