Numbers 34:3

34:3 your southern border ¹  will extend from the wilderness of Zin along the Edomite border, and your southern border will run eastward to the extremity of the Salt Sea,

Genesis 13:10

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ²  the whole region ³  of the Jordan. He noticed ⁴  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah) ⁶  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ⁷  all the way to Zoar.

Genesis 14:3

14:3 These last five kings ⁸  joined forces ⁹  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ¹⁰ 

Genesis 19:24-26

19:24 Then the Lord rained down ¹¹  sulfur and fire ¹²  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ¹³  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ¹⁴  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ¹⁵  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ¹⁶  wife looked back longingly ¹⁷  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

[34:3]  ¹ tn The expression refers to the corner or extremity of the Negev, the South.

[13:10]  ² tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.

[13:10]  ³ tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ⁴ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁵ sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).

[13:10]  ⁶ tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ⁷ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[14:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.

[14:3]  ¹⁰ sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[19:24]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.

[19:24]  ¹² tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).

[19:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “from the Lord from the heavens.” The words “It was sent down” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:25]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”

[19:26]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:26]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).