Psalms 34:19

34:19 The godly ¹  face many dangers, ² 

but the Lord saves ³  them ⁴  from each one of them.

Genesis 48:16

48:16 the Angel ⁵  who has protected me ⁶ 

from all harm –

bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, ⁷ 

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

Genesis 48:1

Manasseh and Ephraim

48:1 After these things Joseph was told, ⁸  “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

Genesis 26:24

26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

Genesis 26:2

26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; ⁹  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ¹⁰ 

Genesis 4:9

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ¹¹  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ¹² 

Genesis 4:2

4:2 Then she gave birth ¹³  to his brother Abel. ¹⁴  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ¹⁵ 

Genesis 4:18

4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father ¹⁶  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

[34:19]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text uses the singular form; the representative or typical godly person is envisioned.

[34:19]  ² tn Or “trials.”

[34:19]  ³ tn The Hebrew imperfect verbal form highlights the generalizing statement and draws attention to the fact that the Lord typically delivers the godly.

[34:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “him,” agreeing with the singular form in the preceding line.

[48:16]  ⁵ sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

[48:16]  ⁶ tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

[48:16]  ⁷ tn Or “be recalled through them.”

[48:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.

[26:2]  ⁹ sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.

[26:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “say to you.”

[4:9]  ¹¹ sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.

[4:9]  ¹² tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”

[4:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  ¹⁴ sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[4:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”