Kejadian 12:1-20
Konteks12:1 Now the Lord said 1 to Abram, 2
“Go out 3 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 4
12:2 Then I will make you 5 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 6
and I will make your name great, 7
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 8
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 9
but the one who treats you lightly 10 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 11 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 12 just as the Lord had told him to do, 13 and Lot went with him. (Now 14 Abram was 75 years old 15 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 16 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 17 in Haran, and they left for 18 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 19 of Moreh 20 at Shechem. 21 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 22 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 23 I will give this land.” So Abram 24 built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 25 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 26 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 27 down to the Negev. 28
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 29 to stay for a while 30 because the famine was severe. 31 12:11 As he approached 32 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 33 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 34 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 35 12:13 So tell them 36 you are my sister 37 so that it may go well 38 for me because of you and my life will be spared 39 on account of you.”
12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife 40 was taken 41 into the household of Pharaoh, 42 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 43 on account of her. Abram received 44 sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases 45 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 46 you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her 47 to be my wife? 48 Here is your wife! 49 Take her and go!” 50 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 51 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
Kejadian 15:1-21
Konteks15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 52 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 53
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 54 what will you give me since 55 I continue to be 56 childless, and my heir 57 is 58 Eliezer of Damascus?” 59 15:3 Abram added, 60 “Since 61 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 62
15:4 But look, 63 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 64 will not be your heir, 65 but instead 66 a son 67 who comes from your own body will be 68 your heir.” 69 15:5 The Lord 70 took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
15:6 Abram believed 71 the Lord, and the Lord 72 considered his response of faith 73 as proof of genuine loyalty. 74
15:7 The Lord said 75 to him, “I am the Lord 76 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 77 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 78 Abram 79 said, “O sovereign Lord, 80 by what 81 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 82 said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram 83 took all these for him and then cut them in two 84 and placed each half opposite the other, 85 but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, 86 and great terror overwhelmed him. 87 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 88 that your descendants will be strangers 89 in a foreign country. 90 They will be enslaved and oppressed 91 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 92 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 93 you will go to your ancestors 94 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 95 15:16 In the fourth generation 96 your descendants 97 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 98
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 99 passed between the animal parts. 100 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 101 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 102 this land, from the river of Egypt 103 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 104 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 105
Kejadian 18:1-33
Konteks18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 106 by the oaks 107 of Mamre while 108 he was sitting at the entrance 109 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 110 looked up 111 and saw 112 three men standing across 113 from him. When he saw them 114 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 115 to the ground. 116
18:3 He said, “My lord, 117 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 118 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 119 you may all 120 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 121 a bit of food 122 so that you may refresh yourselves 123 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 124 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 125 three measures 126 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 127 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 128 who quickly prepared it. 129 18:8 Abraham 130 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 131 before them. They ate while 132 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 133 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 134 said, “I will surely return 135 to you when the season comes round again, 136 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 137 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 138 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 139 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 140 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 141 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 142 especially when my husband is old too?” 143
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 144 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 145 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 146 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 147 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 148
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 149 they looked out over 150 Sodom. (Now 151 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 152 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 153 18:18 After all, Abraham 154 will surely become 155 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 156 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 157 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 158 the way of the Lord by doing 159 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 160 to Abraham what he promised 161 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 162 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 163 18:21 that I must go down 164 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 165 If not, 166 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 167 and headed 168 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 169 18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare 170 the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 171 of the whole earth do what is right?” 172
18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord 173 (although I am but dust and ashes), 174 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 175 the whole city because five are lacking?” 176 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 177 spoke to him again, 178 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 179 said, “May the Lord not be angry 180 so that I may speak! 181 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 182 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 183 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
18:33 The Lord went on his way 184 when he had finished speaking 185 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 186
Kejadian 26:1-35
Konteks26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 187 in the days of Abraham. 188 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 189 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 190 26:3 Stay 191 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 192 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 193 and I will fulfill 194 the solemn promise I made 195 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 196 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 197 26:5 All this will come to pass 198 because Abraham obeyed me 199 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 200 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 201 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 202 “The men of this place will kill me to get 203 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 204 had been there a long time, 205 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 206 Isaac caressing 207 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 208 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 209
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 210 One of the men 211 might easily have had sexual relations with 212 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 213 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 214
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 215 because the Lord blessed him. 216 26:13 The man became wealthy. 217 His influence continued to grow 218 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 219 so many sheep 220 and cattle 221 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 222 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 223 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 224 for you have become much more powerful 225 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 226 26:18 Isaac reopened 227 the wells that had been dug 228 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 229 after Abraham died. Isaac 230 gave these wells 231 the same names his father had given them. 232
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 233 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 234 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 235 named the well 236 Esek 237 because they argued with him about it. 238 26:21 His servants 239 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 240 Sitnah. 241 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 242 named it 243 Rehoboth, 244 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 245 went up to Beer Sheba. 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.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 246 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 247
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 248 to him from Gerar along with 249 Ahuzzah his friend 250 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 251 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 252 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 253 a pact between us 254 – between us 255 and you. Allow us to make 256 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 257 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 258 you, but have always treated you well 259 before sending you away 260 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 261
26:30 So Isaac 262 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 263 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 264 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 265
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 266 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 267 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 268 to this day.
26:34 When 269 Esau was forty years old, 270 he married 271 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 272
Kejadian 28:1-22
Konteks28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 273 28:2 Leave immediately 274 for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God 275 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 276 Then you will become 277 a large nation. 278 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 279 so that you may possess the land 280 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 281 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 282 As he blessed him, 283 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 284 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 285 that the Canaanite women 286 were displeasing to 287 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 288 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 289 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 290 He took one of the stones 291 and placed it near his head. 292 Then he fell asleep 293 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 294 He saw 295 a stairway 296 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 297 I will give you and your descendants the ground 298 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 299 and you will spread out 300 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 301 using your name and that of your descendants. 302 28:15 I am with you! 303 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 304 and thought, 305 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 306 in the morning Jacob 307 took the stone he had placed near his head 308 and set it up as a sacred stone. 309 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 310 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 311 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 312 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 313 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 314 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 315
[12:1] 1 sn The
[12:1] 2 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.
[12:1] sn It would be hard to overestimate the value of this call and this divine plan for the theology of the Bible. Here begins God’s plan to bring redemption to the world. The promises to Abram will be turned into a covenant in Gen 15 and 22 (here it is a call with conditional promises) and will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.
[12:1] 3 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”
[12:1] 4 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
[12:2] 5 tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.
[12:2] 6 sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.
[12:2] 7 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
[12:2] 8 tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.
[12:3] 9 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
[12:3] 10 tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic
[12:3] 11 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “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.
[12:4] 12 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
[12:4] 13 tn Heb “just as the
[12:4] 14 tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.
[12:4] 15 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
[12:4] sn Terah was 70 years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Gen 11:26). Terah was 205 when he died in Haran (11:32). Abram left Haran at the age of 75 after his father died. Abram was born when Terah was 130. Abram was not the firstborn – he is placed first in the list of three because of his importance. The same is true of the list in Gen 10:1 (Shem, Ham and Japheth). Ham was the youngest son (9:24). Japheth was the older brother of Shem (10:21), so the birth order of Noah’s sons was Japheth, Shem, and Ham.
[12:5] 16 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
[12:5] 17 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
[12:5] 18 tn Heb “went out to go.”
[12:6] 20 sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.
[12:6] 21 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
[12:6] 22 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
[12:7] 23 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[12:7] 24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:8] 25 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:8] 26 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[12:9] 27 tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”
[12:9] 28 tn Or “the South [country].”
[12:9] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[12:10] 29 sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.
[12:10] 30 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.
[12:10] 31 tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:11] 32 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
[12:11] 33 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
[12:11] 34 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
[12:12] 35 tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.
[12:13] 37 sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.
[12:13] 38 tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.
[12:13] 39 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
[12:15] 40 tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.
[12:15] 41 tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.
[12:15] 42 tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.
[12:16] 43 sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.
[12:16] 44 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[12:17] 45 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
[12:18] 46 tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[12:19] 47 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
[12:19] 48 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
[12:19] 49 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
[12:19] 50 tn Heb “take and go.”
[12:20] 51 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:1] 52 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
[15:1] 53 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
[15:1] sn Abram has just rejected all the spoils of war, and the
[15:2] 54 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 55 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 56 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 57 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
[15:2] sn For the custom of designating a member of the household as heir, see C. H. Gordon, “Biblical Customs and the Nuzu Tablets,” Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2:21-33.
[15:2] 58 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 59 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
[15:3] 60 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 61 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 62 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 63 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
[15:4] 64 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 65 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 66 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 67 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:4] 68 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 69 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 70 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 71 tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.
[15:6] 72 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 73 tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.
[15:6] 74 tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).
[15:6] sn This episode is basic to the NT teaching of Paul on justification (Romans 4). Paul weaves this passage and Psalm 32 together, for both use this word. Paul explains that for the one who believes in the
[15:7] 75 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 76 sn I am the
[15:7] 77 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
[15:8] 78 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 79 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 80 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 82 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 83 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 84 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 85 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
[15:10] sn For discussion of this ritual see G. F. Hasel, “The Meaning of the Animal Rite in Genesis 15,” JSOT 19 (1981): 61-78.
[15:12] 86 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 87 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 88 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.
[15:13] 89 tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.
[15:13] 90 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 91 tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.
[15:14] 92 tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.
[15:15] 93 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 94 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 95 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 96 sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.
[15:16] 97 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 98 tn Heb “is not yet complete.”
[15:16] sn The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit. The justice of God is apparent. He will wait until the Amorites are fully deserving of judgment before he annihilates them and gives the land to Israel.
[15:17] 99 sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).
[15:17] 100 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 101 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 102 tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).
[15:18] sn To your descendants I give this land. The
[15:18] 103 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 104 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 105 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
[18:1] 106 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 107 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 108 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 109 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 110 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 111 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 112 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.
[18:2] 113 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
[18:2] 114 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 115 tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).
[18:2] 116 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 117 tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the
[18:3] 118 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 119 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 120 tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.
[18:5] 121 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 122 tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.
[18:5] 123 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 124 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
[18:6] 125 tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.
[18:6] 126 sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.
[18:6] 127 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 128 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 129 tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”
[18:8] 130 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 131 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:8] 132 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 133 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 134 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
[18:10] 135 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
[18:10] sn I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?
[18:10] 136 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 137 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 138 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 140 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 142 tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.
[18:12] 143 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 144 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 145 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 146 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 147 sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the
[18:15] 148 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 149 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 150 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 151 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 152 tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.
[18:17] 153 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 154 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”
[18:18] 155 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 156 tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham 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.
[18:19] 157 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
[18:19] 158 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
[18:19] 159 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 160 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 161 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 162 tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.
[18:21] 164 tn The cohortative indicates the
[18:21] sn I must go down. The descent to “see” Sodom is a bold anthropomorphism, stressing the careful judgment of God. The language is reminiscent of the
[18:21] 165 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 166 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 167 tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the
[18:22] 169 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 170 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 172 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
[18:27] 173 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 174 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 175 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 176 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 177 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 178 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 179 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 180 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 181 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 182 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 183 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 184 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 185 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 186 tn Heb “to his place.”
[26:1] 187 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 188 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 189 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] 190 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 191 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 192 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] sn I will be with you and I will bless you. The promise of divine presence is a promise to intervene to protect and to bless.
[26:3] 193 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.
[26:3] sn To you and to your descendants. The Abrahamic blessing will pass to Isaac. Everything included in that blessing will now belong to the son, and in turn will be passed on to his sons. But there is a contingency involved: If they are to enjoy the full blessings, they will have to obey the word of the
[26:3] 194 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 195 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:3] sn The solemn promise I made. See Gen 15:18-20; 22:16-18.
[26:4] 196 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 197 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 22:18). 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.)
[26:5] 198 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 199 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 200 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 201 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 202 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 203 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 204 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 205 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 206 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:8] sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.
[26:9] 208 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 209 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 210 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 212 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 213 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 214 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 215 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 216 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 217 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 218 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 219 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 220 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 221 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 222 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 223 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 224 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 225 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 226 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:17] sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the
[26:18] 227 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 228 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 229 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 230 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 231 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 232 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 233 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 234 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 235 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 236 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 237 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 238 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 239 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 240 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 241 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 242 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 243 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 244 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 245 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 246 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 247 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 248 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 250 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 251 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 252 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 253 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] 254 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 255 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 256 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 257 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 259 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 260 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 261 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 262 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 263 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 264 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 265 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 266 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 267 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 268 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 269 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 270 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 271 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 272 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[28:1] 273 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:2] 274 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
[28:3] 275 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[28:3] 276 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
[28:3] 277 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
[28:3] 278 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[28:4] 279 tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.
[28:4] 280 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[28:4] 281 tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.
[28:6] 282 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
[28:6] 283 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
[28:6] 284 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 286 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 287 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
[28:9] 288 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
[28:11] 289 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
[28:11] 290 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 291 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 292 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
[28:11] 293 tn Heb “lay down.”
[28:12] 294 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 295 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
[28:12] 296 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
[28:13] 297 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
[28:13] 298 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
[28:14] 299 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 300 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 301 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[28:14] 302 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 303 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
[28:16] 304 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 306 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 307 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 308 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 309 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[28:18] sn Sacred stone. Such a stone could be used as a boundary marker, a burial stone, or as a shrine. Here the stone is intended to be a reminder of the stairway that was “erected” and on which the
[28:19] 310 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
[28:19] map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[28:20] 311 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 312 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 313 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 314 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 315 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
