Kejadian 4:1--35:29
Konteks4:1 Now 1 the man had marital relations with 2 his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 3 and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 4 a man just as the Lord did!” 5 4:2 Then she gave birth 6 to his brother Abel. 7 Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 8
4:3 At the designated time 9 Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering 10 to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought 11 some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest 12 of them. And the Lord was pleased with 13 Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. 14 So Cain became very angry, 15 and his expression was downcast. 16
4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true 17 that if you do what is right, you will be fine? 18 But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching 19 at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” 20
4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 21 While they were in the field, Cain attacked 22 his brother 23 Abel and killed him.
4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 24 And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 25 4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? 26 The voice 27 of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished 28 from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate 29 the
ground it will no longer yield 30 its best 31 for you. You will be a homeless wanderer 32 on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment 33 is too great to endure! 34 4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land 35 today, and I must hide from your presence. 36 I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, 37 if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” 38 Then the Lord put a special mark 39 on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 40 4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, 41 east of Eden.
4:17 Cain had marital relations 42 with his wife, and she became pregnant 43 and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after 44 his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father 45 of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first 46 of those who live in tents and keep 47 livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped 48 all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
4:23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!
You wives of Lamech, hear my words!
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man 49 for hurting me.
4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,
then Lamech seventy-seven times!” 50
4:25 And Adam had marital relations 51 with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 52 me another child 53 in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people 54 began to worship 55 the Lord.
5:1 This is the record 56 of the family line 57 of Adam.
When God created humankind, 58 he made them 59 in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” 60
5:3 When 61 Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived 62 after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had 63 other 64 sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime 65 of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. 66
5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father 67 of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had 68 other 69 sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.
5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.
5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.
5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.
5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.
5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 70 for 300 years, 71 and he had other 72 sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared 73 because God took 74 him away.
5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other 75 sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.
5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, 76 saying, “This one will bring us comfort 77 from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other 78 sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.
5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he 79 became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:1 When humankind 80 began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born 81 to them, 82 6:2 the sons of God 83 saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in 84 humankind indefinitely, 85 since 86 they 87 are mortal. 88 They 89 will remain for 120 more years.” 90
6:4 The Nephilim 91 were on the earth in those days (and also after this) 92 when the sons of God were having sexual relations with 93 the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. 94 They were the mighty heroes 95 of old, the famous men. 96
6:5 But the Lord saw 97 that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 98 of the thoughts 99 of their minds 100 was only evil 101 all the time. 102 6:6 The Lord regretted 103 that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. 104 6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, 105 including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”
6:8 But 106 Noah found favor 107 in the sight of 108 the Lord.
6:9 This is the account of Noah. 109
Noah was a godly man; he was blameless 110
among his contemporaries. 111 He 112 walked with 113 God. 6:10 Noah had 114 three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11 The earth was ruined 115 in the sight of 116 God; the earth was filled with violence. 117 6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed 118 it was ruined, 119 for all living creatures 120 on the earth were sinful. 121 6:13 So God said 122 to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, 123 for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy 124 them and the earth. 6:14 Make 125 for yourself an ark of cypress 126 wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover 127 it with pitch inside and out. 6:15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 128 6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches 129 from the top. 130 Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 6:17 I am about to bring 131 floodwaters 132 on the earth to destroy 133 from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. 134 Everything that is on the earth will die, 6:18 but I will confirm 135 my covenant with you. You will enter 136 the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, 137 male and female, to keep them alive 138 with you. 6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. 139 6:21 And you must take 140 for yourself every kind of food 141 that is eaten, 142 and gather it together. 143 It will be food for you and for them.
6:22 And Noah did all 144 that God commanded him – he did indeed. 145
7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. 146 7:2 You must take with you seven 147 of every kind of clean animal, 148 the male and its mate, 149 two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven 150 of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, 151 to preserve their offspring 152 on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days 153 I will cause it to rain 154 on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”
7:5 And Noah did all 155 that the Lord commanded him.
7:6 Noah 156 was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed 157 the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because 158 of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs 159 of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, 160 just as God had commanded him. 161 7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. 162
7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep 163 burst open and the floodgates of the heavens 164 were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell 165 on the earth forty days and forty nights.
7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. 166 7:14 They entered, 167 along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. 168 7:15 Pairs 169 of all creatures 170 that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, 171 just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.
7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed 172 the earth, and the ark floated 173 on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated 174 the earth so that even 175 all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet 176 above the mountains. 177 7:21 And all living things 178 that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life 179 in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord 180 destroyed 181 every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. 182 They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. 183 7:24 The waters prevailed over 184 the earth for 150 days.
8:1 But God remembered 185 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 186 the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, 187 and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily 188 from the earth, so that they 189 had gone down 190 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. 191 8:5 The waters kept on receding 192 until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. 193
8:6 At the end of forty days, 194 Noah opened the window he had made in the ark 195 8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying 196 back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.
8:8 Then Noah 197 sent out a dove 198 to see if the waters had receded 199 from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered 200 the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah 201 in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, 202 and brought it back into the ark. 203 8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When 204 the dove returned to him in the evening, there was 205 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, 206 but it did not return to him this time. 207
8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, 208 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 209 the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth 210 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 211 every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase 212 and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” 213
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.
8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 214 8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 215 and said 216 to himself, 217 “I will never again curse 218 the ground because of humankind, even though 219 the inclination of their minds 220 is evil from childhood on. 221 I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, 222
planting time 223 and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night will not cease.”
9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. 224 Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 225 9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. 226 As I gave you 227 the green plants, I now give 228 you everything.
9:4 But 229 you must not eat meat 230 with its life (that is, 231 its blood) in it. 232 9:5 For your lifeblood 233 I will surely exact punishment, 234 from 235 every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person 236 I will exact punishment for the life of the individual 237 since the man was his relative. 238
9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, 239
by other humans 240
must his blood be shed;
for in God’s image 241
God 242 has made humankind.”
9:7 But as for you, 243 be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”
9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, 244 9:9 “Look! I now confirm 245 my covenant with you and your descendants after you 246 9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. 247 9:11 I confirm 248 my covenant with you: Never again will all living things 249 be wiped out 250 by the waters of a flood; 251 never again will a flood destroy the earth.”
9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 252 of the covenant I am making 253 with you 254 and every living creature with you, a covenant 255 for all subsequent 256 generations: 9:13 I will place 257 my rainbow 258 in the clouds, and it will become 259 a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever 260 I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 261 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 262 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 263 all living things. 264 9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember 265 the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”
9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things 266 that are on the earth.”
9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) 267 9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. 268
9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, 269 began to plant a vineyard. 270 9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself 271 inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, 272 saw his father’s nakedness 273 and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 274 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 275 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor 276 he learned 277 what his youngest son had done 278 to him. 9:25 So he said,
The lowest of slaves 281
he will be to his brothers.”
9:26 He also said,
“Worthy of praise is 282 the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem! 283
9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! 284
May he live 285 in the tents of Shem
and may Canaan be his slave!”
9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.
10:1 This is the account 286 of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons 287 were born 288 to them after the flood.
10:2 The sons of Japheth 289 were Gomer, 290 Magog, 291 Madai, 292 Javan, 293 Tubal, 294 Meshech, 295 and Tiras. 296 10:3 The sons of Gomer were 297 Askenaz, 298 Riphath, 299 and Togarmah. 300 10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, 301 Tarshish, 302 the Kittim, 303 and the Dodanim. 304 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, 305 Mizraim, 306 Put, 307 and Canaan. 308 10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, 309 Havilah, 310 Sabtah, 311 Raamah, 312 and Sabteca. 313 The sons of Raamah were Sheba 314 and Dedan. 315
10:8 Cush was the father of 316 Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter 317 before the Lord. 318 (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions 319 of his kingdom were Babel, 320 Erech, 321 Akkad, 322 and Calneh 323 in the land of Shinar. 324 10:11 From that land he went 325 to Assyria, 326 where he built Nineveh, 327 Rehoboth-Ir, 328 Calah, 329 10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. 330
10:13 Mizraim 331 was the father of 332 the Ludites, 333 Anamites, 334 Lehabites, 335 Naphtuhites, 336 10:14 Pathrusites, 337 Casluhites 338 (from whom the Philistines came), 339 and Caphtorites. 340
10:15 Canaan was the father of 341 Sidon his firstborn, 342 Heth, 343 10:16 the Jebusites, 344 Amorites, 345 Girgashites, 346 10:17 Hivites, 347 Arkites, 348 Sinites, 349 10:18 Arvadites, 350 Zemarites, 351 and Hamathites. 352 Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended 353 from Sidon 354 all the way to 355 Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to 356 Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
10:21 And sons were also born 357 to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), 358 the father of all the sons of Eber.
10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, 359 Asshur, 360 Arphaxad, 361 Lud, 362 and Aram. 363 10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 364 10:24 Arphaxad was the father of 365 Shelah, 366 and Shelah was the father of Eber. 367 10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, 368 and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of 369 Almodad, 370 Sheleph, 371 Hazarmaveth, 372 Jerah, 373 10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, 374 Diklah, 375 10:28 Obal, 376 Abimael, 377 Sheba, 378 10:29 Ophir, 379 Havilah, 380 and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to 381 Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread 382 over the earth after the flood.
11:1 The whole earth 383 had a common language and a common vocabulary. 384 11:2 When the people 385 moved eastward, 386 they found a plain in Shinar 387 and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, 388 “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” 389 (They had brick instead of stone and tar 390 instead of mortar.) 391 11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 392 so that 393 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 394 we will be scattered 395 across the face of the entire earth.”
11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people 396 had started 397 building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language 398 they have begun to do this, then 399 nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. 400 11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse 401 their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” 402
11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building 403 the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called 404 Babel 405 – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
11:10 This is the account of Shem.
Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other 406 sons and daughters.
11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other 407 sons and daughters. 408
11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other 409 sons and daughters.
11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
11:27 This is the account of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, 410 while his father Terah was still alive. 411 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, 412 and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; 413 she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.
11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime 414 of Terah was 205 years, and he 415 died in Haran.
12:1 Now the Lord said 416 to Abram, 417
“Go out 418 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 419
12:2 Then I will make you 420 into a great nation, and I will bless you, 421
and I will make your name great, 422
so that you will exemplify divine blessing. 423
12:3 I will bless those who bless you, 424
but the one who treats you lightly 425 I must curse,
and all the families of the earth will bless one another 426 by your name.”
12:4 So Abram left, 427 just as the Lord had told him to do, 428 and Lot went with him. (Now 429 Abram was 75 years old 430 when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew 431 Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired 432 in Haran, and they left for 433 the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.
12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 434 of Moreh 435 at Shechem. 436 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 437 12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 438 I will give this land.” So Abram 439 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 440 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. 441 12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages 442 down to the Negev. 443
12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt 444 to stay for a while 445 because the famine was severe. 446 12:11 As he approached 447 Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, 448 I know that you are a beautiful woman. 449 12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. 450 12:13 So tell them 451 you are my sister 452 so that it may go well 453 for me because of you and my life will be spared 454 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 455 was taken 456 into the household of Pharaoh, 457 12:16 and he did treat Abram well 458 on account of her. Abram received 459 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 460 because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this 461 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 462 to be my wife? 463 Here is your wife! 464 Take her and go!” 465 12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, 466 and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 467 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 468 13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy 469 in livestock, silver, and gold.) 470
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 471 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 472 He returned 473 to the place where he had pitched his tent 474 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, 475 and there Abram worshiped the Lord. 476
13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling 477 with Abram, also had 478 flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could 479 not support them while they were living side by side. 480 Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live 481 alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels 482 between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. 483 (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) 484
13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 485 13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go 486 to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”
13:10 Lot looked up and saw 487 the whole region 488 of the Jordan. He noticed 489 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 490 Sodom and Gomorrah) 491 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 492 all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled 493 toward the east.
So the relatives separated from each other. 494 13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain 495 and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now 496 the people 497 of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) 498
13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, 499 “Look 500 from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants 501 forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. 502 13:17 Get up and 503 walk throughout 504 the land, 505 for I will give it to you.”
13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live 506 by the oaks 507 of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
14:1 At that time 508 Amraphel king of Shinar, 509 Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations 510 14:2 went to war 511 against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 512 14:3 These last five kings 513 joined forces 514 in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). 515 14:4 For twelve years 516 they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year 517 they rebelled. 518 14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated 519 the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. 520 14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, 521 and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.
14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met 522 14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, 523 Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against 524 five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. 525 When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, 526 but some survivors 527 fled to the hills. 528 14:11 The four victorious kings 529 took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew 530 Lot and his possessions when 531 they left, for Lot 532 was living in Sodom. 533
14:13 A fugitive 534 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 535 Now Abram was living by the oaks 536 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 537 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 538 with Abram.) 539 14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew 540 had been taken captive, he mobilized 541 his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders 542 as far as Dan. 543 14:15 Then, during the night, 544 Abram 545 divided his forces 546 against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north 547 of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. 548 He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of 549 the people.
14:17 After Abram 550 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 551 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 552 14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem 553 brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) 554 14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,
“Blessed be Abram by 555 the Most High God,
Creator 556 of heaven and earth. 557
14:20 Worthy of praise is 558 the Most High God,
who delivered 559 your enemies into your hand.”
Abram gave Melchizedek 560 a tenth of everything.
14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand 561 to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 562 14:23 that I will take nothing 563 belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I 564 who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing 565 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 566 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 567 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 568
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 569 what will you give me since 570 I continue to be 571 childless, and my heir 572 is 573 Eliezer of Damascus?” 574 15:3 Abram added, 575 “Since 576 you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 577
15:4 But look, 578 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 579 will not be your heir, 580 but instead 581 a son 582 who comes from your own body will be 583 your heir.” 584 15:5 The Lord 585 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 586 the Lord, and the Lord 587 considered his response of faith 588 as proof of genuine loyalty. 589
15:7 The Lord said 590 to him, “I am the Lord 591 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 592 to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But 593 Abram 594 said, “O sovereign Lord, 595 by what 596 can I know that I am to possess it?”
15:9 The Lord 597 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 598 took all these for him and then cut them in two 599 and placed each half opposite the other, 600 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, 601 and great terror overwhelmed him. 602 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain 603 that your descendants will be strangers 604 in a foreign country. 605 They will be enslaved and oppressed 606 for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. 607 Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, 608 you will go to your ancestors 609 in peace and be buried at a good old age. 610 15:16 In the fourth generation 611 your descendants 612 will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” 613
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch 614 passed between the animal parts. 615 15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant 616 with Abram: “To your descendants I give 617 this land, from the river of Egypt 618 to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land 619 of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” 620
16:1 Now Sarai, 621 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 622 but she had an Egyptian servant 623 named Hagar. 624 16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 625 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 626 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 627 Abram did what 628 Sarai told him.
16:3 So after Abram had lived 629 in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, 630 to her husband to be his wife. 631 16:4 He had sexual relations with 632 Hagar, and she became pregnant. 633 Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. 634 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 635 I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 636 but when she realized 637 that she was pregnant, she despised me. 638 May the Lord judge between you and me!” 639
16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your 640 servant is under your authority, 641 do to her whatever you think best.” 642 Then Sarai treated Hagar 643 harshly, 644 so she ran away from Sarai. 645
16:7 The Lord’s angel 646 found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. 647 16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from 648 my mistress, Sarai.”
16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit 649 to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, 650 “so that they will be too numerous to count.” 651 16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,
“You are now 652 pregnant
and are about to give birth 653 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 654
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 655
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 656 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 657
and everyone will be hostile to him. 658
He will live away from 659 his brothers.”
16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” 660 for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” 661 16:14 That is why the well was called 662 Beer Lahai Roi. 663 (It is located 664 between Kadesh and Bered.)
16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 665 16:16 (Now 666 Abram was 86 years old 667 when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) 668
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 669 the Lord appeared to him and said, 670 “I am the sovereign God. 671 Walk 672 before me 673 and be blameless. 674 17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant 675 between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” 676
17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, 677 and God said to him, 678 17:4 “As for me, 679 this 680 is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be 681 Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham 682 because I will make you 683 the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you 684 extremely 685 fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. 686 17:7 I will confirm 687 my covenant as a perpetual 688 covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 689 17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing 690 – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent 691 possession. I will be their God.”
17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep 692 the covenantal requirement 693 I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: 694 Every male among you must be circumcised. 695 17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder 696 of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 697 must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, 698 whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant 699 will be visible in your flesh as a permanent 700 reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male 701 who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off 702 from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” 703
17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; 704 Sarah 705 will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 706 Kings of countries 707 will come from her!”
17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed 708 as he said to himself, 709 “Can 710 a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? 711 Can Sarah 712 bear a child at the age of ninety?” 713 17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that 714 Ishmael might live before you!” 715
17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. 716 I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual 717 covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 718 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 719 He will become the father of twelve princes; 720 I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. 721
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 722 and circumcised them 723 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old 724 when he was circumcised; 725 17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old 726 when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham 727 by the oaks 728 of Mamre while 729 he was sitting at the entrance 730 to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham 731 looked up 732 and saw 733 three men standing across 734 from him. When he saw them 735 he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low 736 to the ground. 737
18:3 He said, “My lord, 738 if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 739 18:4 Let a little water be brought so that 740 you may all 741 wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get 742 a bit of food 743 so that you may refresh yourselves 744 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 745 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take 746 three measures 747 of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” 748 18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, 749 who quickly prepared it. 750 18:8 Abraham 751 then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food 752 before them. They ate while 753 he was standing near them under a tree.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 754 in the tent.” 18:10 One of them 755 said, “I will surely return 756 to you when the season comes round again, 757 and your wife Sarah will have a son!” 758 (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. 759 18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; 760 Sarah had long since passed menopause.) 761 18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, 762 “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, 763 especially when my husband is old too?” 764
18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why 765 did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really 766 have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible 767 for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” 768 18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” 769
18:16 When the men got up to leave, 770 they looked out over 771 Sodom. (Now 772 Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) 773 18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 774 18:18 After all, Abraham 775 will surely become 776 a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 777 using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him 778 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 779 the way of the Lord by doing 780 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 781 to Abraham what he promised 782 him.”
18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against 783 Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant 784 18:21 that I must go down 785 and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. 786 If not, 787 I want to know.”
18:22 The two men turned 788 and headed 789 toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 790 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 791 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 792 of the whole earth do what is right?” 793
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 794 (although I am but dust and ashes), 795 18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy 796 the whole city because five are lacking?” 797 He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
18:29 Abraham 798 spoke to him again, 799 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
18:30 Then Abraham 800 said, “May the Lord not be angry 801 so that I may speak! 802 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 803 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 804 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 805 when he had finished speaking 806 to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. 807
19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while 808 Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. 809 When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 810 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 811 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 812
19:3 But he urged 813 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, 814 all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. 815 19:5 They shouted to Lot, 816 “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex 817 with them!”
19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! 818 19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with 819 a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. 820 Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection 821 of my roof.” 822
19:9 “Out of our way!” 823 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 824 and now he dares to judge us! 825 We’ll do more harm 826 to you than to them!” They kept 827 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 828 to break down the door.
19:10 So the men inside 829 reached out 830 and pulled Lot back into the house 831 as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, 832 with blindness. The men outside 833 wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors 834 said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? 835 Do you have 836 any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? 837 Get them out of this 838 place 19:13 because we are about to destroy 839 it. The outcry against this place 840 is so great before the Lord that he 841 has sent us to destroy it.”
19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 842 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 843 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 844
19:15 At dawn 845 the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, 846 or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” 847 19:16 When Lot 848 hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. 849 They led them away and placed them 850 outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they 851 said, “Run 852 for your lives! Don’t look 853 behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! 854 Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”
19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! 855 19:19 Your 856 servant has found favor with you, 857 and you have shown me great 858 kindness 859 by sparing 860 my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because 861 this disaster will overtake 862 me and I’ll die. 863 19:20 Look, this town 864 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 865 Let me go there. 866 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 867 Then I’ll survive.” 868
19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 869 “I will grant this request too 870 and will not overthrow 871 the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, 872 for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) 873
19:23 The sun had just risen 874 over the land as Lot reached Zoar. 875 19:24 Then the Lord rained down 876 sulfur and fire 877 on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. 878 19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, 879 including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew 880 from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s 881 wife looked back longingly 882 and was turned into a pillar of salt.
19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went 883 to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward 884 Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. 885 As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. 886
19:29 So when God destroyed 887 the cities of the region, 888 God honored 889 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 890 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 891 the cities Lot had lived in.
19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said 892 to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby 893 to have sexual relations with us, 894 according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine 895 so we can have sexual relations 896 with him and preserve 897 our family line through our father.” 898
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 899 and the older daughter 900 came and had sexual relations with her father. 901 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 902 19:34 So in the morning the older daughter 903 said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. 904 Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” 905 19:35 So they made their father drunk 906 that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. 907 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 908
19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter 909 gave birth to a son and named him Moab. 910 He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. 911 He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 912 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 913 in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.
20:3 But God appeared 914 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 915 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 916
20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, 917 would you really slaughter an innocent nation? 918 20:5 Did Abraham 919 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 920 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 921 and with innocent hands!”
20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. 922 That is why I have kept you 923 from sinning against me and why 924 I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed 925 he is a prophet 926 and he will pray for you; thus you will live. 927 But if you don’t give her back, 928 know that you will surely die 929 along with all who belong to you.”
20:8 Early in the morning 930 Abimelech summoned 931 all his servants. When he told them about all these things, 932 they 933 were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? 934 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 935 20:10 Then Abimelech asked 936 Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” 937
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 938 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 939 my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, 940 she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander 941 from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: 942 Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 943 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” 944
20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver 945 to your ‘brother.’ 946 This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” 947
20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord 948 had caused infertility to strike every woman 949 in the household of Abimelech because he took 950 Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
21:1 The Lord visited 951 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 952 for Sarah what he had promised. 953 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 954 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 955 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 956 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 957 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 958
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 959 Everyone who hears about this 960 will laugh 961 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 962 “Who would 963 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 964 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 965 21:9 But Sarah noticed 966 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 967 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 968 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 969 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 970 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 971 all that Sarah is telling 972 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 973 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 974 some food 975 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 976 and sent her away. So she went wandering 977 aimlessly through the wilderness 978 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 979 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 980 away; for she thought, 981 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 982 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 983
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 984 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 985 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 986 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 987 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 988 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 989
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 990 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 991 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 992 Show me, and the land 993 where you are staying, 994 the same loyalty 995 that I have shown you.” 996
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 997 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 998 against Abimelech concerning a well 999 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 1000 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 1001 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 1002 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 1003 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 1004 that I dug this well.” 1005 21:31 That is why he named that place 1006 Beer Sheba, 1007 because the two of them swore 1008 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 1009 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 1010 to the land of the Philistines. 1011 21:33 Abraham 1012 planted a tamarisk tree 1013 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 1014 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 1015
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 1016 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 1017 replied. 22:2 God 1018 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 1019 – and go to the land of Moriah! 1020 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 1021 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 1022 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 1023 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 1024 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 1025 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 1026 said to his servants, “You two stay 1027 here with the donkey while 1028 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 1029 and then return to you.” 1030
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 1031 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 1032 “My father?” “What is it, 1033 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 1034 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 1035 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 1036 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 1037 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 1038 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 1039 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 1040 the angel said. 1041 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 1042 that you fear 1043 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 1044 and saw 1045 behind him 1046 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 1047 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 1048 It is said to this day, 1049 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 1050
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 1051 decrees the Lord, 1052 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 1053 and I will greatly multiply 1054 your descendants 1055 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 1056 of the strongholds 1057 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 1058 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 1059 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 1060 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 1061
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 1062 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 1063 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 1064 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 1065 23:2 Then she 1066 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 1067
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 1068 and said to the sons of Heth, 1069 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 1070 among you. Grant 1071 me ownership 1072 of a burial site among you so that I may 1073 bury my dead.” 1074
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 1075 23:6 “Listen, sir, 1076 you are a mighty prince 1077 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 1078 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 1079 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 1080 that I may bury my dead, 1081 then hear me out. 1082 Ask 1083 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 1084 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 1085 for the full price, 1086 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 1087 replied to Abraham in the hearing 1088 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 1089 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 1090 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 1091 In the presence of my people 1092 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 1093 to you the price 1094 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 1095 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 1096 400 pieces of silver, 1097 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 1098 and weighed 1099 out for him 1100 the price 1101 that Ephron had quoted 1102 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 1103
23:17 So Abraham secured 1104 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 1105
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 1106 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 1107 and the Lord had blessed him 1108 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 1109 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 1110 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 1111 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 1112 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 1113 to find 1114 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 1115 to this land? Must I then 1116 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 1117 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 1118 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 1119 promised me with a solemn oath, 1120 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 1121 before you so that you may find 1122 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 1123 you will be free 1124 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 1125
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 1126 He journeyed 1127 to the region of Aram Naharaim 1128 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 1129 outside the city. It was evening, 1130 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 1131 Be faithful 1132 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 1133 and the daughters of the people 1134 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 1135 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 1136
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 1137 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 1138 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 1139 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 1140 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 1141 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 1142 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 1143 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 1144 if the Lord had made his journey successful 1145 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 1146 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 1147 and gave them to her. 1148 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 1149 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 1150 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 1151 “and room for you 1152 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 1153 for my master! The Lord has led me 1154 to the house 1155 of my master’s relatives!” 1156
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 1157 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 1158 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 1159 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 1160 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 1161 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 1162 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 1163 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 1164 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 1165 went to the house and unloaded 1166 the camels. Straw and feed were given 1167 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 1168 24:33 When food was served, 1169 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 1170 “Tell us,” Laban said. 1171
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 1172 The Lord 1173 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 1174 when she was old, 1175 and my master 1176 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 1177 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 1178 with me?’ 1179 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 1180 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 1181 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 1182 may events unfold as follows: 1183 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 1184 When 1185 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 1186 along came Rebekah 1187 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 1188 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 1189 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 1190
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 1191 Our wishes are of no concern. 1192 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 1193 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 1194
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 1195 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 1196
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 1197 24:55 But Rebekah’s 1198 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 1199 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 1200 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 1201 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 1202 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 1203
“Our sister, may you become the mother 1204 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 1205 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 1206 the man. So Abraham’s servant 1207 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 1208 Isaac came from 1209 Beer Lahai Roi, 1210 for 1211 he was living in the Negev. 1212 24:63 He 1213 went out to relax 1214 in the field in the early evening. 1215 Then he looked up 1216 and saw that 1217 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 1218 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 1219 Abraham’s servant, 1220 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 1221 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 1222 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 1223 as his wife and loved her. 1224 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 1225
25:1 Abraham had taken 1226 another 1227 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 1228 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 1229 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 1230 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 1231
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 1232 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 1233 He joined his ancestors. 1234 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 1235 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 1236 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 1237 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 1238
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 1239 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 1240 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 1241 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 1242 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 1243 25:18 His descendants 1244 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 1245 to Egypt all the way 1246 to Asshur. 1247 They settled 1248 away from all their relatives. 1249
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 1250 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 1251 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 1252
25:21 Isaac prayed to 1253 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 1254 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 1255 So she asked the Lord, 1256 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 1257 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 1258 there were 1259 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 1260 all over, 1261 like a hairy 1262 garment, so they named him Esau. 1263 25:26 When his brother came out with 1264 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 1265 Isaac was sixty years old 1266 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 1267 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 1268 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 1269 but Rebekah loved 1270 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 1271 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 1272 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 1273 Edom.) 1274
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 1275 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 1276 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 1277 So Esau 1278 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 1279 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 1280 So Esau despised his birthright. 1281
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 1282 in the days of Abraham. 1283 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; 1284 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 1285 26:3 Stay 1286 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 1287 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 1288 and I will fulfill 1289 the solemn promise I made 1290 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 1291 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 1292 26:5 All this will come to pass 1293 because Abraham obeyed me 1294 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 1295 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.” 1296 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 1297 “The men of this place will kill me to get 1298 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 1299 had been there a long time, 1300 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 1301 Isaac caressing 1302 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 1303 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 1304
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 1305 One of the men 1306 might easily have had sexual relations with 1307 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 1308 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 1309
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 1310 because the Lord blessed him. 1311 26:13 The man became wealthy. 1312 His influence continued to grow 1313 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 1314 so many sheep 1315 and cattle 1316 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 1317 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 1318 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, 1319 for you have become much more powerful 1320 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 1321 26:18 Isaac reopened 1322 the wells that had been dug 1323 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 1324 after Abraham died. Isaac 1325 gave these wells 1326 the same names his father had given them. 1327
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 1328 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 1329 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 1330 named the well 1331 Esek 1332 because they argued with him about it. 1333 26:21 His servants 1334 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 1335 Sitnah. 1336 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 1337 named it 1338 Rehoboth, 1339 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 1340 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 1341 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 1342
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 1343 to him from Gerar along with 1344 Ahuzzah his friend 1345 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 1346 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 1347 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 1348 a pact between us 1349 – between us 1350 and you. Allow us to make 1351 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 1352 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 1353 you, but have always treated you well 1354 before sending you away 1355 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 1356
26:30 So Isaac 1357 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 1358 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 1359 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 1360
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 1361 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 1362 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 1363 to this day.
26:34 When 1364 Esau was forty years old, 1365 he married 1366 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. 1367
27:1 When 1368 Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, 1369 he called his older 1370 son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau 1371 replied. 27:2 Isaac 1372 said, “Since 1373 I am so old, I could die at any time. 1374 27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game 1375 for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then 1376 I will eat it so that I may bless you 1377 before I die.”
27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 1378 When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 1379 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 27:7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat 1380 it and bless you 1381 in the presence of the Lord 1382 before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do 1383 exactly what I tell you! 1384 27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare 1385 them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take 1386 it to your father. Thus he will eat it 1387 and 1388 bless you before he dies.”
27:11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 1389 27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him 1390 and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 27:13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, 1391 my son! Just obey me! 1392 Go and get them for me!”
27:14 So he went and got the goats 1393 and brought them to his mother. She 1394 prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 27:15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 27:16 She put the skins of the young goats 1395 on his hands 1396 and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed 1397 the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
27:18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac 1398 replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” 1399 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up 1400 and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” 1401 27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world 1402 did you find it so quickly, 1403 my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” 1404 he replied. 1405 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, 1406 my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” 1407 27:22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 1408 27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob 1409 replied. 27:25 Isaac 1410 said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. 1411 Then I will bless you.” 1412 So Jacob 1413 brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac 1414 drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob 1415 went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent 1416 of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,
“Yes, 1417 my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
27:28 May God give you
the dew of the sky 1418
and the richness 1419 of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
27:29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be 1420 lord 1421 over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. 1422
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
27:30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left 1423 his father’s 1424 presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 1425 27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau 1426 said to him, “My father, get up 1427 and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 1428 27:32 His father Isaac asked, 1429 “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” 1430 he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently 1431 and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. 1432 He will indeed be blessed!”
27:34 When Esau heard 1433 his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. 1434 He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac 1435 replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away 1436 your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! 1437 He has tripped me up 1438 two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
27:37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” 1439 Then Esau wept loudly. 1440
27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, 1441 your home will be
away from the richness 1442 of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
27:40 You will live by your sword
but you will serve your brother.
When you grow restless,
you will tear off his yoke
from your neck.” 1443
27:41 So Esau hated 1444 Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. 1445 Esau said privately, 1446 “The time 1447 of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill 1448 my brother Jacob!”
27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, 1449 she quickly summoned 1450 her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 1451 27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. 1452 Run away immediately 1453 to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while 1454 until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there 1455 until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. 1456 Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 1457
27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed 1458 because of these daughters of Heth. 1459 If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” 1460
28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 1461 28:2 Leave immediately 1462 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 1463 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 1464 Then you will become 1465 a large nation. 1466 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 1467 so that you may possess the land 1468 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 1469 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. 1470 As he blessed him, 1471 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 1472 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 1473 that the Canaanite women 1474 were displeasing to 1475 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 1476 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 1477 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 1478 He took one of the stones 1479 and placed it near his head. 1480 Then he fell asleep 1481 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 1482 He saw 1483 a stairway 1484 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. 1485 I will give you and your descendants the ground 1486 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 1487 and you will spread out 1488 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 1489 using your name and that of your descendants. 1490 28:15 I am with you! 1491 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 1492 and thought, 1493 “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 1494 in the morning Jacob 1495 took the stone he had placed near his head 1496 and set it up as a sacred stone. 1497 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 1498 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 1499 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 1500 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 1501 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 1502 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 1503
29:1 So Jacob moved on 1504 and came to the land of the eastern people. 1505 29:2 He saw 1506 in the field a well with 1507 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 1508 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 1509 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 1510 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 1511 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 1512 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 1513 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 1514 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 1515 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 1516 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 1517 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 1518 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 1519 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 1520 went over 1521 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 1522 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 1523 29:12 When Jacob explained 1524 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 1525 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 1526 told Laban how he was related to him. 1527 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 1528 So Jacob 1529 stayed with him for a month. 1530
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 1531 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 1532 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 1533 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 1534 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 1535 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 1536 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 1537 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 1538 But they seemed like only a few days to him 1539 because his love for her was so great. 1540
29:21 Finally Jacob said 1541 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 1542 I want to have marital relations with her.” 1543 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 1544 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 1545 to Jacob, 1546 and Jacob 1547 had marital relations with her. 1548 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 1549
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 1550 So Jacob 1551 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 1552 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 1553 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 1554 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 1555 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 1556 Then we will give you the younger one 1557 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 1558
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 1559 When Jacob 1560 completed Leah’s bridal week, 1561 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 1562 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 1563 29:30 Jacob 1564 had marital relations 1565 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 1566 for seven more years. 1567
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 1568 he enabled her to become pregnant 1569 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 1570 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 1571 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 1572 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 1573 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 1574
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 1575 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 1576
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 1577 Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 1578 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 1579 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 1580 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 1581 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 1582 her so that she can bear 1583 children 1584 for me 1585 and I can have a family through her.” 1586
30:4 So Rachel 1587 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 1588 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 1589 and gave Jacob a son. 1590 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 1591 and given me a son.” That is why 1592 she named him Dan. 1593
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 1594 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 1595 So she named him Naphtali. 1596
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 1597 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 1598 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 1599 So she named him Gad. 1600
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 1601 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 1602 for women 1603 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 1604
30:14 At the time 1605 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 1606 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, 1607 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 1608 Rachel said, “he may sleep 1609 with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep 1610 with me because I have paid for your services 1611 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 1612 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 1613 to Leah; she became pregnant 1614 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 1615 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 1616 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 1617 So she named him Issachar. 1618
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 1619 30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 1620
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 1621 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 1622 30:23 She became pregnant 1623 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 1624 30:24 She named him Joseph, 1625 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 1626 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 1627 me on my way so that I can go 1628 home to my own country. 1629 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 1630 Then I’ll depart, 1631 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 1632
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 1633 for I have learned by divination 1634 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” 1635
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 1636 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 1637 30:30 Indeed, 1638 you had little before I arrived, 1639 but now your possessions have increased many times over. 1640 The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. 1641 But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” 1642
30:31 So Laban asked, 1643 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 1644 Jacob replied, 1645 “but if you agree to this one condition, 1646 I will continue to care for 1647 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 1648 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 1649 and the spotted or speckled goats. 1650 These animals will be my wages. 1651 30:33 My integrity will testify for me 1652 later on. 1653 When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, 1654 if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” 1655 30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” 1656
30:35 So that day Laban 1657 removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care 1658 of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, 1659 while 1660 Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.
30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 1661 30:39 When the sheep mated 1662 in front of the branches, they 1663 gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face 1664 the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, 1665 Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. 1666 So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban 1667 and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob 1668 became extremely prosperous. He owned 1669 large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 1670 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 1671 at our father’s expense!” 1672 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 1673
31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers 1674 and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 1675 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah 1676 to come to the field 1677 where his flocks were. 1678 31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, 1679 but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, 1680 31:7 but your father has humiliated 1681 me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 1682 ‘The speckled animals 1683 will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
31:10 “Once 1684 during breeding season I saw 1685 in a dream that the male goats mating with 1686 the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe 1687 that all the male goats mating with 1688 the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 1689 where you anointed 1690 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 1691 Now leave this land immediately 1692 and return to your native land.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 1693 in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted 1694 the money paid for us! 1695 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”
31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 1696 31:18 He took 1697 away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. 1698
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 1699 Rachel stole the household idols 1700 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived 1701 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 1702 31:21 He left 1703 with all he owned. He quickly crossed 1704 the Euphrates River 1705 and headed for 1706 the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 1707 31:23 So he took his relatives 1708 with him and pursued Jacob 1709 for seven days. 1710 He caught up with 1711 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, 1712 “Be careful 1713 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” 1714
31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. 1715 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me 1716 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 1717 31:27 Why did you run away secretly 1718 and deceive me? 1719 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 1720 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren 1721 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have 1722 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful 1723 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 1724 31:30 Now I understand that 1725 you have gone away 1726 because you longed desperately 1727 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” 1728
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 1729 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 1730 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 1731 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 1732 In the presence of our relatives 1733 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 1734 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 1735
31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. 1736 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 1737 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle 1738 and sat on them.) 1739 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 1740 31:35 Rachel 1741 said to her father, “Don’t be angry, 1742 my lord. I cannot stand up 1743 in your presence because I am having my period.” 1744 So he searched thoroughly, 1745 but did not find the idols.
31:36 Jacob became angry 1746 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 1747 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 1748 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? 1749 Set it here before my relatives and yours, 1750 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 1751
31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. 1752 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 1753 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat 1754 during the day and by piercing cold 1755 at night, and I went without sleep. 1756 31:41 This was my lot 1757 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave 1758 for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears 1759 – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, 1760 and he rebuked you last night.”
31:43 Laban replied 1761 to Jacob, “These women 1762 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, 1763 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today 1764 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, 1765 you and I, and it will be 1766 proof that we have made peace.” 1767
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he 1768 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. 1769 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, 1770 but Jacob called it Galeed. 1771
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 1772 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah 1773 because he said, “May the Lord watch 1774 between us 1775 when we are out of sight of one another. 1776 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize 1777 that God is witness to your actions.” 1778
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 1779 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 1780 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, 1781 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 1782 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice 1783 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. 1784 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
31:55 (32:1) 1785 Early in the morning Laban kissed 1786 his grandchildren 1787 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 1788
32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God 1789 met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, 1790 “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. 1791
32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead 1792 to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region 1793 of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant 1794 Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent 1795 this message 1796 to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” 1797 he thought, 1798 “then the other camp will be able to escape.” 1799
32:9 Then Jacob prayed, 1800 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said 1801 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ 1802 32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love 1803 you have shown 1804 your servant. With only my walking stick 1805 I crossed the Jordan, 1806 but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, 1807 I pray, from the hand 1808 of my brother Esau, 1809 for I am afraid he will come 1810 and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. 1811 32:12 But you 1812 said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper 1813 and will make 1814 your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” 1815
32:13 Jacob 1816 stayed there that night. Then he sent 1817 as a gift 1818 to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to 1819 his servants, who divided them into herds. 1820 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, 1821 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? 1822 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ 1823 32:18 then you must say, 1824 ‘They belong 1825 to your servant Jacob. 1826 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 1827 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 1828
32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 1829 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” 1830 Jacob thought, 1831 “I will first appease him 1832 by sending a gift ahead of me. 1833 After that I will meet him. 1834 Perhaps he will accept me.” 1835 32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him 1836 while he spent that night in the camp. 1837
32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took 1838 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons 1839 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 1840 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. 1841 32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man 1842 wrestled 1843 with him until daybreak. 1844 32:25 When the man 1845 saw that he could not defeat Jacob, 1846 he struck 1847 the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
32:26 Then the man 1848 said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” 1849 “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, 1850 “unless you bless me.” 1851 32:27 The man asked him, 1852 “What is your name?” 1853 He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, 1854 “but Israel, 1855 because you have fought 1856 with God and with men and have prevailed.”
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 1857 “Why 1858 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 1859 Then he blessed 1860 Jacob 1861 there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, 1862 explaining, 1863 “Certainly 1864 I have seen God face to face 1865 and have survived.” 1866
32:31 The sun rose 1867 over him as he crossed over Penuel, 1868 but 1869 he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day 1870 the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck 1871 the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.
33:1 Jacob looked up 1872 and saw that Esau was coming 1873 along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 1874 33:3 But Jacob 1875 himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 1876 his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau 1877 looked up 1878 and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob 1879 replied, “The children whom God has graciously given 1880 your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. 1881 33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
33:8 Esau 1882 then asked, “What did you intend 1883 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 1884 Jacob 1885 replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. 1886 “If I have found favor in your sight, accept 1887 my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, 1888 it is as if I have seen the face of God. 1889 33:11 Please take my present 1890 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 1891 to me and I have all I need.” 1892 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 1893
33:12 Then Esau 1894 said, “Let’s be on our way! 1895 I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob 1896 said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, 1897 and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. 1898 If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, 1899 until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 1900 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 1901 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 1902
33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back 1903 to Seir. 33:17 But 1904 Jacob traveled to Succoth 1905 where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called 1906 Succoth. 1907
33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near 1908 the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it 1909 from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 1910 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” 1911
34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet 1912 the young women 1913 of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, 1914 and sexually assaulted her. 1915 34:3 Then he became very attached 1916 to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. 1917 34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” 1918 34:5 When 1919 Jacob heard that Shechem 1920 had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent 1921 until they came in.
34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. 1922 34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 1923 They 1924 were offended 1925 and very angry because Shechem 1926 had disgraced Israel 1927 by sexually assaulting 1928 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 1929
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 1930 Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. 1931 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 1932 34:10 You may live 1933 among us, and the land will be open to you. 1934 Live in it, travel freely in it, 1935 and acquire property in it.”
34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s 1936 father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me 1937 I’ll give. 1938 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, 1939 and I’ll give 1940 whatever you ask 1941 of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem 1942 had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 1943 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 1944 to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become 1945 like us by circumcising 1946 all your males. 34:16 Then we will give 1947 you our daughters to marry, 1948 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms 1949 by being circumcised, then we will take 1950 our sister 1951 and depart.”
34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 1952 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked 1953 because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah 1954 badly. (Now he was more important 1955 than anyone in his father’s household.) 1956 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 1957 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 1958 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 1959 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 1960 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 1961 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 1962 agreed with 1963 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 1964 was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 1965 and went to the unsuspecting city 1966 and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them 1967 and looted the city because their sister had been violated. 1968 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. 1969 34:29 They captured as plunder 1970 all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 1971 on me by making me a foul odor 1972 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 1973 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, 1974 “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”
35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 1975 to Bethel 1976 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 1977 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 1978 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 1979 35:3 Let us go up at once 1980 to Bethel. Then I will make 1981 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 1982 and has been with me wherever I went.” 1983
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 1984 and the rings that were in their ears. 1985 Jacob buried them 1986 under the oak 1987 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 1988 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 1989 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 1990 in the land of Canaan. 1991 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 1992 because there God had revealed himself 1993 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 1994 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 1995 Oak of Weeping.) 1996
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 1997 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 1998 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 1999 35:12 The land I gave 2000 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 2001 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 2002 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 2003 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 2004 35:15 Jacob named the place 2005 where God spoke with him Bethel. 2006
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 2007 Rachel went into labor 2008 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 2009 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 2010 35:18 With her dying breath, 2011 she named him Ben-Oni. 2012 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 2013 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 2014 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 2015 over her grave; it is 2016 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 2017 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 2018 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 2019 to Kiriath Arba 2020 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 2021 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 2022 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 2023 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 2024 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Yesaya 53:6
Konteks53:6 All of us had wandered off like sheep;
each of us had strayed off on his own path,
but the Lord caused the sin of all of us to attack him. 2025
[4:1] 1 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.
[4:1] 2 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:1] 3 tn Or “she conceived.”
[4:1] 4 tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.
[4:1] 5 tn Heb “with the
[4:1] sn Since Exod 6:3 seems to indicate that the name Yahweh (יְהוָה, yÿhvah, translated
[4:2] 6 tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”
[4:2] 7 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] 8 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.
[4:3] 9 tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.
[4:3] 10 tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.
[4:4] 11 tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.
[4:4] 12 tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[4:4] sn Here are two types of worshipers – one (Cain) merely discharges a duty at the proper time, while the other (Abel) goes out of his way to please God with the first and the best.
[4:4] 13 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (sha’ah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.
[4:5] 14 sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith – Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.
[4:5] 15 tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.
[4:5] 16 tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the
[4:7] 17 tn The introduction of the conditional clause with an interrogative particle prods the answer from Cain, as if he should have known this. It is not a condemnation, but an encouragement to do what is right.
[4:7] 18 tn The Hebrew text is difficult, because only one word occurs, שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et), which appears to be the infinitive construct from the verb “to lift up” (נָאָשׂ, na’as). The sentence reads: “If you do well, uplifting.” On the surface it seems to be the opposite of the fallen face. Everything will be changed if he does well. God will show him favor, he will not be angry, and his face will reflect that. But more may be intended since the second half of the verse forms the contrast: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching….” Not doing well leads to sinful attack; doing well leads to victory and God’s blessing.
[4:7] 19 tn The Hebrew term translated “crouching” (רֹבֵץ, rovets) is an active participle. Sin is portrayed with animal imagery here as a beast crouching and ready to pounce (a figure of speech known as zoomorphism). An Akkadian cognate refers to a type of demon; in this case perhaps one could translate, “Sin is the demon at the door” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 29, 32-33).
[4:7] 20 tn Heb “and toward you [is] its desire, but you must rule over it.” As in Gen 3:16, the Hebrew noun “desire” refers to an urge to control or dominate. Here the desire is that which sin has for Cain, a desire to control for the sake of evil, but Cain must have mastery over it. The imperfect is understood as having an obligatory sense. Another option is to understand it as expressing potential (“you can have [or “are capable of having”] mastery over it.”). It will be a struggle, but sin can be defeated by righteousness. In addition to this connection to Gen 3, other linguistic and thematic links between chaps. 3 and 4 are discussed by A. J. Hauser, “Linguistic and Thematic Links Between Genesis 4:1-6 and Genesis 2–3,” JETS 23 (1980): 297-306.
[4:8] 21 tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.
[4:8] 22 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).
[4:8] 23 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).
[4:9] 24 sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the
[4:9] 25 tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”
[4:9] sn Am I my brother’s guardian? Cain lies and then responds with a defiant rhetorical question of his own in which he repudiates any responsibility for his brother. But his question is ironic, for he is responsible for his brother’s fate, especially if he wanted to kill him. See P. A. Riemann, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Int 24 (1970): 482-91.
[4:10] 26 sn What have you done? Again the
[4:10] 27 tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.
[4:11] 28 tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).
[4:12] 30 tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.
[4:12] 31 tn Heb “its strength.”
[4:12] 32 tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (na’ vanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).
[4:13] 33 tn The primary meaning of the Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon) is “sin, iniquity.” But by metonymy it can refer to the “guilt” of sin, or to “punishment” for sin. The third meaning applies here. Just before this the
[4:13] 34 tn Heb “great is my punishment from bearing.” The preposition מִן (min, “from”) is used here in a comparative sense.
[4:14] 35 tn Heb “from upon the surface of the ground.”
[4:14] 36 sn I must hide from your presence. The motif of hiding from the
[4:15] 37 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”
[4:15] 38 sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
[4:15] 39 tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.
[4:15] 40 sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace – Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.
[4:16] 41 sn The name Nod means “wandering” in Hebrew (see vv. 12, 14).
[4:17] 42 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:17] 43 tn Or “she conceived.”
[4:17] 44 tn Heb “according to the name of.”
[4:18] 45 tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”
[4:20] 46 tn Heb “father.” In this passage the word “father” means “founder,” referring to the first to establish such lifestyles and occupations.
[4:20] 47 tn The word “keep” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. Other words that might be supplied instead are “tend,” “raise” (NIV), or “have” (NRSV).
[4:22] 48 tn The traditional rendering here, “who forged” (or “a forger of”) is now more commonly associated with counterfeit or fraud (e.g., “forged copies” or “forged checks”) than with the forging of metal. The phrase “heated metal and shaped [it]” has been used in the translation instead.
[4:23] 49 tn The Hebrew term יֶלֶד (yeled) probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.
[4:24] 50 sn Seventy-seven times. Lamech seems to reason this way: If Cain, a murderer, is to be avenged seven times (see v. 15), then how much more one who has been unjustly wronged! Lamech misses the point of God’s merciful treatment of Cain. God was not establishing a principle of justice when he warned he would avenge Cain’s murder. In fact he was trying to limit the shedding of blood, something Lamech wants to multiply instead. The use of “seventy-seven,” a multiple of seven, is hyperbolic, emphasizing the extreme severity of the vengeance envisioned by Lamech.
[4:25] 51 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
[4:25] 52 sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).
[4:26] 54 tn The word “people” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. The construction uses a passive verb without an expressed subject. “To call was begun” can be interpreted to mean that people began to call.
[4:26] 55 tn Heb “call in the name.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[5:1] 56 tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”
[5:1] 57 tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.
[5:1] 58 tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).
[5:1] 59 tn Heb “him.” The Hebrew text uses the third masculine singular pronominal suffix on the accusative sign. The pronoun agrees grammatically with its antecedent אָדָם (’adam). However, the next verse makes it clear that אָדָם is collective here and refers to “humankind,” so it is preferable to translate the pronoun with the English plural.
[5:2] 60 tn The Hebrew word used here is אָדָם (’adam).
[5:3] 61 tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.
[5:4] 62 tn Heb “The days of Adam.”
[5:4] 63 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:4] 64 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:5] 65 tn Heb “all the days of Adam which he lived”
[5:5] 66 sn The genealogy traces the line from Adam to Noah and forms a bridge between the earlier accounts and the flood story. Its constant theme of the reign of death in the human race is broken once with the account of Enoch, but the genealogy ends with hope for the future through Noah. See further G. F. Hasel, “The Genealogies of Gen. 5 and 11 and their Alleged Babylonian Background,” AUSS 16 (1978): 361-74; idem, “Genesis 5 and 11,” Origins 7 (1980): 23-37.
[5:6] 67 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:7] 68 tn Heb “he fathered.”
[5:7] 69 tn Here and in vv. 10, 13, 16, 19 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:22] 70 sn With the seventh panel there is a digression from the pattern. Instead of simply saying that Enoch lived, the text observes that he “walked with God.” The rare expression “walked with” (the Hitpael form of the verb הָלָךְ, halakh, “to walk” collocated with the preposition אֶת, ’et, “with”) is used in 1 Sam 25:15 to describe how David’s men maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Nabal’s men as they worked and lived side by side in the fields. In Gen 5:22 the phrase suggests that Enoch and God “got along.” This may imply that Enoch lived in close fellowship with God, leading a life of devotion and piety. An early Jewish tradition, preserved in 1 En. 1:9 and alluded to in Jude 14, says that Enoch preached about the coming judgment. See F. S. Parnham, “Walking with God,” EvQ 46 (1974): 117-18.
[5:22] 71 tn Heb “and Enoch walked with God, after he became the father of Methuselah, [for] 300 years.”
[5:22] 72 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:24] 73 tn The Hebrew construction has the negative particle אֵין (’en, “there is not,” “there was not”) with a pronominal suffix, “he was not.” Instead of saying that Enoch died, the text says he no longer was present.
[5:24] 74 sn The text simply states that God took Enoch. Similar language is used of Elijah’s departure from this world (see 2 Kgs 2:10). The text implies that God overruled death for this man who walked with him.
[5:26] 75 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:29] 76 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
[5:29] 77 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
[5:30] 78 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[5:32] 79 tn Heb “Noah.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:1] 80 tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”
[6:1] 81 tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.
[6:1] 82 tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.
[6:2] 83 sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.
[6:3] 84 tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the
[6:3] 86 tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).
[6:3] 87 tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).
[6:3] 89 tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.
[6:3] 90 tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.
[6:4] 91 tn The Hebrew word נְפִילִים (nÿfilim) is simply transliterated here, because the meaning of the term is uncertain. According to the text, the Nephilim became mighty warriors and gained great fame in the antediluvian world. The text may imply they were the offspring of the sexual union of the “sons of God” and the “daughters of humankind” (v. 2), but it stops short of saying this in a direct manner. The Nephilim are mentioned in the OT only here and in Num 13:33, where it is stated that they were giants (thus KJV, TEV, NLT “giants” here). The narrator observes that the Anakites of Canaan were descendants of the Nephilim. Certainly these later Anakite Nephilim could not be descendants of the antediluvian Nephilim (see also the following note on the word “this”).
[6:4] 92 tn This observation is parenthetical, explaining that there were Nephilim even after the flood. If all humankind, with the exception of Noah and his family, died in the flood, it is difficult to understand how the postdiluvian Nephilim could be related to the antediluvian Nephilim or how the Anakites of Canaan could be their descendants (see Num 13:33). It is likely that the term Nephilim refers generally to “giants” (see HALOT 709 s.v. נְפִילִים) without implying any ethnic connection between the antediluvian and postdiluvian varieties.
[6:4] 93 tn Heb “were entering to,” referring euphemistically to sexual intercourse here. The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the ongoing nature of such sexual unions during the time before the flood.
[6:4] 94 tn Heb “and they gave birth to them.” The masculine plural suffix “them” refers to the “sons of God,” to whom the “daughters of humankind” bore children. After the Qal form of the verb יָלָד (yalad, “to give birth”) the preposition לְ (lÿ, “to”) introduces the father of the child(ren). See Gen 16:1, 15; 17:19, 21; 21:2-3, 9; 22:23; 24:24, 47; 25:2, etc.
[6:4] 95 tn The parenthetical/explanatory clause uses the word הַגִּבֹּרִים (haggibborim) to describe these Nephilim. The word means “warriors; mighty men; heroes.” The appositional statement further explains that they were “men of renown.” The text refers to superhuman beings who held the world in their power and who lived on in ancient lore outside the Bible. See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 45-46; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:379-80; and Anne D. Kilmer, “The Mesopotamian Counterparts of the Biblical Nephilim,” Perspectives on Language and Text, 39-43.
[6:4] 96 tn Heb “men of name” (i.e., famous men).
[6:5] 97 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.
[6:5] 98 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).
[6:5] 99 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.
[6:5] 100 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”
[6:5] 101 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.
[6:5] 102 tn Heb “all the day.”
[6:5] sn The author of Genesis goes out of his way to emphasize the depth of human evil at this time. Note the expressions “every inclination,” “only evil,” and “all the time.”
[6:6] 103 tn Or “was grieved”; “was sorry.” In the Niphal stem the verb נָחָם (nakham) can carry one of four semantic meanings, depending on the context: (1) “to experience emotional pain or weakness,” “to feel regret,” often concerning a past action (see Exod 13:17; Judg 21:6, 15; 1 Sam 15:11, 35; Job 42:6; Jer 31:19). In several of these texts כִּי (ki, “because”) introduces the cause of the emotional sorrow. (2) Another meaning is “to be comforted” or “to comfort oneself” (sometimes by taking vengeance). See Gen 24:67; 38:12; 2 Sam 13:39; Ps 77:3; Isa 1:24; Jer 31:15; Ezek 14:22; 31:16; 32:31. (This second category represents a polarization of category one.) (3) The meaning “to relent from” or “to repudiate” a course of action which is already underway is also possible (see Judg 2:18; 2 Sam 24:16 = 1 Chr 21:15; Pss 90:13; 106:45; Jer 8:6; 20:16; 42:10). (4) Finally, “to retract” (a statement) or “to relent or change one’s mind concerning,” “to deviate from” (a stated course of action) is possible (see Exod 32:12, 14; 1 Sam 15:29; Ps 110:4; Isa 57:6; Jer 4:28; 15:6; 18:8, 10; 26:3, 13, 19; Ezek 24:14; Joel 2:13-14; Am 7:3, 6; Jonah 3:9-10; 4:2; Zech 8:14). See R. B. Chisholm, “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?” BSac 152 (1995): 388. The first category applies here because the context speaks of God’s grief and emotional pain (see the following statement in v. 6) as a result of a past action (his making humankind). For a thorough study of the word נָחָם, see H. Van Dyke Parunak, “A Semantic Survey of NHM,” Bib 56 (1975): 512-32.
[6:6] 104 tn Heb “and he was grieved to his heart.” The verb עָצָב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic senses, depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain”; “to be depressed emotionally”; “to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed”; “to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself); “to be insulted” (Gen 34:7; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 34:7). The third category fits best in Gen 6:6 because humankind’s sin does not merely wound God emotionally. On the contrary, it prompts him to strike out in judgment against the source of his distress (see v. 7). The verb וַיִּתְעַצֵּב (vayyit’atsev), a Hitpael from עָצָב, alludes to the judgment oracles in Gen 3:16-19. Because Adam and Eve sinned, their life would be filled with pain; but sin in the human race also brought pain to God. The wording of v. 6 is ironic when compared to Gen 5:29. Lamech anticipated relief (נָחָם, nakham) from their work (מַעֲשֶׂה, ma’aseh) and their painful toil (עִצְּבֹן, ’itsÿvon), but now we read that God was sorry (נָחָם, nakham) that he had made (עָשָׂה, ’asah) humankind for it brought him great pain (עָצָב, ’atsav).
[6:7] 105 tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.
[6:8] 106 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is contrastive here: God condemns the human race, but he is pleased with Noah.
[6:8] 107 tn The Hebrew expression “find favor [in the eyes of]” is an idiom meaning “to be an object of another’s favorable disposition or action,” “to be a recipient of another’s favor, kindness, mercy.” The favor/kindness is often earned, coming in response to an action or condition (see Gen 32:5; 39:4; Deut 24:1; 1 Sam 25:8; Prov 3:4; Ruth 2:10). This is the case in Gen 6:8, where v. 9 gives the basis (Noah’s righteous character) for the divine favor.
[6:8] 108 tn Heb “in the eyes of,” an anthropomorphic expression for God’s opinion or decision. The
[6:9] 109 sn There is a vast body of scholarly literature about the flood story. The following studies are particularly helpful: A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and the Old Testament Parallels; M. Kessler, “Rhetorical Criticism of Genesis 7,” Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg (PTMS), 1-17; I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; A. R. Millard, “A New Babylonian ‘Genesis Story’,” TynBul 18 (1967): 3-18; G. J. Wenham, “The Coherence of the Flood Narrative,” VT 28 (1978): 336-48.
[6:9] 110 tn The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “blameless”) is used of men in Gen 17:1 (associated with the idiom “walk before,” which means “maintain a proper relationship with,” see 24:40); Deut 18:13 (where it means “blameless” in the sense of not guilty of the idolatrous practices listed before this; see Josh 24:14); Pss 18:23, 26 (“blameless” in the sense of not having violated God’s commands); 37:18 (in contrast to the wicked); 101:2, 6 (in contrast to proud, deceitful slanderers; see 15:2); Prov 2:21; 11:5 (in contrast to the wicked); 28:10; Job 12:4.
[6:9] 111 tn Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.
[6:9] 112 tn Heb “Noah.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[6:9] 113 tn The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”
[6:11] 115 tn Apart from Gen 6:11-12, the Niphal form of this verb occurs in Exod 8:20 HT (8:24 ET), where it describes the effect of the swarms of flies on the land of Egypt; Jer 13:7 and 18:4, where it is used of a “ruined” belt and “marred” clay pot, respectively; and Ezek 20:44, where it describes Judah’s morally “corrupt” actions. The sense “morally corrupt” fits well in Gen 6:11 because of the parallelism (note “the earth was filled with violence”). In this case “earth” would stand by metonymy for its sinful inhabitants. However, the translation “ruined” works just as well, if not better. In this case humankind’s sin is viewed has having an adverse effect upon the earth. Note that vv. 12b-13 make a distinction between the earth and the living creatures who live on it.
[6:11] 117 tn The Hebrew word translated “violence” refers elsewhere to a broad range of crimes, including unjust treatment (Gen 16:5; Amos 3:10), injurious legal testimony (Deut 19:16), deadly assault (Gen 49:5), murder (Judg 9:24), and rape (Jer 13:22).
[6:12] 118 tn Or “God saw how corrupt the earth was.”
[6:12] 119 tn The repetition in the text (see v. 11) emphasizes the point.
[6:12] 120 tn Heb “flesh.” Since moral corruption is in view here, most modern western interpreters understand the referent to be humankind. However, the phrase “all flesh” is used consistently of humankind and the animals in Gen 6-9 (6:17, 19; 7:15-16, 21; 8:17; 9:11, 15-17), suggesting that the author intends to picture all living creatures, humankind and animals, as guilty of moral failure. This would explain why the animals, not just humankind, are victims of the ensuing divine judgment. The OT sometimes views animals as morally culpable (Gen 9:5; Exod 21:28-29; Jonah 3:7-8). The OT also teaches that a person’s sin can contaminate others (people and animals) in the sinful person’s sphere (see the story of Achan, especially Josh 7:10). So the animals could be viewed here as morally contaminated because of their association with sinful humankind.
[6:12] 121 tn Heb “had corrupted its way.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “way” refers to the collective “all flesh.” The construction “corrupt one’s way” occurs only here (though Ezek 16:47 uses the Hiphil in an intransitive sense with the preposition בְּ [bet, “in”] followed by “ways”). The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) means “to ruin, to destroy, to corrupt,” often as here in a moral/ethical sense. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to behavior or moral character, a sense that it frequently carries (see BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a).
[6:13] 122 sn On the divine style utilized here, see R. Lapointe, “The Divine Monologue as a Channel of Revelation,” CBQ 32 (1970): 161-81.
[6:13] 123 tn Heb “the end of all flesh is coming [or “has come”] before me.” (The verb form is either a perfect or a participle.) The phrase “end of all flesh” occurs only here. The term “end” refers here to the end of “life,” as v. 3 and the following context (which describes how God destroys all flesh) make clear. The statement “the end has come” occurs in Ezek 7:2, 6, where it is used of divine judgment. The phrase “come before” occurs in Exod 28:30, 35; 34:34; Lev 15:14; Num 27:17; 1 Sam 18:13, 16; 2 Sam 19:8; 20:8; 1 Kgs 1:23, 28, 32; Ezek 46:9; Pss 79:11 (groans come before God); 88:3 (a prayer comes before God); 100:2; 119:170 (prayer comes before God); Lam 1:22 (evil doing comes before God); Esth 1:19; 8:1; 9:25; 1 Chr 16:29. The expression often means “have an audience with” or “appear before.” But when used metaphorically, it can mean “get the attention of” or “prompt a response.” This is probably the sense in Gen 6:13. The necessity of ending the life of all flesh on earth is an issue that has gotten the attention of God. The term “end” may even be a metonymy for that which has prompted it – violence (see the following clause).
[6:13] 124 tn The participle, especially after הִנֵּה (hinneh) has an imminent future nuance. The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) here has the sense “to destroy” (in judgment). Note the wordplay involving this verb in vv. 11-13: The earth is “ruined” because all flesh has acted in a morally “corrupt” manner. Consequently, God will “destroy” all flesh (the referent of the suffix “them”) along with the ruined earth. They had ruined themselves and the earth with violence, and now God would ruin them with judgment. For other cases where “earth” occurs as the object of the Hiphil of שָׁחָת, see 1 Sam 6:5; 1 Chr 20:1; Jer 36:29; 51:25.
[6:14] 125 sn The Hebrew verb is an imperative. A motif of this section is that Noah did as the
[6:14] 126 tn A transliteration of the Hebrew term yields “gopher (גֹּפֶר, gofer) wood” (so KJV, NAB, NASB). While the exact nature of the wood involved is uncertain (cf. NLT “resinous wood”), many modern translations render the Hebrew term as “cypress” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[6:14] 127 tn The Hebrew term כָּפָר (kafar, “to cover, to smear” [= to caulk]) appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, nonmetaphorical meaning. The Piel form כִּפֶּר (kipper), which has the metaphorical meaning “to atone, to expiate, to pacify,” is used in Levitical texts (see HALOT 493-94 s.v. כפר). Some authorities regard the form in v. 14 as a homonym of the much more common Levitical term (see BDB 498 s.v. כָּפָר).
[6:15] 128 tn Heb “300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.” The standard cubit in the OT is assumed by most authorities to be about 18 inches (45 cm) long.
[6:16] 130 tn Heb “to a cubit you shall finish it from above.” The idea is that Noah was to leave an 18-inch opening from the top for a window for light.
[6:17] 131 tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the a participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”
[6:17] 132 tn Heb “the flood, water.”
[6:17] 133 tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.
[6:17] 134 tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.
[6:18] 135 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
[6:18] 136 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
[6:19] 137 tn Heb “from all life, from all flesh, two from all you must bring.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse (note the conjunction with prepositional phrase, followed by two more prepositional phrases in apposition and then the imperfect verb form) signals a change in mood from announcement (vv. 17-18) to instruction.
[6:19] 138 tn The Piel infinitive construct לְהַחֲיוֹת (lÿhakhayot, here translated as “to keep them alive”) shows the purpose of bringing the animals into the ark – saving life. The Piel of this verb means here “to preserve alive.”
[6:20] 139 tn Heb “to keep alive.”
[6:21] 140 tn The verb is a direct imperative: “And you, take for yourself.” The form stresses the immediate nature of the instruction; the pronoun underscores the directness.
[6:21] 141 tn Heb “from all food,” meaning “some of every kind of food.”
[6:21] 142 tn Or “will be eaten.”
[6:21] 143 tn Heb “and gather it to you.”
[6:22] 144 tn Heb “according to all.”
[6:22] 145 tn The last clause seems redundant: “and thus (כֵּן, ken) he did.” It underscores the obedience of Noah to all that God had said.
[7:1] 146 tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.
[7:2] 147 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
[7:2] 148 sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.
[7:2] 149 tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.
[7:3] 150 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).
[7:3] 151 tn Here (and in v. 9) the Hebrew text uses the normal generic terms for “male and female” (זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, zakhar unÿqevah).
[7:3] 152 tn Heb “to keep alive offspring.”
[7:4] 153 tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”
[7:4] 154 tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.
[7:5] 155 tn Heb “according to all.”
[7:6] 156 tn Heb “Now Noah was.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate nominative after implied “to be” verb) provides background information. The age of Noah receives prominence.
[7:6] 157 tn Heb “and the flood was water upon.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial/temporal in relation to the preceding clause. The verb הָיָה (hayah) here carries the nuance “to come” (BDB 225 s.v. הָיָה). In this context the phrase “come upon” means “to engulf.”
[7:7] 158 tn The preposition מִן (min) is causal here, explaining why Noah and his family entered the ark.
[7:8] 159 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
[7:9] 160 tn The Hebrew text of vv. 8-9a reads, “From the clean animal[s] and from the animal[s] which are not clean and from the bird[s] and everything that creeps on the ground, two two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female.”
[7:9] 161 tn Heb “Noah”; the pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:10] 162 tn Heb “came upon.”
[7:11] 163 tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 1:2).
[7:11] sn The watery deep. The same Hebrew term used to describe the watery deep in Gen 1:2 (תְּהוֹם, tihom) appears here. The text seems to picture here subterranean waters coming from under the earth and contributing to the rapid rise of water. The significance seems to be, among other things, that in this judgment God was returning the world to its earlier condition of being enveloped with water – a judgment involving the reversal of creation. On Gen 7:11 see G. F. Hasel, “The Fountains of the Great Deep,” Origins 1 (1974): 67-72; idem, “The Biblical View of the Extent of the Flood,” Origins 2 (1975): 77-95.
[7:11] 164 sn On the prescientific view of the sky reflected here, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 46.
[7:13] 166 tn Heb “On that very day Noah entered, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.”
[7:14] 167 tn The verb “entered” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:14] 168 tn Heb “every bird, every wing.”
[7:15] 169 tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”
[7:16] 171 tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”
[7:18] 172 tn Heb “and the waters were great and multiplied exceedingly.” The first verb in the sequence is וַיִּגְבְּרוּ (vayyigbÿru, from גָּבַר, gavar), meaning “to become great, mighty.” The waters did not merely rise; they “prevailed” over the earth, overwhelming it.
[7:19] 174 tn Heb “and the waters were great exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition emphasizes the depth of the waters.
[7:20] 176 tn Heb “rose fifteen cubits.” Since a cubit is considered by most authorities to be about eighteen inches, this would make the depth 22.5 feet. This figure might give the modern reader a false impression of exactness, however, so in the translation the phrase “fifteen cubits” has been rendered “more than twenty feet.”
[7:20] 177 tn Heb “the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward and they covered the mountains.” Obviously, a flood of twenty feet did not cover the mountains; the statement must mean the flood rose about twenty feet above the highest mountain.
[7:22] 179 tn Heb “everything which [has] the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils from all which is in the dry land.”
[7:23] 180 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[7:23] 181 tn Heb “wiped away” (cf. NRSV “blotted out”).
[7:23] 182 tn Heb “from man to animal to creeping thing and to the bird of the sky.”
[7:23] 183 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁאָר (sha’ar) means “to be left over; to survive” in the Niphal verb stem. It is the word used in later biblical texts for the remnant that escapes judgment. See G. F. Hasel, “Semantic Values of Derivatives of the Hebrew Root só’r,” AUSS 11 (1973): 152-69.
[7:24] 184 sn The Hebrew verb translated “prevailed over” suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth. The earth and everything in it were no match for the return of the chaotic deep.
[8:1] 185 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] 186 tn Heb “to pass over.”
[8:2] 187 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] 188 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] 189 tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:3] 190 tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.
[8:4] 191 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).
[8:4] sn Ararat is the Hebrew name for Urartu, the name of a mountainous region located north of Mesopotamia in modern day eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 29-32; G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:184-85; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:443-44.
[8:5] 192 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] 193 tn Or “could be seen.”
[8:6] 194 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] 195 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] 196 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] 197 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 198 tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.
[8:8] 199 tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.
[8:9] 200 tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:9] 201 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 202 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 203 tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”
[8:11] 204 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
[8:11] 205 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] 206 tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:12] 207 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] 208 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] 209 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] 210 tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.
[8:17] 211 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[8:17] 212 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] 213 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
[8:20] 214 sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the
[8:21] 215 tn The
[8:21] 216 tn Heb “and the
[8:21] 217 tn Heb “in his heart.”
[8:21] 218 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.
[8:21] 219 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.
[8:21] 220 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”
[8:21] 221 tn Heb “from his youth.”
[8:22] 222 tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”
[8:22] 223 tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.
[9:2] 224 tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.
[9:2] 225 tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.
[9:3] 226 tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”
[9:3] 227 tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:3] 228 tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.
[9:4] 231 tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.
[9:4] 232 tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:4] sn You must not eat meat with its life…in it. Because of the carnage produced by the flood, people might conclude that life is cheap and therefore treat it lightly. But God will not permit them to kill or even to eat anything with the lifeblood still in it, serving as a reminder of the sanctity of life.
[9:5] 233 tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.
[9:5] 234 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.
[9:5] 235 tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.
[9:5] 236 tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.
[9:5] 237 tn Heb “of the man.”
[9:5] 238 tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.
[9:6] 239 tn Heb “the blood of man.”
[9:6] 240 tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.
[9:6] 241 sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.
[9:6] 242 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 243 sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).
[9:8] 244 tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”
[9:9] 245 tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”
[9:9] 246 tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.
[9:10] 247 tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.
[9:11] 248 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
[9:11] 249 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:11] 251 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
[9:12] 253 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
[9:12] 254 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
[9:12] 255 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[9:12] 256 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
[9:13] 257 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
[9:13] 258 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
[9:13] 259 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
[9:14] 260 tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.
[9:15] 261 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
[9:15] 262 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:15] 263 tn Heb “to destroy.”
[9:15] 264 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:16] 265 tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”
[9:17] 266 tn Heb “all flesh.”
[9:18] 267 sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.
[9:19] 268 tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.
[9:20] 269 sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.
[9:20] 270 tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”
[9:21] 271 tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.
[9:22] 272 sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.
[9:22] 273 tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).
[9:22] sn Saw the nakedness. It is hard for modern people to appreciate why seeing another’s nakedness was such an abomination, because nakedness is so prevalent today. In the ancient world, especially in a patriarchal society, seeing another’s nakedness was a major offense. (See the account in Herodotus, Histories 1.8-13, where a general saw the nakedness of his master’s wife, and one of the two had to be put to death.) Besides, Ham was not a little boy wandering into his father’s bedroom; he was over a hundred years old by this time. For fuller discussion see A. P. Ross, “The Curse of Canaan,” BSac 137 (1980): 223-40.
[9:23] 274 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
[9:23] 275 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
[9:24] 276 tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.
[9:24] 278 tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.
[9:25] 279 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] 280 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] 281 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] 282 tn Heb “blessed be.”
[9:26] 283 tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] 284 tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:27] sn There is a wordplay (paronomasia) on the name Japheth. The verb יַפְתְּ (yaft, “may he enlarge”) sounds like the name יֶפֶת (yefet, “Japheth”). The name itself suggested the idea. The blessing for Japheth extends beyond the son to the descendants. Their numbers and their territories will be enlarged, so much so that they will share in Shem’s territories. Again, in this oracle, Noah is looking beyond his immediate family to future generations. For a helpful study of this passage and the next chapter, see T. O. Figart, A Biblical Perspective on the Race Problem, 55-58.
[9:27] 285 tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).
[10:1] 286 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] 287 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] 288 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] 289 sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.
[10:2] 290 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] 291 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] 292 sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.
[10:2] 293 sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.
[10:2] 294 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] 295 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] 296 sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.
[10:3] 297 sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.
[10:3] 298 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] 299 sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.
[10:3] 300 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] 301 sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.
[10:4] 302 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] 303 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] 304 tc Most of the MT
[10:6] 305 sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).
[10:6] 306 sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.
[10:6] 307 sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.
[10:6] 308 sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).
[10:7] 309 sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.
[10:7] 310 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] 311 sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.
[10:7] 312 sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 313 sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.
[10:7] 314 sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.
[10:7] 315 sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.
[10:8] 316 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] 317 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] 318 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the
[10:10] 319 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] 321 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
[10:10] 322 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
[10:10] 323 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] 324 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
[10:11] 325 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] 327 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
[10:11] 328 sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
[10:11] 329 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.
[10:12] 330 tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”
[10:13] 331 sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).
[10:13] 332 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:13] 333 sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.
[10:13] 334 sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.
[10:13] 335 sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.
[10:13] 336 sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).
[10:14] 337 sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.
[10:14] 338 sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.
[10:14] 339 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] 340 sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.
[10:15] 341 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:15] 342 sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.
[10:15] 343 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] 344 sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.
[10:16] 345 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] 346 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] 347 sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.
[10:17] 348 sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.
[10:17] 349 sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.
[10:18] 350 sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.
[10:18] 351 sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.
[10:18] 352 sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.
[10:19] 354 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:19] 355 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:19] 356 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:21] 357 tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”
[10:21] 358 tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.
[10:22] 359 sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.
[10:22] 360 sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.
[10:22] 361 sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.
[10:22] 362 sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.
[10:22] 363 sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.
[10:23] 364 tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”
[10:23] sn Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Little is known about these descendants of Aram.
[10:24] 365 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:24] 366 tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[10:24] 367 sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).
[10:25] 368 tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.
[10:26] 369 tn Heb “fathered.”
[10:26] 370 sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.
[10:26] 371 sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.
[10:26] 372 sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.
[10:26] 373 sn The name Jerah means “moon.”
[10:27] 374 sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.
[10:27] 375 sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”
[10:28] 376 sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.
[10:28] 377 sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”
[10:28] 378 sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.
[10:29] 379 sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).
[10:29] 380 sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.
[10:30] 381 tn Heb “as you go.”
[10:32] 382 tn Or “separated.”
[11:1] 383 sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.
[11:1] 384 tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.
[11:2] 385 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:2] 386 tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”
[11:2] 387 tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”
[11:2] sn Shinar is the region of Babylonia.
[11:3] 388 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”
[11:3] 389 tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).
[11:3] 390 tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[11:3] 391 tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[11:4] 392 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
[11:4] 393 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
[11:4] 394 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
[11:4] 395 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
[11:5] 396 tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.
[11:5] 397 tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.
[11:6] 398 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
[11:6] 399 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
[11:6] 400 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
[11:7] 401 tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the
[11:7] 402 tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”
[11:8] 403 tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.
[11:9] 404 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.
[11:9] 405 sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[11:11] 406 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 407 tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:13] 408 tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.
[11:15] 409 tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[11:28] 410 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
[11:28] 411 tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”
[11:29] 412 sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.
[11:29] 413 sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.
[11:32] 414 tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”
[11:32] 415 tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:1] 416 sn The
[12:1] 417 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] 418 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] 419 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
[12:2] 420 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] 421 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] 422 tn Or “I will make you famous.”
[12:2] 423 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] 424 tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the
[12:3] 425 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] 426 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] 427 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
[12:4] 428 tn Heb “just as the
[12:4] 429 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] 430 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] 431 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
[12:5] 432 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
[12:5] 433 tn Heb “went out to go.”
[12:6] 435 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] 436 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
[12:6] 437 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
[12:7] 438 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] 439 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:8] 440 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:8] 441 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[12:9] 442 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] 443 tn Or “the South [country].”
[12:9] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[12:10] 444 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] 445 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] 446 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] 447 tn Heb “drew near to enter.”
[12:11] 448 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.
[12:11] 449 tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”
[12:12] 450 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] 452 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] 453 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] 454 tn Heb “and my life will live.”
[12:15] 455 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] 456 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] 457 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] 458 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] 459 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[12:17] 460 tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the
[12:18] 461 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] 462 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.
[12:19] 463 tn Heb “to me for a wife.”
[12:19] 464 tn Heb “Look, your wife!”
[12:19] 465 tn Heb “take and go.”
[12:20] 466 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:1] 467 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
[13:1] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[13:1] 468 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
[13:2] 470 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
[13:3] 471 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
[13:3] 472 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:3] 473 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:3] 474 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
[13:4] 475 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
[13:4] 476 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
[13:5] 477 tn Heb “was going.”
[13:5] 478 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
[13:6] 479 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
[13:6] 480 tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.
[13:6] 481 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
[13:7] 482 tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.
[13:7] 483 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
[13:7] 484 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.
[13:8] 485 tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.
[13:9] 486 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
[13:10] 487 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] 488 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
[13:10] 489 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:10] 490 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] 491 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] 492 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
[13:11] 493 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
[13:11] 494 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
[13:11] sn Separated from each other. For a discussion of the significance of this event, see L. R. Helyer, “The Separation of Abram and Lot: Its Significance in the Patriarchal Narratives,” JSOT 26 (1983): 77-88.
[13:12] 495 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[13:13] 496 tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.
[13:13] 497 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
[13:13] 498 tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the
[13:14] 499 tn Heb “and the
[13:14] 500 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”
[13:14] sn Look. Earlier Lot “looked up” (v. 10), but here Abram is told by God to do so. The repetition of the expression (Heb “lift up the eyes”) here underscores how the
[13:15] 501 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
[13:16] 502 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
[13:17] 503 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
[13:17] 504 tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.
[13:17] 505 tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).
[13:18] 506 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
[13:18] 507 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:1] 508 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”
[14:1] 509 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
[14:1] 510 tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).
[14:2] sn Went to war. The conflict here reflects international warfare in the Early and Middle Bronze periods. The countries operated with overlords and vassals. Kings ruled over city states, or sometimes a number of city states (i.e., nations). Due to their treaties, when one went to war, those confederate with him joined him in battle. It appears here that it is Kedorlaomer’s war, because the western city states have rebelled against him (meaning they did not send products as tribute to keep him from invading them).
[14:2] 512 sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.
[14:3] 513 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] 514 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] 515 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
[14:4] 516 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
[14:4] 517 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
[14:4] 518 sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.
[14:5] 519 tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.
[14:6] 520 sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.
[14:7] 521 tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”
[14:9] 523 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
[14:9] 524 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:10] 525 tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”
[14:10] sn The word for “tar” (or “bitumen”) occurs earlier in the story of the building of the tower in Babylon (see Gen 11:3).
[14:10] 526 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
[14:10] 527 tn Heb “the rest.”
[14:10] 528 sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.
[14:11] 529 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 530 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
[14:12] 532 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 533 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
[14:13] 534 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
[14:13] 535 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
[14:13] 536 tn Or “terebinths.”
[14:13] 537 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
[14:13] 538 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
[14:13] 539 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
[14:14] 540 tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).
[14:14] 541 tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.
[14:14] 542 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:14] 543 sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.
[14:15] 544 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
[14:15] 545 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 546 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
[14:15] 547 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
[14:16] 548 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:16] 549 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:17] 550 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 551 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:17] 552 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
[14:18] 553 sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the
[14:18] 554 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.
[14:18] sn It is his royal priestly status that makes Melchizedek a type of Christ: He was identified with Jerusalem, superior to the ancestor of Israel, and both a king and a priest. Unlike the normal Canaanites, this man served “God Most High” (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, ’el ’elyon) – one sovereign God, who was the creator of all the universe. Abram had in him a spiritual brother.
[14:19] 555 tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
[14:19] 556 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”
[14:19] 557 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
[14:20] 558 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
[14:20] 559 sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.
[14:20] 560 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:22] 561 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
[14:22] 562 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[14:23] 563 tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the
[14:23] 564 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
[14:24] 565 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:24] 566 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
[15:1] 567 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] 568 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] 569 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
[15:2] 570 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
[15:2] 571 tn Heb “I am going.”
[15:2] 572 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] 573 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
[15:2] 574 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] 575 tn Heb “And Abram said.”
[15:3] 576 tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).
[15:3] 577 tn Heb “is inheriting me.”
[15:4] 578 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] 579 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
[15:4] 580 tn Heb “inherit you.”
[15:4] 581 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
[15:4] 582 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] 583 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
[15:4] 584 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
[15:5] 585 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 586 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] 587 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the
[15:6] 588 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] 589 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] 590 tn Heb “And he said.”
[15:7] 591 sn I am the
[15:7] 592 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] 593 tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”
[15:8] 594 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:8] 595 tn See note on the phrase “sovereign
[15:9] 597 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
[15:10] 598 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:10] 599 tn Heb “in the middle.”
[15:10] 600 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] 601 tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”
[15:12] 602 tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”
[15:13] 603 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] 604 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] 605 tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”
[15:13] 606 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] 607 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] 608 tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.
[15:15] 609 sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.
[15:15] 610 tn Heb “in a good old age.”
[15:16] 611 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] 612 tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[15:16] 613 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] 614 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] 615 tn Heb “these pieces.”
[15:18] 616 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[15:18] 617 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] 618 sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.
[15:19] 619 tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[15:21] 620 tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.
[16:1] 621 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 622 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 623 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 624 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[16:2] 625 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
[16:2] 626 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
[16:2] sn The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as “so and so knew his wife.” Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, “The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic,” VT 19 (1969): 312-21.
[16:2] 627 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
[16:2] 628 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
[16:2] sn Abram did what Sarai told him. This expression was first used in Gen 3:17 of Adam’s obeying his wife. In both cases the text highlights weak faith and how it jeopardized the plan of God.
[16:3] 629 tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.
[16:3] 630 tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”
[16:3] 631 sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.
[16:4] 632 tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.
[16:4] 633 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)
[16:4] 634 tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.
[16:5] 635 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
[16:5] 636 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
[16:5] 638 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
[16:5] 639 tn Heb “me and you.”
[16:5] sn May the
[16:6] 640 tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”
[16:6] 641 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[16:6] 642 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”
[16:6] 643 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:6] 644 tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”
[16:6] 645 tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:7] 646 tn Heb “the messenger of the
[16:7] 647 tn Heb “And the angel of the
[16:8] 648 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
[16:9] 649 tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.
[16:10] 650 tn Heb “The
[16:10] 651 tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”
[16:11] 652 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
[16:11] 653 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
[16:11] 654 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
[16:11] 655 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
[16:11] sn This clause gives the explanation of the name Ishmael, using a wordplay. Ishmael’s name will be a reminder that “God hears” Hagar’s painful cries.
[16:12] 656 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
[16:12] 657 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
[16:12] 658 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
[16:12] 659 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
[16:13] 660 tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).
[16:13] 661 tn Heb “after one who sees me.”
[16:13] sn For a discussion of Hagar’s exclamation, see T. Booij, “Hagar’s Words in Genesis 16:13b,” VT 30 (1980): 1-7.
[16:14] 662 tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.
[16:14] 663 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.
[16:14] 664 tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[16:15] 665 tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”
[16:15] sn Whom Abram named Ishmael. Hagar must have informed Abram of what the angel had told her. See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
[16:16] 666 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.
[16:16] 667 tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”
[16:16] 668 tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.
[17:1] 669 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:1] 670 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[17:1] 671 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
[17:1] 672 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”
[17:1] 673 tn Or “in my presence.”
[17:1] 674 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
[17:2] 675 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the
[17:2] 676 tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:3] 677 tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.
[17:3] 678 tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:4] 680 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
[17:5] 681 tn Heb “will your name be called.”
[17:5] 682 sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.
[17:5] 683 tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.
[17:6] 684 tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.
[17:6] 685 tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:6] 686 tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”
[17:7] 687 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).
[17:7] 688 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:7] 689 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
[17:8] 690 tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.
[17:8] 691 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:9] 692 tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.
[17:9] 693 tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.
[17:10] 694 tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”
[17:10] 695 sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.
[17:12] 697 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
[17:13] 698 tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.
[17:13] 699 tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:13] 700 tn Or “an eternal.”
[17:14] 701 tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.
[17:14] 702 tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:14] sn The meaning of “cut off” has been discussed at great length. An entire tractate in the Mishnah is devoted to this subject (tractate Keritot). Being ostracized from the community is involved at the least, but it is not certain whether this refers to the death penalty.
[17:14] 703 tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.
[17:15] 704 tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”
[17:15] 705 sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.
[17:16] 706 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
[17:17] 708 sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.
[17:17] 709 tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”
[17:17] 710 tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.
[17:17] 711 tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”
[17:17] 712 sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).
[17:17] 713 tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”
[17:18] 714 tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”
[17:18] 715 tn Or “live with your blessing.”
[17:19] 716 tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).
[17:19] 717 tn Or “as an eternal.”
[17:20] 718 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
[17:20] 719 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
[17:20] 720 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
[17:22] 721 tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:22] sn God went up from him. The text draws attention to God’s dramatic exit and in so doing brings full closure to the scene.
[17:23] 722 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
[17:23] 723 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:24] 724 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
[17:24] 725 tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).
[17:25] 726 tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”
[18:1] 727 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:1] 728 tn Or “terebinths.”
[18:1] 729 tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.
[18:1] 730 tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.
[18:2] 731 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:2] 732 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[18:2] 733 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] 734 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] 735 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
[18:2] 736 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] 737 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
[18:3] 738 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] 739 tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”
[18:4] 740 tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.
[18:4] 741 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] 742 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
[18:5] 743 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] 744 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
[18:5] 745 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] 746 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] 747 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] 748 sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.
[18:7] 749 tn Heb “the young man.”
[18:7] 750 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] 751 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:8] 752 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] 753 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
[18:9] 754 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
[18:10] 755 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] 756 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] 757 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
[18:10] 758 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
[18:10] 759 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
[18:11] 761 tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”
[18:12] 763 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] 764 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[18:13] 765 tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the
[18:13] 766 tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”
[18:14] 767 tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”
[18:14] 768 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] 769 tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the
[18:16] 770 tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”
[18:16] 771 tn Heb “toward the face of.”
[18:16] 772 tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.
[18:16] 773 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] 774 tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.
[18:18] 775 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] 776 tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.
[18:18] 777 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] 778 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] 779 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] 780 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
[18:19] 781 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
[18:19] 782 tn Heb “spoke to.”
[18:20] 783 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] 785 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] 786 tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the
[18:21] 787 sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.
[18:22] 788 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] 790 tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the
[18:24] 791 tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).
[18:25] 793 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] 794 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[18:27] 795 tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the
[18:28] 796 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.
[18:28] 797 tn Heb “because of five.”
[18:29] 798 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:29] 799 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
[18:30] 800 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:30] 801 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
[18:30] 802 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
[18:31] 803 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:32] 804 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:33] 805 tn Heb “And the
[18:33] 806 tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”
[18:33] 807 tn Heb “to his place.”
[19:1] 808 tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.
[19:1] 809 tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.
[19:1] sn The expression sitting in the city’s gateway may mean that Lot was exercising some type of judicial function (see the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 19:8; Jer 26:10; 38:7; 39:3).
[19:2] 810 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
[19:2] 811 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
[19:2] 812 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
[19:3] 813 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
[19:4] 814 tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.
[19:4] 815 tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.
[19:5] 816 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:5] 817 tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.
[19:5] sn The sin of the men of Sodom is debated. The fact that the sin involved a sexual act (see note on the phrase “have sex” in 19:5) precludes an association of the sin with inhospitality as is sometimes asserted (see W. Roth, “What of Sodom and Gomorrah? Homosexual Acts in the Old Testament,” Explor 1 [1974]: 7-14). The text at a minimum condemns forced sexual intercourse, i.e., rape. Other considerations, though, point to a condemnation of homosexual acts more generally. The narrator emphasizes the fact that the men of Sodom wanted to have sex with men: They demand that Lot release the angelic messengers (seen as men) to them for sex, and when Lot offers his daughters as a substitute they refuse them and attempt to take the angelic messengers by force. In addition the wider context of the Pentateuch condemns homosexual acts as sin (see, e.g., Lev 18:22). Thus a reading of this text within its narrative context, both immediate and broad, condemns not only the attempted rape but also the attempted homosexual act.
[19:7] 818 tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”
[19:8] 819 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[19:8] 820 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
[19:8] 822 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
[19:9] 823 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
[19:9] 824 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
[19:9] 825 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
[19:9] 826 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
[19:9] 827 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
[19:9] 828 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
[19:10] 829 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:10] 830 tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[19:10] 831 tn Heb “to them into the house.”
[19:11] 832 tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”
[19:11] 833 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 834 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[19:12] 835 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
[19:12] 836 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:12] 837 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
[19:12] 838 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
[19:13] 839 tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.
[19:13] 840 tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:13] 841 tn Heb “the
[19:14] 842 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
[19:14] 843 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
[19:14] 844 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
[19:15] 845 tn Heb “When dawn came up.”
[19:15] 846 tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.
[19:15] 847 tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).
[19:16] 848 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:16] 849 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
[19:16] 850 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
[19:17] 851 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
[19:17] 853 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
[19:17] 854 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:18] 855 tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[19:19] 856 tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.
[19:19] 857 tn Heb “in your eyes.”
[19:19] 858 tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”
[19:19] 859 sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.
[19:19] 860 tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.
[19:19] 862 tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.
[19:19] 863 tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.
[19:20] 864 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
[19:20] 865 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
[19:20] 866 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
[19:20] 867 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
[19:20] 868 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
[19:21] 869 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the
[19:21] 870 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”
[19:21] 871 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).
[19:22] 872 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
[19:22] 873 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
[19:23] 874 sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).
[19:23] 875 tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.
[19:24] 876 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.
[19:24] 877 tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).
[19:24] 878 tn Heb “from the
[19:24] sn The text explicitly states that the sulfur and fire that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah was sent down from the sky by the
[19:25] 879 tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:25] 880 tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”
[19:26] 881 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:26] 882 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
[19:26] sn Longingly. Lot’s wife apparently identified with the doomed city and thereby showed lack of respect for God’s provision of salvation. She, like her daughters later, had allowed her thinking to be influenced by the culture of Sodom.
[19:27] 883 tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[19:28] 884 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
[19:28] 885 tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:28] 886 tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”
[19:28] sn It is hard to imagine what was going on in Abraham’s mind, but this brief section in the narrative enables the reader to think about the human response to the judgment. Abraham had family in that area. He had rescued those people from the invasion. That was why he interceded. Yet he surely knew how wicked they were. That was why he got the number down to ten when he negotiated with God to save the city. But now he must have wondered, “What was the point?”
[19:29] 887 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
[19:29] 888 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
[19:29] 889 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
[19:29] sn God showed Abraham special consideration because of the covenantal relationship he had established with the patriarch. Yet the reader knows that God delivered the “righteous” (Lot’s designation in 2 Pet 2:7) before destroying their world – which is what he will do again at the end of the age.
[19:29] 890 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
[19:29] 891 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
[19:31] 892 tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”
[19:31] 893 tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.
[19:31] 894 tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:32] 895 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:32] 896 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
[19:32] 897 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
[19:32] 898 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:32] sn For a discussion of the cultural background of the daughters’ desire to preserve our family line see F. C. Fensham, “The Obliteration of the Family as Motif in the Near Eastern Literature,” AION 10 (1969): 191-99.
[19:33] 899 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:33] 900 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:33] 901 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
[19:33] 902 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
[19:34] 903 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:34] 904 tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”
[19:34] 905 tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
[19:35] 906 tn Heb “drink wine.”
[19:35] 907 tn Heb “lied down with him.”
[19:35] 908 tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”
[19:37] 909 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
[19:37] 910 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
[19:38] 911 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
[20:1] 912 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
[20:1] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[20:1] 913 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
[20:3] 915 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
[20:3] 916 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
[20:4] 917 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[20:4] 918 tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.
[20:5] 919 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:5] 920 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
[20:5] 921 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
[20:6] 922 tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
[20:6] 923 tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
[20:6] 924 tn Heb “therefore.”
[20:7] 925 tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
[20:7] 926 sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.
[20:7] 927 tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.
[20:7] sn He will pray for you that you may live. Abraham was known as a man of God whose prayer would be effectual. Ironically and sadly, he was also known as a liar.
[20:7] 928 tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
[20:7] 929 tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
[20:8] 930 tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
[20:8] 931 tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
[20:8] 932 tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
[20:8] 933 tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[20:9] 934 tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.
[20:9] 935 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
[20:10] 936 tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
[20:10] 937 tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
[20:11] 938 tn Heb “Because I said.”
[20:11] 939 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[20:12] 940 tn Heb “but also.”
[20:13] 941 tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”
[20:13] 942 tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
[20:14] 943 tn Heb “took and gave.”
[20:15] 944 tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
[20:16] 945 sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).
[20:16] 946 sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).
[20:16] 947 tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).
[20:18] 948 tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
[20:18] 949 tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
[20:18] sn The
[20:18] 950 tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[21:1] 951 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
[21:1] 952 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 954 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 955 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
[21:4] 956 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 957 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 958 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
[21:6] 959 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 960 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 961 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
[21:7] 963 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 965 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
[21:9] 967 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
[21:9] sn Mocking. Here Sarah interprets Ishmael’s actions as being sinister. Ishmael probably did not take the younger child seriously and Sarah saw this as a threat to Isaac. Paul in Gal 4:29 says that Ishmael persecuted Isaac. He uses a Greek word that can mean “to put to flight; to chase away; to pursue” and may be drawing on a rabbinic interpretation of the passage. In Paul’s analogical application of the passage, he points out that once the promised child Isaac (symbolizing Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise) has come, there is no room left for the slave woman and her son (who symbolize the Mosaic law).
[21:10] 968 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
[21:11] 969 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
[21:12] 970 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 971 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
[21:12] 972 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 973 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
[21:14] 974 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 975 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 976 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
[21:14] 977 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 978 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
[21:15] 979 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
[21:16] 980 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 982 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
[21:16] 983 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
[21:17] 984 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
[21:17] 985 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 986 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 987 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:21] 988 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
[21:21] 989 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 990 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 991 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 992 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 993 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 994 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 996 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
[21:24] 997 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
[21:25] 998 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
[21:25] 999 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 1000 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:26] 1001 tn Heb “and also.”
[21:27] 1002 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 1003 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 1004 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 1005 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
[21:31] 1006 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
[21:31] 1007 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
[21:31] 1008 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 1009 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 1010 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 1011 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
[21:33] 1012 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 1013 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
[21:33] 1014 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 1015 tn Heb “many days.”
[22:1] 1016 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
[22:1] 1017 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 1018 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 1019 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
[22:2] 1020 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
[22:2] 1021 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
[22:2] 1022 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 1023 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 1024 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 1025 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 1026 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 1027 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 1028 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 1029 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 1030 sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
[22:6] 1031 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 1032 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 1033 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 1034 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:8] 1035 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:8] sn God will provide is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. Note Paul’s allusion to the story in Rom 8:32 (“how shall he not freely give us all things?”) as well as H. J. Schoeps, “The Sacrifice of Isaac in Paul’s Theology,” JBL 65 (1946): 385-92.
[22:9] 1036 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
[22:9] 1037 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
[22:10] 1038 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 1039 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 1040 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 1041 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:12] 1042 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 1043 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 1044 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 1045 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
[22:13] 1046 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 1047 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 1048 tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
[22:14] 1049 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[22:14] 1050 sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.
[22:16] 1051 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 1052 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 1053 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] 1054 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] sn I will greatly multiply. The
[22:17] 1055 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] 1057 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] 1058 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] sn Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).
[22:18] 1059 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.)
[22:19] 1060 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 1061 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 1062 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 1063 sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.
[22:23] 1064 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
[23:1] 1065 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
[23:2] 1066 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
[23:2] 1067 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
[23:3] 1068 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
[23:3] 1069 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[23:4] 1070 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
[23:4] 1071 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
[23:4] 1072 tn Or “possession.”
[23:4] 1073 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
[23:4] 1074 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:5] 1075 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
[23:6] 1076 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
[23:6] 1077 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
[23:6] 1078 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:7] 1079 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
[23:8] 1080 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
[23:8] 1081 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:8] 1083 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
[23:9] 1084 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
[23:9] 1085 tn Heb “in your presence.”
[23:10] 1087 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
[23:10] 1088 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
[23:10] 1089 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
[23:11] 1090 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
[23:11] 1091 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[23:11] 1092 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
[23:13] 1095 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
[23:15] 1096 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:15] 1097 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
[23:16] 1098 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
[23:16] 1099 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
[23:16] 1100 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 1102 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 1103 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
[23:17] 1104 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:18] 1105 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:18] sn See G. M. Tucker, “The Legal Background of Genesis 23,” JBL 85 (1966):77-84; and M. R. Lehmann, “Abraham’s Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law,” BASOR 129 (1953): 15-18.
[23:20] 1106 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
[24:1] 1108 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[24:2] 1109 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
[24:2] 1110 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
[24:3] 1111 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
[24:3] 1112 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
[24:4] 1113 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
[24:4] 1114 tn Heb “and take.”
[24:5] 1115 tn Heb “to go after me.”
[24:5] 1116 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
[24:6] 1117 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
[24:6] 1118 tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:7] 1119 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
[24:7] 1120 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
[24:7] 1121 tn Or “his messenger.”
[24:7] 1122 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
[24:8] 1123 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
[24:8] 1124 sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.
[24:9] 1125 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
[24:10] 1126 tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.
[24:10] 1127 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[24:10] 1128 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:10] sn Aram Naharaim means in Hebrew “Aram of the Two Rivers,” a region in northern Mesopotamia.
[24:11] 1129 tn Heb “well of water.”
[24:11] 1130 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
[24:12] 1131 tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).
[24:12] 1132 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
[24:13] 1133 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:13] 1134 tn Heb “the men.”
[24:14] 1135 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
[24:14] 1136 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
[24:15] 1137 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
[24:15] 1138 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:16] 1139 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
[24:17] 1140 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 1141 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 1142 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 1143 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 1144 tn Heb “to know.”
[24:21] 1145 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
[24:22] 1146 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 1147 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
[24:22] 1148 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 1149 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:24] 1150 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 1151 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:25] 1152 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 1153 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 1154 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 1155 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:27] 1156 tn Heb “brothers.”
[24:28] 1157 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 1158 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 1159 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[24:30] 1160 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 1161 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
[24:31] 1162 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 1163 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 1164 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 1165 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 1166 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
[24:32] 1167 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 1168 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 1169 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 1170 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 1171 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:33] tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:35] 1172 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 1173 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 1174 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 1175 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 1176 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 1177 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
[24:39] 1178 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:39] 1179 tn Heb “after me.”
[24:40] 1180 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the
[24:41] 1181 tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).
[24:42] 1182 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 1183 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 1184 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 1185 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 1186 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
[24:45] 1187 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 1188 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 1189 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
[24:49] 1190 tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.
[24:50] 1191 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 1192 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
[24:51] 1193 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 1194 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 1195 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 1196 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 1197 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 1198 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 1199 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 1200 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 1201 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 1202 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 1203 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 1204 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).
[24:60] 1205 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
[24:61] 1206 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 1207 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 1208 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 1209 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 1210 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.
[24:62] 1211 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 1212 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:62] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[24:63] 1213 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 1214 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 1215 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 1216 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 1217 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
[24:64] 1218 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 1219 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 1220 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 1221 tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 1222 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 1223 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 1224 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 1225 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
[25:1] sn Abraham had taken another wife. These events are not necessarily in chronological order following the events of the preceding chapter. They are listed here to summarize Abraham’s other descendants before the narrative of his death.
[25:1] 1227 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
[25:3] 1228 sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.
[25:6] 1230 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
[25:6] 1231 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
[25:7] 1232 tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.
[25:8] 1233 tn Heb “old and full.”
[25:8] 1234 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:9] 1235 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
[25:10] 1236 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[25:11] 1237 sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).
[25:11] 1238 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
[25:12] 1239 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
[25:13] 1240 tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”
[25:16] 1241 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
[25:17] 1242 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
[25:17] 1243 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:18] 1244 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 1245 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
[25:18] 1246 tn Heb “as you go.”
[25:18] 1247 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
[25:18] 1248 tn Heb “he fell.”
[25:18] 1249 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
[25:19] 1250 sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.
[25:20] 1251 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
[25:20] 1252 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
[25:21] 1253 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the
[25:22] 1254 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
[25:22] 1255 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
[25:22] 1256 sn Asked the
[25:23] 1257 sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.
[25:24] 1258 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
[25:24] 1259 tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.
[25:25] 1260 sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.
[25:25] 1261 tn Heb “all of him.”
[25:25] 1262 sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.
[25:25] 1263 tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.
[25:26] 1264 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
[25:26] 1265 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
[25:26] sn The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. It did not have a negative connotation until Esau redefined it. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.
[25:26] 1266 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
[25:27] 1267 tn Heb “knowing.”
[25:27] 1268 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”
[25:28] 1269 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
[25:28] 1270 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
[25:29] 1271 sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[25:30] 1272 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
[25:30] 1273 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
[25:30] 1274 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
[25:32] 1276 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
[25:33] 1277 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
[25:33] 1278 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:33] 1279 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
[25:34] 1280 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
[25:34] 1281 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
[26:1] 1282 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 1283 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] 1284 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] 1285 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 1286 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] 1287 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] 1288 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] 1289 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] 1290 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] 1291 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 1292 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] 1293 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 1294 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 1295 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] 1296 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 1297 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] 1298 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 1299 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 1300 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 1301 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] 1303 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 1304 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] 1305 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] 1307 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] 1308 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] 1309 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 1310 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 1311 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 1312 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 1313 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 1314 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 1315 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 1316 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 1317 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 1318 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 1319 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 1320 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] 1321 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] 1322 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 1323 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 1324 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 1325 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 1326 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 1327 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 1328 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 1329 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 1330 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 1331 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 1332 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] 1333 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 1334 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 1335 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 1336 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] 1337 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 1338 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 1339 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] 1340 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 1341 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 1342 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 1343 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] 1345 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] 1346 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 1347 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 1348 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] 1349 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 1350 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 1351 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] 1352 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 1353 tn Heb “touched.”
[26:29] 1354 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 1355 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 1356 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] 1357 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 1358 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 1359 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 1360 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 1361 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] 1362 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] 1363 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] 1364 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 1365 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 1366 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 1367 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[27:1] 1368 tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.
[27:1] 1369 tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”
[27:1] 1370 tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).
[27:1] 1371 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:2] 1372 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:2] 1373 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.
[27:2] 1374 tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”
[27:3] 1375 tn The Hebrew word is to be spelled either צַיִד (tsayid) following the marginal reading (Qere), or צֵידָה (tsedah) following the consonantal text (Kethib). Either way it is from the same root as the imperative צוּדָה (tsudah, “hunt down”).
[27:4] 1376 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
[27:4] 1377 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.
[27:5] 1378 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a conjunction with the subject, followed by the predicate) here introduces a new scene in the story.
[27:5] 1379 tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.
[27:7] 1380 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
[27:7] 1381 tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.
[27:7] 1382 tn In her report to Jacob, Rebekah plays down Isaac’s strong desire to bless Esau by leaving out נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), but by adding the phrase “in the presence of the
[27:8] 1383 tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The Hebrew idiom means “to comply; to obey.”
[27:8] 1384 tn Heb “to that which I am commanding you.”
[27:9] 1385 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
[27:10] 1386 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive. It carries forward the tone of instruction initiated by the command to “go…and get” in the preceding verse.
[27:10] 1387 tn The form is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the future nuance of the preceding verbs of instruction, but by switching the subject to Jacob, indicates the expected result of the subterfuge.
[27:10] 1388 tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[27:11] 1389 tn Heb “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth [skinned] man.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:12] 1390 tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”
[27:13] 1391 tn Heb “upon me your curse.”
[27:13] 1392 tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”
[27:14] 1393 tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:14] 1394 tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:16] 1395 tn In the Hebrew text the object (“the skins of the young goats”) precedes the verb. The disjunctive clause draws attention to this key element in the subterfuge.
[27:16] 1396 tn The word “hands” probably includes the forearms here. How the skins were attached is not specified in the Hebrew text; cf. NLT “she made him a pair of gloves.”
[27:17] 1397 tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”
[27:18] 1398 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:18] 1399 sn Which are you, my son? Isaac’s first question shows that the deception is going to require more subterfuge than Rebekah had anticipated. Jacob will have to pull off the deceit.
[27:19] 1400 tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.
[27:19] 1401 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.
[27:20] 1402 tn Heb “What is this?” The enclitic pronoun “this” adds emphasis to the question, which is comparable to the English rhetorical question, “How in the world?”
[27:20] 1403 tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.
[27:20] 1404 tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”
[27:20] 1405 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Because the
[27:21] 1406 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
[27:21] 1407 tn Heb “Are you this one, Esau, my son, or not?” On the use of the interrogative particle here, see BDB 210 s.v. הֲ.
[27:23] 1408 tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:24] 1409 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:25] 1410 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:25] 1411 tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[27:25] 1412 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.
[27:25] 1413 tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:25] 1414 tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:27] 1415 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:27] 1416 tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:28] 1418 tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”
[27:28] 1419 tn Heb “and from the fatness.”
[27:29] 1420 tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.
[27:29] 1421 tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”
[27:29] 1422 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[27:30] 1423 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite form of the verb makes the construction emphatic.
[27:30] 1424 tn Heb “the presence of Isaac his father.” The repetition of the proper name (“Isaac”) was
[27:30] 1425 tn Heb “and Esau his brother came from his hunt.”
[27:31] 1426 tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.
[27:31] 1427 tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).
[27:31] 1428 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”
[27:32] 1430 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I [am] your son, your firstborn.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[27:33] 1431 tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.
[27:33] 1432 tn Heb “Who then is he who hunted game and brought [it] to me so that I ate from all before you arrived and blessed him?”
[27:34] 1433 tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.
[27:34] 1434 tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”
[27:35] 1435 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[27:35] 1436 tn Or “took”; “received.”
[27:36] 1437 tn Heb “Is he not rightly named Jacob?” The rhetorical question, since it expects a positive reply, has been translated as a declarative statement.
[27:36] 1438 sn He has tripped me up. When originally given, the name Jacob was a play on the word “heel” (see Gen 25:26). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. Esau gives the name “Jacob” a negative connotation here, the meaning “to trip up; to supplant.”
[27:38] 1439 tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:38] 1440 tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”
[27:39] 1442 tn Heb “from the fatness.”
[27:40] 1443 sn You will tear off his yoke from your neck. It may be that this prophetic blessing found its fulfillment when Jerusalem fell and Edom got its revenge. The oracle makes Edom subservient to Israel and suggests the Edomites would live away from the best land and be forced to sustain themselves by violent measures.
[27:41] 1444 tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.
[27:41] 1445 tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”
[27:41] 1446 tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.
[27:41] 1448 tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.
[27:42] 1449 tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”
[27:42] 1450 tn Heb “she sent and called for.”
[27:42] 1451 tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.
[27:43] 1452 tn Heb “listen to my voice.”
[27:43] 1453 tn Heb “arise, flee.”
[27:44] 1454 tn Heb “a few days.” Rebekah probably downplays the length of time Jacob will be gone, perhaps to encourage him and assure him that things will settle down soon. She probably expects Esau’s anger to die down quickly. However, Jacob ends up being gone twenty years and he never sees Rebekah again.
[27:45] 1455 tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[27:45] 1456 tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.
[27:45] 1457 tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.
[27:46] 1458 tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).
[27:46] 1459 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[27:46] 1460 tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”
[28:1] 1461 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:2] 1462 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
[28:3] 1463 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[28:3] 1464 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
[28:3] 1465 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
[28:3] 1466 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[28:4] 1467 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] 1468 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[28:4] 1469 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] 1470 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
[28:6] 1471 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
[28:6] 1472 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 1474 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 1475 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
[28:9] 1476 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
[28:11] 1477 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] 1478 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 1479 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 1480 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] 1481 tn Heb “lay down.”
[28:12] 1482 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 1483 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] 1484 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] 1485 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] 1486 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] 1487 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 1488 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 1489 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] 1490 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 1491 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] 1492 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 1494 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 1495 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 1496 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 1497 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] 1498 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] 1499 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 1500 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 1501 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 1502 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 1503 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.
[29:1] 1504 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
[29:1] 1505 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
[29:2] 1506 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
[29:2] 1507 tn Heb “and look, there.”
[29:2] 1508 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
[29:3] 1509 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:5] 1511 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
[29:6] 1512 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
[29:7] 1514 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:7] 1515 tn Heb “the day is great.”
[29:7] 1516 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
[29:8] 1517 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
[29:9] 1518 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
[29:10] 1519 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
[29:10] 1520 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:10] 1521 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
[29:10] 1522 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
[29:11] 1523 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
[29:12] 1524 tn Heb “declared.”
[29:12] 1525 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
[29:13] 1526 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:13] 1527 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
[29:14] 1528 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
[29:14] 1529 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:14] 1530 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[29:15] 1531 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
[29:15] 1532 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
[29:16] 1533 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
[29:17] 1534 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
[29:17] 1535 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
[29:18] 1536 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
[29:19] 1537 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
[29:20] 1538 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
[29:20] 1539 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
[29:20] 1540 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[29:21] 1541 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
[29:21] 1542 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
[29:21] 1543 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
[29:23] 1545 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
[29:23] sn His daughter Leah. Laban’s deception of Jacob by giving him the older daughter instead of the younger was God’s way of disciplining the deceiver who tricked his older brother. D. Kidner says this account is “the very embodiment of anti-climax, and this moment a miniature of man’s disillusion, experienced from Eden onwards” (Genesis [TOTC], 160). G. von Rad notes, “That Laban secretly gave the unloved Leah to the man in love was, to be sure, a monstrous blow, a masterpiece of shameless treachery…It was certainly a move by which he won for himself far and wide the coarsest laughter” (Genesis [OTL], 291).
[29:23] 1546 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 1547 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 1548 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:24] 1549 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[29:25] 1550 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[29:25] 1551 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 1552 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
[29:25] 1553 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
[29:26] 1554 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:26] 1555 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[29:27] 1556 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
[29:27] sn Bridal week. An ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony included an entire week of festivities (cf. Judg 14:12).
[29:27] 1557 tn Heb “this other one.”
[29:27] 1558 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
[29:27] sn In exchange for seven more years of work. See C. H. Gordon, “The Story of Jacob and Laban in the Light of the Nuzi Tablets,” BASOR 66 (1937): 25-27; and J. Van Seters, “Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near Eastern Customs: A Reassessment,” HTR 62 (1969): 377-95.
[29:28] 1559 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:28] 1560 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:28] 1561 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
[29:28] 1562 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:29] 1563 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
[29:30] 1564 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 1565 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:30] 1566 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 1567 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
[29:31] 1568 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
[29:31] 1569 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
[29:32] 1570 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
[29:32] 1571 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
[29:32] 1572 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
[29:32] sn Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the
[29:33] 1573 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
[29:33] 1574 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
[29:34] 1575 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
[29:34] 1576 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[29:35] 1577 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
[30:1] 1578 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:2] 1580 tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
[30:2] 1581 tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
[30:3] 1582 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:3] 1583 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
[30:3] 1584 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:3] 1585 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
[30:3] 1586 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
[30:4] 1587 tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:4] 1588 tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:5] 1589 tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
[30:5] 1590 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:6] 1591 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
[30:6] 1592 tn Or “therefore.”
[30:6] 1593 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
[30:7] 1594 tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:8] 1595 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
[30:8] 1596 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
[30:9] 1597 tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”
[30:10] 1598 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:11] 1599 tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”
[30:11] 1600 sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[30:12] 1601 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:13] 1602 tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
[30:13] 1603 tn Heb “daughters.”
[30:13] 1604 sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.
[30:14] 1605 tn Heb “during the days.”
[30:14] 1606 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
[30:15] 1607 tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:15] 1608 tn Heb “therefore.”
[30:15] 1609 tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[30:16] 1610 tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
[30:16] 1611 tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
[30:16] 1612 tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
[30:17] 1613 tn Heb “listened to.”
[30:17] 1614 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
[30:17] 1615 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:18] 1616 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
[30:18] 1617 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
[30:18] sn Leah seems to regard the act of giving her servant Zilpah to her husband as a sacrifice, for which (she believes) God is now rewarding her with the birth of a son.
[30:18] 1618 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
[30:19] 1619 tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:20] 1620 sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
[30:22] 1621 tn Heb “remembered.”
[30:22] 1622 tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons
[30:23] 1623 tn Or “conceived.”
[30:23] 1624 tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.
[30:24] 1625 sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.
[30:25] 1626 tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
[30:25] 1627 tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.
[30:25] sn For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.
[30:25] 1628 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:25] 1629 tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”
[30:26] 1630 tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
[30:26] 1631 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:26] 1632 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
[30:27] 1633 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[30:27] 1634 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
[30:28] 1635 tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”
[30:29] 1636 tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:29] 1637 tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
[30:30] 1639 tn Heb “before me.”
[30:30] 1640 tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
[30:30] 1641 tn Heb “at my foot.”
[30:30] 1642 tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
[30:31] 1643 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:31] 1644 tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
[30:31] 1645 tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:31] 1646 tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
[30:31] 1647 tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
[30:32] 1648 tn Heb “pass through.”
[30:32] 1649 tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
[30:32] 1650 tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
[30:32] 1651 tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.
[30:33] 1652 tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”
[30:33] 1653 tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”
[30:33] 1654 tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”
[30:33] sn Only the wage we agreed on. Jacob would have to be considered completely honest here, for he would have no control over the kind of animals born; and there could be no disagreement over which animals were his wages.
[30:33] 1655 tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”
[30:34] 1656 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.
[30:35] 1657 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:35] 1658 tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”
[30:36] 1659 tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”
[30:36] sn Three days’ traveling distance from Jacob. E. A. Speiser observes, “Laban is delighted with the terms, and promptly proceeds to violate the spirit of the bargain by removing to a safe distance all the grown animals that would be likely to produce the specified spots” (Genesis [AB], 238). Laban apparently thought that by separating out the spotted, striped, and dark colored animals he could minimize the production of spotted, striped, or dark offspring that would then belong to Jacob.
[30:36] 1660 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.
[30:38] 1661 sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).
[30:39] 1662 tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.
[30:39] 1663 tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:40] 1664 tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”
[30:41] 1665 tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”
[30:42] 1666 tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.
[30:42] 1667 tn Heb “were for Laban.”
[30:43] 1668 tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[30:43] 1669 tn Heb “and there were to him.”
[31:1] 1670 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
[31:1] 1671 sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).
[31:1] 1672 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
[31:2] 1673 tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.
[31:3] 1674 tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.
[31:3] 1675 sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the
[31:4] 1676 tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.
[31:4] 1677 tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[31:4] 1678 tn Heb “to his flock.”
[31:5] 1679 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
[31:6] 1680 tn Heb “with all my strength.”
[31:7] 1681 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
[31:8] 1682 tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.
[31:8] 1683 tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.
[31:10] 1684 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”
[31:10] 1685 tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”
[31:10] 1686 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:12] 1687 tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”
[31:12] 1688 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:13] 1689 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[31:13] 1690 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
[31:13] 1691 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
[31:13] 1692 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
[31:13] sn Leave this land immediately. The decision to leave was a wise one in view of the changed attitude in Laban and his sons. But more than that, it was the will of God. Jacob needed to respond to God’s call – the circumstances simply made it easier.
[31:14] 1693 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
[31:15] 1694 tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.
[31:15] sn He sold us and…wasted our money. The precise nature of Rachel’s and Leah’s complaint is not entirely clear. Since Jacob had to work to pay for them, they probably mean that their father has cheated Jacob and therefore cheated them as well. See M. Burrows, “The Complaint of Laban’s Daughters,” JAOS 57 (1937): 250-76.
[31:15] 1695 tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.
[31:17] 1696 tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
[31:18] 1697 tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
[31:18] 1698 tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”
[31:19] 1699 tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
[31:19] 1700 tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.
[31:20] 1701 tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.
[31:20] 1702 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
[31:21] 1703 tn Heb “and he fled.”
[31:21] 1704 tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
[31:21] 1705 tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:21] 1706 tn Heb “he set his face.”
[31:22] 1707 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
[31:23] 1708 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[31:23] 1709 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:23] 1710 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
[31:23] 1711 tn Heb “drew close to.”
[31:24] 1712 tn Heb “said to him.”
[31:24] 1713 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:24] 1714 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
[31:25] 1715 tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
[31:26] 1716 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
[31:26] 1717 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
[31:27] 1718 tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”
[31:27] 1719 tn Heb “and steal me.”
[31:27] 1720 tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”
[31:28] 1721 tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:29] 1722 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
[31:29] 1723 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:29] 1724 tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
[31:30] 1725 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[31:30] 1726 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
[31:30] 1727 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
[31:30] 1728 sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.
[31:31] 1729 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:31] 1730 tn Heb “for I said.”
[31:31] 1731 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
[31:32] 1732 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
[31:32] 1733 tn Heb “brothers.”
[31:32] 1734 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
[31:32] 1735 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
[31:33] 1736 tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:33] 1737 tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
[31:34] 1738 tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
[31:34] 1739 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
[31:34] 1740 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:35] 1741 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:35] 1742 tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.
[31:35] 1743 tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
[31:35] 1744 tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
[31:35] 1745 tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[31:36] 1746 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
[31:36] 1747 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[31:36] 1748 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
[31:37] 1749 tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
[31:37] 1750 tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
[31:37] 1751 tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
[31:39] 1752 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
[31:39] 1753 tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
[31:40] 1754 tn Or “by drought.”
[31:40] 1755 tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.
[31:40] 1756 tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
[31:41] 1757 tn Heb “this to me.”
[31:41] 1758 tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
[31:42] 1759 tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.
[31:42] 1760 tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
[31:43] 1761 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[31:43] 1762 tn Heb “daughters.”
[31:43] 1763 tn Heb “children.”
[31:43] 1764 tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”
[31:44] 1765 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[31:44] 1766 tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”
[31:44] 1767 tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”
[31:46] 1768 tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:46] 1769 sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.
[31:47] 1770 sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
[31:47] 1771 sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.
[31:48] 1772 tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
[31:49] 1773 tn Heb “and Mizpah.”
[31:49] 1774 sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the
[31:49] 1775 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:49] 1776 tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”
[31:50] 1778 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:51] 1779 tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:52] 1780 tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”
[31:53] 1781 tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.
[31:53] 1782 tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.
[31:54] 1783 tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.
[31:54] 1784 tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.
[31:55] 1785 sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[31:55] 1786 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
[31:55] 1787 tn Heb “his sons.”
[31:55] 1788 tn Heb “to his place.”
[32:1] 1789 sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.
[32:2] 1790 tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”
[32:2] 1791 sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.
[32:3] 1792 tn Heb “before him.”
[32:4] 1794 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
[32:5] 1795 tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.
[32:5] 1796 tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 1797 tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”
[32:8] 1798 tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 1799 tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.
[32:9] 1801 tn Heb “the one who said.”
[32:9] 1802 tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.
[32:10] 1803 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
[32:10] 1804 tn Heb “you have done with.”
[32:10] 1805 tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
[32:10] 1806 tn Heb “this Jordan.”
[32:11] 1807 tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
[32:11] 1808 tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
[32:11] 1809 tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
[32:11] 1810 tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
[32:11] 1811 sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
[32:12] 1812 tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[32:12] sn Some commentators have thought this final verse of the prayer redundant, but it actually follows the predominant form of a lament in which God is motivated to act. The primary motivation Jacob can offer to God is God’s promise, and so he falls back on that at the end of the prayer.
[32:12] 1813 tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.
[32:12] 1814 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.
[32:12] 1815 tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.
[32:13] 1816 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:13] 1817 tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
[32:13] 1818 sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).
[32:16] 1819 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
[32:16] 1820 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
[32:17] 1821 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
[32:17] 1822 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
[32:17] 1823 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
[32:18] 1824 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
[32:18] 1825 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:18] 1826 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
[32:18] 1827 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
[32:18] 1828 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:19] 1829 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
[32:20] 1830 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
[32:20] 1831 tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
[32:20] 1832 tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.
[32:20] 1833 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
[32:20] 1834 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
[32:20] 1835 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
[32:21] 1836 tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
[32:21] 1837 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
[32:22] 1838 tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.
[32:22] 1839 tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).
[32:22] 1840 sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.
[32:23] 1841 tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
[32:24] 1842 sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.
[32:24] 1843 sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.
[32:24] 1844 tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
[32:25] 1845 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 1846 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 1847 tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
[32:26] 1848 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:26] 1849 tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
[32:26] 1850 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:26] 1851 sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.
[32:27] 1852 tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:27] 1853 sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the
[32:28] 1854 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:28] 1855 sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the
[32:28] 1856 sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).
[32:29] 1857 sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.
[32:29] 1858 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
[32:29] 1859 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:29] 1860 tn The verb here means that the
[32:29] 1861 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:30] 1862 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
[32:30] 1863 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:30] 1865 sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
[32:30] 1866 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”
[32:30] sn I have survived. It was commonly understood that no one could see God and live (Gen 48:16; Exod 19:21, 24:10; and Judg 6:11, 22). On the surface Jacob seems to be saying that he saw God and survived. But the statement may have a double meaning, in light of his prayer for deliverance in v. 11. Jacob recognizes that he has survived his encounter with God and that his safety has now been guaranteed.
[32:31] 1868 sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
[32:31] 1869 tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.
[32:32] 1870 sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[32:32] 1871 tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.
[33:1] 1872 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”
[33:1] 1873 tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[33:2] 1874 sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.
[33:3] 1875 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:3] 1876 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.
[33:5] 1877 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 1878 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[33:5] 1879 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 1880 tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”
[33:6] 1881 tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”
[33:8] 1882 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:8] 1883 tn Heb “Who to you?”
[33:8] 1884 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
[33:8] 1885 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:10] 1886 tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[33:10] 1887 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.
[33:10] 1888 tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.
[33:10] 1889 tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”
[33:10] sn This is an allusion to the preceding episode (32:22-31) in which Jacob saw the face of God and realized his prayer was answered.
[33:11] 1890 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
[33:11] 1891 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
[33:11] 1893 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 1894 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 1895 tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”
[33:13] 1896 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:13] 1898 tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”
[33:14] 1899 tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”
[33:15] 1900 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
[33:15] 1901 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[33:15] 1902 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[33:16] 1903 tn Heb “returned on his way.”
[33:17] 1904 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
[33:17] 1905 sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.
[33:17] 1906 tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.
[33:17] 1907 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
[33:18] 1908 tn Heb “in front of.”
[33:19] 1909 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
[33:19] 1910 tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).
[33:20] 1911 tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.
[34:1] 1912 tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
[34:1] 1913 tn Heb “daughters.”
[34:2] 1914 tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.
[34:2] 1915 tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
[34:3] 1916 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
[34:3] 1917 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
[34:4] 1918 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
[34:5] 1919 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
[34:5] 1920 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:5] 1921 sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.
[34:6] 1922 tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 1923 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:7] 1924 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
[34:7] 1925 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
[34:7] 1926 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 1927 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
[34:7] 1928 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
[34:7] 1929 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
[34:8] 1930 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
[34:9] 1931 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
[34:9] sn Intermarry with us. This includes the idea of becoming allied by marriage. The incident foreshadows the temptations Israel would eventually face when they entered the promised land (see Deut 7:3; Josh 23:12).
[34:9] 1932 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
[34:10] 1933 tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[34:10] 1934 tn Heb “before you.”
[34:10] 1935 tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”
[34:11] 1936 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 1937 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
[34:12] 1939 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
[34:12] 1940 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
[34:13] 1942 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 1943 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
[34:14] 1944 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
[34:15] 1945 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
[34:15] 1946 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
[34:16] 1947 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:16] 1948 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:17] 1949 tn Heb “listen to us.”
[34:17] 1950 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:17] 1951 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
[34:18] 1952 tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
[34:19] 1953 tn Heb “doing the thing.”
[34:19] 1954 tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:19] 1955 tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
[34:19] 1956 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).
[34:20] 1957 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
[34:21] 1958 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
[34:21] 1959 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:22] 1960 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
[34:23] 1961 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[34:24] 1962 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:24] 1963 tn Heb “listened to.”
[34:24] 1964 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:25] 1965 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
[34:25] 1966 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
[34:27] 1967 tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
[34:27] 1968 tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
[34:28] 1969 tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
[34:29] 1970 tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
[34:30] 1971 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
[34:30] 1972 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
[34:30] 1973 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
[34:31] 1974 tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:1] 1975 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[35:1] 1976 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:1] 1977 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
[35:2] 1978 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
[35:2] 1979 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
[35:3] 1980 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
[35:3] 1981 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
[35:3] 1982 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
[35:3] 1983 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
[35:4] 1984 tn Heb “in their hand.”
[35:4] 1985 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
[35:4] 1986 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
[35:4] 1987 tn Or “terebinth.”
[35:5] 1988 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
[35:5] 1989 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
[35:6] 1990 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:6] 1991 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
[35:7] 1992 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
[35:7] 1993 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
[35:8] 1994 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
[35:8] 1995 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
[35:8] 1996 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
[35:10] 1997 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:10] sn The name Israel means “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). See Gen 32:28.
[35:11] 1998 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[35:11] 1999 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
[35:11] sn A nation…will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3-4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.
[35:12] 2000 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
[35:12] 2001 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
[35:13] 2002 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
[35:14] 2003 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
[35:14] 2004 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
[35:15] 2005 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
[35:15] 2006 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
[35:15] map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:16] 2007 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
[35:16] 2008 tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”
[35:17] 2009 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
[35:17] 2010 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
[35:18] 2011 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
[35:18] 2012 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
[35:18] 2013 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
[35:18] sn His father called him Benjamin. There was a preference for giving children good or positive names in the ancient world, and “son of my suffering” would not do (see the incident in 1 Chr 4:9-10), because it would be a reminder of the death of Rachel (in this connection, see also D. Daube, “The Night of Death,” HTR 61 [1968]: 629-32). So Jacob named him Benjamin, which means “son of the [or “my”] right hand.” The name Benjamin appears in the Mari texts. There have been attempts to connect this name to the resident tribe listed at Mari, “sons of the south” (since the term “right hand” can also mean “south” in Hebrew), but this assumes a different reading of the story. See J. Muilenburg, “The Birth of Benjamin,” JBL 75 (1956): 194-201.
[35:19] 2014 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
[35:19] map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[35:20] 2015 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[35:20] 2016 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
[35:21] 2017 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
[35:22] 2018 tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
[35:22] sn Reuben’s act of having sexual relations with Bilhah probably had other purposes than merely satisfying his sexual desire. By having sex with Bilhah, Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) would have prevented Bilhah from succeeding Rachel as the favorite wife, and by sleeping with his father’s concubine he would also be attempting to take over leadership of the clan – something Absalom foolishly attempted later on in Israel’s history (2 Sam 16:21-22).
[35:27] 2019 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
[35:27] 2020 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
[35:27] 2021 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
[35:28] 2022 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
[35:29] 2023 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[35:29] 2024 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
[53:6] 2025 tn Elsewhere the Hiphil of פָגַע (paga’) means “to intercede verbally” (Jer 15:11; 36:25) or “to intervene militarily” (Isa 59:16), but neither nuance fits here. Apparently here the Hiphil is the causative of the normal Qal meaning, “encounter, meet, touch.” The Qal sometimes refers to a hostile encounter or attack; when used in this way the object is normally introduced by the preposition -בְּ (bet, see Josh 2:16; Judg 8:21; 15:12, etc.). Here the causative Hiphil has a double object – the Lord makes “sin” attack “him” (note that the object attacked is introduced by the preposition -בְּ. In their sin the group was like sheep who had wandered from God’s path. They were vulnerable to attack; the guilt of their sin was ready to attack and destroy them. But then the servant stepped in and took the full force of the attack.
