Kejadian 14:15

14:15 Then, during the night, ¹  Abram ²  divided his forces ³  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁴  of Damascus.

Kejadian 14:2

14:2 went to war ⁵  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). ⁶ 

Kisah Para Rasul 8:7

8:7 For unclean spirits, ⁷  crying with loud shrieks, were coming out of many who were possessed, ⁸  and many paralyzed and lame people were healed.

Kisah Para Rasul 9:2-3

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ⁹  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ¹⁰  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ¹¹  to Jerusalem. ¹²  9:3 As he was going along, approaching ¹³  Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed ¹⁴  around him.

[14:15]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ³ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “made war.”

[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]  ⁶ 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.

[8:7]  ⁷ sn The expression unclean spirits refers to evil supernatural spirits which were ceremonially unclean, and which caused the persons possessed by them to be ceremonially unclean.

[8:7]  ⁸ tn Grk “For [in the case of] many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out, crying in a loud voice.”

[9:2]  ⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ¹⁰ sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ¹¹ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ¹² sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

[9:2]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:3]  ¹³ tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:3]  ¹⁴ tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.