Kejadian 20:18

20:18 For the Lord ¹  had caused infertility to strike every woman ²  in the household of Abimelech because he took ³  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

Kejadian 2:17

2:17 but ⁴  you must not eat ⁵  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when ⁶  you eat from it you will surely die.” ⁷ 

Kejadian 12:17

12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases ⁸  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.

[20:18]  ¹ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ² tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  sn The Lord had closed up every womb. This fact indicates that Sarah was in Abimelech’s household for weeks or months before the dream revelation was given (20:6-7). No one in his household could have children after Sarah arrived on the scene.

[20:18]  ³ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:17]  ⁴ tn The disjunctive clause here indicates contrast: “but from the tree of the knowledge….”

[2:17]  ⁵ tn The negated imperfect verb form indicates prohibition, “you must not eat.”

[2:17]  ⁶ tn Or “in the very day, as soon as.” If one understands the expression to have this more precise meaning, then the following narrative presents a problem, for the man does not die physically as soon as he eats from the tree. In this case one may argue that spiritual death is in view. If physical death is in view here, there are two options to explain the following narrative: (1) The following phrase “You will surely die” concerns mortality which ultimately results in death (a natural paraphrase would be, “You will become mortal”), or (2) God mercifully gave man a reprieve, allowing him to live longer than he deserved.

[2:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “dying you will die.” The imperfect verb form here has the nuance of the specific future because it is introduced with the temporal clause, “when you eat…you will die.” That certainty is underscored with the infinitive absolute, “you will surely die.”

[2:17]  sn The Hebrew text (“dying you will die”) does not refer to two aspects of death (“dying spiritually, you will then die physically”). The construction simply emphasizes the certainty of death, however it is defined. Death is essentially separation. To die physically means separation from the land of the living, but not extinction. To die spiritually means to be separated from God. Both occur with sin, although the physical alienation is more gradual than instant, and the spiritual is immediate, although the effects of it continue the separation.

[12:17]  ⁸ tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the Lord inflicted numerous plagues, probably diseases (see Exod 15:26). The adjective “great” emphasizes that the plagues were severe and overwhelming.