Kejadian 12:10

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ¹  to stay for a while ²  because the famine was severe. ³ 

Kejadian 19:19

19:19 Your ⁴  servant has found favor with you, ⁵  and you have shown me great ⁶  kindness ⁷  by sparing ⁸  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ⁹  this disaster will overtake ¹⁰  me and I’ll die. ¹¹ 

Kejadian 25:18

25:18 His descendants ¹²  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ¹³  to Egypt all the way ¹⁴  to Asshur. ¹⁵  They settled ¹⁶  away from all their relatives. ¹⁷ 

[12:10]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[19:19]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “in your eyes.”

[19:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”

[19:19]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.

[19:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “lest.”

[19:19]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.

[25:18]  ¹² tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ¹⁵ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ¹⁷ 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.