Kejadian 1:20-21

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms ¹  of living creatures and let birds fly ²  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 1:21 God created the great sea creatures ³  and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.

Kejadian 10:1

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ⁴  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁵  were born ⁶  to them after the flood.

Kejadian 10:13-14

10:13 Mizraim ⁷  was the father of ⁸  the Ludites, ⁹  Anamites, ¹⁰  Lehabites, ¹¹  Naphtuhites, ¹²  10:14 Pathrusites, ¹³  Casluhites ¹⁴  (from whom the Philistines came), ¹⁵  and Caphtorites. ¹⁶ 

Kejadian 13:1

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ¹⁷  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ¹⁸ 

Kejadian 14:15

14:15 Then, during the night, ¹⁹  Abram ²⁰  divided his forces ²¹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ²²  of Damascus.

[1:20]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.

[1:20]  ² tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.

[1:21]  ³ tn For the first time in the narrative proper the verb “create” (בָּרָא, bara’) appears. (It is used in the summary statement of v. 1.) The author wishes to underscore that these creatures – even the great ones – are part of God’s perfect creation. The Hebrew term תַנִּינִם (tanninim) is used for snakes (Exod 7:9), crocodiles (Ezek 29:3), or other powerful animals (Jer 51:34). In Isa 27:1 the word is used to describe a mythological sea creature that symbolizes God’s enemies.

[10:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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.

[10:13]  ⁷ sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).

[10:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:13]  ⁹ sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.

[10:13]  ¹⁰ sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.

[10:13]  ¹¹ sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.

[10:13]  ¹² sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).

[10:14]  ¹³ sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.

[10:14]  ¹⁴ sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.

[10:14]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.

[13:1]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”

[14:15]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ²⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ²² tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.