Kejadian 15:1

The Cutting of the Covenant

15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield ¹  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ² 

Kejadian 21:17

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ³  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ⁴  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ⁵  the boy’s voice right where he is crying.

Kejadian 22:7

22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ⁶  “My father?” “What is it, ⁷  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ⁸  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Kejadian 24:31

24:31 Laban said to him, ⁹  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ¹⁰  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ¹¹  the house and a place for the camels?”

Kejadian 27:1

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ¹²  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ¹³  he called his older ¹⁴  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ¹⁵  replied.

Kejadian 43:29

43:29 When Joseph looked up ¹⁶  and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ¹⁷ 

[15:1]  ¹ 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]  ² 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 Lord promises to reward him in great abundance. In walking by faith and living with integrity he cannot lose.

[21:17]  ³ 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 Lord are focused on the child’s imminent death.

[21:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “What to you?”

[21:17]  ⁵ sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.

[22:7]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[22:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).

[22:7]  ⁸ 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.

[24:31]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ¹⁰ sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

[24:31]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[27:1]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ¹⁷ sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.