Kejadian 1:4

1:4 God saw ¹  that the light was good, ²  so God separated ³  the light from the darkness.

Kejadian 1:6

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ⁴  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ⁵  from water.

Kejadian 1:18

1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ⁶  God saw that it was good.

Kejadian 10:12

10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. ⁷ 

Kejadian 16:14

16:14 That is why the well was called ⁸  Beer Lahai Roi. ⁹  (It is located ¹⁰  between Kadesh and Bered.)

Kejadian 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ¹¹  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ¹²  in Gerar,

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ² tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ³ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:4]  sn The idea of separation is critical to this chapter. God separated light from darkness, upper water from lower water, day from night, etc. The verb is important to the Law in general. In Leviticus God separates between clean and unclean, holy and profane (Lev 10:10, 11:47 and 20:24); in Exodus God separates the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Exod 26:33). There is a preference for the light over the darkness, just as there will be a preference for the upper waters, the rain water which is conducive to life, over the sea water.

[1:6]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”

[1:6]  sn An expanse. In the poetic texts the writers envision, among other things, something rather strong and shiny, no doubt influencing the traditional translation “firmament” (cf. NRSV “dome”). Job 37:18 refers to the skies poured out like a molten mirror. Dan 12:3 and Ezek 1:22 portray it as shiny. The sky or atmosphere may have seemed like a glass dome. For a detailed study of the Hebrew conception of the heavens and sky, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 37-60.

[1:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”

[1:18]  ⁶ sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.

[10:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”

[16:14]  ⁸ tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.

[16:14]  ⁹ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” The text suggests that God takes up the cause of those who are oppressed.

[16:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:1]  ¹¹ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

[20:1]  ¹² tn Heb “and he sojourned.”