Kejadian 6:2

6:2 the sons of God ¹  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

Kejadian 22:19

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ²  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ³ 

Kejadian 24:60

24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ⁴ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁵  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁶  of their enemies.”

Kejadian 34:13

34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem ⁷  had violated their sister Dinah.

Kejadian 34:27

34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them ⁸  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ⁹ 

Kejadian 47:25

47:25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, ¹⁰  and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” ¹¹ 

Kejadian 50:16

50:16 So they sent word ¹²  to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died:

[6:2]  ¹ sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.

[22:19]  ² tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”

[22:19]  ³ tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.

[24:60]  ⁴ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ⁵ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).

[24:60]  ⁶ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

[34:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:27]  ⁸ tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.

[34:27]  ⁹ tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.

[47:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[47:25]  ¹¹ sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.

[50:16]  ¹² tn The verb means “command,” but they would hardly be commanding him. It probably means they sent their father’s instructions to Joseph.