Kejadian 7:1--26:35

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. ¹  7:2 You must take with you seven ²  of every kind of clean animal, ³  the male and its mate, ⁴  two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven ⁵  of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, ⁶  to preserve their offspring ⁷  on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days ⁸  I will cause it to rain ⁹  on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”

7:5 And Noah did all ¹⁰  that the Lord commanded him.

7:6 Noah ¹¹  was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed ¹²  the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because ¹³  of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs ¹⁴  of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, ¹⁵  just as God had commanded him. ¹⁶  7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. ¹⁷ 

7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep ¹⁸  burst open and the floodgates of the heavens ¹⁹  were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell ²⁰  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. ²¹  7:14 They entered, ²²  along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. ²³  7:15 Pairs ²⁴  of all creatures ²⁵  that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, ²⁶  just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed ²⁷  the earth, and the ark floated ²⁸  on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated ²⁹  the earth so that even ³⁰  all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet ³¹  above the mountains. ³²  7:21 And all living things ³³  that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life ³⁴  in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord ³⁵  destroyed ³⁶  every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. ³⁷  They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. ³⁸  7:24 The waters prevailed over ³⁹  the earth for 150 days.

8:1 But God remembered ⁴⁰  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over ⁴¹  the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, ⁴²  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily ⁴³  from the earth, so that they ⁴⁴  had gone down ⁴⁵  by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. ⁴⁶  8:5 The waters kept on receding ⁴⁷  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. ⁴⁸ 

8:6 At the end of forty days, ⁴⁹  Noah opened the window he had made in the ark ⁵⁰  8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying ⁵¹  back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

8:8 Then Noah ⁵²  sent out a dove ⁵³  to see if the waters had receded ⁵⁴  from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ⁵⁵  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ⁵⁶  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ⁵⁷  and brought it back into the ark. ⁵⁸  8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When ⁵⁹  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ⁶⁰  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, ⁶¹  but it did not return to him this time. ⁶² 

8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, ⁶³  in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that ⁶⁴  the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ⁶⁵  was dry.

8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out ⁶⁶  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ⁶⁷  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ⁶⁸ 

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.

8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ⁶⁹  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ⁷⁰  and said ⁷¹  to himself, ⁷²  “I will never again curse ⁷³  the ground because of humankind, even though ⁷⁴  the inclination of their minds ⁷⁵  is evil from childhood on. ⁷⁶  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, ⁷⁷ 

planting time ⁷⁸  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. ⁷⁹  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. ⁸⁰  9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. ⁸¹  As I gave you ⁸²  the green plants, I now give ⁸³  you everything.

9:4 But ⁸⁴  you must not eat meat ⁸⁵  with its life (that is, ⁸⁶  its blood) in it. ⁸⁷  9:5 For your lifeblood ⁸⁸  I will surely exact punishment, ⁸⁹  from ⁹⁰  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ⁹¹  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ⁹²  since the man was his relative. ⁹³ 

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ⁹⁴ 

by other humans ⁹⁵ 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ⁹⁶ 

God ⁹⁷  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, ⁹⁸  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, ⁹⁹  9:9 “Look! I now confirm ¹⁰⁰  my covenant with you and your descendants after you ¹⁰¹  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. ¹⁰²  9:11 I confirm ¹⁰³  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ¹⁰⁴  be wiped out ¹⁰⁵  by the waters of a flood; ¹⁰⁶  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ¹⁰⁷  of the covenant I am making ¹⁰⁸  with you ¹⁰⁹  and every living creature with you, a covenant ¹¹⁰  for all subsequent ¹¹¹  generations: 9:13 I will place ¹¹²  my rainbow ¹¹³  in the clouds, and it will become ¹¹⁴  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever ¹¹⁵  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you ¹¹⁶  and with all living creatures of all kinds. ¹¹⁷  Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy ¹¹⁸  all living things. ¹¹⁹  9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ¹²⁰  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things ¹²¹  that are on the earth.”

The Curse of Canaan

9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹²²  9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. ¹²³ 

9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, ¹²⁴  began to plant a vineyard. ¹²⁵  9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself ¹²⁶  inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ¹²⁷  saw his father’s nakedness ¹²⁸  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ¹²⁹  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ¹³⁰  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ¹³¹  he learned ¹³²  what his youngest son had done ¹³³  to him. 9:25 So he said,

“Cursed ¹³⁴  be Canaan! ¹³⁵ 

The lowest of slaves ¹³⁶ 

he will be to his brothers.”

9:26 He also said,

“Worthy of praise is ¹³⁷  the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem! ¹³⁸ 

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! ¹³⁹ 

May he live ¹⁴⁰  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!”

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

The Table of Nations

10:1 This is the account ¹⁴¹  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ¹⁴²  were born ¹⁴³  to them after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth ¹⁴⁴  were Gomer, ¹⁴⁵  Magog, ¹⁴⁶  Madai, ¹⁴⁷  Javan, ¹⁴⁸  Tubal, ¹⁴⁹  Meshech, ¹⁵⁰  and Tiras. ¹⁵¹  10:3 The sons of Gomer were ¹⁵²  Askenaz, ¹⁵³  Riphath, ¹⁵⁴  and Togarmah. ¹⁵⁵  10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, ¹⁵⁶  Tarshish, ¹⁵⁷  the Kittim, ¹⁵⁸  and the Dodanim. ¹⁵⁹  10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, ¹⁶⁰  Mizraim, ¹⁶¹  Put, ¹⁶²  and Canaan. ¹⁶³  10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, ¹⁶⁴  Havilah, ¹⁶⁵  Sabtah, ¹⁶⁶  Raamah, ¹⁶⁷  and Sabteca. ¹⁶⁸  The sons of Raamah were Sheba ¹⁶⁹  and Dedan. ¹⁷⁰ 

10:8 Cush was the father of ¹⁷¹  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter ¹⁷²  before the Lord. ¹⁷³  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions ¹⁷⁴  of his kingdom were Babel, ¹⁷⁵  Erech, ¹⁷⁶  Akkad, ¹⁷⁷  and Calneh ¹⁷⁸  in the land of Shinar. ¹⁷⁹  10:11 From that land he went ¹⁸⁰  to Assyria, ¹⁸¹  where he built Nineveh, ¹⁸²  Rehoboth-Ir, ¹⁸³  Calah, ¹⁸⁴  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. ¹⁸⁵ 

10:13 Mizraim ¹⁸⁶  was the father of ¹⁸⁷  the Ludites, ¹⁸⁸  Anamites, ¹⁸⁹  Lehabites, ¹⁹⁰  Naphtuhites, ¹⁹¹  10:14 Pathrusites, ¹⁹²  Casluhites ¹⁹³  (from whom the Philistines came), ¹⁹⁴  and Caphtorites. ¹⁹⁵ 

10:15 Canaan was the father of ¹⁹⁶  Sidon his firstborn, ¹⁹⁷  Heth, ¹⁹⁸  10:16 the Jebusites, ¹⁹⁹  Amorites, ²⁰⁰  Girgashites, ²⁰¹  10:17 Hivites, ²⁰²  Arkites, ²⁰³  Sinites, ²⁰⁴  10:18 Arvadites, ²⁰⁵  Zemarites, ²⁰⁶  and Hamathites. ²⁰⁷  Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended ²⁰⁸  from Sidon ²⁰⁹  all the way to ²¹⁰  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to ²¹¹  Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

10:21 And sons were also born ²¹²  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), ²¹³  the father of all the sons of Eber.

10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, ²¹⁴  Asshur, ²¹⁵  Arphaxad, ²¹⁶  Lud, ²¹⁷  and Aram. ²¹⁸  10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ²¹⁹  10:24 Arphaxad was the father of ²²⁰  Shelah, ²²¹  and Shelah was the father of Eber. ²²²  10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, ²²³  and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of ²²⁴  Almodad, ²²⁵  Sheleph, ²²⁶  Hazarmaveth, ²²⁷  Jerah, ²²⁸  10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, ²²⁹  Diklah, ²³⁰  10:28 Obal, ²³¹  Abimael, ²³²  Sheba, ²³³  10:29 Ophir, ²³⁴  Havilah, ²³⁵  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to ²³⁶  Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ²³⁷  over the earth after the flood.

The Dispersion of the Nations at Babel

11:1 The whole earth ²³⁸  had a common language and a common vocabulary. ²³⁹  11:2 When the people ²⁴⁰  moved eastward, ²⁴¹  they found a plain in Shinar ²⁴²  and settled there. 11:3 Then they said to one another, ²⁴³  “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” ²⁴⁴  (They had brick instead of stone and tar ²⁴⁵  instead of mortar.) ²⁴⁶  11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens ²⁴⁷  so that ²⁴⁸  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise ²⁴⁹  we will be scattered ²⁵⁰  across the face of the entire earth.”

11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people ²⁵¹  had started ²⁵²  building. 11:6 And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language ²⁵³  they have begun to do this, then ²⁵⁴  nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. ²⁵⁵  11:7 Come, let’s go down and confuse ²⁵⁶  their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.” ²⁵⁷ 

11:8 So the Lord scattered them from there across the face of the entire earth, and they stopped building ²⁵⁸  the city. 11:9 That is why its name was called ²⁵⁹  Babel ²⁶⁰  – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

The Genealogy of Shem

11:10 This is the account of Shem.

Shem was 100 old when he became the father of Arphaxad, two years after the flood. 11:11 And after becoming the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other ²⁶¹  sons and daughters.

11:12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah. 11:13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other ²⁶²  sons and daughters. ²⁶³ 

11:14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber. 11:15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other ²⁶⁴  sons and daughters.

11:16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg. 11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu. 11:19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug. 11:21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 11:23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 11:25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

11:26 When Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The Record of Terah

11:27 This is the account of Terah.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 11:28 Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans, ²⁶⁵  while his father Terah was still alive. ²⁶⁶  11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ²⁶⁷  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ²⁶⁸  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 11:30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children.

11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there. 11:32 The lifetime ²⁶⁹  of Terah was 205 years, and he ²⁷⁰  died in Haran.

The Obedience of Abram

12:1 Now the Lord said ²⁷¹  to Abram, ²⁷² 

“Go out ²⁷³  from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household

to the land that I will show you. ²⁷⁴ 

12:2 Then I will make you ²⁷⁵  into a great nation, and I will bless you, ²⁷⁶ 

and I will make your name great, ²⁷⁷ 

so that you will exemplify divine blessing. ²⁷⁸ 

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ²⁷⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ²⁸⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ²⁸¹  by your name.”

12:4 So Abram left, ²⁸²  just as the Lord had told him to do, ²⁸³  and Lot went with him. (Now ²⁸⁴  Abram was 75 years old ²⁸⁵  when he departed from Haran.) 12:5 And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew ²⁸⁶  Lot, and all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired ²⁸⁷  in Haran, and they left for ²⁸⁸  the land of Canaan. They entered the land of Canaan.

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ²⁸⁹  of Moreh ²⁹⁰  at Shechem. ²⁹¹  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ²⁹²  12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants ²⁹³  I will give this land.” So Abram ²⁹⁴  built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel ²⁹⁵  and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. ²⁹⁶  12:9 Abram continually journeyed by stages ²⁹⁷  down to the Negev. ²⁹⁸ 

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ²⁹⁹  to stay for a while ³⁰⁰  because the famine was severe. ³⁰¹  12:11 As he approached ³⁰²  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, ³⁰³  I know that you are a beautiful woman. ³⁰⁴  12:12 When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will keep you alive. ³⁰⁵  12:13 So tell them ³⁰⁶  you are my sister ³⁰⁷  so that it may go well ³⁰⁸  for me because of you and my life will be spared ³⁰⁹  on account of you.”

12:14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 12:15 When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. So Abram’s wife ³¹⁰  was taken ³¹¹  into the household of Pharaoh, ³¹²  12:16 and he did treat Abram well ³¹³  on account of her. Abram received ³¹⁴  sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

12:17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe diseases ³¹⁵  because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 12:18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram and said, “What is this ³¹⁶  you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? 12:19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her ³¹⁷  to be my wife? ³¹⁸  Here is your wife! ³¹⁹  Take her and go!” ³²⁰  12:20 Pharaoh gave his men orders about Abram, ³²¹  and so they expelled him, along with his wife and all his possessions.

Abram’s Solution to the Strife

13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. ³²²  He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. ³²³  13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ³²⁴  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ³²⁵ 

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ³²⁶  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ³²⁷  He returned ³²⁸  to the place where he had pitched his tent ³²⁹  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai. 13:4 This was the place where he had first built the altar, ³³⁰  and there Abram worshiped the Lord. ³³¹ 

13:5 Now Lot, who was traveling ³³²  with Abram, also had ³³³  flocks, herds, and tents. 13:6 But the land could ³³⁴  not support them while they were living side by side. ³³⁵  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ³³⁶  alongside one another. 13:7 So there were quarrels ³³⁷  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ³³⁸  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ³³⁹ 

13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. ³⁴⁰  13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ³⁴¹  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

13:10 Lot looked up and saw ³⁴²  the whole region ³⁴³  of the Jordan. He noticed ³⁴⁴  that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated ³⁴⁵  Sodom and Gomorrah) ³⁴⁶  like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, ³⁴⁷  all the way to Zoar. 13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ³⁴⁸  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ³⁴⁹  13:12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, but Lot settled among the cities of the Jordan plain ³⁵⁰  and pitched his tents next to Sodom. 13:13 (Now ³⁵¹  the people ³⁵²  of Sodom were extremely wicked rebels against the Lord.) ³⁵³ 

13:14 After Lot had departed, the Lord said to Abram, ³⁵⁴  “Look ³⁵⁵  from the place where you stand to the north, south, east, and west. 13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants ³⁵⁶  forever. 13:16 And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted. ³⁵⁷  13:17 Get up and ³⁵⁸  walk throughout ³⁵⁹  the land, ³⁶⁰  for I will give it to you.”

13:18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live ³⁶¹  by the oaks ³⁶²  of Mamre in Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there.

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ³⁶³  Amraphel king of Shinar, ³⁶⁴  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ³⁶⁵  14:2 went to war ³⁶⁶  against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). ³⁶⁷  14:3 These last five kings ³⁶⁸  joined forces ³⁶⁹  in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). ³⁷⁰  14:4 For twelve years ³⁷¹  they had served Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year ³⁷²  they rebelled. ³⁷³  14:5 In the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings who were his allies came and defeated ³⁷⁴  the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim, 14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. ³⁷⁵  14:7 Then they attacked En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh) again, ³⁷⁶  and they conquered all the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar.

14:8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and prepared for battle. In the Valley of Siddim they met ³⁷⁷  14:9 Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of nations, ³⁷⁸  Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar. Four kings fought against ³⁷⁹  five. 14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ³⁸⁰  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ³⁸¹  but some survivors ³⁸²  fled to the hills. ³⁸³  14:11 The four victorious kings ³⁸⁴  took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left. 14:12 They also took Abram’s nephew ³⁸⁵  Lot and his possessions when ³⁸⁶  they left, for Lot ³⁸⁷  was living in Sodom. ³⁸⁸ 

14:13 A fugitive ³⁸⁹  came and told Abram the Hebrew. ³⁹⁰  Now Abram was living by the oaks ³⁹¹  of Mamre the Amorite, the brother ³⁹²  of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty ³⁹³  with Abram.) ³⁹⁴  14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ³⁹⁵  had been taken captive, he mobilized ³⁹⁶  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ³⁹⁷  as far as Dan. ³⁹⁸  14:15 Then, during the night, ³⁹⁹  Abram ⁴⁰⁰  divided his forces ⁴⁰¹  against them and defeated them. He chased them as far as Hobah, which is north ⁴⁰²  of Damascus. 14:16 He retrieved all the stolen property. ⁴⁰³  He also brought back his nephew Lot and his possessions, as well as the women and the rest of ⁴⁰⁴  the people.

14:17 After Abram ⁴⁰⁵  returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram ⁴⁰⁶  in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). ⁴⁰⁷  14:18 Melchizedek king of Salem ⁴⁰⁸  brought out bread and wine. (Now he was the priest of the Most High God.) ⁴⁰⁹  14:19 He blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by ⁴¹⁰  the Most High God,

Creator ⁴¹¹  of heaven and earth. ⁴¹² 

14:20 Worthy of praise is ⁴¹³  the Most High God,

who delivered ⁴¹⁴  your enemies into your hand.”

Abram gave Melchizedek ⁴¹⁵  a tenth of everything.

14:21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 14:22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand ⁴¹⁶  to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow ⁴¹⁷  14:23 that I will take nothing ⁴¹⁸  belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I ⁴¹⁹  who made Abram rich.’ 14:24 I will take nothing ⁴²⁰  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ⁴²¹  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

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 ⁴²²  and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” ⁴²³ 

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁴²⁴  what will you give me since ⁴²⁵  I continue to be ⁴²⁶  childless, and my heir ⁴²⁷  is ⁴²⁸  Eliezer of Damascus?” ⁴²⁹  15:3 Abram added, ⁴³⁰  “Since ⁴³¹  you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” ⁴³² 

15:4 But look, ⁴³³  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ⁴³⁴  will not be your heir, ⁴³⁵  but instead ⁴³⁶  a son ⁴³⁷  who comes from your own body will be ⁴³⁸  your heir.” ⁴³⁹  15:5 The Lord ⁴⁴⁰  took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars – if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”

15:6 Abram believed ⁴⁴¹  the Lord, and the Lord ⁴⁴²  considered his response of faith ⁴⁴³  as proof of genuine loyalty. ⁴⁴⁴ 

15:7 The Lord said ⁴⁴⁵  to him, “I am the Lord ⁴⁴⁶  who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans ⁴⁴⁷  to give you this land to possess.” 15:8 But ⁴⁴⁸  Abram ⁴⁴⁹  said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁴⁵⁰  by what ⁴⁵¹  can I know that I am to possess it?”

15:9 The Lord ⁴⁵²  said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 15:10 So Abram ⁴⁵³  took all these for him and then cut them in two ⁴⁵⁴  and placed each half opposite the other, ⁴⁵⁵  but he did not cut the birds in half. 15:11 When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

15:12 When the sun went down, Abram fell sound asleep, ⁴⁵⁶  and great terror overwhelmed him. ⁴⁵⁷  15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ⁴⁵⁸  that your descendants will be strangers ⁴⁵⁹  in a foreign country. ⁴⁶⁰  They will be enslaved and oppressed ⁴⁶¹  for four hundred years. 15:14 But I will execute judgment on the nation that they will serve. ⁴⁶²  Afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15:15 But as for you, ⁴⁶³  you will go to your ancestors ⁴⁶⁴  in peace and be buried at a good old age. ⁴⁶⁵  15:16 In the fourth generation ⁴⁶⁶  your descendants ⁴⁶⁷  will return here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit.” ⁴⁶⁸ 

15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking firepot with a flaming torch ⁴⁶⁹  passed between the animal parts. ⁴⁷⁰  15:18 That day the Lord made a covenant ⁴⁷¹  with Abram: “To your descendants I give ⁴⁷²  this land, from the river of Egypt ⁴⁷³  to the great river, the Euphrates River – 15:19 the land ⁴⁷⁴  of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 15:20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 15:21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.” ⁴⁷⁵ 

The Birth of Ishmael

16:1 Now Sarai, ⁴⁷⁶  Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, ⁴⁷⁷  but she had an Egyptian servant ⁴⁷⁸  named Hagar. ⁴⁷⁹  16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ⁴⁸⁰  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ⁴⁸¹  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ⁴⁸²  Abram did what ⁴⁸³  Sarai told him.

16:3 So after Abram had lived ⁴⁸⁴  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ⁴⁸⁵  to her husband to be his wife. ⁴⁸⁶  16:4 He had sexual relations with ⁴⁸⁷  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ⁴⁸⁸  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ⁴⁸⁹  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ⁴⁹⁰  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ⁴⁹¹  but when she realized ⁴⁹²  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ⁴⁹³  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ⁴⁹⁴ 

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ⁴⁹⁵  servant is under your authority, ⁴⁹⁶  do to her whatever you think best.” ⁴⁹⁷  Then Sarai treated Hagar ⁴⁹⁸  harshly, ⁴⁹⁹  so she ran away from Sarai. ⁵⁰⁰ 

16:7 The Lord’s angel ⁵⁰¹  found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert – the spring that is along the road to Shur. ⁵⁰²  16:8 He said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I’m running away from ⁵⁰³  my mistress, Sarai.”

16:9 Then the Lord’s angel said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit ⁵⁰⁴  to her authority. 16:10 I will greatly multiply your descendants,” the Lord’s angel added, ⁵⁰⁵  “so that they will be too numerous to count.” ⁵⁰⁶  16:11 Then the Lord’s angel said to her,

“You are now ⁵⁰⁷  pregnant

and are about to give birth ⁵⁰⁸  to a son.

You are to name him Ishmael, ⁵⁰⁹ 

for the Lord has heard your painful groans. ⁵¹⁰ 

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ⁵¹¹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ⁵¹² 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ⁵¹³ 

He will live away from ⁵¹⁴  his brothers.”

16:13 So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” ⁵¹⁵  for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” ⁵¹⁶  16:14 That is why the well was called ⁵¹⁷  Beer Lahai Roi. ⁵¹⁸  (It is located ⁵¹⁹  between Kadesh and Bered.)

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. ⁵²⁰  16:16 (Now ⁵²¹  Abram was 86 years old ⁵²²  when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.) ⁵²³ 

The Sign of the Covenant

17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, ⁵²⁴  the Lord appeared to him and said, ⁵²⁵  “I am the sovereign God. ⁵²⁶  Walk ⁵²⁷  before me ⁵²⁸  and be blameless. ⁵²⁹  17:2 Then I will confirm my covenant ⁵³⁰  between me and you, and I will give you a multitude of descendants.” ⁵³¹ 

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ⁵³²  and God said to him, ⁵³³  17:4 “As for me, ⁵³⁴  this ⁵³⁵  is my covenant with you: You will be the father of a multitude of nations. 17:5 No longer will your name be ⁵³⁶  Abram. Instead, your name will be Abraham ⁵³⁷  because I will make you ⁵³⁸  the father of a multitude of nations. 17:6 I will make you ⁵³⁹  extremely ⁵⁴⁰  fruitful. I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you. ⁵⁴¹  17:7 I will confirm ⁵⁴²  my covenant as a perpetual ⁵⁴³  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁵⁴⁴  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁵⁴⁵  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁵⁴⁶  possession. I will be their God.”

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ⁵⁴⁷  the covenantal requirement ⁵⁴⁸  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 17:10 This is my requirement that you and your descendants after you must keep: ⁵⁴⁹  Every male among you must be circumcised. ⁵⁵⁰  17:11 You must circumcise the flesh of your foreskins. This will be a reminder ⁵⁵¹  of the covenant between me and you. 17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old ⁵⁵²  must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants. 17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, ⁵⁵³  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ⁵⁵⁴  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ⁵⁵⁵  reminder. 17:14 Any uncircumcised male ⁵⁵⁶  who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off ⁵⁵⁷  from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement.” ⁵⁵⁸ 

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ⁵⁵⁹  Sarah ⁵⁶⁰  will be her name. 17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. ⁵⁶¹  Kings of countries ⁵⁶²  will come from her!”

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁵⁶³  as he said to himself, ⁵⁶⁴  “Can ⁵⁶⁵  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁵⁶⁶  Can Sarah ⁵⁶⁷  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁵⁶⁸  17:18 Abraham said to God, “O that ⁵⁶⁹  Ishmael might live before you!” ⁵⁷⁰ 

17:19 God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ⁵⁷¹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ⁵⁷²  covenant for his descendants after him. 17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ⁵⁷³  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ⁵⁷⁴  He will become the father of twelve princes; ⁵⁷⁵  I will make him into a great nation. 17:21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time next year.” 17:22 When he finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him. ⁵⁷⁶ 

17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) ⁵⁷⁷  and circumcised them ⁵⁷⁸  on that very same day, just as God had told him to do. 17:24 Now Abraham was 99 years old ⁵⁷⁹  when he was circumcised; ⁵⁸⁰  17:25 his son Ishmael was thirteen years old ⁵⁸¹  when he was circumcised. 17:26 Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the very same day. 17:27 All the men of his household, whether born in his household or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁵⁸²  by the oaks ⁵⁸³  of Mamre while ⁵⁸⁴  he was sitting at the entrance ⁵⁸⁵  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ⁵⁸⁶  looked up ⁵⁸⁷  and saw ⁵⁸⁸  three men standing across ⁵⁸⁹  from him. When he saw them ⁵⁹⁰  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ⁵⁹¹  to the ground. ⁵⁹² 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ⁵⁹³  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ⁵⁹⁴  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ⁵⁹⁵  you may all ⁵⁹⁶  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ⁵⁹⁷  a bit of food ⁵⁹⁸  so that you may refresh yourselves ⁵⁹⁹  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ⁶⁰⁰  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ⁶⁰¹  three measures ⁶⁰²  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ⁶⁰³  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ⁶⁰⁴  who quickly prepared it. ⁶⁰⁵  18:8 Abraham ⁶⁰⁶  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ⁶⁰⁷  before them. They ate while ⁶⁰⁸  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ⁶⁰⁹  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ⁶¹⁰  said, “I will surely return ⁶¹¹  to you when the season comes round again, ⁶¹²  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ⁶¹³  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ⁶¹⁴  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ⁶¹⁵  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ⁶¹⁶  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ⁶¹⁷  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ⁶¹⁸  especially when my husband is old too?” ⁶¹⁹ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ⁶²⁰  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ⁶²¹  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ⁶²²  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ⁶²³  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ⁶²⁴ 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ⁶²⁵  they looked out over ⁶²⁶  Sodom. (Now ⁶²⁷  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ⁶²⁸  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ⁶²⁹  18:18 After all, Abraham ⁶³⁰  will surely become ⁶³¹  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁶³²  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ⁶³³  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁶³⁴  the way of the Lord by doing ⁶³⁵  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁶³⁶  to Abraham what he promised ⁶³⁷  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ⁶³⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ⁶³⁹  18:21 that I must go down ⁶⁴⁰  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁶⁴¹  If not, ⁶⁴²  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ⁶⁴³  and headed ⁶⁴⁴  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ⁶⁴⁵  18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁶⁴⁶  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ⁶⁴⁷  of the whole earth do what is right?” ⁶⁴⁸ 

18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ⁶⁴⁹  (although I am but dust and ashes), ⁶⁵⁰  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ⁶⁵¹  the whole city because five are lacking?” ⁶⁵²  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ⁶⁵³  spoke to him again, ⁶⁵⁴  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ⁶⁵⁵  said, “May the Lord not be angry ⁶⁵⁶  so that I may speak! ⁶⁵⁷  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ⁶⁵⁸  said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

18:32 Finally Abraham ⁶⁵⁹  said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

18:33 The Lord went on his way ⁶⁶⁰  when he had finished speaking ⁶⁶¹  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ⁶⁶² 

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ⁶⁶³  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ⁶⁶⁴  When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.

19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night ⁶⁶⁵  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ⁶⁶⁶  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ⁶⁶⁷ 

19:3 But he urged ⁶⁶⁸  them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, ⁶⁶⁹  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ⁶⁷⁰  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ⁶⁷¹  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ⁶⁷²  with them!”

19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! ⁶⁷³  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ⁶⁷⁴  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ⁶⁷⁵  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ⁶⁷⁶  of my roof.” ⁶⁷⁷ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ⁶⁷⁸  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ⁶⁷⁹  and now he dares to judge us! ⁶⁸⁰  We’ll do more harm ⁶⁸¹  to you than to them!” They kept ⁶⁸²  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ⁶⁸³  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ⁶⁸⁴  reached out ⁶⁸⁵  and pulled Lot back into the house ⁶⁸⁶  as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, ⁶⁸⁷  with blindness. The men outside ⁶⁸⁸  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ⁶⁸⁹  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ⁶⁹⁰  Do you have ⁶⁹¹  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ⁶⁹²  Get them out of this ⁶⁹³  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ⁶⁹⁴  it. The outcry against this place ⁶⁹⁵  is so great before the Lord that he ⁶⁹⁶  has sent us to destroy it.”

19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. ⁶⁹⁷  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ⁶⁹⁸  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ⁶⁹⁹ 

19:15 At dawn ⁷⁰⁰  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ⁷⁰¹  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ⁷⁰²  19:16 When Lot ⁷⁰³  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ⁷⁰⁴  They led them away and placed them ⁷⁰⁵  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ⁷⁰⁶  said, “Run ⁷⁰⁷  for your lives! Don’t look ⁷⁰⁸  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ⁷⁰⁹  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ⁷¹⁰  19:19 Your ⁷¹¹  servant has found favor with you, ⁷¹²  and you have shown me great ⁷¹³  kindness ⁷¹⁴  by sparing ⁷¹⁵  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ⁷¹⁶  this disaster will overtake ⁷¹⁷  me and I’ll die. ⁷¹⁸  19:20 Look, this town ⁷¹⁹  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ⁷²⁰  Let me go there. ⁷²¹  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ⁷²²  Then I’ll survive.” ⁷²³ 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ⁷²⁴  “I will grant this request too ⁷²⁵  and will not overthrow ⁷²⁶  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ⁷²⁷  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ⁷²⁸ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ⁷²⁹  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ⁷³⁰  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ⁷³¹  sulfur and fire ⁷³²  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ⁷³³  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ⁷³⁴  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ⁷³⁵  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ⁷³⁶  wife looked back longingly ⁷³⁷  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ⁷³⁸  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ⁷³⁹  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ⁷⁴⁰  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ⁷⁴¹ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ⁷⁴²  the cities of the region, ⁷⁴³  God honored ⁷⁴⁴  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ⁷⁴⁵  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ⁷⁴⁶  the cities Lot had lived in.

19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said ⁷⁴⁷  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ⁷⁴⁸  to have sexual relations with us, ⁷⁴⁹  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ⁷⁵⁰  so we can have sexual relations ⁷⁵¹  with him and preserve ⁷⁵²  our family line through our father.” ⁷⁵³ 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ⁷⁵⁴  and the older daughter ⁷⁵⁵  came and had sexual relations with her father. ⁷⁵⁶  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁷⁵⁷  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ⁷⁵⁸  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ⁷⁵⁹  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ⁷⁶⁰  19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁷⁶¹  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁷⁶²  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁷⁶³ 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ⁷⁶⁴  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ⁷⁶⁵  He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. ⁷⁶⁶  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁷⁶⁷  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁷⁶⁸  in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.

20:3 But God appeared ⁷⁶⁹  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ⁷⁷⁰  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁷⁷¹ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ⁷⁷²  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁷⁷³  20:5 Did Abraham ⁷⁷⁴  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ⁷⁷⁵  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ⁷⁷⁶  and with innocent hands!”

20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. ⁷⁷⁷  That is why I have kept you ⁷⁷⁸  from sinning against me and why ⁷⁷⁹  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁷⁸⁰  he is a prophet ⁷⁸¹  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ⁷⁸²  But if you don’t give her back, ⁷⁸³  know that you will surely die ⁷⁸⁴  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ⁷⁸⁵  Abimelech summoned ⁷⁸⁶  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ⁷⁸⁷  they ⁷⁸⁸  were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? ⁷⁸⁹  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ⁷⁹⁰  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ⁷⁹¹  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ⁷⁹² 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ⁷⁹³  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ⁷⁹⁴  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ⁷⁹⁵  she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander ⁷⁹⁶  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ⁷⁹⁷  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ⁷⁹⁸  sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” ⁷⁹⁹ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ⁸⁰⁰  to your ‘brother.’ ⁸⁰¹  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ⁸⁰² 

20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord ⁸⁰³  had caused infertility to strike every woman ⁸⁰⁴  in the household of Abimelech because he took ⁸⁰⁵  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ⁸⁰⁶  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ⁸⁰⁷  for Sarah what he had promised. ⁸⁰⁸  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ⁸⁰⁹  and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. ⁸¹⁰  21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, ⁸¹¹  Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. ⁸¹²  21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) ⁸¹³ 

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ⁸¹⁴  Everyone who hears about this ⁸¹⁵  will laugh ⁸¹⁶  with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, ⁸¹⁷  “Who would ⁸¹⁸  have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”

21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared ⁸¹⁹  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ⁸²⁰  21:9 But Sarah noticed ⁸²¹  the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. ⁸²²  21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ⁸²³  that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”

21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. ⁸²⁴  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ⁸²⁵  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ⁸²⁶  all that Sarah is telling ⁸²⁷  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ⁸²⁸  21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”

21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took ⁸²⁹  some food ⁸³⁰  and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, ⁸³¹  and sent her away. So she went wandering ⁸³²  aimlessly through the wilderness ⁸³³  of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved ⁸³⁴  the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot ⁸³⁵  away; for she thought, ⁸³⁶  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ⁸³⁷  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ⁸³⁸ 

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ⁸³⁹  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ⁸⁴⁰  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ⁸⁴¹  the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. ⁸⁴²  She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.

21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. ⁸⁴³  His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ⁸⁴⁴ 

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ⁸⁴⁵  in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ⁸⁴⁶  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ⁸⁴⁷  Show me, and the land ⁸⁴⁸  where you are staying, ⁸⁴⁹  the same loyalty ⁸⁵⁰  that I have shown you.” ⁸⁵¹ 

21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” ⁸⁵²  21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ⁸⁵³  against Abimelech concerning a well ⁸⁵⁴  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ⁸⁵⁵  21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ⁸⁵⁶  you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”

21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. ⁸⁵⁷  21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these ⁸⁵⁸  seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof ⁸⁵⁹  that I dug this well.” ⁸⁶⁰  21:31 That is why he named that place ⁸⁶¹  Beer Sheba, ⁸⁶²  because the two of them swore ⁸⁶³  an oath there.

21:32 So they made a treaty ⁸⁶⁴  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ⁸⁶⁵  to the land of the Philistines. ⁸⁶⁶  21:33 Abraham ⁸⁶⁷  planted a tamarisk tree ⁸⁶⁸  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, ⁸⁶⁹  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. ⁸⁷⁰ 

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁸⁷¹  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁸⁷²  replied. 22:2 God ⁸⁷³  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ⁸⁷⁴  – and go to the land of Moriah! ⁸⁷⁵  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ⁸⁷⁶  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ⁸⁷⁷  you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ⁸⁷⁸  He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out ⁸⁷⁹  for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ⁸⁸⁰  the place in the distance. 22:5 So he ⁸⁸¹  said to his servants, “You two stay ⁸⁸²  here with the donkey while ⁸⁸³  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ⁸⁸⁴  and then return to you.” ⁸⁸⁵ 

22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, ⁸⁸⁶  and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ⁸⁸⁷  “My father?” “What is it, ⁸⁸⁸  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ⁸⁸⁹  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide ⁸⁹⁰  for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.

22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there ⁸⁹¹  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ⁸⁹²  his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter ⁸⁹³  his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel ⁸⁹⁴  called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ⁸⁹⁵  the angel said. ⁸⁹⁶  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ⁸⁹⁷  that you fear ⁸⁹⁸  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up ⁸⁹⁹  and saw ⁹⁰⁰  behind him ⁹⁰¹  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ⁹⁰²  went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” ⁹⁰³  It is said to this day, ⁹⁰⁴  “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ⁹⁰⁵ 

22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ ⁹⁰⁶  decrees the Lord, ⁹⁰⁷  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, ⁹⁰⁸  and I will greatly multiply ⁹⁰⁹  your descendants ⁹¹⁰  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ⁹¹¹  of the strongholds ⁹¹²  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ⁹¹³  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁹¹⁴  using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ⁹¹⁵  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ⁹¹⁶ 

22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah ⁹¹⁷  also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ⁹¹⁸  22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now ⁹¹⁹  Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

The Death of Sarah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. ⁹²⁰  23:2 Then she ⁹²¹  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ⁹²² 

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife ⁹²³  and said to the sons of Heth, ⁹²⁴  23:4 “I am a temporary settler ⁹²⁵  among you. Grant ⁹²⁶  me ownership ⁹²⁷  of a burial site among you so that I may ⁹²⁸  bury my dead.” ⁹²⁹ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ⁹³⁰  23:6 “Listen, sir, ⁹³¹  you are a mighty prince ⁹³²  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ⁹³³  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ⁹³⁴  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ⁹³⁵  that I may bury my dead, ⁹³⁶  then hear me out. ⁹³⁷  Ask ⁹³⁸  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell ⁹³⁹  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly ⁹⁴⁰  for the full price, ⁹⁴¹  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ⁹⁴²  replied to Abraham in the hearing ⁹⁴³  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ⁹⁴⁴  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell ⁹⁴⁵  you both the field and the cave that is in it. ⁹⁴⁶  In the presence of my people ⁹⁴⁷  I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”

23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay ⁹⁴⁸  to you the price ⁹⁴⁹  of the field. Take it from me so that I may ⁹⁵⁰  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ⁹⁵¹  400 pieces of silver, ⁹⁵²  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ⁹⁵³  and weighed ⁹⁵⁴  out for him ⁹⁵⁵  the price ⁹⁵⁶  that Ephron had quoted ⁹⁵⁷  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ⁹⁵⁸ 

23:17 So Abraham secured ⁹⁵⁹  Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. ⁹⁶⁰ 

23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site ⁹⁶¹  from the sons of Heth.

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ⁹⁶²  and the Lord had blessed him ⁹⁶³  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ⁹⁶⁴  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ⁹⁶⁵  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ⁹⁶⁶  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ⁹⁶⁷  a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives ⁹⁶⁸  to find ⁹⁶⁹  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ⁹⁷⁰  to this land? Must I then ⁹⁷¹  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ⁹⁷²  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ⁹⁷³  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ⁹⁷⁴  promised me with a solemn oath, ⁹⁷⁵  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ⁹⁷⁶  before you so that you may find ⁹⁷⁷  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ⁹⁷⁸  you will be free ⁹⁷⁹  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ⁹⁸⁰ 

24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. ⁹⁸¹  He journeyed ⁹⁸²  to the region of Aram Naharaim ⁹⁸³  and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ⁹⁸⁴  outside the city. It was evening, ⁹⁸⁵  the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. ⁹⁸⁶  Be faithful ⁹⁸⁷  to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, ⁹⁸⁸  and the daughters of the people ⁹⁸⁹  who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ ⁹⁹⁰  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ⁹⁹¹ 

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ⁹⁹²  with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). ⁹⁹³  24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ⁹⁹⁴  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant ⁹⁹⁵  ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering ⁹⁹⁶  her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, ⁹⁹⁷  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied ⁹⁹⁸  her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine ⁹⁹⁹  if the Lord had made his journey successful ¹⁰⁰⁰  or not.

24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka ¹⁰⁰¹  and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels ¹⁰⁰²  and gave them to her. ¹⁰⁰³  24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. ¹⁰⁰⁴  “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. ¹⁰⁰⁵  24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, ¹⁰⁰⁶  “and room for you ¹⁰⁰⁷  to spend the night.”

24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ¹⁰⁰⁸  for my master! The Lord has led me ¹⁰⁰⁹  to the house ¹⁰¹⁰  of my master’s relatives!” ¹⁰¹¹ 

24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about ¹⁰¹²  these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ¹⁰¹³  Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring ¹⁰¹⁴  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ¹⁰¹⁵  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ¹⁰¹⁶  by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, ¹⁰¹⁷  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ¹⁰¹⁸  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ¹⁰¹⁹  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ¹⁰²⁰  went to the house and unloaded ¹⁰²¹  the camels. Straw and feed were given ¹⁰²²  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ¹⁰²³  24:33 When food was served, ¹⁰²⁴  he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” ¹⁰²⁵  “Tell us,” Laban said. ¹⁰²⁶ 

24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. ¹⁰²⁷  The Lord ¹⁰²⁸  has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him ¹⁰²⁹  when she was old, ¹⁰³⁰  and my master ¹⁰³¹  has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find ¹⁰³²  a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ¹⁰³³  with me?’ ¹⁰³⁴  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ¹⁰³⁵  will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath ¹⁰³⁶  if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, ¹⁰³⁷  may events unfold as follows: ¹⁰³⁸  24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. ¹⁰³⁹  When ¹⁰⁴⁰  the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, ¹⁰⁴¹  along came Rebekah ¹⁰⁴²  with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ ¹⁰⁴³  I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter ¹⁰⁴⁴  of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” ¹⁰⁴⁵ 

24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. ¹⁰⁴⁶  Our wishes are of no concern. ¹⁰⁴⁷  24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ¹⁰⁴⁸  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ¹⁰⁴⁹ 

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he ¹⁰⁵⁰  brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. ¹⁰⁵¹ 

When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” ¹⁰⁵²  24:55 But Rebekah’s ¹⁰⁵³  brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord ¹⁰⁵⁴  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ¹⁰⁵⁵  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ¹⁰⁵⁶  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ¹⁰⁵⁷  to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”

24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ¹⁰⁵⁸ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ¹⁰⁵⁹  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ¹⁰⁶⁰  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ¹⁰⁶¹  the man. So Abraham’s servant ¹⁰⁶²  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ¹⁰⁶³  Isaac came from ¹⁰⁶⁴  Beer Lahai Roi, ¹⁰⁶⁵  for ¹⁰⁶⁶  he was living in the Negev. ¹⁰⁶⁷  24:63 He ¹⁰⁶⁸  went out to relax ¹⁰⁶⁹  in the field in the early evening. ¹⁰⁷⁰  Then he looked up ¹⁰⁷¹  and saw that ¹⁰⁷²  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ¹⁰⁷³  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ¹⁰⁷⁴  Abraham’s servant, ¹⁰⁷⁵  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ¹⁰⁷⁶  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ¹⁰⁷⁷  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ¹⁰⁷⁸  as his wife and loved her. ¹⁰⁷⁹  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ¹⁰⁸⁰ 

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ¹⁰⁸¹  another ¹⁰⁸²  wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. ¹⁰⁸³  The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants ¹⁰⁸⁴  of Keturah.

25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines ¹⁰⁸⁵  and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. ¹⁰⁸⁶ 

25:7 Abraham lived a total of ¹⁰⁸⁷  175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. ¹⁰⁸⁸  He joined his ancestors. ¹⁰⁸⁹  25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ¹⁰⁹⁰  near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. ¹⁰⁹¹  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ¹⁰⁹²  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ¹⁰⁹³ 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ¹⁰⁹⁴  whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: ¹⁰⁹⁵  Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes ¹⁰⁹⁶  according to their clans.

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ¹⁰⁹⁷  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ¹⁰⁹⁸  25:18 His descendants ¹⁰⁹⁹  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ¹¹⁰⁰  to Egypt all the way ¹¹⁰¹  to Asshur. ¹¹⁰²  They settled ¹¹⁰³  away from all their relatives. ¹¹⁰⁴ 

Jacob and Esau

25:19 This is the account of Isaac, ¹¹⁰⁵  the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, ¹¹⁰⁶  the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ¹¹⁰⁷ 

25:21 Isaac prayed to ¹¹⁰⁸  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled ¹¹⁰⁹  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ¹¹¹⁰  So she asked the Lord, ¹¹¹¹  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ¹¹¹²  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, ¹¹¹³  there were ¹¹¹⁴  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ¹¹¹⁵  all over, ¹¹¹⁶  like a hairy ¹¹¹⁷  garment, so they named him Esau. ¹¹¹⁸  25:26 When his brother came out with ¹¹¹⁹  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ¹¹²⁰  Isaac was sixty years old ¹¹²¹  when they were born.

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ¹¹²²  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ¹¹²³  25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, ¹¹²⁴  but Rebekah loved ¹¹²⁵  Jacob.

25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, ¹¹²⁶  and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed ¹¹²⁷  me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called ¹¹²⁸  Edom.) ¹¹²⁹ 

25:31 But Jacob replied, “First ¹¹³⁰  sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” ¹¹³¹  25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ¹¹³²  So Esau ¹¹³³  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ¹¹³⁴  to Jacob.

25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. ¹¹³⁵  So Esau despised his birthright. ¹¹³⁶ 

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹¹³⁷  in the days of Abraham. ¹¹³⁸  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; ¹¹³⁹  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ¹¹⁴⁰  26:3 Stay ¹¹⁴¹  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ¹¹⁴²  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ¹¹⁴³  and I will fulfill ¹¹⁴⁴  the solemn promise I made ¹¹⁴⁵  to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them ¹¹⁴⁶  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ¹¹⁴⁷  26:5 All this will come to pass ¹¹⁴⁸  because Abraham obeyed me ¹¹⁴⁹  and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ¹¹⁵⁰  26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.

26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” ¹¹⁵¹  He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, ¹¹⁵²  “The men of this place will kill me to get ¹¹⁵³  Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”

26:8 After Isaac ¹¹⁵⁴  had been there a long time, ¹¹⁵⁵  Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed ¹¹⁵⁶  Isaac caressing ¹¹⁵⁷  his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ¹¹⁵⁸  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ¹¹⁵⁹ 

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ¹¹⁶⁰  One of the men ¹¹⁶¹  might easily have had sexual relations with ¹¹⁶²  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches ¹¹⁶³  this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ¹¹⁶⁴ 

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ¹¹⁶⁵  because the Lord blessed him. ¹¹⁶⁶  26:13 The man became wealthy. ¹¹⁶⁷  His influence continued to grow ¹¹⁶⁸  until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had ¹¹⁶⁹  so many sheep ¹¹⁷⁰  and cattle ¹¹⁷¹  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ¹¹⁷²  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ¹¹⁷³  all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, ¹¹⁷⁴  for you have become much more powerful ¹¹⁷⁵  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ¹¹⁷⁶  26:18 Isaac reopened ¹¹⁷⁷  the wells that had been dug ¹¹⁷⁸  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ¹¹⁷⁹  after Abraham died. Isaac ¹¹⁸⁰  gave these wells ¹¹⁸¹  the same names his father had given them. ¹¹⁸² 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ¹¹⁸³  water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ¹¹⁸⁴  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ¹¹⁸⁵  named the well ¹¹⁸⁶  Esek ¹¹⁸⁷  because they argued with him about it. ¹¹⁸⁸  26:21 His servants ¹¹⁸⁹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ¹¹⁹⁰  Sitnah. ¹¹⁹¹  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ¹¹⁹²  named it ¹¹⁹³  Rehoboth, ¹¹⁹⁴  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac ¹¹⁹⁵  went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped ¹¹⁹⁶  the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. ¹¹⁹⁷ 

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ¹¹⁹⁸  to him from Gerar along with ¹¹⁹⁹  Ahuzzah his friend ¹²⁰⁰  and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me ¹²⁰¹  and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ¹²⁰²  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ¹²⁰³  a pact between us ¹²⁰⁴  – between us ¹²⁰⁵  and you. Allow us to make ¹²⁰⁶  a treaty with you 26:29 so that ¹²⁰⁷  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ¹²⁰⁸  you, but have always treated you well ¹²⁰⁹  before sending you away ¹²¹⁰  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ¹²¹¹ 

26:30 So Isaac ¹²¹²  held a feast for them and they celebrated. ¹²¹³  26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ¹²¹⁴  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ¹²¹⁵ 

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ¹²¹⁶  26:33 So he named it Shibah; ¹²¹⁷  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ¹²¹⁸  to this day.

26:34 When ¹²¹⁹  Esau was forty years old, ¹²²⁰  he married ¹²²¹  Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. ¹²²² 

[7:1]  ¹ tn Heb “for you I see [as] godly before me in this generation.” The direct object (“you”) is placed first in the clause to give it prominence. The verb “to see” here signifies God’s evaluative discernment.

[7:2]  ² tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).

[7:2]  ³ sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.

[7:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.

[7:3]  ⁵ tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).

[7:3]  ⁶ tn Here (and in v. 9) the Hebrew text uses the normal generic terms for “male and female” (זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, zakhar unÿqevah).

[7:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “to keep alive offspring.”

[7:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”

[7:4]  ⁹ tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.

[7:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “according to all.”

[7:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Now Noah was.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate nominative after implied “to be” verb) provides background information. The age of Noah receives prominence.

[7:6]  ¹² tn Heb “and the flood was water upon.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial/temporal in relation to the preceding clause. The verb הָיָה (hayah) here carries the nuance “to come” (BDB 225 s.v. הָיָה). In this context the phrase “come upon” means “to engulf.”

[7:7]  ¹³ tn The preposition מִן (min) is causal here, explaining why Noah and his family entered the ark.

[7:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”

[7:9]  ¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text of vv. 8-9a reads, “From the clean animal[s] and from the animal[s] which are not clean and from the bird[s] and everything that creeps on the ground, two two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female.”

[7:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Noah”; the pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “came upon.”

[7:11]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 1:2).

[7:11]  sn The watery deep. The same Hebrew term used to describe the watery deep in Gen 1:2 (תְּהוֹם, tihom) appears here. The text seems to picture here subterranean waters coming from under the earth and contributing to the rapid rise of water. The significance seems to be, among other things, that in this judgment God was returning the world to its earlier condition of being enveloped with water – a judgment involving the reversal of creation. On Gen 7:11 see G. F. Hasel, “The Fountains of the Great Deep,” Origins 1 (1974): 67-72; idem, “The Biblical View of the Extent of the Flood,” Origins 2 (1975): 77-95.

[7:11]  ¹⁹ sn On the prescientific view of the sky reflected here, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 46.

[7:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “was.”

[7:13]  ²¹ tn Heb “On that very day Noah entered, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and the wife of Noah, and the three wives of his sons with him into the ark.”

[7:14]  ²² tn The verb “entered” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:14]  ²³ tn Heb “every bird, every wing.”

[7:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”

[7:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “flesh.”

[7:16]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”

[7:18]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and the waters were great and multiplied exceedingly.” The first verb in the sequence is וַיִּגְבְּרוּ (vayyigbÿru, from גָּבַר, gavar), meaning “to become great, mighty.” The waters did not merely rise; they “prevailed” over the earth, overwhelming it.

[7:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “went.”

[7:19]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and the waters were great exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition emphasizes the depth of the waters.

[7:19]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and.”

[7:20]  ³¹ tn Heb “rose fifteen cubits.” Since a cubit is considered by most authorities to be about eighteen inches, this would make the depth 22.5 feet. This figure might give the modern reader a false impression of exactness, however, so in the translation the phrase “fifteen cubits” has been rendered “more than twenty feet.”

[7:20]  ³² tn Heb “the waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward and they covered the mountains.” Obviously, a flood of twenty feet did not cover the mountains; the statement must mean the flood rose about twenty feet above the highest mountain.

[7:21]  ³³ tn Heb “flesh.”

[7:22]  ³⁴ tn Heb “everything which [has] the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils from all which is in the dry land.”

[7:23]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:23]  ³⁶ tn Heb “wiped away” (cf. NRSV “blotted out”).

[7:23]  ³⁷ tn Heb “from man to animal to creeping thing and to the bird of the sky.”

[7:23]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁאָר (sha’ar) means “to be left over; to survive” in the Niphal verb stem. It is the word used in later biblical texts for the remnant that escapes judgment. See G. F. Hasel, “Semantic Values of Derivatives of the Hebrew Root só’r,” AUSS 11 (1973): 152-69.

[7:24]  ³⁹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “prevailed over” suggests that the waters were stronger than the earth. The earth and everything in it were no match for the return of the chaotic deep.

[8:1]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).

[8:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “to pass over.”

[8:2]  ⁴² tn Some (e.g., NIV) translate the preterite verb forms in this verse as past perfects (e.g., “had been closed”), for it seems likely that the sources of the water would have stopped before the waters receded.

[8:3]  ⁴³ tn The construction combines a Qal preterite from שׁוּב (shuv) with its infinitive absolute to indicate continuous action. The infinitive absolute from הָלָךְ (halakh) is included for emphasis: “the waters returned…going and returning.”

[8:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the waters.” The pronoun (“they”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:3]  ⁴⁵ tn The vav (ו) consecutive with the preterite here describes the consequence of the preceding action.

[8:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “on the mountains of Ararat.” Obviously a boat (even one as large as the ark) cannot rest on multiple mountains. Perhaps (1) the preposition should be translated “among,” or (2) the plural “mountains” should be understood in the sense of “mountain range” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 53). A more probable option (3) is that the plural indicates an indefinite singular, translated “one of the mountains” (see GKC 400 §124.o).

[8:4]  sn Ararat is the Hebrew name for Urartu, the name of a mountainous region located north of Mesopotamia in modern day eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 29-32; G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:184-85; C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:443-44.

[8:5]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “the waters were going and lessening.” The perfect verb form הָיָה (hayah) is used as an auxiliary verb with the infinitive absolute חָסוֹר (khasor, “lessening”), while the infinitive absolute הָלוֹךְ (halokh) indicates continuous action.

[8:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “could be seen.”

[8:6]  ⁴⁹ tn The introductory verbal form וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), traditionally rendered “and it came to pass,” serves as a temporal indicator and has not been translated here.

[8:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “opened the window in the ark which he had made.” The perfect tense (“had made”) refers to action preceding the opening of the window, and is therefore rendered as a past perfect. Since in English “had made” could refer to either the ark or the window, the order of the phrases was reversed in the translation to clarify that the window is the referent.

[8:7]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and it went out, going out and returning.” The Hebrew verb יָצָא (yatsa’), translated here “flying,” is modified by two infinitives absolute indicating that the raven went back and forth.

[8:8]  ⁵² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[8:8]  ⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.

[8:9]  ⁵⁵ tn The words “still covered” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:9]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the dove) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:9]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and he brought it to himself to the ark.”

[8:11]  ⁵⁹ tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.

[8:11]  ⁶⁰ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.

[8:12]  ⁶¹ tn The word “again” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:12]  ⁶² tn Heb “it did not again return to him still.” For a study of this section of the flood narrative, see W. O. E. Oesterley, “The Dove with the Olive Leaf (Gen VIII 8–11),” ExpTim 18 (1906/07): 377-78.

[8:13]  ⁶³ tn Heb In the six hundred and first year.” Since this refers to the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life, the word “Noah’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[8:13]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and saw and look.” As in v. 11, the deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the dry ground with their own eyes.

[8:14]  ⁶⁵ tn In v. 13 the ground (הָאֲדָמָה, ha’adamah) is dry; now the earth (הָאָרֶץ, ha’arets) is dry.

[8:17]  ⁶⁶ tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[8:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.

[8:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

[8:20]  ⁶⁹ sn Offered burnt offerings on the altar. F. D. Maurice includes a chapter on the sacrifice of Noah in The Doctrine of Sacrifice. The whole burnt offering, according to Leviticus 1, represented the worshiper’s complete surrender and dedication to the Lord. After the flood Noah could see that God was not only a God of wrath, but a God of redemption and restoration. The one who escaped the catastrophe could best express his gratitude and submission through sacrificial worship, acknowledging God as the sovereign of the universe.

[8:21]  ⁷⁰ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

[8:21]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

[8:21]  ⁷² tn Heb “in his heart.”

[8:21]  ⁷³ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

[8:21]  ⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

[8:21]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

[8:21]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[8:22]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “yet all the days of the earth.” The idea is “[while there are] yet all the days of the earth,” meaning, “as long as the earth exists.”

[8:22]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “seed,” which stands here by metonymy for the time when seed is planted.

[9:2]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.

[9:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

[9:3]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “every moving thing that lives for you will be for food.”

[9:3]  ⁸² tn The words “I gave you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:3]  ⁸³ tn The perfect verb form describes the action that accompanies the declaration.

[9:4]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “only.”

[9:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Or “flesh.”

[9:4]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “its life, its blood.” The second word is in apposition to the first, explaining what is meant by “its life.” Since the blood is equated with life, meat that had the blood in it was not to be eaten.

[9:4]  ⁸⁷ tn The words “in it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[9:4]  sn You must not eat meat with its life…in it. Because of the carnage produced by the flood, people might conclude that life is cheap and therefore treat it lightly. But God will not permit them to kill or even to eat anything with the lifeblood still in it, serving as a reminder of the sanctity of life.

[9:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.

[9:5]  ⁸⁹ tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.

[9:5]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.

[9:5]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

[9:5]  ⁹² tn Heb “of the man.”

[9:5]  ⁹³ tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.

[9:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “the blood of man.”

[9:6]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.

[9:6]  ⁹⁶ sn See the notes on the words “humankind” and “likeness” in Gen 1:26, as well as J. Barr, “The Image of God in the Book of Genesis – A Study of Terminology,” BJRL 51 (1968/69): 11-26.

[9:6]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:7]  ⁹⁸ sn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + pronominal subject + verb) here indicates a strong contrast to what has preceded. Against the backdrop of the warnings about taking life, God now instructs the people to produce life, using terms reminiscent of the mandate given to Adam (Gen 1:28).

[9:8]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “to Noah and to his sons with him, saying.”

[9:9]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “I, look, I confirm.” The particle הִנְנִי (hinni) used with the participle מֵקִים (meqim) gives the sense of immediacy or imminence, as if to say, “Look! I am now confirming.”

[9:9]  ¹⁰¹ tn The three pronominal suffixes (translated “you,” “your,” and “you”) are masculine plural. As v. 8 indicates, Noah and his sons are addressed.

[9:10]  ¹⁰² tn The verbal repetition is apparently for emphasis.

[9:11]  ¹⁰³ tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).

[9:11]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:11]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “cut off.”

[9:11]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “sign.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰⁸ sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.

[9:12]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “between me and between you.”

[9:12]  ¹¹⁰ tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:12]  ¹¹¹ tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.

[9:13]  ¹¹² tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).

[9:13]  ¹¹³ sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.

[9:13]  ¹¹⁴ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.

[9:14]  ¹¹⁵ tn The temporal indicator (וְהָיָה, vÿhayah, conjunction + the perfect verb form), often translated “it will be,” anticipates a future development.

[9:15]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”

[9:15]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:15]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “to destroy.”

[9:15]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:16]  ¹²⁰ tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[9:17]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:18]  ¹²² sn The concluding disjunctive clause is parenthetical. It anticipates the following story, which explains that the Canaanites, Ham’s descendants through Canaan, were cursed because they shared the same moral abandonment that their ancestor displayed. See A. van Selms, “The Canaanites in the Book of Genesis,” OTS 12 (1958): 182-213.

[9:19]  ¹²³ tn Heb “was scattered.” The verb פָּצָה (patsah, “to scatter” [Niphal, “to be scattered”]) figures prominently in story of the dispersion of humankind in chap. 11.

[9:20]  ¹²⁴ sn The epithet a man of the soil indicates that Noah was a farmer.

[9:20]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard”; Heb “and Noah, a man of the ground, began and he planted a vineyard.”

[9:21]  ¹²⁶ tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.

[9:22]  ¹²⁷ sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.

[9:22]  ¹²⁸ tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).

[9:22]  sn Saw the nakedness. It is hard for modern people to appreciate why seeing another’s nakedness was such an abomination, because nakedness is so prevalent today. In the ancient world, especially in a patriarchal society, seeing another’s nakedness was a major offense. (See the account in Herodotus, Histories 1.8-13, where a general saw the nakedness of his master’s wife, and one of the two had to be put to death.) Besides, Ham was not a little boy wandering into his father’s bedroom; he was over a hundred years old by this time. For fuller discussion see A. P. Ross, “The Curse of Canaan,” BSac 137 (1980): 223-40.

[9:23]  ¹²⁹ tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?

[9:23]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”

[9:24]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.

[9:24]  ¹³² tn Heb “he knew.”

[9:24]  ¹³³ tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.

[9:25]  ¹³⁴ sn For more on the curse, see H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS), and J. Scharbert, TDOT 1:405-18.

[9:25]  ¹³⁵ sn Cursed be Canaan. The curse is pronounced on Canaan, not Ham. Noah sees a problem in Ham’s character, and on the basis of that he delivers a prophecy about the future descendants who will live in slavery to such things and then be controlled by others. (For more on the idea of slavery in general, see E. M. Yamauchi, “Slaves of God,” BETS 9 [1966]: 31-49). In a similar way Jacob pronounced oracles about his sons based on their revealed character (see Gen 49).

[9:25]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “a servant of servants” (עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים, ’eved ’avadim), an example of the superlative genitive. It means Canaan will become the most abject of slaves.

[9:26]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “blessed be.”

[9:26]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “a slave to him”; the referent (Shem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “may God enlarge Japheth.” The words “territory and numbers” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  sn There is a wordplay (paronomasia) on the name Japheth. The verb יַפְתְּ (yaft, “may he enlarge”) sounds like the name יֶפֶת (yefet, “Japheth”). The name itself suggested the idea. The blessing for Japheth extends beyond the son to the descendants. Their numbers and their territories will be enlarged, so much so that they will share in Shem’s territories. Again, in this oracle, Noah is looking beyond his immediate family to future generations. For a helpful study of this passage and the next chapter, see T. O. Figart, A Biblical Perspective on the Race Problem, 55-58.

[9:27]  ¹⁴⁰ tn In this context the prefixed verbal form is a jussive (note the distinct jussive forms both before and after this in vv. 26 and 27).

[10:1]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴² 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]  ¹⁴³ 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.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁴ sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁵ sn Gomer was the ancestor of the Cimmerians. For a discussion of the Cimmerians see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 49-61.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁶ sn For a discussion of various proposals concerning the descendants of Magog see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 22-24.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁷ sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁸ sn Javan was the father of the Hellenic race, the Ionians who lived in western Asia Minor.

[10:2]  ¹⁴⁹ sn Tubal was the ancestor of militaristic tribes that lived north of the Black Sea. For a discussion of ancient references to Tubal see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.

[10:2]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Meshech was the ancestor of the people known in Assyrian records as the Musku. For a discussion of ancient references to them see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 24-26.

[10:2]  ¹⁵¹ sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.

[10:3]  ¹⁵² sn The descendants of Gomer were all northern tribes of the Upper Euphrates.

[10:3]  ¹⁵³ sn Askenaz was the ancestor of a northern branch of Indo-Germanic tribes, possibly Scythians. For discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 63.

[10:3]  ¹⁵⁴ sn The descendants of Riphath lived in a district north of the road from Haran to Carchemish.

[10:3]  ¹⁵⁵ sn Togarmah is also mentioned in Ezek 38:6, where it refers to Til-garimmu, the capital of Kammanu, which bordered Tabal in eastern Turkey. See E. M. Yamauchi, Foes from the Northern Frontier (SBA), 26, n. 28.

[10:4]  ¹⁵⁶ sn The descendants of Elishah populated Cyprus.

[10:4]  ¹⁵⁷ sn The descendants of Tarshish settled along the southern coast of what is modern Turkey. However, some identify the site Tarshish (see Jonah 1:3) with Sardinia or Spain.

[10:4]  ¹⁵⁸ sn The name Kittim is associated with Cyprus, as well as coastlands east of Rhodes. It is used in later texts to refer to the Romans.

[10:4]  ¹⁵⁹ tc Most of the MT mss read “Dodanim” here, but 1 Chr 1:7 has “Rodanim,” perhaps referring to the island of Rhodes. But the Qere reading in 1 Chr 1:7 suggests “Dodanim.” Dodona is one of the most ancient and revered spots in ancient Greece.

[10:6]  ¹⁶⁰ sn The descendants of Cush settled in Nubia (Ethiopia).

[10:6]  ¹⁶¹ sn The descendants of Mizraim settled in Upper and Lower Egypt.

[10:6]  ¹⁶² sn The descendants of Put settled in Libya.

[10:6]  ¹⁶³ sn The descendants of Canaan lived in the region of Phoenicia (Palestine).

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁴ sn The descendants of Seba settled in Upper Egypt along the Nile.

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁵ sn The Hebrew name Havilah apparently means “stretch of sand” (see HALOT 297 s.v. חֲוִילָה). Havilah’s descendants settled in eastern Arabia.

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁶ sn The descendants of Sabtah settled near the western shore of the Persian Gulf in ancient Hadhramaut.

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁷ sn The descendants of Raamah settled in southwest Arabia.

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁸ sn The descendants of Sabteca settled in Samudake, east toward the Persian Gulf.

[10:7]  ¹⁶⁹ sn Sheba became the name of a kingdom in southwest Arabia.

[10:7]  ¹⁷⁰ sn The name Dedan is associated with àUla in northern Arabia.

[10:8]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “fathered.” Embedded within Cush’s genealogy is an account of Nimrod, a mighty warrior. There have been many attempts to identify him, but none are convincing.

[10:9]  ¹⁷² tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).

[10:9]  ¹⁷³ tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yÿhvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “Babylon.”

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁶ sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁷ sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁸ tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).

[10:10]  ¹⁷⁹ sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.

[10:11]  ¹⁸⁰ tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.

[10:11]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “Asshur.”

[10:11]  ¹⁸² sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.

[10:11]  ¹⁸³ sn The name Rehoboth-Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.

[10:11]  ¹⁸⁴ sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located twenty miles north of Nineveh.

[10:12]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; it [i.e., Calah] is the great city.”

[10:13]  ¹⁸⁶ sn Mizraim is the Hebrew name for Egypt (cf. NRSV).

[10:13]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:13]  ¹⁸⁸ sn The Ludites were African tribes west of the Nile Delta.

[10:13]  ¹⁸⁹ sn The Anamites lived in North Africa, west of Egypt, near Cyrene.

[10:13]  ¹⁹⁰ sn The Lehabites are identified with the Libyans.

[10:13]  ¹⁹¹ sn The Naphtuhites lived in Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta region).

[10:14]  ¹⁹² sn The Pathrusites are known in Egyptian as P-to-reshi; they resided in Upper Egypt.

[10:14]  ¹⁹³ sn The Casluhites lived in Crete and eventually settled east of the Egyptian Delta, between Egypt and Canaan.

[10:14]  ¹⁹⁴ 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]  ¹⁹⁵ sn The Caphtorites resided in Crete, but in Egyptian literature Caphtor refers to “the region beyond” the Mediterranean.

[10:15]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:15]  ¹⁹⁷ sn Sidon was the foremost city in Phoenicia; here Sidon may be the name of its founder.

[10:15]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Some see a reference to “Hittites” here (cf. NIV), but this seems unlikely. See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[10:16]  ¹⁹⁹ sn The Jebusites were the Canaanite inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem.

[10:16]  ²⁰⁰ sn Here Amorites refers to smaller groups of Canaanite inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Palestine, rather than the large waves of Amurru, or western Semites, who migrated to the region.

[10:16]  ²⁰¹ sn The Girgashites are an otherwise unknown Canaanite tribe, though the name is possibly mentioned in Ugaritic texts (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 1:226).

[10:17]  ²⁰² sn The Hivites were Canaanite tribes of a Hurrian origin.

[10:17]  ²⁰³ sn The Arkites lived in Arka, a city in Lebanon, north of Sidon.

[10:17]  ²⁰⁴ sn The Sinites lived in Sin, another town in Lebanon.

[10:18]  ²⁰⁵ sn The Arvadites lived in the city Arvad, located on an island near the mainland close to the river El Kebir.

[10:18]  ²⁰⁶ sn The Zemarites lived in the town Sumur, north of Arka.

[10:18]  ²⁰⁷ sn The Hamathites lived in Hamath on the Orontes River.

[10:19]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “were.”

[10:19]  ²⁰⁹ map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[10:19]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:19]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:21]  ²¹² tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”

[10:21]  ²¹³ tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.

[10:22]  ²¹⁴ sn The Hebrew name Elam (עֵילָם, ’elam) means “highland.” The Elamites were a non-Semitic people who lived east of Babylon.

[10:22]  ²¹⁵ sn Asshur is the name for the Assyrians. Asshur was the region in which Nimrod expanded his power (see v. 11, where the name is also mentioned). When names appear in both sections of a genealogical list, it probably means that there were both Hamites and Shemites living in that region in antiquity, especially if the name is a place name.

[10:22]  ²¹⁶ sn The descendants of Arphaxad may have lived northeast of Nineveh.

[10:22]  ²¹⁷ sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.

[10:22]  ²¹⁸ sn Aram became the collective name of the northern tribes living in the steppes of Mesopotamia and speaking Aramaic dialects.

[10:23]  ²¹⁹ tc The MT reads “Mash”; the LXX and 1 Chr 1:17 read “Meshech.”

[10:23]  sn Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Little is known about these descendants of Aram.

[10:24]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:24]  ²²¹ tc The MT reads “Arphaxad fathered Shelah”; the LXX reads “Arphaxad fathered Cainan, and Cainan fathered Sala [= Shelah].” The LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.

[10:24]  ²²² sn Genesis 11 traces the line of Shem through Eber (עֵבֶר, ’ever ) to Abraham the “Hebrew” (עִבְרִי, ’ivri).

[10:25]  ²²³ tn The expression “the earth was divided” may refer to dividing the land with canals, but more likely it anticipates the division of languages at Babel (Gen 11). The verb פָּלָג (palag, “separate, divide”) is used in Ps 55:9 for a division of languages.

[10:26]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “fathered.”

[10:26]  ²²⁵ sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.

[10:26]  ²²⁶ sn The name Sheleph may be related to Shilph, a district of Yemen; Shalph is a Yemenite tribe.

[10:26]  ²²⁷ sn The name Hazarmaveth should be equated with Hadramawt, located in Southern Arabia.

[10:26]  ²²⁸ sn The name Jerah means “moon.”

[10:27]  ²²⁹ sn Uzal was the name of the old capital of Yemen.

[10:27]  ²³⁰ sn The name Diklah means “date-palm.”

[10:28]  ²³¹ sn Obal was a name used for several localities in Yemen.

[10:28]  ²³² sn The name Abimael is a genuine Sabean form which means “my father, truly, he is God.”

[10:28]  ²³³ sn The descendants of Sheba lived in South Arabia, where the Joktanites were more powerful than the Hamites.

[10:29]  ²³⁴ sn Ophir became the name of a territory in South Arabia. Many of the references to Ophir are connected with gold (e.g., 1 Kgs 9:28, 10:11, 22:48; 1 Chr 29:4; 2 Chr 8:18, 9:10; Job 22:24, 28:16; Ps 45:9; Isa 13:12).

[10:29]  ²³⁵ sn Havilah is listed with Ham in v. 7.

[10:30]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “as you go.”

[10:32]  ²³⁷ tn Or “separated.”

[11:1]  ²³⁸ sn The whole earth. Here “earth” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the people who lived in the earth. Genesis 11 begins with everyone speaking a common language, but chap. 10 has the nations arranged by languages. It is part of the narrative art of Genesis to give the explanation of the event after the narration of the event. On this passage see A. P. Ross, “The Dispersion of the Nations in Genesis 11:1-9,” BSac 138 (1981): 119-38.

[11:1]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “one lip and one [set of] words.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause, putting the instrument for the intended effect. They had one language. The term “words” refers to the content of their speech. They had the same vocabulary.

[11:2]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:2]  ²⁴¹ tn Or perhaps “from the east” (NRSV) or “in the east.”

[11:2]  ²⁴² tn Heb “in the land of Shinar.”

[11:2]  sn Shinar is the region of Babylonia.

[11:3]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.” The Hebrew idiom may be translated “to each other” or “one to another.”

[11:3]  ²⁴⁴ tn The speech contains two cohortatives of exhortation followed by their respective cognate accusatives: “let us brick bricks” (נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, nilbbÿnah lÿvenim) and “burn for burning” (נִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה, nisrÿfah lisrefah). This stresses the intensity of the undertaking; it also reflects the Akkadian text which uses similar constructions (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 75-76).

[11:3]  ²⁴⁵ tn Or “bitumen” (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[11:3]  ²⁴⁶ tn The disjunctive clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.

[11:4]  ²⁴⁷ tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.

[11:4]  ²⁴⁸ tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.

[11:4]  ²⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”

[11:4]  ²⁵⁰ sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.

[11:5]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “the sons of man.” The phrase is intended in this polemic to portray the builders as mere mortals, not the lesser deities that the Babylonians claimed built the city.

[11:5]  ²⁵² tn The Hebrew text simply has בָּנוּ (banu), but since v. 8 says they left off building the city, an ingressive idea (“had started building”) should be understood here.

[11:6]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”

[11:6]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”

[11:6]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”

[11:7]  ²⁵⁶ tn The cohortatives mirror the cohortatives of the people. They build to ascend the heavens; God comes down to destroy their language. God speaks here to his angelic assembly. See the notes on the word “make” in 1:26 and “know” in 3:5, as well as Jub. 10:22-23, where an angel recounts this incident and says “And the Lord our God said to us…. And the Lord went down and we went down with him. And we saw the city and the tower which the sons of men built.” On the chiastic structure of the story, see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:235.

[11:7]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “they will not hear, a man the lip of his neighbor.”

[11:8]  ²⁵⁸ tn The infinitive construct לִבְנֹת (livnot, “building”) here serves as the object of the verb “they ceased, stopped,” answering the question of what they stopped doing.

[11:9]  ²⁵⁹ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.

[11:9]  ²⁶⁰ sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[11:11]  ²⁶¹ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:13]  ²⁶² tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:13]  ²⁶³ tc The reading of the MT is followed in vv. 11-12; the LXX reads, “And [= when] Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Cainan, Arphaxad lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died. And [= when] Cainan had lived one hundred and thirty years, [and] he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah]. And after he fathered [= became the father of] Sala [= Shelah], Cainan lived three hundred and thirty years and fathered [= had] [other] sons and daughters, and [then] he died.” See also the note on “Shelah” in Gen 10:24; the LXX reading also appears to lie behind Luke 3:35-36.

[11:15]  ²⁶⁴ tn Here and in vv. 16, 19, 21, 23, 25 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[11:28]  ²⁶⁵ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[11:28]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “upon the face of Terah his father.”

[11:29]  ²⁶⁷ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

[11:29]  ²⁶⁸ sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

[11:32]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “And the days of Terah were.”

[11:32]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “Terah”; the pronoun has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[12:1]  ²⁷¹ sn The Lord called Abram while he was in Ur (see Gen 15:7; Acts 7:2); but the sequence here makes it look like it was after the family left to migrate to Canaan (11:31-32). Genesis records the call of Abram at this place in the narrative because it is the formal beginning of the account of Abram. The record of Terah was brought to its end before this beginning.

[12:1]  ²⁷² tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.

[12:1]  sn It would be hard to overestimate the value of this call and this divine plan for the theology of the Bible. Here begins God’s plan to bring redemption to the world. The promises to Abram will be turned into a covenant in Gen 15 and 22 (here it is a call with conditional promises) and will then lead through the Bible to the work of the Messiah.

[12:1]  ²⁷³ tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”

[12:1]  ²⁷⁴ sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the Lord. The command is to leave. The Lord’s word is very specific about what Abram is to leave (the three prepositional phrases narrow to his father’s household), but is not specific at all about where he is to go. God required faith, a point that Heb 11:8 notes.

[12:2]  ²⁷⁵ tn The three first person verbs in v. 2a should be classified as cohortatives. The first two have pronominal suffixes, so the form itself does not indicate a cohortative. The third verb form is clearly cohortative.

[12:2]  ²⁷⁶ sn I will bless you. The blessing of creation is now carried forward to the patriarch. In the garden God blessed Adam and Eve; in that blessing he gave them (1) a fruitful place, (2) endowed them with fertility to multiply, and (3) made them rulers over creation. That was all ruined at the fall. Now God begins to build his covenant people; in Gen 12-22 he promises to give Abram (1) a land flowing with milk and honey, (2) a great nation without number, and (3) kingship.

[12:2]  ²⁷⁷ tn Or “I will make you famous.”

[12:2]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “and be a blessing.” The verb form הְיֵה (hÿyeh) is the Qal imperative of the verb הָיָה (hayah). The vav (ו) with the imperative after the cohortatives indicates purpose or consequence. What does it mean for Abram to “be a blessing”? Will he be a channel or source of blessing for others, or a prime example of divine blessing? A similar statement occurs in Zech 8:13, where God assures his people, “You will be a blessing,” in contrast to the past when they “were a curse.” Certainly “curse” here does not refer to Israel being a source of a curse, but rather to the fact that they became a curse-word or byword among the nations, who regarded them as the epitome of an accursed people (see 2 Kgs 22:19; Jer 42:18; 44:8, 12, 22). Therefore the statement “be a blessing” seems to refer to Israel being transformed into a prime example of a blessed people, whose name will be used in blessing formulae, rather than in curses. If the statement “be a blessing” is understood in the same way in Gen 12:2, then it means that God would so bless Abram that other nations would hear of his fame and hold him up as a paradigm of divine blessing in their blessing formulae.

[12:3]  ²⁷⁹ tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the Lord binds himself to Abram by covenant, those who enrich Abram in any way share in the blessings.

[12:3]  ²⁸⁰ tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic mss read the plural. But if it had been plural, there would be no reason to change it to the singular and alter the parallelism. On the other hand, if it was indeed singular, it is easy to see why the versions would change it to match the first participle. The MT preserves the original reading: “the one who treats you lightly.” The point would be a contrast with the lavish way that God desires to bless many. The second change is in the vocabulary. The English usually says, “I will curse those who curse you.” But there are two different words for curse here. The first is קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light” in the Qal, and in the Piel “to treat lightly, to treat with contempt, to curse.” The second verb is אָרַר (’arar), which means “to banish, to remove from the blessing.” The point is simple: Whoever treats Abram and the covenant with contempt as worthless God will banish from the blessing. It is important also to note that the verb is not a cohortative, but a simple imperfect. Since God is binding himself to Abram, this would then be an obligatory imperfect: “but the one who treats you with contempt I must curse.”

[12:3]  ²⁸¹ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[12:4]  ²⁸² sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).

[12:4]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “just as the Lord said to him.”

[12:4]  ²⁸⁴ tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.

[12:4]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”

[12:4]  sn Terah was 70 years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Gen 11:26). Terah was 205 when he died in Haran (11:32). Abram left Haran at the age of 75 after his father died. Abram was born when Terah was 130. Abram was not the firstborn – he is placed first in the list of three because of his importance. The same is true of the list in Gen 10:1 (Shem, Ham and Japheth). Ham was the youngest son (9:24). Japheth was the older brother of Shem (10:21), so the birth order of Noah’s sons was Japheth, Shem, and Ham.

[12:5]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “the son of his brother.”

[12:5]  ²⁸⁷ tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.

[12:5]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “went out to go.”

[12:6]  ²⁸⁹ tn Or “terebinth.”

[12:6]  ²⁹⁰ sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.

[12:6]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”

[12:6]  ²⁹² tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.

[12:7]  ²⁹³ tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[12:7]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[12:8]  ²⁹⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[12:8]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[12:9]  ²⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb נָסַע (nasa’) means “to journey”; more specifically it means to pull up the tent and move to another place. The construction here uses the preterite of this verb with its infinitive absolute to stress the activity of traveling. But it also adds the infinitive absolute of הָלַךְ (halakh) to stress that the traveling was continually going on. Thus “Abram journeyed, going and journeying” becomes “Abram continually journeyed by stages.”

[12:9]  ²⁹⁸ tn Or “the South [country].”

[12:9]  sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

[12:10]  ²⁹⁹ 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]  ³⁰⁰ 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]  ³⁰¹ 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.

[12:11]  ³⁰² tn Heb “drew near to enter.”

[12:11]  ³⁰³ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.

[12:11]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”

[12:12]  ³⁰⁵ tn The Piel of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) means “to keep alive, to preserve alive,” and in some places “to make alive.” See D. Marcus, “The Verb ‘to Live’ in Ugaritic,” JSS 17 (1972): 76-82.

[12:13]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “say.”

[12:13]  ³⁰⁷ sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.

[12:13]  ³⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.

[12:13]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “and my life will live.”

[12:15]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “and the woman.” The word also means “wife”; the Hebrew article can express the possessive pronoun (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 19, §86). Here the proper name (Abram) has been used in the translation instead of a possessive pronoun (“his”) for clarity.

[12:15]  ³¹¹ tn The Hebrew term וַתֻּקַּח (vattuqqakh, “was taken”) is a rare verbal form, an old Qal passive preterite from the verb “to take.” It is pointed as a Hophal would be by the Masoretes, but does not have a Hophal meaning.

[12:15]  ³¹² tn The Hebrew text simply has “house of Pharaoh.” The word “house” refers to the household in general, more specifically to the royal harem.

[12:16]  ³¹³ sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.

[12:16]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[12:17]  ³¹⁵ tn The cognate accusative adds emphasis to the verbal sentence: “he plagued with great plagues,” meaning the Lord inflicted numerous plagues, probably diseases (see Exod 15:26). The adjective “great” emphasizes that the plagues were severe and overwhelming.

[12:18]  ³¹⁶ tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[12:19]  ³¹⁷ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive here expresses consequence.

[12:19]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “to me for a wife.”

[12:19]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “Look, your wife!”

[12:19]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “take and go.”

[12:20]  ³²¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:1]  ³²² 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]  ³²³ tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”

[13:2]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “heavy.”

[13:2]  ³²⁵ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.

[13:3]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ³²⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ³²⁸ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:4]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).

[13:4]  ³³¹ tn Heb “he called in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[13:5]  ³³² tn Heb “was going.”

[13:5]  ³³³ tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.

[13:6]  ³³⁴ tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”

[13:6]  ³³⁵ tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.

[13:6]  ³³⁶ tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.

[13:7]  ³³⁷ tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.

[13:7]  ³³⁸ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ³³⁹ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.

[13:8]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.

[13:9]  ³⁴¹ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[13:10]  ³⁴² tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.

[13:10]  ³⁴³ tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”

[13:10]  ³⁴⁴ tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ³⁴⁵ sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).

[13:10]  ³⁴⁶ tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.

[13:10]  ³⁴⁷ sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the Lord and to the land of Egypt for comparison. Just as the tree in the garden of Eden had awakened Eve’s desire, so the fertile valley attracted Lot. And just as certain memories of Egypt would cause the Israelites to want to turn back and abandon the trek to the promised land, so Lot headed for the good life.

[13:11]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

[13:11]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

[13:11]  sn Separated from each other. For a discussion of the significance of this event, see L. R. Helyer, “The Separation of Abram and Lot: Its Significance in the Patriarchal Narratives,” JSOT 26 (1983): 77-88.

[13:12]  ³⁵⁰ tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[13:13]  ³⁵¹ tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (וו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.

[13:13]  ³⁵² tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.

[13:13]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “wicked and sinners against the Lord exceedingly.” The description of the sinfulness of the Sodomites is very emphatic. First, two nouns are used to form a hendiadys: “wicked and sinners” means “wicked sinners,” the first word becoming adjectival. The text is saying these were no ordinary sinners; they were wicked sinners, the type that cause pain for others. Then to this phrase is added “against the Lord,” stressing their violation of the laws of heaven and their culpability. Finally, to this is added מְאֹד (mÿ’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).

[13:14]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “and the Lord said to Abram after Lot separated himself from with him.” The disjunctive clause at the beginning of the verse signals a new scene.

[13:14]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”

[13:14]  sn Look. Earlier Lot “looked up” (v. 10), but here Abram is told by God to do so. The repetition of the expression (Heb “lift up the eyes”) here underscores how the Lord will have the last word and actually do for Abram what Abram did for Lot – give him the land. It seems to be one of the ways that God rewards faith.

[13:15]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”

[13:16]  ³⁵⁷ tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.

[13:17]  ³⁵⁸ tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.

[13:17]  ³⁵⁹ tn The Hitpael form הִתְהַלֵּךְ (hithallekh) means “to walk about”; it also can carry the ideas of moving about, traversing, going back and forth, or living in an area. It here has the connotation of traversing the land to survey it, to look it over.

[13:17]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “the land to its length and to its breadth.” This phrase has not been included in the translation because it is somewhat redundant (see the note on the word “throughout” in this verse).

[13:18]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “he came and lived.”

[13:18]  ³⁶² tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:1]  ³⁶³ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ³⁶⁴ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ³⁶⁵ tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

[14:2]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “made war.”

[14:2]  sn Went to war. The conflict here reflects international warfare in the Early and Middle Bronze periods. The countries operated with overlords and vassals. Kings ruled over city states, or sometimes a number of city states (i.e., nations). Due to their treaties, when one went to war, those confederate with him joined him in battle. It appears here that it is Kedorlaomer’s war, because the western city states have rebelled against him (meaning they did not send products as tribute to keep him from invading them).

[14:2]  ³⁶⁷ sn On the geographical background of vv. 1-2 see J. P. Harland, “Sodom and Gomorrah,” The Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 1:41-75; and D. N. Freedman, “The Real Story of the Ebla Tablets, Ebla and the Cities of the Plain,” BA 41 (1978): 143-64.

[14:3]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “all these,” referring only to the last five kings named. The referent has been specified as “these last five kings” in the translation for clarity.

[14:3]  ³⁶⁹ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to join together; to unite; to be allied.” It stresses close associations, especially of friendships, marriages, or treaties.

[14:3]  ³⁷⁰ sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.

[14:4]  ³⁷¹ tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.

[14:4]  ³⁷² tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.

[14:4]  ³⁷³ sn The story serves as a foreshadowing of the plight of the kingdom of Israel later. Eastern powers came and forced the western kingdoms into submission. Each year, then, they would send tribute east – to keep them away. Here, in the thirteenth year, they refused to send the tribute (just as later Hezekiah rebelled against Assyria). And so in the fourteenth year the eastern powers came to put them down again. This account from Abram’s life taught future generations that God can give victory over such threats – that people did not have to live in servitude to tyrants from the east.

[14:5]  ³⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew verb נָכָה (nakhah) means “to attack, to strike, to smite.” In this context it appears that the strike was successful, and so a translation of “defeated” is preferable.

[14:6]  ³⁷⁵ sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.

[14:7]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “they returned and came to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh).” The two verbs together form a verbal hendiadys, the first serving as the adverb: “they returned and came” means “they came again.” Most English translations do not treat this as a hendiadys, but translate “they turned back” or something similar. Since in the context, however, “came again to” does not simply refer to travel but an assault against the place, the present translation expresses this as “attacked…again.”

[14:8]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “against.”

[14:9]  ³⁷⁸ tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.

[14:9]  ³⁷⁹ tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”

[14:10]  sn The word for “tar” (or “bitumen”) occurs earlier in the story of the building of the tower in Babylon (see Gen 11:3).

[14:10]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).

[14:10]  ³⁸² tn Heb “the rest.”

[14:10]  ³⁸³ sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.

[14:11]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”

[14:12]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “and.”

[14:12]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:12]  ³⁸⁸ tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.

[14:13]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.

[14:13]  ³⁹⁰ sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).

[14:13]  ³⁹¹ tn Or “terebinths.”

[14:13]  ³⁹² tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”

[14:13]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.

[14:13]  ³⁹⁴ tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.

[14:14]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).

[14:14]  ³⁹⁶ tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.

[14:14]  ³⁹⁷ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  ³⁹⁸ sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.

[14:15]  ³⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.

[14:15]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:15]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”

[14:15]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[14:16]  ⁴⁰³ tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:16]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:17]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:17]  ⁴⁰⁷ sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.

[14:18]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn Salem is traditionally identified as the Jebusite stronghold of old Jerusalem. Accordingly, there has been much speculation about its king. Though some have identified him with the preincarnate Christ or with Noah’s son Shem, it is far more likely that Melchizedek was a Canaanite royal priest whom God used to renew the promise of the blessing to Abram, perhaps because Abram considered Melchizedek his spiritual superior. But Melchizedek remains an enigma. In a book filled with genealogical records he appears on the scene without a genealogy and then disappears from the narrative. In Psalm 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.

[14:18]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.

[14:18]  sn It is his royal priestly status that makes Melchizedek a type of Christ: He was identified with Jerusalem, superior to the ancestor of Israel, and both a king and a priest. Unlike the normal Canaanites, this man served “God Most High” (אֵל עֶלְיוֹן, ’el ’elyon) – one sovereign God, who was the creator of all the universe. Abram had in him a spiritual brother.

[14:19]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The preposition לְ (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.

[14:19]  ⁴¹¹ tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots ָקנָה (qanah), one meaning “to create” (as in Gen 4:1) and the other “to obtain, to acquire, to possess.” While “possessor” would fit here, “creator” is the more likely due to the collocation with “heaven and earth.”

[14:19]  ⁴¹² tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.

[14:20]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.

[14:20]  ⁴¹⁴ sn Who delivered. The Hebrew verb מִגֵּן (miggen, “delivered”) foreshadows the statement by God to Abram in Gen 15:1, “I am your shield” (מָגֵן, magen). Melchizedek provided a theological interpretation of Abram’s military victory.

[14:20]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:22]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”

[14:22]  ⁴¹⁷ tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:23]  ⁴¹⁸ tn The oath formula is elliptical, reading simply: “…if I take.” It is as if Abram says, “[May the Lord deal with me] if I take,” meaning, “I will surely not take.” The positive oath would add the negative adverb and be the reverse: “[God will deal with me] if I do not take,” meaning, “I certainly will.”

[14:23]  ⁴¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.

[14:24]  ⁴²⁰ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[15:1]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²³ 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.

[15:2]  ⁴²⁴ tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master, Lord”). Since the tetragrammaton (YHWH) usually is pointed with the vowels for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “master”) to avoid pronouncing the divine name, that would lead in this place to a repetition of אֲדֹנָי. So the tetragrammaton is here pointed with the vowels for the word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) instead. That would produce the reading of the Hebrew as “Master, God” in the Jewish textual tradition. But the presence of “Master” before the holy name is rather compelling evidence that the original would have been “Master, Lord,” which is rendered here “sovereign Lord.”

[15:2]  ⁴²⁵ tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.

[15:2]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “I am going.”

[15:2]  ⁴²⁷ tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”

[15:2]  sn For the custom of designating a member of the household as heir, see C. H. Gordon, “Biblical Customs and the Nuzu Tablets,” Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2:21-33.

[15:2]  ⁴²⁸ tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).

[15:2]  ⁴²⁹ sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.

[15:3]  ⁴³⁰ tn Heb “And Abram said.”

[15:3]  ⁴³¹ tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).

[15:3]  ⁴³² tn Heb “is inheriting me.”

[15:4]  ⁴³³ tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.

[15:4]  ⁴³⁴ tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.

[15:4]  ⁴³⁵ tn Heb “inherit you.”

[15:4]  ⁴³⁶ tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.

[15:4]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:4]  ⁴³⁸ tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”

[15:4]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “will inherit you.”

[15:5]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ⁴⁴¹ tn The nonconsecutive vav (ו) is on a perfect verbal form. If the composer of the narrative had wanted to show simple sequence, he would have used the vav consecutive with the preterite. The perfect with vav conjunctive (where one expects the preterite with vav consecutive) in narrative contexts can have a variety of discourse functions, but here it probably serves to highlight Abram’s response to God’s promise. For a detailed discussion of the vav + perfect construction in Hebrew narrative, see R. Longacre, “Weqatal Forms in Biblical Hebrew Prose: A Discourse-modular Approach,” Biblical Hebrew and Discourse Linguistics, 50-98. The Hebrew verb אָמַן (’aman) means “to confirm, to support” in the Qal verbal stem. Its derivative nouns refer to something or someone that/who provides support, such as a “pillar,” “nurse,” or “guardian, trustee.” In the Niphal stem it comes to mean “to be faithful, to be reliable, to be dependable,” or “to be firm, to be sure.” In the Hiphil, the form used here, it takes on a declarative sense: “to consider something reliable [or “dependable”].” Abram regarded the God who made this promise as reliable and fully capable of making it a reality.

[15:6]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:6]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “and he reckoned it to him.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix refers back to Abram’s act of faith, mentioned in the preceding clause. On third feminine singular pronouns referring back to verbal ideas see GKC 440-41 §135.p. Some propose taking the suffix as proleptic, anticipating the following feminine noun (“righteousness”). In this case one might translate: “and he reckoned it to him – [namely] righteousness.” See O. P. Robertson, “Genesis 15:6: A New Covenant Exposition of an Old Covenant Text,” WTJ 42 (1980): 259-89.

[15:6]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Or “righteousness”; or “evidence of steadfast commitment.” The noun is an adverbial accusative. The verb translated “considered” (Heb “reckoned”) also appears with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) in Ps 106:31. Alluding to the events recorded in Numbers 25, the psalmist notes that Phinehas’ actions were “credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.” Reference is made to the unconditional, eternal covenant with which God rewarded Phinehas’ loyalty (Num 25:12-13). So צְדָקָה seems to carry by metonymy the meaning “loyal, rewardable behavior” here, a nuance that fits nicely in Genesis 15, where God responds to Abram’s faith by formally ratifying his promise to give Abram and his descendants the land. (See R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 40.) In Phoenician and Old Aramaic inscriptions cognate nouns glossed as “correct, justifiable conduct” sometimes carry this same semantic nuance (DNWSI 2:962).

[15:6]  sn This episode is basic to the NT teaching of Paul on justification (Romans 4). Paul weaves this passage and Psalm 32 together, for both use this word. Paul explains that for the one who believes in the Lord, like Abram, God credits him with righteousness but does not credit his sins against him because he is forgiven. Justification does not mean that the believer is righteous; it means that God credits him with righteousness, so that in the records of heaven (as it were) he is declared righteous. See M. G. Kline, “Abram’s Amen,” WTJ 31 (1968): 1-11.

[15:7]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “And he said.”

[15:7]  ⁴⁴⁶ sn I am the Lord. The Lord initiates the covenant-making ceremony with a declaration of who he is and what he has done for Abram. The same form appears at the beginning of the covenant made at Sinai (see Exod 20:1).

[15:7]  ⁴⁴⁷ sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium b.c.

[15:8]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

[15:8]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

[15:8]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Or “how.”

[15:9]  ⁴⁵² tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:10]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “in the middle.”

[15:10]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

[15:10]  sn For discussion of this ritual see G. F. Hasel, “The Meaning of the Animal Rite in Genesis 15,” JSOT 19 (1981): 61-78.

[15:12]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Heb “a deep sleep fell on Abram.”

[15:12]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “and look, terror, a great darkness was falling on him.”

[15:13]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.

[15:13]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.

[15:13]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”

[15:13]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.

[15:14]  ⁴⁶² tn The participle דָּן (dan, from דִּין, din) is used here for the future: “I am judging” = “I will surely judge.” The judgment in this case will be condemnation and punishment. The translation “execute judgment on” implies that the judgment will certainly be carried out.

[15:15]  ⁴⁶³ tn The vav with the pronoun before the verb calls special attention to the subject in contrast to the preceding subject.

[15:15]  ⁴⁶⁴ sn You will go to your ancestors. This is a euphemistic expression for death.

[15:15]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “in a good old age.”

[15:16]  ⁴⁶⁶ sn The term generation is being used here in its widest sense to refer to a full life span. When the chronological factors are considered and the genealogies tabulated, there are four hundred years of bondage. This suggests that in this context a generation is equivalent to one hundred years.

[15:16]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (“your descendants”) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[15:16]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn Heb “is not yet complete.”

[15:16]  sn The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its limit. The justice of God is apparent. He will wait until the Amorites are fully deserving of judgment before he annihilates them and gives the land to Israel.

[15:17]  ⁴⁶⁹ sn A smoking pot with a flaming torch. These same implements were used in Mesopotamian rituals designed to ward off evil (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 113-14).

[15:17]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “these pieces.”

[15:18]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[15:18]  ⁴⁷² tn The perfect verbal form is understood as instantaneous (“I here and now give”). Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, indicating certitude (“I have given” meaning it is as good as done, i.e., “I will surely give”).

[15:18]  sn To your descendants I give this land. The Lord here unconditionally promises that Abram’s descendants will possess the land, but he does not yet ratify his earlier promises to give Abram a multitude of descendants and eternal possession of the land. The fulfillment of those aspects of the promise remain conditional (see Gen 17:1-8) and are ratified after Abraham offers up his son Isaac (see Gen 22:1-19). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[15:18]  ⁴⁷³ sn The river of Egypt is a wadi (a seasonal stream) on the northeastern border of Egypt, not to the River Nile.

[15:19]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn The words “the land” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[15:21]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Each of the names in the list has the Hebrew definite article, which is used here generically for the class of people identified.

[16:1]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.

[16:1]  ⁴⁷⁷ sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.

[16:1]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.

[16:1]  ⁴⁷⁹ sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)

[16:2]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2]  sn The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as “so and so knew his wife.” Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, “The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic,” VT 19 (1969): 312-21.

[16:2]  ⁴⁸² tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2]  ⁴⁸³ tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[16:2]  sn Abram did what Sarai told him. This expression was first used in Gen 3:17 of Adam’s obeying his wife. In both cases the text highlights weak faith and how it jeopardized the plan of God.

[16:3]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.

[16:3]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3]  ⁴⁸⁶ sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.

[16:4]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.

[16:4]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)

[16:4]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.

[16:5]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

[16:5]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

[16:5]  ⁴⁹² tn Heb “saw.”

[16:5]  ⁴⁹³ tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.

[16:5]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “me and you.”

[16:5]  sn May the Lord judge between you and me. Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar’s attitude, not the pregnancy. Here she expects to be vindicated by the Lord who will prove Abram responsible. A colloquial rendering might be, “God will get you for this.” It may mean that she thought Abram had encouraged the servant girl in her elevated status.

[16:6]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:7]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “the messenger of the Lord.” Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, it is more likely that the angel merely represents the Lord; he can speak for the Lord because he is sent with the Lord’s full authority. In some cases the angel is clearly distinct from the Lord (see Judg 6:11-23). It is not certain if the same angel is always in view. Though the proper name following the noun “angel” makes the construction definite, this may simply indicate that a definite angel sent from the Lord is referred to in any given context. It need not be the same angel on every occasion. Note the analogous expression “the servant of the Lord,” which refers to various individuals in the OT (see BDB 714 s.v. עֶבֶד).

[16:7]  ⁵⁰² tn Heb “And the angel of the Lord found her near the spring of water in the desert, near the spring on the way to Shur.”

[16:8]  ⁵⁰³ tn Heb “from the presence of.”

[16:9]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn The imperative וְהִתְעַנִּי (vÿhit’anni) is the Hitpael of עָנָה (’anah, here translated “submit”), the same word used for Sarai’s harsh treatment of her. Hagar is instructed not only to submit to Sarai’s authority, but to whatever mistreatment that involves. God calls for Hagar to humble herself.

[16:10]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “The Lord’s angel said, ‘I will greatly multiply your descendants….” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:10]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Heb “cannot be numbered because of abundance.”

[16:11]  ⁵⁰⁷ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”

[16:11]  ⁵⁰⁸ tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.

[16:11]  ⁵⁰⁹ sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”

[16:11]  ⁵¹⁰ tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.

[16:11]  sn This clause gives the explanation of the name Ishmael, using a wordplay. Ishmael’s name will be a reminder that “God hears” Hagar’s painful cries.

[16:12]  ⁵¹¹ sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.

[16:12]  ⁵¹² tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.

[16:12]  ⁵¹³ tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”

[16:12]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).

[16:13]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).

[16:13]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Heb “after one who sees me.”

[16:13]  sn For a discussion of Hagar’s exclamation, see T. Booij, “Hagar’s Words in Genesis 16:13b,” VT 30 (1980): 1-7.

[16:14]  ⁵¹⁷ tn The verb does not have an expressed subject and so is rendered as passive in the translation.

[16:14]  ⁵¹⁸ 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]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “look.” The words “it is located” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[16:15]  ⁵²⁰ tn Heb “and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.”

[16:15]  sn Whom Abram named Ishmael. Hagar must have informed Abram of what the angel had told her. See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[16:16]  ⁵²¹ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is parenthetical to the narrative.

[16:16]  ⁵²² tn Heb “the son of eighty-six years.”

[16:16]  ⁵²³ tn The Hebrew text adds, “for Abram.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is somewhat redundant given the three occurrences of Abram’s name in this and the previous verse.

[17:1]  ⁵²⁴ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:1]  ⁵²⁵ tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[17:1]  ⁵²⁶ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the LXX, and Syriac) as the one who provides abundant blessings, including “blessings of the breast and womb” (49:25). (The direct association of the name with “breasts” suggests the name might mean “the one of the breast” [i.e., the one who gives fertility], but the juxtaposition is probably better explained as wordplay. Note the wordplay involving the name and the root שָׁדַד, shadad, “destroy”] in Isa 13:6 and in Joel 1:15.) Outside Genesis the name Shaddai (minus the element “El” [“God”]) is normally used when God is viewed as the sovereign king who blesses/protects or curses/brings judgment. The name appears in the introduction to two of Balaam’s oracles (Num 24:4, 16) of blessing upon Israel. Naomi employs the name when accusing the Lord of treating her bitterly by taking the lives of her husband and sons (Ruth 1:20-21). In Ps 68:14; Isa 13:6; and Joel 1:15 Shaddai judges his enemies through warfare, while Ps 91:1 depicts him as the protector of his people. (In Ezek 1:24 and 10:5 the sound of the cherubs’ wings is compared to Shaddai’s powerful voice. The reference may be to the mighty divine warrior’s battle cry which accompanies his angry judgment.) Finally, the name occurs 31 times in the Book of Job. Job and his “friends” assume that Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world (11:7; 37:23a) who is the source of life (33:4b) and is responsible for maintaining justice (8:3; 34:10-12; 37:23b). He provides abundant blessings, including children (22:17-18; 29:4-6), but he can also discipline, punish, and destroy (5:17; 6:4; 21:20; 23:16). It is not surprising to see the name so often in this book, where the theme of God’s justice is primary and even called into question (24:1; 27:2). The most likely proposal is that the name means “God, the one of the mountain” (an Akkadian cognate means “mountain,” to which the Hebrew שַׁד, shad, “breast”] is probably related). For a discussion of proposed derivations see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 70-71. The name may originally have depicted God as the sovereign judge who, in Canaanite style, ruled from a sacred mountain. Isa 14:13 and Ezek 28:14, 16 associate such a mountain with God, while Ps 48:2 refers to Zion as “Zaphon,” the Canaanite Olympus from which the high god El ruled. (In Isa 14 the Canaanite god El may be in view. Note that Isaiah pictures pagan kings as taunting the king of Babylon, suggesting that pagan mythology may provide the background for the language and imagery.)

[17:1]  ⁵²⁷ tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”

[17:1]  ⁵²⁸ tn Or “in my presence.”

[17:1]  ⁵²⁹ tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the Lord, then the second imperative is likely sequential. (2) But if it has a positive moral connotation (“serve me faithfully”), then the second imperative probably indicates purpose (or result). For other uses of the idiom see 1 Sam 2:30, 35 and 12:2 (where it occurs twice).

[17:2]  ⁵³⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative indicates consequence. If Abram is blameless, then the Lord will ratify the covenant. Earlier the Lord ratified part of his promise to Abram (see Gen 15:18-21), guaranteeing him that his descendants would live in the land. But the expanded form of the promise, which includes numerous descendants and eternal possession of the land, remains to be ratified. This expanded form of the promise is in view here (see vv. 2b, 4-8). See the note at Gen 15:18 and R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[17:2]  ⁵³¹ tn Heb “I will multiply you exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:3]  ⁵³² tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

[17:3]  ⁵³³ tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:4]  ⁵³⁴ tn Heb “I.”

[17:4]  ⁵³⁵ tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).

[17:5]  ⁵³⁶ tn Heb “will your name be called.”

[17:5]  ⁵³⁷ sn Your name will be Abraham. The renaming of Abram was a sign of confirmation to the patriarch. Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of God’s promise. “Abram” means “exalted father,” probably referring to Abram’s father Terah. The name looks to the past; Abram came from noble lineage. The name “Abraham” is a dialectical variant of the name Abram. But its significance is in the wordplay with אַב־הֲמוֹן (’av-hamon, “the father of a multitude,” which sounds like אַבְרָהָם, ’avraham, “Abraham”). The new name would be a reminder of God’s intention to make Abraham the father of a multitude. For a general discussion of renaming, see O. Eissfeldt, “Renaming in the Old Testament,” Words and Meanings, 70-83.

[17:5]  ⁵³⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is used here in a rhetorical manner to emphasize God’s intention.

[17:6]  ⁵³⁹ tn This verb starts a series of perfect verbal forms with vav (ו) consecutive to express God’s intentions.

[17:6]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn Heb “exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:6]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “and I will make you into nations, and kings will come out from you.”

[17:7]  ⁵⁴² tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  ⁵⁴³ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:9]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[17:10]  ⁵⁴⁹ tn Heb “This is my covenant that you must keep between me and you and your descendants after you.”

[17:10]  ⁵⁵⁰ sn For a discussion of male circumcision as the sign of the covenant in this passage see M. V. Fox, “The Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Light of the Priestly ‘ot Etiologies,” RB 81 (1974): 557-96.

[17:11]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Or “sign.”

[17:12]  ⁵⁵² tn Heb “the son of eight days.”

[17:13]  ⁵⁵³ tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

[17:13]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:13]  ⁵⁵⁵ tn Or “an eternal.”

[17:14]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn The disjunctive clause calls attention to the “uncircumcised male” and what will happen to him.

[17:14]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “that person will be cut off.” The words “that person” have not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:14]  sn The meaning of “cut off” has been discussed at great length. An entire tractate in the Mishnah is devoted to this subject (tractate Keritot). Being ostracized from the community is involved at the least, but it is not certain whether this refers to the death penalty.

[17:14]  ⁵⁵⁸ tn Heb “he has broken my covenant.” The noun בְּרִית (bÿrit) here refers to the obligation required by God in conjunction with the covenantal agreement. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

[17:15]  ⁵⁵⁹ tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”

[17:15]  ⁵⁶⁰ sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.

[17:16]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Heb “she will become nations.”

[17:16]  ⁵⁶² tn Heb “peoples.”

[17:17]  ⁵⁶³ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ⁵⁶⁷ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[17:18]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn The wish is introduced with the Hebrew particle לוּ (lu), “O that.”

[17:18]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn Or “live with your blessing.”

[17:19]  ⁵⁷¹ tn Heb “will call his name Isaac.” The name means “he laughs,” or perhaps “may he laugh” (see the note on the word “laughed” in v. 17).

[17:19]  ⁵⁷² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:20]  ⁵⁷³ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[17:22]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn Heb “And when he finished speaking with him, God went up from Abraham.” The sequence of pronouns and proper names has been modified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:22]  sn God went up from him. The text draws attention to God’s dramatic exit and in so doing brings full closure to the scene.

[17:23]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”

[17:23]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:24]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”

[17:24]  ⁵⁸⁰ tn Heb “circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin” (also in v. 25).

[17:25]  ⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “the son of thirteen years.”

[18:1]  ⁵⁸² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁵⁸³ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

[18:2]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

[18:2]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ⁵⁹¹ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

[18:2]  ⁵⁹² sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

[18:3]  ⁵⁹³ tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.

[18:5]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.

[18:5]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[18:6]  ⁶⁰¹ tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.

[18:6]  ⁶⁰² sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.

[18:6]  ⁶⁰³ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ⁶⁰⁴ tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”

[18:8]  ⁶⁰⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:8]  ⁶⁰⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[18:9]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[18:10]  ⁶¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ⁶¹¹ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  sn I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?

[18:10]  ⁶¹² tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ⁶¹³ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ⁶¹⁴ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[18:11]  ⁶¹⁵ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ⁶¹⁶ tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ⁶¹⁷ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ⁶¹⁸ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ⁶¹⁹ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ⁶²⁰ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ⁶²¹ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ⁶²² tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ⁶²³ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ⁶²⁴ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ⁶²⁵ tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”

[18:16]  ⁶²⁶ tn Heb “toward the face of.”

[18:16]  ⁶²⁷ tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.

[18:16]  ⁶²⁸ tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.

[18:17]  ⁶²⁹ tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.

[18:18]  ⁶³⁰ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”

[18:18]  ⁶³¹ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ⁶³² tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[18:19]  ⁶³³ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁶³⁴ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁶³⁵ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁶³⁶ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁶³⁷ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:20]  ⁶³⁸ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ⁶³⁹ tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  sn I must go down. The descent to “see” Sodom is a bold anthropomorphism, stressing the careful judgment of God. The language is reminiscent of the Lord going down to see the Tower of Babel in Gen 11:1-9.

[18:21]  ⁶⁴¹ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁶⁴² sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ⁶⁴³ tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ⁶⁴⁵ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ⁶⁴⁷ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ⁶⁴⁸ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:27]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ⁶⁵¹ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ⁶⁵² tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ⁶⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ⁶⁵⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ⁶⁵⁶ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ⁶⁵⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33]  ⁶⁶⁰ tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33]  ⁶⁶¹ tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33]  ⁶⁶² tn Heb “to his place.”

[19:1]  ⁶⁶³ tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.

[19:1]  ⁶⁶⁴ tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.

[19:1]  sn The expression sitting in the city’s gateway may mean that Lot was exercising some type of judicial function (see the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 19:8; Jer 26:10; 38:7; 39:3).

[19:2]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.

[19:2]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”

[19:2]  ⁶⁶⁷ sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.

[19:3]  ⁶⁶⁸ tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.

[19:4]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.

[19:4]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.

[19:5]  ⁶⁷¹ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:5]  ⁶⁷² tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.

[19:5]  sn The sin of the men of Sodom is debated. The fact that the sin involved a sexual act (see note on the phrase “have sex” in 19:5) precludes an association of the sin with inhospitality as is sometimes asserted (see W. Roth, “What of Sodom and Gomorrah? Homosexual Acts in the Old Testament,” Explor 1 [1974]: 7-14). The text at a minimum condemns forced sexual intercourse, i.e., rape. Other considerations, though, point to a condemnation of homosexual acts more generally. The narrator emphasizes the fact that the men of Sodom wanted to have sex with men: They demand that Lot release the angelic messengers (seen as men) to them for sex, and when Lot offers his daughters as a substitute they refuse them and attempt to take the angelic messengers by force. In addition the wider context of the Pentateuch condemns homosexual acts as sin (see, e.g., Lev 18:22). Thus a reading of this text within its narrative context, both immediate and broad, condemns not only the attempted rape but also the attempted homosexual act.

[19:7]  ⁶⁷³ tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”

[19:8]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[19:8]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”

[19:8]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn Heb “shadow.”

[19:8]  ⁶⁷⁷ sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.

[19:9]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”

[19:9]  ⁶⁷⁹ tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”

[19:9]  ⁶⁸⁰ tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”

[19:9]  ⁶⁸¹ tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.

[19:9]  ⁶⁸² tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”

[19:9]  ⁶⁸³ tn Heb “and they drew near.”

[19:10]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[19:10]  ⁶⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:10]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn Heb “to them into the house.”

[19:11]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”

[19:11]  ⁶⁸⁸ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:12]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[19:12]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”

[19:12]  ⁶⁹¹ tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:12]  ⁶⁹² tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”

[19:12]  ⁶⁹³ tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.

[19:13]  ⁶⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.

[19:13]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:13]  ⁶⁹⁶ tn Heb “the Lord.” The repetition of the divine name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.

[19:14]  ⁶⁹⁷ sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.

[19:14]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.

[19:14]  ⁶⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.

[19:15]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn Heb “When dawn came up.”

[19:15]  ⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.

[19:15]  ⁷⁰² tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[19:16]  ⁷⁰³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn Heb “in the compassion of the Lord to them.”

[19:16]  ⁷⁰⁵ tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).

[19:17]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.

[19:17]  ⁷⁰⁷ tn Heb “escape.”

[19:17]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.

[19:17]  ⁷⁰⁹ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:18]  ⁷¹⁰ tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[19:19]  ⁷¹¹ 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]  ⁷¹² tn Heb “in your eyes.”

[19:19]  ⁷¹³ tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”

[19:19]  ⁷¹⁴ 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]  ⁷¹⁵ tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.

[19:19]  ⁷¹⁶ tn Heb “lest.”

[19:19]  ⁷¹⁷ 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]  ⁷¹⁸ tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.

[19:20]  ⁷¹⁹ tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”

[19:20]  ⁷²⁰ tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”

[19:20]  ⁷²¹ tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.

[19:20]  ⁷²² tn Heb “Is it not little?”

[19:20]  ⁷²³ tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.

[19:21]  ⁷²⁴ tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the Lord here. Most English translations leave the referent of the pronoun unspecified and maintain the ambiguity.

[19:21]  ⁷²⁵ tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”

[19:21]  ⁷²⁶ tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).

[19:22]  ⁷²⁷ tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.

[19:22]  ⁷²⁸ tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).

[19:23]  ⁷²⁹ sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).

[19:23]  ⁷³⁰ tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.

[19:24]  ⁷³¹ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.

[19:24]  ⁷³² tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).

[19:24]  ⁷³³ tn Heb “from the Lord from the heavens.” The words “It was sent down” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:24]  sn The text explicitly states that the sulfur and fire that fell on Sodom and Gomorrah was sent down from the sky by the Lord. What exactly this was, and how it happened, can only be left to intelligent speculation, but see J. P. Harland, “The Destruction of the Cities of the Plain,” BA 6 (1943): 41-54.

[19:25]  ⁷³⁴ tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:25]  ⁷³⁵ tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”

[19:26]  ⁷³⁶ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:26]  ⁷³⁷ tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).

[19:26]  sn Longingly. Lot’s wife apparently identified with the doomed city and thereby showed lack of respect for God’s provision of salvation. She, like her daughters later, had allowed her thinking to be influenced by the culture of Sodom.

[19:27]  ⁷³⁸ tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:28]  ⁷³⁹ tn Heb “upon the face of.”

[19:28]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:28]  ⁷⁴¹ tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”

[19:28]  sn It is hard to imagine what was going on in Abraham’s mind, but this brief section in the narrative enables the reader to think about the human response to the judgment. Abraham had family in that area. He had rescued those people from the invasion. That was why he interceded. Yet he surely knew how wicked they were. That was why he got the number down to ten when he negotiated with God to save the city. But now he must have wondered, “What was the point?”

[19:29]  ⁷⁴² tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.

[19:29]  ⁷⁴³ tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:29]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the Lord not destroy the righteous with the wicked. While the requisite minimum number of righteous people (ten, v. 32) needed for God to spare the cities was not found, God nevertheless rescued the righteous before destroying the wicked.

[19:29]  sn God showed Abraham special consideration because of the covenantal relationship he had established with the patriarch. Yet the reader knows that God delivered the “righteous” (Lot’s designation in 2 Pet 2:7) before destroying their world – which is what he will do again at the end of the age.

[19:29]  ⁷⁴⁵ sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.

[19:29]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”

[19:31]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”

[19:31]  ⁷⁴⁸ tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.

[19:31]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:32]  ⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:32]  ⁷⁵¹ tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.

[19:32]  ⁷⁵² tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.

[19:32]  ⁷⁵³ tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:32]  sn For a discussion of the cultural background of the daughters’ desire to preserve our family line see F. C. Fensham, “The Obliteration of the Family as Motif in the Near Eastern Literature,” AION 10 (1969): 191-99.

[19:33]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:33]  ⁷⁵⁵ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:33]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:33]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”

[19:34]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:34]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”

[19:34]  ⁷⁶⁰ tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:35]  ⁷⁶¹ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ⁷⁶² tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ⁷⁶³ tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[19:37]  ⁷⁶⁴ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:37]  ⁷⁶⁵ sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.

[19:38]  ⁷⁶⁶ sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.

[20:1]  ⁷⁶⁷ 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]  ⁷⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[20:3]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “came.”

[20:3]  ⁷⁷⁰ tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.

[20:3]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.

[20:4]  ⁷⁷² tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[20:4]  ⁷⁷³ tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.

[20:5]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:5]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn Heb “and she, even she.”

[20:5]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”

[20:6]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ⁷⁷⁹ tn Heb “therefore.”

[20:7]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ⁷⁸¹ sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ⁷⁸² tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  sn He will pray for you that you may live. Abraham was known as a man of God whose prayer would be effectual. Ironically and sadly, he was also known as a liar.

[20:7]  ⁷⁸³ tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ⁷⁸⁴ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

[20:8]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”

[20:8]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”

[20:8]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”

[20:8]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:9]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.

[20:9]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.

[20:10]  ⁷⁹¹ tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”

[20:10]  ⁷⁹² tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.

[20:11]  ⁷⁹³ tn Heb “Because I said.”

[20:11]  ⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[20:12]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn Heb “but also.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[20:14]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn Heb “took and gave.”

[20:15]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”

[20:16]  ⁸⁰⁰ sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).

[20:16]  ⁸⁰¹ sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).

[20:16]  ⁸⁰² tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).

[20:18]  ⁸⁰³ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ⁸⁰⁴ tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  sn The Lord had closed up every womb. This fact indicates that Sarah was in Abimelech’s household for weeks or months before the dream revelation was given (20:6-7). No one in his household could have children after Sarah arrived on the scene.

[20:18]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:1]  ⁸⁰⁶ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

[21:1]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ⁸⁰⁸ tn Heb “spoken.”

[21:2]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn Or “she conceived.”

[21:3]  ⁸¹⁰ tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.

[21:4]  ⁸¹¹ tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.

[21:4]  ⁸¹² sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the Lord by both naming (Gen 17:19) and circumcising Isaac (17:12).

[21:5]  ⁸¹³ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).

[21:6]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”

[21:6]  ⁸¹⁵ tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[21:6]  ⁸¹⁶ sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).

[21:7]  ⁸¹⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[21:7]  ⁸¹⁸ tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.

[21:8]  ⁸¹⁹ tn Heb “made.”

[21:8]  ⁸²⁰ sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.

[21:9]  ⁸²¹ tn Heb “saw.”

[21:9]  ⁸²² tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.

[21:9]  sn Mocking. Here Sarah interprets Ishmael’s actions as being sinister. Ishmael probably did not take the younger child seriously and Sarah saw this as a threat to Isaac. Paul in Gal 4:29 says that Ishmael persecuted Isaac. He uses a Greek word that can mean “to put to flight; to chase away; to pursue” and may be drawing on a rabbinic interpretation of the passage. In Paul’s analogical application of the passage, he points out that once the promised child Isaac (symbolizing Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise) has come, there is no room left for the slave woman and her son (who symbolize the Mosaic law).

[21:10]  ⁸²³ tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.

[21:11]  ⁸²⁴ tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.

[21:12]  ⁸²⁵ tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”

[21:12]  ⁸²⁶ tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.

[21:12]  ⁸²⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.

[21:12]  ⁸²⁸ tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.

[21:14]  ⁸²⁹ tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”

[21:14]  ⁸³⁰ tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[21:14]  ⁸³¹ tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”

[21:14]  ⁸³² tn Heb “she went and wandered.”

[21:14]  ⁸³³ tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.

[21:15]  ⁸³⁴ tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.

[21:16]  ⁸³⁵ sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).

[21:16]  ⁸³⁶ tn Heb “said.”

[21:16]  ⁸³⁷ tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.

[21:16]  ⁸³⁸ tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.

[21:17]  ⁸³⁹ 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]  ⁸⁴⁰ tn Heb “What to you?”

[21:17]  ⁸⁴¹ sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.

[21:19]  ⁸⁴² tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ⁸⁴³ sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.

[21:21]  ⁸⁴⁴ tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”

[21:22]  ⁸⁴⁵ sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.

[21:23]  ⁸⁴⁶ tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁴⁷ tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁴⁸ tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.

[21:23]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.

[21:23]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Or “kindness.”

[21:23]  ⁸⁵¹ tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”

[21:24]  ⁸⁵² tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.

[21:25]  ⁸⁵³ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.

[21:25]  ⁸⁵⁴ tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”

[21:25]  ⁸⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.

[21:26]  ⁸⁵⁶ tn Heb “and also.”

[21:27]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[21:29]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Heb “What are these?”

[21:30]  ⁸⁵⁹ tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”

[21:30]  ⁸⁶⁰ sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.

[21:31]  ⁸⁶¹ tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”

[21:31]  ⁸⁶² sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.

[21:31]  ⁸⁶³ sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.

[21:32]  ⁸⁶⁴ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[21:32]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn Heb “arose and returned.”

[21:32]  ⁸⁶⁶ sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.

[21:33]  ⁸⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:33]  ⁸⁶⁸ sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.

[21:33]  ⁸⁶⁹ tn Heb “he called there in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[21:34]  ⁸⁷⁰ tn Heb “many days.”

[22:1]  ⁸⁷¹ sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

[22:1]  ⁸⁷² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁸⁷³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁸⁷⁴ sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.

[22:2]  ⁸⁷⁵ sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.

[22:2]  ⁸⁷⁶ sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.

[22:2]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn Heb “which I will say to.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁷⁸ tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”

[22:3]  ⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “he arose and he went.”

[22:4]  ⁸⁸⁰ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”

[22:5]  ⁸⁸¹ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[22:5]  ⁸⁸² tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.

[22:5]  ⁸⁸³ tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.

[22:5]  ⁸⁸⁴ tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”

[22:5]  ⁸⁸⁵ sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.

[22:6]  ⁸⁸⁶ sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.

[22:7]  ⁸⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[22:7]  ⁸⁸⁸ tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).

[22:7]  ⁸⁸⁹ 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.

[22:8]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”

[22:8]  sn God will provide is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. Note Paul’s allusion to the story in Rom 8:32 (“how shall he not freely give us all things?”) as well as H. J. Schoeps, “The Sacrifice of Isaac in Paul’s Theology,” JBL 65 (1946): 385-92.

[22:9]  ⁸⁹¹ sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?

[22:9]  ⁸⁹² sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.

[22:10]  ⁸⁹³ tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”

[22:11]  ⁸⁹⁴ sn Heb “the messenger of the Lord” (also in v. 15). Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, see the note on the phrase “the Lord’s angel” in Gen 16:7.

[22:12]  ⁸⁹⁵ tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”

[22:12]  ⁸⁹⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:12]  ⁸⁹⁷ sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).

[22:12]  ⁸⁹⁸ sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.

[22:13]  ⁸⁹⁹ tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”

[22:13]  ⁹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.

[22:13]  ⁹⁰¹ tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Samaritan Pentateuch read “one” (אֶחָד, ’ekhad) instead of “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar).

[22:13]  ⁹⁰² tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:14]  ⁹⁰³ tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.

[22:14]  ⁹⁰⁴ sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[22:14]  ⁹⁰⁵ sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.

[22:16]  ⁹⁰⁶ tn Heb “By myself I swear.”

[22:16]  ⁹⁰⁷ tn Heb “the oracle of the Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.

[22:17]  ⁹⁰⁸ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ⁹⁰⁹ tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  sn I will greatly multiply. The Lord here ratifies his earlier promise to give Abram a multitude of descendants. For further discussion see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[22:17]  ⁹¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁹¹¹ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁹¹² tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[22:18]  ⁹¹³ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

[22:18]  sn Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).

[22:18]  ⁹¹⁴ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[22:19]  ⁹¹⁵ tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”

[22:19]  ⁹¹⁶ tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.

[22:20]  ⁹¹⁷ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.

[22:21]  ⁹¹⁸ sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.

[22:23]  ⁹¹⁹ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).

[23:1]  ⁹²⁰ tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”

[23:2]  ⁹²¹ tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.

[23:2]  ⁹²² sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).

[23:3]  ⁹²³ tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”

[23:3]  ⁹²⁴ tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.

[23:4]  ⁹²⁵ tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”

[23:4]  ⁹²⁶ tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.

[23:4]  ⁹²⁷ tn Or “possession.”

[23:4]  ⁹²⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.

[23:4]  ⁹²⁹ tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:5]  ⁹³⁰ tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”

[23:6]  ⁹³¹ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

[23:6]  ⁹³² tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.

[23:6]  ⁹³³ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:7]  ⁹³⁴ tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).

[23:8]  ⁹³⁵ tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).

[23:8]  ⁹³⁶ tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:8]  ⁹³⁷ tn Or “hear me.”

[23:8]  ⁹³⁸ tn Heb “intercede for me with.”

[23:9]  ⁹³⁹ tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.

[23:9]  ⁹⁴⁰ tn Heb “in your presence.”

[23:9]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:10]  ⁹⁴² tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.

[23:10]  ⁹⁴³ tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.

[23:10]  ⁹⁴⁴ sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.

[23:11]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.

[23:11]  ⁹⁴⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[23:11]  ⁹⁴⁷ tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”

[23:13]  ⁹⁴⁸ tn Heb “give.”

[23:13]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:13]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.

[23:15]  ⁹⁵¹ tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:15]  ⁹⁵² sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).

[23:16]  ⁹⁵³ tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”

[23:16]  ⁹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”

[23:16]  ⁹⁵⁵ tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁹⁵⁶ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:16]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁹⁵⁸ tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.

[23:17]  ⁹⁵⁹ tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:18]  ⁹⁶⁰ tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  sn See G. M. Tucker, “The Legal Background of Genesis 23,” JBL 85 (1966):77-84; and M. R. Lehmann, “Abraham’s Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law,” BASOR 129 (1953): 15-18.

[23:20]  ⁹⁶¹ tn Heb “possession of a grave.”

[24:1]  ⁹⁶² tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ⁹⁶³ tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ⁹⁶⁴ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ⁹⁶⁵ sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

[24:3]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

[24:3]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn Heb “because you must not take.”

[24:4]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

[24:4]  ⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and take.”

[24:5]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ⁹⁷¹ tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[24:6]  ⁹⁷² tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ⁹⁷³ tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:7]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ⁹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ⁹⁷⁶ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ⁹⁷⁷ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ⁹⁷⁹ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

[24:9]  ⁹⁸⁰ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[24:10]  ⁹⁸¹ tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.

[24:10]  ⁹⁸² tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ⁹⁸³ tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:10]  sn Aram Naharaim means in Hebrew “Aram of the Two Rivers,” a region in northern Mesopotamia.

[24:11]  ⁹⁸⁴ tn Heb “well of water.”

[24:11]  ⁹⁸⁵ tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

[24:12]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).

[24:12]  ⁹⁸⁷ tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

[24:13]  ⁹⁸⁸ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:13]  ⁹⁸⁹ tn Heb “the men.”

[24:14]  ⁹⁹⁰ sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.

[24:14]  ⁹⁹¹ tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”

[24:15]  ⁹⁹² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.

[24:15]  ⁹⁹³ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:16]  ⁹⁹⁴ tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.

[24:17]  ⁹⁹⁵ tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:18]  ⁹⁹⁶ tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”

[24:19]  ⁹⁹⁷ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:20]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

[24:21]  ⁹⁹⁹ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ¹⁰⁰⁰ tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).

[24:22]  ¹⁰⁰¹ sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).

[24:22]  ¹⁰⁰² sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).

[24:22]  ¹⁰⁰³ tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:23]  ¹⁰⁰⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:24]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:25]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:27]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ¹⁰¹⁰ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ¹⁰¹¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[24:28]  ¹⁰¹² tn Heb “according to.”

[24:29]  ¹⁰¹³ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.

[24:30]  ¹⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[24:30]  ¹⁰¹⁵ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ¹⁰¹⁶ tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.

[24:31]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ¹⁰¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁰¹⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[24:32]  ¹⁰²⁰ tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:32]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).

[24:32]  ¹⁰²² tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

[24:32]  ¹⁰²³ tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

[24:33]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

[24:33]  ¹⁰²⁵ tn Heb “my words.”

[24:33]  ¹⁰²⁶ tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”

[24:33]  tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:35]  ¹⁰²⁷ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

[24:35]  ¹⁰²⁸ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ¹⁰²⁹ tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:36]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn Heb “after her old age.”

[24:36]  ¹⁰³¹ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:38]  ¹⁰³² tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”

[24:39]  ¹⁰³³ tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

[24:39]  ¹⁰³⁴ tn Heb “after me.”

[24:40]  ¹⁰³⁵ tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

[24:41]  ¹⁰³⁶ tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).

[24:42]  ¹⁰³⁷ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ¹⁰³⁸ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[24:43]  ¹⁰³⁹ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:43]  ¹⁰⁴⁰ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[24:45]  ¹⁰⁴¹ tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.

[24:45]  ¹⁰⁴² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

[24:47]  ¹⁰⁴³ tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ¹⁰⁴⁴ tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).

[24:49]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.

[24:50]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

[24:50]  ¹⁰⁴⁷ tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.

[24:51]  ¹⁰⁴⁸ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:51]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

[24:53]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:54]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

[24:54]  ¹⁰⁵² tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

[24:55]  ¹⁰⁵³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:56]  ¹⁰⁵⁴ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ¹⁰⁵⁵ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:57]  ¹⁰⁵⁶ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

[24:58]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[24:60]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ 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.

[24:61]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

[24:61]  ¹⁰⁶² tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ 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.” See Gen 16:14.

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶⁷ tn Or “the South [country].”

[24:62]  sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁶⁸ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁷¹ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁷² tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

[24:64]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

[24:65]  ¹⁰⁷⁴ tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ¹⁰⁷⁵ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ¹⁰⁷⁶ tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

[24:67]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ¹⁰⁷⁹ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

[24:67]  ¹⁰⁸⁰ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.

[25:1]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  sn Abraham had taken another wife. These events are not necessarily in chronological order following the events of the preceding chapter. They are listed here to summarize Abraham’s other descendants before the narrative of his death.

[25:1]  ¹⁰⁸² tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[25:3]  ¹⁰⁸³ sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.

[25:4]  ¹⁰⁸⁴ tn Or “sons.”

[25:6]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”

[25:6]  ¹⁰⁸⁶ tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”

[25:7]  ¹⁰⁸⁷ tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.

[25:8]  ¹⁰⁸⁸ tn Heb “old and full.”

[25:8]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:9]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).

[25:10]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:11]  ¹⁰⁹² sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).

[25:11]  ¹⁰⁹³ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).

[25:13]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”

[25:16]  ¹⁰⁹⁶ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

[25:17]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ¹⁰⁹⁸ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:18]  ¹⁰⁹⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ¹¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ¹¹⁰² sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ¹¹⁰³ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ¹¹⁰⁴ 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.

[25:19]  ¹¹⁰⁵ sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.

[25:20]  ¹¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

[25:20]  ¹¹⁰⁷ sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.

[25:21]  ¹¹⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

[25:22]  ¹¹⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.

[25:22]  ¹¹¹¹ sn Asked the Lord. In other passages (e.g., 1 Sam 9:9) this expression refers to inquiring of a prophet, but no details are provided here.

[25:23]  ¹¹¹² sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[25:24]  ¹¹¹³ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.

[25:25]  ¹¹¹⁵ sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.

[25:25]  ¹¹¹⁶ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ¹¹¹⁷ sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.

[25:25]  ¹¹¹⁸ tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.

[25:26]  ¹¹¹⁹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ¹¹²⁰ tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  sn The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. It did not have a negative connotation until Esau redefined it. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.

[25:26]  ¹¹²¹ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:27]  ¹¹²² tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ¹¹²³ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[25:28]  ¹¹²⁴ tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.

[25:28]  ¹¹²⁵ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.

[25:29]  ¹¹²⁶ sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[25:30]  ¹¹²⁷ tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.

[25:30]  ¹¹²⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.

[25:30]  ¹¹²⁹ sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”

[25:31]  ¹¹³⁰ tn Heb “today.”

[25:32]  ¹¹³¹ tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”

[25:33]  ¹¹³² tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ¹¹³³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ¹¹³⁴ sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.

[25:34]  ¹¹³⁵ sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.

[25:34]  ¹¹³⁶ sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.

[26:1]  ¹¹³⁷ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ¹¹³⁸ sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

[26:2]  ¹¹³⁹ sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.

[26:2]  ¹¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “say to you.”

[26:3]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.

[26:3]  ¹¹⁴² tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  sn I will be with you and I will bless you. The promise of divine presence is a promise to intervene to protect and to bless.

[26:3]  ¹¹⁴³ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[26:3]  sn To you and to your descendants. The Abrahamic blessing will pass to Isaac. Everything included in that blessing will now belong to the son, and in turn will be passed on to his sons. But there is a contingency involved: If they are to enjoy the full blessings, they will have to obey the word of the Lord. And so obedience is enjoined here with the example of how well Abraham obeyed.

[26:3]  ¹¹⁴⁴ tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.

[26:3]  ¹¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[26:3]  sn The solemn promise I made. See Gen 15:18-20; 22:16-18.

[26:4]  ¹¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ¹¹⁴⁷ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[26:5]  ¹¹⁴⁸ tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[26:5]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[26:5]  ¹¹⁵⁰ sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.

[26:7]  ¹¹⁵¹ sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.

[26:7]  ¹¹⁵² tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.

[26:7]  ¹¹⁵³ tn Heb “kill me on account of.”

[26:8]  ¹¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:8]  ¹¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”

[26:8]  ¹¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.

[26:8]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn Or “fondling.”

[26:8]  sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.

[26:9]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).

[26:10]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[26:10]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ¹¹⁶² tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”

[26:11]  ¹¹⁶³ tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.

[26:11]  ¹¹⁶⁴ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.

[26:12]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ¹¹⁶⁶ tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[26:13]  ¹¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.

[26:13]  ¹¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.

[26:14]  ¹¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ¹¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ¹¹⁷¹ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ¹¹⁷² tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ¹¹⁷³ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ¹¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ¹¹⁷⁵ sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).

[26:17]  ¹¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:17]  sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the Lord, for the men of the region knew this too, but did not have the same results.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ¹¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁸² tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ¹¹⁸³ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:20]  ¹¹⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ¹¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ¹¹⁸⁷ sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”

[26:20]  ¹¹⁸⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:21]  ¹¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹¹⁹¹ sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.

[26:22]  ¹¹⁹² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ¹¹⁹³ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ¹¹⁹⁴ sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.

[26:23]  ¹¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:25]  ¹¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 21:33). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.

[26:25]  ¹¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

[26:26]  ¹¹⁹⁸ tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”

[26:26]  ¹¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ¹²⁰⁰ tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.

[26:27]  ¹²⁰¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.

[26:28]  ¹²⁰² tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ¹²⁰³ tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:28]  ¹²⁰⁴ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ¹²⁰⁶ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”

[26:29]  ¹²⁰⁷ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

[26:29]  ¹²⁰⁸ tn Heb “touched.”

[26:29]  ¹²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

[26:29]  ¹²¹⁰ tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

[26:29]  ¹²¹¹ tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).

[26:30]  ¹²¹² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:30]  ¹²¹³ tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”

[26:31]  ¹²¹⁴ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

[26:31]  ¹²¹⁵ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

[26:32]  ¹²¹⁶ tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:33]  ¹²¹⁷ sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.

[26:33]  ¹²¹⁸ sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.

[26:34]  ¹²¹⁹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.

[26:34]  ¹²²⁰ tn Heb “the son of forty years.”

[26:34]  ¹²²¹ tn Heb “took as a wife.”

[26:35]  ¹²²² tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”