Genesis 13-14

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Genesis 13:1 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
2. Genesis 13:1 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
3. Genesis 13:2 tn Heb “heavy.”
4. Genesis 13:2 tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.
5. Genesis 13:3 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
6. Genesis 13:3 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7. Genesis 13:3 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
8. Genesis 13:4 tn Heb “to the place of the altar which he had made there in the beginning” (cf. Gen 12:7-8).
9. Genesis 13:4 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.
10. Genesis 13:5 tn Heb “was going.”
11. Genesis 13:5 tn The Hebrew idiom is “to Lot…there was,” the preposition here expressing possession.
12. Genesis 13:6 tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”
13. Genesis 13:6 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.
14. Genesis 13:6 tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.
15. Genesis 13:7 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.
16. Genesis 13:7 sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.
17. Genesis 13:7 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.
18. Genesis 13:8 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.
19. Genesis 13:9 tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.
20. Genesis 13:10 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.
21. Genesis 13:10 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
22. Genesis 13:10 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
23. Genesis 13:10 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).
24. Genesis 13:10 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.
25. Genesis 13:10 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.
26. Genesis 13:11 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
27. Genesis 13:11 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”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.
28. Genesis 13:12 tn Or “the cities of the plain”; Heb “[the cities of] the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
29. Genesis 13:13 tn Here is another significant parenthetical clause in the story, signaled by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”) on the noun at the beginning of the clause.
30. Genesis 13:13 tn Heb “men.” However, this is generic in sense; it is unlikely that only the male residents of Sodom were sinners.
31. Genesis 13:13 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 (m^e’od, “exceedingly,” translated here as “extremely”).
32. Genesis 13:14 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.
33. Genesis 13:14 tn Heb “lift up your eyes and see.”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.
34. Genesis 13:15 tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”
35. Genesis 13:16 tn The translation “can be counted” (potential imperfect) is suggested by the use of יוּכַל (yukhal, “is able”) in the preceding clause.
36. Genesis 13:17 tn The connective “and” is not present in the Hebrew text; it has been supplied for purposes of English style.
37. Genesis 13:17 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.
38. Genesis 13:17 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).
39. Genesis 13:18 tn Heb “he came and lived.”
40. Genesis 13:18 tn Or “terebinths.”
41. Genesis 14:1 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vay^ehi) followed by “in the days of.”
42. Genesis 14:1 sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.
43. Genesis 14:1 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”).
44. Genesis 14:2 tn Heb “made war.”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).
45. Genesis 14:2 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.
46. Genesis 14:3 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.
47. Genesis 14:3 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.
48. Genesis 14:3 sn The Salt Sea is the older name for the Dead Sea.
49. Genesis 14:4 tn The sentence simply begins with “twelve years”; it serves as an adverbial accusative giving the duration of their bondage.
50. Genesis 14:4 tn This is another adverbial accusative of time.
51. Genesis 14:4 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.
52. Genesis 14:5 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.
53. Genesis 14:6 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.
54. Genesis 14:7 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.”
55. Genesis 14:8 tn Heb “against.”
56. Genesis 14:9 tn Or “Goyim.” See the note on the word “nations” in 14:1.
57. Genesis 14:9 tn The Hebrew text has simply “against.” The word “fought” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
58. Genesis 14:10 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.”sn The word for “tar” (or “bitumen”) occurs earlier in the story of the building of the tower in Babylon (see Gen 11:3).
59. Genesis 14:10 tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional he (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).
60. Genesis 14:10 tn Heb “the rest.”
61. Genesis 14:10 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.
62. Genesis 14:11 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the four victorious kings, see v. 9) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
63. Genesis 14:12 tn Heb “Lot the son of his brother.”
64. Genesis 14:12 tn Heb “and.”
65. Genesis 14:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
66. Genesis 14:12 tn This disjunctive clause is circumstantial/causal, explaining that Lot was captured because he was living in Sodom at the time.
67. Genesis 14:13 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
68. Genesis 14:13 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).
69. Genesis 14:13 tn Or “terebinths.”
70. Genesis 14:13 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
71. Genesis 14:13 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.
72. Genesis 14:13 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.
73. Genesis 14:14 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).
74. Genesis 14:14 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 Smr 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.
75. Genesis 14:14 tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
76. Genesis 14:14 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.
77. Genesis 14:15 tn The Hebrew text simply has “night” as an adverbial accusative.
78. Genesis 14:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
79. Genesis 14:15 tn Heb “he divided himself…he and his servants.”
80. Genesis 14:15 tn Heb “left.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.
81. Genesis 14:16 tn The word “stolen” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
82. Genesis 14:16 tn The phrase “the rest of “ has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
83. Genesis 14:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
84. Genesis 14:17 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
85. Genesis 14:17 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
86. Genesis 14:18 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 Ps 110 the Lord declares that the Davidic king is a royal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.
87. Genesis 14:18 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause significantly identifies Melchizedek as a priest as well as a king.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, ʾel ʿelyon)—one sovereign God, who was the creator of all the universe. Abram had in him a spiritual brother.
88. Genesis 14:19 tn The preposition ל (lamed) introduces the agent after the passive participle.
89. Genesis 14:19 tn Some translate “possessor of heaven and earth” (cf. NASB). But cognate evidence from Ugaritic indicates that there were two homonymic roots קָנָה (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.”
90. Genesis 14:19 tn The terms translated “heaven” and “earth” are both objective genitives after the participle in construct.
91. Genesis 14:20 tn Heb “blessed be.” For God to be “blessed” means that he is praised. His reputation is enriched in the world as his name is praised.
92. Genesis 14:20 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.
93. Genesis 14:20 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Melchizedek) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
94. Genesis 14:22 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.”
95. Genesis 14:22 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
96. Genesis 14:23 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.”
97. Genesis 14:23 tn The Hebrew text adds the independent pronoun (“I”) to the verb form for emphasis.
98. Genesis 14:24 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
99. Genesis 14:24 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”