Genesis 20–24

Footnotes

1. 1 Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.” Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
2. 2 Heb “and he sojourned.”
3. 3 Heb “came.”
4. 4 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.
5. 5 Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
6. 6 The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
7. 7 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 (), .
8. 8 Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9. 9 Heb “and she, even she.”
10. 10 Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
11. 11 Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”
12. 12 Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”
13. 13 Heb “therefore.”
14. 14 Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.
15. 15 For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” 73 (1961): 99–100.
16. 16 After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result. 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.
17. 17 Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.
18. 18 The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.
19. 19 Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”
20. 20 The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”
21. 21 Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”
22. 22 Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
23. 23 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,” 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” 18 (1959): 280–81.
24. 24 Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
25. 25 Heb “And Abimelech said to.”
26. 26 Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.
27. 27 Heb “Because I said.”
28. 28 Heb “over the matter of.”
29. 29 Heb “but also.”
30. 30 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 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”
31. 31 Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”
32. 32 Heb “took and gave.”
33. 33 Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”
34. 34 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).
35. 35 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).
36. 36 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 [], 2:).
37. 37 In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”
38. 38 Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis. 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.
39. 39 Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
40. 1 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 ().
41. 2 Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
42. 3 Heb “spoken.”
43. 4 Or “she conceived.”
44. 5 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.
45. 6 Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
46. 7 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).
47. 8 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 [], 2:).
48. 9 Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
49. 10 The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
50. 11 Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysékhoq) 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).
51. 12 Heb “said.”
52. 13 The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
53. 14 Heb “made.”
54. 15 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.
55. 16 Heb “saw.”
56. 17 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. , , ) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. , ). 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. 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).
57. 18 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.
58. 19 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.
59. 20 Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
60. 21 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.
61. 22 The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
62. 23 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.
63. 24 Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
64. 25 Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
65. 26 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.”
66. 27 Heb “she went and wandered.”
67. 28 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.
68. 29 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 (), 2:.
69. 30 A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
70. 31 Heb “said.”
71. 32 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.
72. 33 Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The 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.
73. 34 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.
74. 35 Heb “What to you?”
75. 36 Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
76. 37 Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
77. 38 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.
78. 39 Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
79. 40 God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
80. 41 Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
81. 42 Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
82. 43 The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
83. 44 The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
84. 45 Or “kindness.”
85. 46 Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
86. 47 Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
87. 48 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.
88. 49 Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
89. 50 The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
90. 51 Heb “and also.”
91. 52 Heb “cut a covenant.”
92. 53 Heb “What are these?”
93. 54 Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
94. 55 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.
95. 56 Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
96. 57 The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bé’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.
97. 58 The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
98. 59 Heb “cut a covenant.”
99. 60 Heb “arose and returned.”
100. 61 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.
101. 62 Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
102. 63 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.
103. 64 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 (), 1:, .
104. 65 Heb “many days.”
105. 1 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 (), 9–30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” 1 (1980): .
106. 2 Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
107. 3 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
108. 4 Take your son … Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
109. 5 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.
110. 6 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.
111. 7 Heb “which I will say to.”
112. 8 Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
113. 9 Heb “he arose and he went.”
114. 10 Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
115. 11 Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
116. 12 The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
117. 13 The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
118. 14 This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
119. 15 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.
120. 16 He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
121. 17 The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
122. 18 Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
123. 19 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.
124. 20 Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.” 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,” 65 (1946): 385–92.
125. 21 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?
126. 22 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,” 6 (1957): 17–21.
127. 23 Heb “in order to slaughter.”
128. 24 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 .
129. 25 Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
130. 26 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.
131. 27 For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
132. 28 In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
133. 29 Heb “lifted his eyes.”
134. 30 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.
135. 31 The translation follows the reading of the ; a number of Hebrew , the , , and Samaritan Pentateuch read “one” (אֶחָד, ’ekhad) instead of “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar).
136. 32 Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
137. 33 Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yéhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. ). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
138. 34 On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” 82 (1963): 279–92.
139. 35 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 ), 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.
140. 36 Heb “By myself I swear.”
141. 37 Heb “the oracle of the Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.
142. 38 The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
143. 39 Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative). 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.
144. 40 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.
145. 41 Or “inherit.”
146. 42 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”).
147. 43 In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons. Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).
148. 44 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.)
149. 45 Heb “and they arose and went together.”
150. 46 Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
151. 47 In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
152. 48 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.
153. 49 The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).