The Woman's Study Bible, New International Version

NIV

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WOMAN'S STUDY BIBLE

• RECEIVING GOD'S TRUTH FOR BALANCE, HOPE, AND TRANSFORMATION

N E W I N T E R N AT I O N A L V E R S I O N

Dorothy Kelley Patterson General Editor

Rhonda Harrington Kelley Managing Editor

Jan Dargatz Topical Notes

Helen Rhea Stumbo History

Ann L. Bowman Gospels, Acts

Jeanne Hendricks Portraits

Constance N. Wieler Poetry

Patty Comber Pauline Epistles

Janice Meier General Consultant

Paula Rinehart Major Prophets

Mary Kassian General Epistles, Revelation

Sharon Sterrenburg Pentateuch

Karen H. Jobes Minor Prophets

Carmen Leigh Howell Index

www.ThomasNelson.com

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FOREWORD

P

raise God for his Story as it is recorded in his Word. My sincere prayer is that this volume will become a tool to guide you in listening to the voice of God as he speaks through his Word.

The thrill of hearing him speak today from this old Book, his Holy Word, has not left me. It has been life-changing. However, for many the Bible may be something of a closed door. Although its stories are all fairly familiar, there seems to be a great void of understanding exactly what these stories can mean for Christians living in the present day. Many people who read God’s Word believe it; they just don’t believe it works for them today. It does! You will find the factual information in introductory materials, annotations, topical notes, portraits, charts, and maps in The Woman’s Study Bible to be helpful in showing you how it works.

Truth does not change (2Ti 3:16). While experts in science, technology, geology, and theology are constantly changing their findings and conclusions, God’s Word has remained unchanged since it was written thousands of years ago. Various challenges may be made to the historical accounts found in the Bible, but you are going to be excited as you begin to read reasonable explanations for many of your questions. There will, of course, be some things, that is, the mysteries of God, for which there are no answers at this time, in this life. The challenge of these mysteries will lead you to worship a God whose ways are past finding out, whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Ro 11:33; Isa 55:9).

Ask God to open your eyes that you might see him in a fresh way and open your ears that you might hear his voice speaking to you as you read his Word, and let The Woman’s Study Bible be your guide.

—Anne Graham Lotz

Foreword to the Full Color Edition Dear Reader, The Woman’s Study Bible has blessed and touched countless women since it was first published over twenty years ago. While the timeless study content—contributed by an extraordinary team of women who are top scholars and influential teachers—remains as timelessly applicable as ever, we felt that a redesign could help this valuable resource continue reaching women today. The Woman’s Study Bible has long been the gold standard in women’s study Bibles in terms of content. With the present edition, it is also the most beautiful study Bible for women, re-presenting the rich study material and invaluable mentoring content for women of all ages. It is with great pleasure that we present to you The Woman’s Study Bible, Full Color Edition in the NIV translation. Our prayerful hope is that you will grow in a deeper knowledge and love for the Lord as he reveals himself to you through these pages.

In Christ, The Publishers

The Woman’s Study Bible CONTRIBUTORS

Aduke Akinola Myrna Alexander Emilie Barnes Shirley Cothran Barret Susan Wise Bauer Judy Blue Mary Ellen Bork Ann L. Bowman Vonette Bright Jill Briscoe Linda Buhler Nancie Carmichael Annie Chapman Grace Chavis Debbie Church Ann Coker Patty Comber Dorian Coover Cox Jan Dargatz Melinda Delahoyde Beverly Demaurex Joy Griffin Dent Linda Dillow Elisabeth Elliot Denise George Sharon Gritz Margaret D. Hawley Karen J. Hayter Kristina Hemphill Jeanne Hendricks Kay Ho Shari Lee Witt Hofstetter Carmen Leigh Howell June Hunt Susan Hunt Katherine Hyde Kay Coles James Karen H. Jobes Mary Kassian Rhonda Harrington Kelley Grace Ketterman

Diane Knippers Beverly LaHaye Tammi Ledbetter Marilyn Lewis Eta Linnemann Florence Littauer Karen Mains Hilary McFarlane Linda McGinn Janice Meier Erika Moore Miriam Neff Barbara O’Chester Anne Ortlund Dorothy Kelley Patterson Anabel Cantu Reimann Paula Rinehart Alice George Rogers Dale Evans Rogers Joyce Rogers Kristi Sberna Edith Schaeffer Faye Short Marsha A. Ellis Smith Sharon Sneed Gayle Somers Delores Steele Sharon Sterrenburg Helen Rhea Stumbo Eleonore Stump Joni Eareckson Tada Amanda Shao Tan Gigi Tchividjian Laverne Bell-Tolliver Noemi Vera Diana Vermillion Mary Whelchel Constance N. Wieler Georgalyn Wilkinson Miltinnie Yih

Foreword, iii Contributors, iv Introduction, vi Preface, viii Special Definitions and Abbreviations, xii

Genesis, 1 Exodus, 87 Leviticus, 154 Numbers, 199 Deuteronomy, 255 Joshua, 307 Judges, 343 Ruth, 385 1 Samuel, 399 2 Samuel, 446 1 Kings, 486 2 Kings, 533 1 Chronicles, 580 2 Chronicles, 620 Ezra, 663

Matthew, 1365 Mark, 1426 Luke, 1463 John, 1520 Acts, 1572 Romans, 1631 1 Corinthians, 1662 2 Corinthians, 1695 Galatians, 1717 Ephesians, 1729 Philippians, 1745

God Cares for Women— Eta Linnemann, xiii The Balanced Life: Reconciling Personal Faith with Practicing Dogma — Hilary McFarlane, xv

The Old Testament Nehemiah, 681 Esther, 705 Job, 723 Psalms, 768 Proverbs, 887 Ecclesiastes, 946 Song of Songs, 964 Isaiah, 981 Jeremiah, 1069 Lamentations, 1149 Ezekiel, 1158 Daniel, 1225 Hosea, 1249 Joel, 1266 Amos, 1274

What They Left Behind: Women, Archaeology, and the Bible— Marsha A. Ellis Smith, xvii Women and Children in Biblical Narrative— Eleonore Stump, xxi

Obadiah, 1288 Jonah, 1292 Micah, 1298 Nahum, 1309 Habakkuk, 1315 Zephaniah, 1322 Haggai, 1329 Zechariah, 1334 Malachi, 1349 Flowers of the Bible, 1355 Vegetables of the Bible, 1357 Bitter Herbs of the Bible, 1358 Herbs of the Bible, 1359

The New Testament Colossians, 1759 1 Thessalonians, 1770 2 Thessalonians, 1777 1 Timothy, 1782 2 Timothy, 1796 Titus, 1804 Philemon, 1811 Hebrews, 1816 James, 1839 1 Peter, 1848 2 Peter, 1862

1 John, 1869 2 John, 1881 3 John, 1885 Jude, 1889 Revelation, 1893 Table of Weights and Measures, 1931 Acknowledgments, 1933 Index, 1937 Concordance, 1961 Maps, 2047

xiii

ARTICLES

GOD CARES FOR WOMEN Eta Linnemann In my pre-conversion life, I bitterly fought for women’s equality in “spiritual office.” The thorn of embitterment was ever driven into me anew by my so-called “brothers in ministry,” especially by those who were my mental inferiors and possessed no other merit than the privilege of wearing trousers on the basis of their physical constitution. If my achievements had not been any better than theirs, I would not have made it even into the position in which I had to bear, of all things, the lifelong title of “lady curate” (assistant), while my male colleagues after one to two years exchanged the title of “curate” for that of “pastor.”

At the general conventions, I was wounded with unkind regularity by such “brothers” in ministry in that at least one of them, or more likely an entire group, apprised me of the fact that the problem of women in ministry would indeed be solved if each of the women would marry a minister. That was the twofold wounding. Had I completed an entire course of theological study, including the two theological barrier examinations and even taken a doctor’s degree, only to engage myself with children and kitchen as the wife of a minister? Even if I had wanted that—wouldn’t I have only had the remotest possibility for it, now that a considerable portion of the men in my own age group had been killed during the Second World War on the battlefields of Europe?

My dear sisters, I felt that the fight for equal rights for women had been entrusted to me, along with the pain that these inequities caused. This fight was terminated with my preconversion life because now I am prepared to submit myself to God’s Word—even to that which stands written therein concerning the woman. The suffering, however, was not yet ended thereby. It hurt just as badly when a “ministering brother” made it clear to the sisters, with arrogance and a pasha’s behavior, that the assignment of all women was to work with their hands and to serve the brothers with their time and resources.

Perhaps later the Lord would give women a prophetic office. That the “ministering brother” had made it up to cook in his former life, whereas the sister had made it to a double doctorate in theology and a professorship was only marginally noted.

The reaction I faced was a rebellion, albeit resisted, against this God and a deep depression over my misfortune to have been created a woman. So it would have remained, had not God himself taken up my case. I had begged him to allow me to be done with this situation, which I could not resolve because I could find no acquiescence within myself to the role that he as Creator had assigned to me. Years later I grasped that this role was not simply identical with that which this “ministering brother” had ascribed to me. That God in the meantime had drastically interfered in the life of this brother should only be noted in passing, since it is not the most important thing.

God intervened. He healed me of my bitterness and the rebellion against being a woman. Renewed by his grace, I became a fulfilled woman—happy, contented, and full of thanksgiving. Perhaps this path is not reproducible for everyone. I am not at all saying that God has the same path in mind for others, but I do desire to share my testimony as a witness to his grace in my own life.

In my quiet time, I read Deuteronomy 21:10–14; through this often overlooked regulation concerning the treatment of women who had become spoils of war, God healed my heart. By means of these unlikely verses, his concern and love toward women became overpoweringly known to me.

Clearly, in my own heart, this regulation had been given in the midst of the raw reality of a fallen creation.

The women of the vanquished became spoils to the victors. After a centuries-long Christian experience, indeed now this tragedy is no longer the usual thing, although even in this century, it became the gruesome experience of countless German women, who were delivered up defenseless to an incited, inflamed red beast called an “army.”

Among all peoples it was self-evident that a woman who had become the spoils of war could come to

ARTICLES

xiv

be used at will as a slave of lust or labor. But God gave to his people totally different regulations, which served to protect the human worth of such captive women.

When you go to war a­ gainst your en­em ­ ies and the Lord your God de­liv­ers them into your h ­ ands and you take cap­tives, if you no­tice a­ mong the cap­tives a beau­ti­ful wom­an and are at­tract­ed to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her ­shave her head, trim her n ­ ails and put ­aside the c­ lothes she was wear­ing when cap­tured. Af­ter she has l­ ived in your h ­ ouse and m ­ ourned her fa­ther and moth­er for a full ­month, then you may go to her and be her hus­band and she s­ hall be your wife. If you are not ­pleased with her, let her go wher­ev­er she wish­es. You must not sell her or ­treat her as a ­slave, ­since you have dis­hon­ored her.

(Dt 21:10–14) What tenderness and sympathetic understanding call out from this admonition! The victor was not allowed to rush upon booty; he had to approach the prisoner of war with respect. He had to decide whether to retain her as worker or to take her as wife. Everything else was excluded. If he should take her as wife, he was henceforth not allowed to treat her as a prisoner. He must provide her with clothing because she was supposed to lay aside the clothing of her captivity. He was to allow her a full month of mourning, during which she was to be permitted to mourn and weep, according to proper decorum, for all of the relatives she lost in the war.

How God knows our feelings; how he respects them! With what love has he arranged the individual details that led to the restoration of the woman! She should be permitted to become whole again. She should have the opportunity to earn a positive attitude from her proprietor, who would perhaps then want to become her husband. The respect with which he had to treat this woman made marriage possible and even constituted the prerequisite for her success.

With what love and care had God personally taken precaution in the case of the failure of this marriage, which indeed stood beneath particular burdens because it took place across national and cultural lines!

How he lovingly took up the woman himself, guarded against her being reduced from the position of wife to that of a slave, and also did not permit her to be treated as an object from which money could be earned at will. Her husband was allowed to put her away only by respecting her as a free person having full disposition over herself. Just as he himself was only allowed to approach her as a husband, with full respect for her personhood, so he was only allowed to dismiss her with full respect for her personhood.

How very much does God love women! How he respects us as persons of equal value to the man in that he has expended such care to decree these regulations concerning our protection! I can believe his disposition concerning me is that I should be a woman—together with what all that means according to God’s Word—for my ultimate good. Once I began to accept his decree concerning me—to be a woman, then, little by little, I also have been made conscious of the good that he has thereby intended for me.

TITLE Genesis (Heb. Bere’shith, lit. “in the beginning”) is the first book of the Pentateuch or Torah (a designation for the first five books of the Old Testament). The title “Genesis” was first used in the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament).

AUTHOR Though Genesis has no explicit authorship statement, its inclusion in the Pentateuch suggests Mosaic authorship. Other books—­Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—­all assert Mosaic authorship (Ex 17:14; 24:4–­8; 34:27; Nu 33:1–­2; Dt 31:9,22). In the rest of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch is referred to collectively as “the Book of the Law of Moses” (Jos 8:31; 2Ki 14:6; Ne 13:1).

The New Testament confirms this authorship (Mt 19:8; Lk 24:27; Jn 5:45–­47; Ac 3:22; Ro 10:5; Rev 15:3). The familiarity of the writer of Genesis with Egyptian geography (Ge 45:10; 47:11) confirms that the author was well acquainted with Egyptian culture, as would have been Moses, who was reared in the household of Pharaoh. Some short sections of Genesis, such as the list of kings from the period of the Israelite monarchy, may have been added during the time of the divided kingdom (Ge 36); in the same way, cities are often given the names they bore during the time of the monarchy rather than their patriarchal names. These scribal additions could well have been made in the process of copying manuscripts and do not affect the book’s message other than to improve the clarity of Genesis for contemporary readers.

DATE The book tells the story of mankind from creation to the death of Joseph. Dating the events that relate to the creation, the flood, and the repopulation of the earth is impossible (Ge 1–­11), but the remainder of the book deals with the patriarchal age, which is roughly the same as the Middle Bronze Age (1950–­1550 BC). The customs found in Genesis bear striking parallels to laws and customs recorded in other documents of the second millennium, most notably those found in tablets discovered at the Hurrian city of Nuzi in northeastern Mesopotamia.

The Pentateuch as a whole was written between the exodus and the death of Moses (Dt 34). The exodus is variously dated, with 1445 BC as the earliest date. If this date is assumed, the death of Moses would fall around 1400 BC. Genesis was thus produced sometime in the late fifteenth century BC, several centuries after the patriarchs whose lives it describes.

BACKGROUND

Setting The setting is vast in scope since the book opens with the creation of the universe and closes with the small but growing number of the descendants of Jacob, now identified as Israel, who settled in the choice land of the Nile delta of Egypt. In between, the action focuses on the entire Fertile Crescent from the universal flood (which ended on the mountains of Ararat) and the tower of Babel (in the land of Shinar) to Abraham’s journeys throughout Canaan.

Purpose Genesis answers the question, “Who are we, and where did we come from?” God as the only Creator presented himself to a people about to enter a land filled with false idols. God confirmed his selection and sovereign preservation of this nation facing hardships in a new land. Most importantly, Genesis reveals that Israel was set apart by God from the very beginning of creation. This knowledge provided a motivation for Israel to remain free from the idolatry and paganism surrounding the nation.

Audience The Israelites were about to enter Canaan. Since the older generation (except Joshua and Caleb) had died in the desert, no others were left with a personal memory of God’s miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians. The young nation entering the promised land would be faced with an immense temptation to assimilate the idolatry, intermarriage and customs of the pagan nations around them.

This same temptation faces God’s people in every generation; Genesis reveals that God’s plan for setting apart his people stretches back to creation.

Literary Characteristics Genesis is a carefully structured book; its literary structure reinforces its explicit message. The first section, the story of creation (Ge 1:1–­2:3), is set up in two segments of three days each. The creative works of the first and the fourth days are parallel, since during the first day God created light and darkness, while on the fourth day he created the sun and moon to govern the periods of light and darkness. On the second day, the firmament divided the waters; on the fifth day, the inhabitants of the sky and water were created. The third day dry land and vegetation appeared; the sixth day land-­ dwellers were created to consume the vegetation. The structure emphasizes God’s plan and control over all aspects of creation.

After the introductory section, the book is divided by the recurrent phrase “This is the account of” (Heb. toledoth). Each occurrence of this phrase marks a new stage in God’s development of a chosen people. The story of mankind is presented as a whole (Ge 2:4—­4:26). After the judgment of mankind, the phrase appears repeatedly as a reminder that God chooses one man from each family (for example, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) to lead in preserving and carrying on the godly line. Also clear are the partnerships the patriarchs enjoyed with their wives—­Abraham and

Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel were part of God’s plan as well. The passing of God’s covenant promises from one generation to the next is emphasized by the parallel structure of the stories themselves. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all traveled to Egypt; all three endured tests followed by covenant renewals. Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel all suffered from barrenness, but each experienced God’s grace in bearing children who would play a major role in the building of a nation.

The primary theme of Genesis is God’s formation of the nation and his providential protection of a special people for himself. The methods God used to call out and shape this nation form the minor themes of the book.

God’s Sovereignty—­God appears first as sovereign Creator and Ruler; his power over history and the actions of his people reappears throughout the book in his preservation of his chosen ones.

God’s Covenant—­God uses the “covenant” (Heb. berith) continually to separate one man from the rest of mankind. The first covenant is made with Adam in the Garden of Eden (Ge 2:16–­17; see chart, The Covenants of Genesis). After the fall, God continues to make covenants with each subsequent generation, selecting one man from each family to continue godly seed for the next generation.

Covenants are made with Noah (Ge 9:9), Abraham (Ge 12:1–­3), Isaac (Ge 26:2–­5) and Jacob (Ge 28:13–­15).

God’s Redemption—­The story of the formation of the chosen people is the story of redemption. The “offspring,” the godly line of those faithful to the Lord, will eventually crush the “offspring” of the serpent, the wicked who live in rebellion against God (Ge 3:14–­15). This prophecy was ultimately fulfilled in the coming of Christ. Since Israel was God’s chosen nation from whom the Messiah was to come, Israel’s story reveals God’s redemptive action in human history.

THEMES The Threat to God’s Plan—­The fourth theme of Genesis is the struggle of the serpent and his offspring to destroy the chosen family. Sin, famine, war and the threat of national assimilation into the surrounding Canaanite culture conspired to block the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.

These threats are continually diverted by God’s sovereign, preserving power.

OUTLINE

I. Introduction: The Origins of the Heavens and the Earth (1:1–­2:3) A. The first day: light and darkness (1:1–­5) B. The second day: firmament (1:6–­8) C. The third day: seas and earth, vegetation (1:9–­13) D. The fourth day: sun, moon and stars (1:14–­19) E. The fifth day: sea creatures and birds (1:20–­23) F. The sixth day: land animals and mankind (1:24–­31) G. The seventh day: God’s rest (2:1–­3)

II. The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth: The Entry of Man (2:4—­4:26)

A. The placement of man in the garden (2:4–­17)

B. The creation of woman (2:18–­25)

C. The sin of the primal couple (3:1–­7)

D. The pronouncement of God’s judgment (3:8–­24)

E. The introduction of the family of Adam (4:1–­26) III. The Generations of Adam: The Chosen Line (5:1—­6:8)

A. The godly line of Seth (5:1–­32)

B. The great wickedness of the earth (6:1–­8) IV. The Generations of Noah: Judgment on the Earth (6:9—­9:29)

A. The pronouncement of God’s judgment (6:9—­7:6)

B. The preservation of Noah by the ark (7:7—­8:19)

C. The making of a covenant with Noah (8:20—­9:29) V. The Generations of Noah’s Sons: The Spread of Mankind (10:1—­11:9)

A. The descendants of Noah (10:1–­32)

B. God’s division of the nations (11:1–­9) VI. The Generations of Shem: God’s Choice of Abram (11:10—­25:11)

A. The godly line of Shem (11:10–­32)

B. God’s choice of Abram (12:1–­9)

C. Abram’s journey from his homeland (12:10—­14:24)

D. The miraculous birth of Isaac (15:1—­21:7)

E. The extension of God’s grace to Isaac (21:8—­25:11) VII. The Generations of Ishmael and Isaac: The Blessing of Abraham (25:12—­35:29)

A. The sons of Ishmael (25:12–­18)

B. God’s choice of Jacob (25:19—­28:22)

C. Jacob’s journey from his homeland (29:1—­33:17)

D. Jacob’s sojourn in Canaan (33:18—­35:29) VIII. The Generations of Esau: The Edomites (36:1–­43) IX. The Generations of Jacob: The Saving of Israel by Joseph (37:1—­50:26)

A. The conflict among the sons of Jacob (37:1—­38:30)

B. Joseph’s slavery in Egypt (39:1—­40:23)

C. Joseph’s rise to power (41:1–­57)

D. Joseph’s encounter with his brothers (42:1—­45:28)

E. Jacob’s journey with his household to Egypt (46:1—­47:26)

F. Jacob’s blessing on his descendants (47:27—­49:28)

G. The deaths of Jacob and Joseph in Egypt (49:29—­50:26)

5

The Beginning

1

In the be­gin­ning God cre­at­ed the heav­ens and the ­earth. 2 Now the ­earth was form­less and emp­ty, dark­ness was over the sur­face of the deep, and the Spir­it of God was hov­er­ing over the ­wa­ters.

3 And God said, “Let t­here be ­light,” and ­there was ­light. 4 God saw that the l­ight was good, and he sep­ar­ at­ed the ­light from the dark­ness. 5 God ­called the ­light “day,” and the dark­ness he ­called “night.” And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing — ​the ­first day.

6 And God said, “Let t­here be a v­ ault be­ tween the wa­ters to sep­a­rate wa­ter from wa­ter.” 7 So God made the v­ ault and sep­ a­rat­ed the wa­ter un­der the v­ ault from the wa­ter ­above it. And it was so. 8 God ­called the ­vault “sky.” And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing — ​the sec­ond day.

9 And God said, “Let the wa­ter un­der the sky be gath­ered to one p ­ lace, and let dry ­ground ap­pear.” And it was so. 10 God ­called the dry g­ round “land,” and the gath­ered wa­ters he ­called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land pro­ duce veg­e­ta­tion: seed-bear­ing ­plants and ­trees on the land that bear ­fruit with seed in it, ac­cord­ing to ­their var­ i­ous k ­ inds.” And it was so. 12 The land pro­duced veg­e­ta­tion: ­plants bear­ing seed ac­cord­ing to t­ heir ­kinds and t­ rees 1:1 The first verse of Genesis reveals the book’s vital underlying assumption: God is the ultimate Creator of everything.

The verb “created” (Heb. bara’, lit. “to make from nothing,” vv. 1,21,27; Ge 2:4) is used almost exclusively of divine activity (see Isa 43:15). The other verbs used for God’s creative activity are “made” (Heb. ’asah, vv. 16,25–­26; Ge 2:18; Heb. banah, lit. “built,” Ge 2:22) and “formed” (Heb. yatsar, Ge 2:7,19). The first chapter of Genesis uses the Hebrew word Elohim for God, emphasizing God’s character and power as the true and only God, the sole actor in creation. Though plural in form, the reference in number is to one and thus is used with a singular verb. This plural of majesty expresses honor and power.

1:2 This formlessness describes an earth wrecked by divine judgment (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). Some have theorized that the creation of the heavens and earth described in verse 1 was destroyed in the judgment of Lucifer (see Isa 14; Eze 23). This “Gap Theory” assumes a stretch of time between verses 1 and 2; verse 2 then begins the story of the re-­creation. More likely, Jeremiah and Ezekiel simply used the phrase as descriptive of utter desolation. According to this view, verse 1 describes

Genesis 1:20 bear­ing f­ruit with seed in it ac­cord­ ing to ­their ­kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And t­ here was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing — ​the ­third day.

14 And God said, “Let t­ here be l­ights in the ­vault of the sky to sep­a­rate the day from the ­night, and let them s­ erve as ­signs to mark ­sacred times, and days and ­years, 15 and let them be ­lights in the ­vault of the sky to give l­ ight on the ­earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two g­ reat l­ ights — ​ the great­er ­light to gov­ern the day and the less­er l­ight to gov­ern the n ­ ight. He also made the ­stars. 17 God set them in the ­vault of the sky to give l­ ight on the ­ ight, ­earth, 18 to gov­ern the day and the n and to sep­a­rate l­ight from dark­ness.

And God saw that it was good. 19 And ­there was eve­ning, and t­ here was morn­ ing — ​the ­fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the wa­ter teem with liv­ ing crea­tures, and let b ­ irds fly a­ bove the I COULD WISH THAT ALL YOUNG PERSONS MIGHT BE EXHORTED TO . . .

READ THE GREAT BOOK OF NATURE, WHEREIN THEY MAY SEE THE WISDOM AND POWER OF THE CREATOR, IN THE ORDER OF THE UNIVERSE, AND IN THE PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION OF ALL THINGS.

Anne Baynard, 1697 God’s first creative act, while verses 2–­31 follow with a detailed description of his creative work with an interlude of unfinished business between verses 1 and 2. Here God is depicted as having a “Spirit” (Heb. ruach, lit. “wind” or “breath”) who acts as his agent in creation, although the Spirit is not revealed as a separate member of the Trinity until the NT (see Jn 3:1–­21; 14:16–­17,26; 16:5–­14; 20:22). “Hovering” implies “brooding” in the sense of a mother bird nurturing life.

1:5 The first day. The word “day” (Heb. yom) is somewhat ambiguous. It may refer to the 24-­hour period of darkness and light (see Ex 12:18) or simply to a specific period of time: for example, the “day of the Lord” is a time of judgment (Isa 13:6).

“Day” is further defined as “evening” and “morning” (see Ps 55:17).

1:11 The order of creation demanded that reproduction only occur within certain limits. Although it is impossible to determine the exact boundaries of “kinds,” divisions existed between types of plants (v. 12), types of sea creatures and birds (v. 21), and different species of earth animals (v. 25). Man is sharply separated from animals (v. 26).

6

Genesis 1:21

The Image of God Infor Genesis Theological Foundations Headship THEOLOGICAL TRUTH

REFERENCE

The priority of Adam’s creation.

Ge 2:7

The use of the name “Adam” for the entire race.

Ge 2:20

The investiture of Adam with authority prior to Eve’s creation.

Ge 2:15

The assignment to the man of the responsibility for provision and protection.

Ge 2:15–17

The responsibility of the man in naming the animals.

Ge 2:20

The designation of the woman as the man’s helper.

Ge 2:18,20

The naming of the woman by the man.

Ge 2:23; 3:20

The recognition of the man as leader and spokesman.

Ge 3:9,11

e­ arth ­across the ­vault of the sky.” 21 So God cre­at­ed the g­ reat crea­tures of the sea and ev­ery liv­ing ­thing with ­which the wa­ter ­teems and that moves about in it, ac­cord­ing to t­ heir ­kinds, and ev­ery ­winged bird ac­cord­ing to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God ­blessed them and said, “Be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber and fill the wa­ter in the seas, and let the ­birds in­crease on the ­earth.”

23 And ­there was eve­ning, and t­ here was morn­ing — ​the ­fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land pro­duce liv­ ing crea­tures ac­cord­ing to ­their ­kinds: the live­stock, the crea­tures that move ­along the g­ round, and the wild an­i­mals, each ac­cord­ing to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild an­i­mals ac­cord­ ing to ­their ­kinds, the live­stock ac­cord­ ing to t­ heir k ­ inds, and all the crea­tures that move ­along the ­ground ac­cord­ing to ­their ­kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man­ kind in our im­age, in our like­ness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the b ­ irds in the sky, over the live­stock and all the wild an­im ­ als, a and 1:26 The plurality used by God in reference to himself does not detract from his unity (see v. 1, note). “Mankind” (Heb. ’Adam) is obviously a generic reference to both man and woman. The text of Scripture does not use gender-­inclusive language and often lets the masculine serve for both mascu-

over all the crea­tures that move ­along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

28 God ­blessed them and said to them, “Be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber; fill the ­earth and sub­due it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the ­birds in the sky and over ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture that ­moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you ev­ ery seed-bear­ing p ­ lant on the face of the ­whole ­earth and ev­ery tree that has ­fruit with seed in it. They will be ­yours for food. 30 And to all the ­beasts of the e­ arth and all the ­birds in the sky and all the crea­tures that move along the ­ground — ​ev­ery­thing that has the ­breath of life in it — ​I give ev­ery g­ reen ­plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And t­ here was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing — ​the ­sixth day. a 26

Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth

line and feminine, as here (see also chart, Female Metaphors for God). The passage does not specify in what way mankind bears God’s image. “Image” (representation) and “likeness” (similarity) are synonymous—­both referring to something made after the pattern of something else.

7

Genesis 2:3

HEADSHIP

SERVANT LEADERSHIP Headship is a responsibility to assume with humility and not a right to demand with pride. As defined in Scripture, it is first assigned to the husband during the act of creation as part of the pre-­fall perfection.

The man was created first (Ge 2:7), and the woman was created as his helper so that he would not be alone in his dominion over the world (Ge 2:18). She was always part of the divine plan for fellowship, continuing the generations, and doing the work assigned by God (Ge 1:26–­28). This is further verified when Adam is vested with the ultimate responsibility for disobedience because he received the directive concerning the forbidden fruit from God himself (Ge 2:15–­17). Eve was only aware of the command through her husband.

The apostle Paul further clarified how headship was established as he reiterated the order of creation and stated that the woman was created for the man and not vice versa (1Co 11:2–­12). Paul did not appeal to the curse on man or the fall as a reason for man’s headship; rather, he appealed to the act of and purpose for the woman’s creation before the fall.

Marriage was designed by God, before there was any creative activity, to be a picture of his own relationship with his people, then to pattern the relationship between Christ and his church. The fall introduced sin, and the relationship between husbands and wives was distorted: loving servant headship was replaced by tyranny and a desire for power or by an indifference and unwillingness to offer spiritual leadership.

In Biblical headship, the husband is assigned the primary responsibility for Christlike, servant leadership in the home (Eph 5:23–­29). The wife is then expected to respond in honoring and affirming her husband’s leadership (Eph 5:21–­22,33; 1Pe 3:1–­4). A balance between leadership and servanthood is necessary. Our Lord is a pattern for such leadership. Jesus’ servanthood did not cancel his leadership. His servanthood defined leadership (Lk 22:26; Heb 13:17).

Headship should not merely prescribe who does what but rather should be a basis for moving forward the goals of a family in an orderly manner. The husband is not Christ; however, he should encourage his wife and children to give allegiance to and depend on Christ.

The husband is to lead his wife in a partnership that glorifies God. In loving headship, the husband humbles himself to meet the needs of his wife—­loving, nourishing, and cherishing her as a treasure (Eph 5:25–­29; 1Pe 3:7).

See also Ge 3:1–­20; Col 3:18–­19; Heb 13:7; chart on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Job 31); notes on Authority (Jn 19); Femininity (Ps 144); Husbands (Job 31; 2Co 6); Marriage (Ge 2; 2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Masculinity (Ge 2); Patriarchy (Ge 28); Submission (1Pe 3); Wives (Pr 31)

2

Thus the heav­ens and the ­earth were com­plet­ed in all ­their vast ar­ray.

2 By the sev­enth day God had fin­ished the work he had been do­ing; so on the sev­

enth day he rest­ed from all his work.

3 Then God ­blessed the sev­enth day and made it holy, be­cause on it he rest­ed from all the work of cre­at­ing that he had done.

2:2 The word “Sabbath” (Heb. shabbath, lit. “cease”) is reserved for the seventh day, during which there is cessation from labor. The author of Hebrews links God’s rest at creation with the gospel. Believing the gospel is entering his rest (Heb 4:3), and God’s day of rest at creation is like the rest we have from our works when we believe in Jesus for salvation (Heb 4:10). God modeled this rest at creation and gives instructions to his children to do the same (Ex 20:8–­11).

2:3 Making the Lord’s day holy is to separate it from the rest

by dedicating it to God. God set this day apart after creation and reminds us through the Sabbath that we have rest from our works through him (Heb 4:1–­10). Unlike the other six days of creation, the record of the seventh day is not recorded with the “evening and morning” formula, perhaps suggesting the continuing observance of the Sabbath throughout the history of Israel.

Genesis 2:4

8

Adam and Eve 4 This

MASCULINITY

THE NATURE OF A MAN God has gifted men with great capacities for responsible leadership. This can be channeled positively into the church and all walks of life through teaching, leading by moral example and supporting righteous causes (1Ti 2:8). Masculine power when sanctified can be used in a positive way, such as in the lives of great men through whom God provides leadership. Abraham showed us the trait of “adventure” with God by taking steps of faith where no man had gone (Ge 12–­18). We see vision in Moses (Exodus) and faithfulness in Joshua, even when he was in the minority (Dt 31:6–­8). David showed courage to fight against incredible odds (1Sa 17), and Nehemiah had initiative as a builder, organizing men to rebuild a wall and a city (Ne 1–­8). By contrast, men like Nebuchadnezzar used their power for destruction and cruelty in war (2Ki 24:10–­ 17). How wonderful that God balances this image of dominant masculine strength and power with the example of the Lord Jesus who was moved by compassion (Mt 20:34), loved little children (Mk 10:14), cried at the death of his friend (Jn 11:35), and gave his life so that others might live (Jn 3:16). The “man of integrity” (Job 31) finds a parallel in the “woman of strength” (Pr 31:10–­31).

See also Eph 5:25–­33; 6:4; chart on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Job 31); notes on Biblical Equality (Eph 5); Fatherhood (Eph 5); Femininity (Ps 144); Husbands (Job 31; 2Co 6)

2:4 The account of the heavens and the earth. Some scholars have suggested that Genesis 1 and 2 are different creation stories placed side by side. The structure of chapter 2 does not support this theory. Verses 1–­3 complete the recounting of the seven days of creation; verses 4–­7 in Hebrew are one long sentence summarizing God’s creative activity. A more detailed description follows of the creation of the man (vv. 7,15–­17), of the garden in which the man and woman would live (vv. 8–­14), and of the woman who was to be his “helper” (vv. 18–­25). The word “account” (lit. “generations”) is elsewhere used to introduce genealogical lines (Ge 5:1; 10:1). The name of the Creator (Heb. Elohim) is here joined to his covenant name (Heb. Yahweh) and translated “Lord God,” making clear that the great Sovereign of the universe and the covenant God of Israel are one.

2:8 The garden in Eden (perhaps meaning “delight”). This original habitat (Heb. gan, lit. “a place hedged round” or “a

is the ac­count of the heav­ens and the ­earth when they were cre­at­ed, when the Lord God made the e­ arth and the heav­ens.

5 Now no ­shrub had yet ap­peared on the ­earth a and no ­plant had yet ­sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the e­ arth and t­ here was no one to work the g­ round, 6 but ­streams b came up from the e ­ arth and wa­tered the ­whole sur­face of the ­ground.

7 Then the Lord God ­formed a man c from the dust of the g­ round and b ­ reathed into his nos­ trils the b ­ reath of life, and the man be­came a liv­ing be­ing.

8 Now the Lord God had plant­ed a gar­den in the east, in Eden; and t­here he put the man he had ­formed. 9 The Lord God made all ­kinds of t­ rees grow out of the g­ round — ​ ­trees that were pleas­ing to the eye and good for food. In the mid­dle of the gar­den were the tree of life and the tree of the knowl­edge of good and evil.

10 A riv­er wa­ter­ing the gar­den ­flowed from Eden; from ­there it was sep­a­rat­ed into four head­wa­ters. 11 The name of the ­first is the Pi­shon; it w ­ inds t­ hrough the en­tire land of Hav­i­lah, ­where ­there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; ar­om ­ at­ic res­in d and onyx 13 are also ­there.) The name of the sec­ond riv­ er is the Gi­hon; it ­winds ­through the en­tire land of Cush. e 14 The name of the ­third riv­ er is the Ti­gris; it runs a­ long the east side of Ash­ur. And the f­ ourth riv­er is the Eu­phra­tes.

15 T he Lord God took the man and put him in the Gar­den of Eden to work it and a 5 Or land ; also in verse 6 b 6 Or mist c 7

The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah) ; it is also the name Adam (see verse 20). d 12 Or good; pearls e 13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia

protected place”) was a delightful shelter, containing everything the man and woman needed: food (v. 9), beauty (v. 9), water (v. 10), fellowship with God (v. 16; see also Ge 3:8) and human companionship (Ge 2:22–­25).

2:11–­14 Two rivers may have connected the Tigris and Euphrates, which run parallel. The Pishon (v. 11) and the Gihon (v. 13) may also have been tributaries of the Nile. Havilah was probably in Armenia or Mesopotamia. The name is preceded by the definite article in this verse, distinguishing it from the territory mentioned in Genesis 25:18 and 1 Samuel 15:7. Cush is traditionally Ethiopia or Nubia but may also refer to Kassite territory east of the Tigris. “Ashur” was probably a city.

2:15 Labor was instituted before the fall, not as a result of the curse. “To work it” carries the idea of service; to “take care of it” (Heb. shamar) is to “guard” and “preserve” (a word used in reference to the cherubim who guard the tree of life, Ge 3:24).

9

Genesis 2:23

MARRIAGE

GOD’S PLAN FOR MARRIAGE God’s plan for marriage is introduced here (Ge 2:24) and repeated in the Gospels (Mt 19:5) and in the New Testament letters (Eph 5:31). Marriage was perfect in its establishment: one man and one woman in a lifetime commitment.

God never intended for man to be alone (Ge 2:18). The very bone from which woman was crafted came from man (Ge 2:23). Woman was taken out of man and then presented to man in order to complete him.

God created the man and the woman in his image (Ge 1:26) with physical and emotional needs that only another human being could meet (Ge 2:18).

No parents were in Eden, but God’s plan extended to the future with his formula for oneness in marriage.

The partners are to “leave” their parents and “be united” (KJV “cleave”) in order to become one (Ge 2:24).

They are to be willing to lay aside all that pertains to their old loyalties and lifestyles of separate goals and plans and be united to one another. This “uniting” refers to a strong, enduring bond—­making one unit bound together by unconditional commitment, love and acceptance—­resulting in a combined unit much stronger than either individual had been separately (Ecc 4:9–­12).

No other human relationship, not with parent or child, is to supersede the bond between husband and wife. Marriage is a covenant commitment—­a vow made to God and the partner, not only to love but also to be faithful and to endure in this lifelong exclusive relationship (Mt 19:6).

Marriage is a threefold miracle. It is a biological miracle by which two people actually become one flesh; it is a social miracle through which two families are grafted together; it is a spiritual miracle in that the marriage relationship pictures the union of Christ and his bride, the church (Eph 5:23–­27). God clearly intended transparency and openness as part of his plan for the marriage relationship—­vulnerability without shame (Ge 2:25).

See also notes on Biblical Equality (Eph 5); Family (Ge 32; 1Sa 3; Ps 78; 127); Husbands (Job 31; 2Co 6); Marriage (2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Wives (Pr 31)

take care of it. 16 And the Lord God com­ mand­ed the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the gar­den; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowl­edge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will cer­tain­ly die.”

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be a­ lone. I will make a help­er suit­able for him.”

19 Now the Lord God had f­ ormed out of the ­ground all the wild an­i­mals and all the b ­ irds in the sky. He b ­ rought them to the man to see what he w ­ ould name them; and what­ev­ er the man ­called each liv­ing crea­ture, that was its name. 20 So the man gave ­names to all

the live­stock, the ­birds in the sky and all the wild an­i­mals.

But for Adam a no suit­able help­er was ­found. 21 So the Lord God c­ aused the man to fall into a deep s­ leep; and w ­ hile he was sleep­ing, he took one of the m ­ an’s ribs b and then ­closed up the ­place with ­flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a wom­an from the rib c he had tak­en out of the man, and he b ­ rought her to the man.

23 The man said,

2:18 The word for “helper” (Heb. ’ezer) is a strong term. It can also mean to “nourish” or “sustain.” The term is used for God himself throughout the Old Testament (see Dt 33:29; Ps 33:20; 70:5; 121:1–­2). The woman was created in the image of God (Ge 1:27), and her creation as a “helper” to the man ­reflects

a­ spects of the character of God, particularly related to his nourishing, sustaining and protecting care of his children.

2:19 The word “man” referred to man and woman collectively and revealed their origin (v. 7, ’adamah, Heb., lit. “ground” or “earth”; see Ge 1–­5).

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; a 20 Or the man b 21 Or took part of the man’s side c 22 Or part

Genesis 2:24

10

THE CREATION OF THE WOMAN God identified himself as a “helper” (Heb. ‘ezer) to Israel (Ex 18:4; Dt 33:7). The word does not imply inferiority. It describes function rather than worth. No one loses value in humbly assuming the role of helper. As a “helper” to the man, the woman became his partner spiritually in the overwhelming task of obedience to God and dominion over the earth. She was also to be a vital part of extending the generations (Ge 1:28). The woman, as ultimate friend to the man, would bring him comfort and fellowship (Ge 2:23–­24). No one else could encourage and inspire him as she was created to do. The phrase “suitable to him” (Heb. kenegdo, lit. “corresponding to what is in front of him”) occurs only in verses 18 and 20, emphasizing the commonality of the man and the woman. Designed as the perfect counterpart for the man, the woman was neither inferior nor superior, but she was alike and equal to the man in her personhood while different and unique in her function.

Man and woman were both created in God’s image. Just as man was formed from earth, woman was formed from man. She corresponds perfectly to the man, the same flesh and blood, and in “the image of God” just as the man, equal to him in every way (Ge 1:27). By the creative act itself, she is inseparably linked to the man. The unity of the race is assured (Ge 1:27–­28); the woman’s dignity and worth is affirmed (Ge 2:22); the foundation for Christian marriage is set forth in a memorable way (v. 24).

The woman was not an afterthought. The man was designed and created physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually with her coming creation planned and assured. In fact, God said that the man “alone” was not good; he needed the woman (v. 18). God made man from “the dust of the ground,” but he made the woman from “one of the man’s ribs” (Heb. tsela‘, lit. “side”).

God uses Adam to express the uniqueness of the woman in a unique play on words. Even the language itself reflects the unity God planned between the man (Heb. ’ish) and the woman (Heb. ’ishshah). The expression “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament as an expression of blood relationship. Though Adam’s naming of the woman does not in itself require his authority over her, the act of assigning a name in the Oriental culture—­even to now—­is significant and in most cases does imply both authority and responsibility. Note, for example, the naming of the animals (vv. 19–­20), Pharaoh’s renaming of Joseph (Ge 41:45), the renaming of Mattaniah by Nebuchadnezzar (2Ki 24:17), and the renaming of Daniel and his friends by Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuch (Da 1:6–­7). The woman’s name is a recognition of her origins, in the same way that Adam’s name acknowledges his creation from the earth (Ge 2:19, note).

See also Ge 1:27; 24:67; chart on God’s Plan for Marriage; portrait of Eve (Ge 3)

she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

The Fall

3

Now the ser­pent was more c­ rafty than any of the wild an­i­mals the Lord God is why a man ­leaves his fa­ther and moth­er and is unit­ed to his wife, and they had made. He said to the wom­an, “Did God real­ly say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in be­come one flesh.

25 Adam and his wife were both na­ked, and the gar­den’?”

2 The wom­an said to the ser­pent, “We may they felt no shame.

24 That

2:24 The marriage covenant has three parts (see chart, God’s Plan for Marriage):

3) to “become one flesh” in physical union, which notes the deepest and most exclusive intimacy.

1) to leave father and mother, a reference to the wedding ceremony or time of public commitment, 2) to be “united,” suggesting tender affection and faithful commitment in a permanent relationship of growing love, and

The Hebrew verbs translated here as “leaves” and “is united” are used elsewhere in Scripture to describe covenant relationships (see Dt 4:4; Jer 1:16).

3:1 Satan chose to disguise himself as a “crafty” (lit. “shrewd” or “clever”) creature. The text does not comment on why the

11

Genesis 3:9

T H E FA L L O F C R E AT I O N

REJECTION OF THE CREATOR’S PLAN The sentences passed on man and woman at the time of the fall affected their relationships to God, nature, and each other. The judgment that followed is not necessarily related to the nature of the sin committed. However tragic and far-­reaching the consequences, sin does not force the Creator to cancel his plan. Rather, sin perverts and hinders our response to his plan. As a result of the fall, pain has been added to childbirth, tyranny to headship, rebellion to submission, and problems to work, as well as separation to the fellowship of union.

Of particular interest to women is the twofold judgment of Genesis 3:16. Women were assigned “pains in childbearing.” Childbearing itself is not the judgment. Children are a heritage and reward from the Lord (Ps 127:3), and giving birth is a woman’s opportunity to link hands with the Creator to continue the generations (Ge 1:28). Imagining a pain-­free childbirth experience is difficult, but this is apparently the original plan of the Creator.

The second part of the judgment—­“your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you”—­ described the painful consequences of sin in the male-­female relationship. Both the man and woman chose to ignore the Creator’s plan and do things their own way. The complementary roles of man and woman, which had originally functioned to produce unity and harmony, would henceforth be a source of friction. God’s plan did not change. However, woman would have a sin tendency to disrespect man’s role of leadership, and man in his sinfulness would tend to abuse his authority and even crush the woman.

Christian men and women are given clear principles to counteract these effects of sin and are reminded of their equality as persons (1Pe 3:7) and of the complementary, harmonious relationship for which they were created (Eph 5:21–­33; Col 3:18–­19).

See also notes on Biblical Equality (Eph 5); Marriage (Ge 2; 2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Submission (1Pe 3)

eat ­fruit from the ­trees in the gar­den, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat f­ ruit from the tree that is in the mid­dle of the gar­den, and you must not ­touch it, or you will die.’ ” 4 “ You will not cer­ tain­ly die,” the ser­ pent said to the wom­an. 5 “For God ­knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be ­opened, and you will be like God, know­ing good and evil.”

6 When the wom­an saw that the ­fruit of the tree was good for food and pleas­ing to the eye, and also de­sir­able for gain­ing wis­

dom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her hus­band, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were ­opened, and they re­al­ized they were na­ked; so they ­sewed fig ­leaves to­geth­er and made cov­er­ings for them­selves.

8 Then the man and his wife h ­ eard the ­sound of the Lord God as he was walk­ing in the gar­den in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God a­ mong the t­ rees of the gar­den. 9 But the Lord God ­called to the man, “Where are you?”

serpent approached the woman—­perhaps because she, unlike Adam, did not receive this prohibition directly from God (see Ge 2:16–­17).

3:3 Satan began his conversation with the woman by questioning God (v. 1). The woman distorted God’s command by adding her own interpretation, “and you must not touch it, or you will die” (v. 3). Either she was exaggerating in hopes of making God’s directive so restrictive as to appear unjust, or Adam did not properly convey the prohibition to her.

3:5 The serpent contradicted God, using the phrasing of the

divine command (v. 4). The temptation to disobedience involved gaining knowledge without first learning obedience.

Ultimately, every temptation is to go your own way instead of God’s way (Pr 14:12; 22:6, note).

3:6 The tree is pleasing to the eye, good for food, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Both the man and the woman sinned through listening to another created being rather than to God (see Jas 1:15; charts, The Results of Sin; Temptation: The Analysis of a Successful Trap).

Genesis 3:10

12 10 He an­swered, “I h ­ eard you in the gar­den,

THE CURSE The curse is not just a judgment rendered but is also an explanation of the relationship between the man and the woman after the fall. Alienation is now present between the man and the woman, and between the couple and God, and that means a distortion of God’s plan, but there is no indication in the text that he has eliminated the headship of the man in marriage. God does not make his plans dependent upon perfect people or the right circumstances. The curse offers a vivid description of the conditions that exist in a fallen world: pain in childbirth, abuse of headship, and defiance rather than submission.

Childbirth could not be a curse because that has always been God’s plan for producing the next generation. Nevertheless, pain and suffering now accompany the experience.

Work is not a curse since that, too, was part of the Creator’s plan. The man needed a helper for his responsibilities of dominion. Sin made the work difficult. Some suggest that the woman assumed leadership and ignored the directive that came to her through her husband (Ge 3:6), and the man listened to his wife, abandoning his own responsibility for leadership (v. 17).

In any case, both the woman and the man determined to go their own ways rather than going God’s way, and this act of disobedience is what broke their fellowship with God. See also Pr 22:6, note; charts on The Results of Sin; Theological Foundations for Headship; Role Relationship Between Men and Women; note on Headship (Ge 1)

and I was a­ fraid be­cause I was na­ked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were na­ked? Have you eat­en from the tree that I com­mand­ed you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The wom­an you put here with me — ​she gave me some f­ ruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the wom­an, “What is this you have done?”

The wom­an said, “The ser­pent de­ceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the ser­pent, “Be­ cause you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring a and hers; he will crush b your head, and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the wom­an he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Be­cause you lis­tened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree a­ bout ­which I com­mand­ed you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ a 15 Or seed b 15 Or strike

3:12 Adam’s response indicates his refusal to take responsibility for his own actions. The woman copied this typical response to sin (v. 13).

3:14 God’s judgment on the serpent does not distinguish between the earthly creature and Satan, who is later revealed as the animal’s motivating intelligence (Rev 12:9). The serpent is charming but deadly (Nu 21:6; Ecc 10:11) and represents opposition to God (Job 26:13; Isa 27:1).

3:15 The first prophecy of the coming of the Messiah is known as the protevangelium (Lat., lit. “the first preaching of the gospel”). In the OT, “offspring” is used to refer both to individual offspring and to descendants in general. The woman plays a key role not only because she was approached and entrapped by Satan but also because she is “the mother of all the living” (v. 20), for through her the Savior would come (Gal 4:4).

Whereas in human reproduction the sperm is delivered to the womb of the woman by the man, in the miraculous conception of Jesus the Messiah, the offspring came to the woman as a result of the Holy Spirit’s overshadowing her (Lk 1:35; see Isa 7, The Virgin Birth). A messianic interpretation is justified since the crushing of the serpent’s head implies a mortal wound. On the other hand, the striking of the “heel” is not fatal, a reference ultimately to the Savior’s sufferings, which were only preparatory to his victorious resurrection (see Isa 53:5).

3:16 The woman’s judgment. Unlike his words to the serpent and the man, God did not use the verb “cursed” (Heb. ’rur) in passing judgment on the woman. The first part of the judgment can also be translated “your sorrow in conception”; the blessing of fertility still exists but has been distorted. The Hebrew word for “sorrow” is a form of the word translated “pain”

13

Genesis 3:21

Eve :

T H E M OT H E R O F A L L L I V I N G

Adam was given supervision over the creation, but God declared that for him to live his life alone was not good. From the man’s rib God created a woman and presented her as a wife to Adam, climaxing his creative work (Ge 2:18–­24). Eve was not an afterthought or happenstance but an indispensable part of God’s plan. Both Adam and Eve, made “in the image of God,” stood as his representatives in the world to care for all he put under their dominion.

Purity and innocence were shattered, however, when the serpent entered the scene. Eve chose to believe Satan’s lie. She was free to put her will above God’s will, and she did. When she offered the fruit to her husband, he, too, disobeyed. In the New Testament, Paul clarified their actions, saying that Eve was deceived; whereas Adam ate with full knowledge of wrongdoing (2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14). Then, filled with guilt, the couple hid from God, fashioning fig leaf coverings to hide their shame. Not only had they broken their relationship with God, but also they had broken their relationship with one another and with all the generations to come and even with the world and nature over which they were to rule.

God cursed the serpent and the ground for man’s sake, and he prophesied sorrow, toil and death for the first couple. Pain for the woman would come in giving birth and rearing children and in her relationship to her husband. She would resist his leadership just as his rule over her would be distorted (Ge 3:16).

Evicted from her lovely home, Eve conceived and bore two sons, although her joy at their birth was changed by the heartache predicted by God. Cain murdered his brother in defiance of God’s command concerning sacrifices, and God banished him. Eve was left childless until God’s grace once again appeared in the form of another son, Seth, who became an ancestor of the Messiah.

Eve stands as an archetype of womanhood. Although created in God’s image (Ge 1:27), she exercised her will to disobey the Creator (Ge 3:6), daring to challenge his authority. Disobedience was not in itself a motive but presupposed the motive. Her temptation was not merely to disobey but ultimately to have her own way or to get possession of what she wanted. As her daughter, every woman bears her likeness. Eve voices an early warning to every woman to follow the path of obedience and a resounding note of hope for women when they fail; she encountered God’s justice, but she also experienced his grace (see Ro 5:18–­19).

See also Ge 2:18—­4 :25; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:13–­14; notes on Marriage (Ge 2; 2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Motherhood (1Sa 1; Isa 49; Eze 16); Obedience (Phm)

“Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food in this verse, implying hard labor and appearing again as “toil” (v. 17). The word “desire” (Heb. teshuqah) appears only twice more in the OT (Ge 4:7, where sin “desires” Cain; SS 7:10, where the man’s longing for his beloved is described).

3:20 Adam’s naming of Eve (Heb., lit. “life” or “living”) was an act of faith in God’s promise (v. 15). After the sentence of

until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

20 Adam a ­named his wife Eve, b be­cause she ­would be­come the moth­er of all the liv­ing.

21 The Lord God made gar­ments of skin for Adam and his wife and c­ lothed them. a 20 Or The man b 20

Eve probably means living.

death, before any children are born, Adam affirmed the woman and her role in producing future generations, providing a counterbalance of hope.

3:21 Garments of skin. The contrast is to the inadequate coverings of verse 7. God, not man, is able to cover shame and guilt. This reference is often seen as a prefigurement of

14

Genesis 3:22

The The Results Results Of of Sin VERSE

RESULT

3:7

• The experiential knowledge of evil.

• The shame and guilt.

• The search for clothing to cover.

3:8

• The desire for concealment.

• The fear of God’s presence.

• The loss of fellowship with God.

3:12

• The refusal of personal responsibility.

• The shifting of blame from self to others.

22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now

be­come like one of us, know­ing good and evil. He must not be al­lowed to ­reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live for­ev­er.” 23 So the Lord God ban­ ished him from the Gar­den of Eden to work the ­ground from w ­ hich he had been tak­en.

24 Af­ter he d ­ rove the man out, he p ­ laced on the east side a of the Gar­den of Eden cher­u­ bim and a flam­ing s­ word flash­ing back and ­forth to ­guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

4

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you an­gry? Why is your face down­cast? 7 If you do

what is ­right, will you not be ac­cept­ed? But if you do not do what is ­right, sin is crouch­ing at your door; it de­sires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

8 Now Cain said to his broth­er Abel, “Let’s go out to the ­field.” e ­While they were in the ­field, Cain at­tacked his broth­er Abel and ­killed him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your broth­er Abel?”

“I ­don’t know,” he re­plied. “Am I my broth­ er’s keep­er?”

10 The Lord said, “What have you done?

Lis­ten! Your broth­er’s ­blood ­cries out to me from the g­ round. 11 Now you are un­der a c­ urse and driv­en from the g­ round, w ­ hich ­opened its ­mouth to re­ceive your broth­er’s ­blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ­ground, it will no lon­ger y­ ield its c­ rops for you. You will be a rest­less wan­der­er on the earth.”

Adam b made love to his wife Eve, and she be­came preg­nant and gave ­birth to Cain. c She said, “With the help of the Lord I have ­brought ­forth d a man.” 2 Lat­er she gave ­birth to his broth­er Abel.

Now Abel kept ­flocks, and Cain ­worked the soil. 3 In the ­course of time Cain ­brought some of the ­fruits of the soil as an of­fer­ing to the Lord. 4 And Abel also ­brought an of­fer­ ing — ​fat por­tions from some of the first­born of his ­flock. The Lord ­looked with fa­vor on Abel and his of­fer­ing, 5 but on Cain and his of­fer­ing he did not look with fa­vor. So Cain was very an­gry, and his face was down­cast.

a 24 Or placed in front b 1 Or The man c 1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired. d 1 Or have acquired e 8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”

Christ’s atonement on the cross, which required the shedding of blood to cover guilt (Heb 9:22) and pictured the death of the innocent for the guilty (2Co 5:21; Ro 5:6–­11).

3:24 Expulsion from the garden. Adam and Eve were sent from the garden. Thus, God’s action mingled justice and mercy, which had been central to their fellowship with God and a privilege the two were now unable to enjoy (v. 8). The gate to the garden, apparently in the east like the temple gate, would be guarded by cherubim, representing God’s presence and his separation from unholy man (see 2Ki 19:15; Ps 80:1).

4:4 Abel presented the firstborn of his flock—­a lamb—­as

his offering to God, and in so doing he honored the Lord’s Word (Heb 11:4). God accepted that offering and commended Abel. Cain chose his own offering, which was rejected by God. Abel also included “fat” pieces, which, coupled with the reference to “firstborn,” indicated that he gave God his best. Cain, on the other hand, presented his offering “in the course of time” or simply because it was time to give. God demands his requirements be met in his way. Ritual in itself never satisfies God and is an abomination to him. Above all, Abel presented his sacrifice with the right heart, while Cain did not (vv. 4–­5).

15

Genesis 4:22

EUTHANASIA

GOD’S TIMING IN DEATH In a jealous rage, Cain killed his brother, Abel. God cursed Cain and sent him away. Fearing his own murder, Cain begged God for safety. God responded that whoever killed Cain would receive vengeance from him. God then set a “mark” on Cain to protect his life and make a statement to all: life comes from God (Ge 4:1–­15). Not only does God prohibit vengeful killing, but he makes clear that life and death are solely in his domain. Life is sacred. God alone is responsible for the termination of life.

Euthanasia (Gk.) is defined as terminating life in order to achieve some concept of good, such as putting an end to physical suffering. It may include death by the individual’s choice or by the choice of others.

It also includes several other concepts, such as “death with dignity,” “mercy killing” and even “death selection.” Euthanasia covers a wide range and may be either active or passive. It may involve actions to produce death or could merely be the withholding of life-­extending supports. Whereas extraordinary life-prolonging measures are praiseworthy and noble for those who can and choose to do so, there is no moral obligation to pursue this course. God has ordained a natural process for ending this life and beginning the next. However, in every case, euthanasia involves human decision to determine the manner and timing of death for some supposed good.

Christians should entrust mortality to God. Life is not something we own. Rather, the opportunity to experience life is a gift from our Creator, and the possession of life is a stewardship trust. God always remains the true “Owner” of life, so it is never ours to do with as we want. Death’s timing is God’s choice, not that of an individual or society. Life is valuable to the Lord, and even the life continuation of the murderer Cain was protected by the Creator of life.

See also Ge 1:27; notes on Aging (Isa 46); Death (1Co 15); Disabilities (Mk 2); Pain (Job 7; 2Co 12); Sanctity of Life (Ge 9); Suffering (Ps 33; 113; Isa 43; 1Pe 5) 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My pun­ish­ment is more than I can bear. 14 To­day you are driv­ing

me from the land, and I will be hid­den from your pres­ence; I will be a rest­less wan­der­ er on the ­earth, and who­ev­er ­finds me will kill me.”

15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so a; any­ one who k ­ ills Cain will suf­fer ven­geance sev­ en ­times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who f­ound him w ­ ould WE CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT HIS DESIRE TO REVEAL WILL ALWAYS BE GREATER THAN OUR DESIRE TO KNOW.

Carrie Anna Pearce 4:15 The mark on Cain, like Adam and Eve’s clothing, was for protection, an act of mercy even in the midst of judgment (Ge 3:21). The “mark” (lit. “sign” or “pledge”) was the concrete proof of God’s promise.

4:19 Two genealogical lines run in parallel—­the line in re-

kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s pres­ence and l­ived in the land of Nod, b east of Eden.

17 Cain made love to his wife, and she be­ came preg­nant and gave b ­ irth to E ­ noch. Cain was then build­ing a city, and he ­named it af­ ter his son ­Enoch. 18 To ­Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the fa­ther of Me­hu­ja­el, and Me­ hu­ja­el was the fa­ther of Me­thu­sha­el, and Me­ thu­sha­el was the fa­ther of La­mech.

19 La­mech mar­ried two wom­en, one ­named Adah and the oth­er Zil­lah. 20 Adah gave ­birth to Ja­bal; he was the fa­ther of t­ hose who live in ­tents and ­raise live­stock. 21 His broth­er’s name was Ju­bal; he was the fa­ther of all who play ­stringed in­stru­ments and ­pipes. 22 Zil­lah a 15

b 16

Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).

bellion against God, as Cain’s was, and the godly chosen line (v. 26). The rebellious line may be related to the offspring of the serpent (Ge 3:15). Lamech, by taking two wives, illustrated the ungodliness of his family as the first to break the Creator’s one-­man, one-­woman pattern for marriage (Ge 2:24, note).

Genesis 4:23

16

also had a son, Tu­bal-Cain, who ­forged all Seth l­ived a to­tal of 912 y­ ears, and then he ­ inds of t­ ools out of a ­bronze and iron. Tu­ died. k 9 When ­Enosh had ­lived 90 ­years, he be­ bal-­Cain’s sis­ter was Na­a­mah.

23 La­mech said to his wives, came the fa­ther of Ke­nan. 10 Af­ter he be­came the fa­ther of Ke­nan, ­Enosh ­lived 815 ­years “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 11 Al­to­ wives of Lamech, hear my words. geth­er, E ­ nosh ­lived a to­tal of 905 y­ ears, and I have killed a man for wounding me, then he died. a young man for injuring me.

12 When Ke­nan had ­lived 70 ­years, he be­ 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, came the fa­ther of Ma­ha­la­lel. 13 Af­ter he be­ then Lamech seventy-seven came the fa­ther of Ma­ha­la­lel, Ke­nan ­lived times.”

840 ­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

25 Adam made love to his wife ­again, and 14 Al­to­geth­er, Ke­nan ­lived a to­tal of 910 ­years, then he died. she gave ­birth to a son and ­named him Seth, b and 15 When Ma­ha­la­lel had l­ived 65 y ­ ears, he say­ing, “God has grant­ed me an­oth­er ­child in 16 Af­ter he be­ 26 be­ c ame the fa­ t her of Ja­ r ed. ­place of Abel, ­since Cain ­killed him.” Seth came the fa­ther of Ja­red, Ma­ha­la­lel ­lived also had a son, and he ­named him Enosh.

830 ­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

At that time peo­ple be­gan to call on c the 17 Al­to­geth­er, Ma­ha­la­lel ­lived a to­tal of 895 name of the Lord. ­years, and then he died.

18 When Ja­red had ­lived 162 ­years, he be­ From Adam to Noah came the fa­ther of ­Enoch. 19 Af­ter he be­came This is the writ­ten ac­count of A ­ dam’s the fa­ther of E ­ noch, Ja­red l­ived 800 y­ ears fam­i­ly line. and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 20 Al­to­ geth­er, Ja­red l­ived a to­tal of 962 y­ ears, and When God cre­at­ed man­kind, he made then he died.

2 them in the like­ness of God. He cre­at­ed 21 When ­Enoch had ­lived 65 ­years, he be­ them male and fe­male and b ­ lessed them. came the fa­ther of Me­thu­se­lah. 22 Af­ter he And he named them “Man­kind” d when they be­came the fa­ther of Me­thu­se­lah, ­Enoch were created. ­walked faith­ful­ly with God 300 ­years and 3 When Adam had ­lived 130 ­years, he had had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 23 Al­to­geth­ a son in his own like­ness, in his own im­age; er, ­Enoch ­lived a to­tal of 365 ­years. 24 Enoch and he n ­ amed him Seth. 4 Af­ter Seth was ­walked faith­ful­ly with God; then he was no born, Adam l­ived 800 y­ ears and had oth­er more, be­cause God took him away.

25 When Me­thu­se­lah had ­lived 187 ­years, sons and daugh­ters. 5 Al­to­geth­er, Adam ­lived a to­tal of 930 ­years, and then he died. he be­came the fa­ther of La­mech. 26 Af­ter he 6 When Seth had ­lived 105 ­years, he be­ be­came the fa­ther of La­mech, ­Me­thu­se­lah­ came the fa­ther e of ­Enosh. 7 Af­ter he be­came a 22 Or who instructed all who work in b 25 Seth probably the fa­ther of E ­ nosh, Seth l­ ived 807 y­ ears and means granted. c 26 Or to proclaim d 2 Hebrew adam had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 8 Al­to­geth­er, e 6 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 7-26.

5

4:25 Christ’s ancestry is traced back to Seth (Lk 3:38). Since Adam was 130 when Seth was born (Ge 5:3), the narrative here skips back over the history in order to relate the emergence of the godly line (Ge 3:16–­24). Seth (Heb., lit. “appointing” or “establishing”) establishes the line of the seed of the woman (Ge 3:15). This line is in opposition to Satan.

4:26 The Lord (Heb. Yahweh) is revealed to be the most detailed, personal and powerful of God’s names (Ex 3:14; see chart, The Names of God). God introduced his covenant name in the detailed description of the creation of the man and woman and the outlining of their relationship to one another (see Ge 2:4–­22). Its use here is linked to the establishment of a godly, worshiping line.

5:3 “Had a son” can refer to immediate descent (father to son) but can also be used as reference to grandsons or more distant descendants. The age of each patriarch at the birth of

his first child, through whom the generations continue, as well as the number of years he lived after that birth and the entire length of his years is recorded (vv. 3–­32; see chart, How Old Were the Patriarchs?).

5:18 Enoch occupies the seventh place in this genealogy, a place often reserved for particularly significant individuals.

Lamech, seventh from Cain, shows the growing violence of the ungodly line (Ge 4:23); Enoch, the seventh from Adam, is the most righteous of all men (v. 22). Only Enoch and Noah are recorded as having “walked . . . with God” (v. 22; Ge 6:9), describing the perfect fellowship of the Garden of Eden (Ge 3:8).

5:24 God took him away. Enoch’s righteousness resulted in God’s sparing him from physical death, affirming God’s power over death (see Ps 49:15; 73:24). Only the prophet Elijah shared this experience (2Ki 2:11).

17

Genesis 6:4

How Old Were the Patriarchs?

ADAM 930 years (Ge 5:5) SETH 912 years (Ge 5:8) ENOSH 905 years (Ge 5:11) ENOCH 365 years (Ge 5:23) 

THE FLOOD

THE FLOOD METHUSELAH 969 years (Ge 5:27) LAMECH 777 years (Ge 5:31) NOAH 950 years (Ge 9:29) SHEM 600 years (Ge 11:10,11) EBER 464 years (Ge 11:16,17) TERAH 205 years (Ge 11:32) ABRAHAM 175 years (Ge 25:7) ISAAC 180 years (Ge 35:28) JACOB 147 years (Ge 47:28) JOSEPH 110 years (Ge 50:26)

The patriarchs who lived before the flood had an average life span of about 900 years (Ge 5). The ages of post-flood patriarchs dropped rapidly and gradually leveled off (Ge 11). Some suggest that this was due to major environmental changes brought about by the flood.

lived 782 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 27 Al­to­geth­er, Me­thu­se­lah ­lived a to­tal of 969 ­years, and then he died.

28 When La­mech had ­lived 182 ­years, he had a son. 29 He ­named him Noah a and said, “He will com­fort us in the la­bor and pain­ful toil of our ­hands ­caused by the ­ground the Lord has ­cursed.” 30 Af­ter Noah was born, La­mech l­ived 595 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters. 31 Al­to­geth­er, La­mech ­lived a to­tal of 777 y­ ears, and then he died.

32 Af­ter Noah was 500 y ­ ears old, he be­ came the fa­ther of Shem, Ham and Ja­pheth.

5:29 A man of obedience. Noah (Heb., lit. “comfort”) helped

fulfill prophecy (see Ge 3:15); God worked through Noah’s obedience to prevent the complete corruption of humanity (Ge 6:5,9).

6:2 The sons of God. Three primary interpretations have been proposed for this phrase.

1) The “sons of God” were fallen angels who took human wives, a view based on the interpretation of this phrase as angels elsewhere in the OT (see Job 1:6; 38:7).

2) The “sons of God” were men from Cain’s line who took wives descended from Seth. Although this interpretation fits the context (Ge 1–­11), “sons of God” does not elsewhere refer to men.

3) The “sons of God” were descendants of early pagan

Wickedness in the World

6

When hu­man be­ings be­gan to in­crease in num­ber on the e­ arth and daugh­ters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daugh­ters of hu­mans were beau­ti­ful, and they mar­ried any of them they c­ hose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spir­it will not con­tend with b hu­mans for­ev­er, for they are mor­tal c; ­their days will be a hun­dred and twen­ty years.”

4 The Neph­i­lim were on the e ­ arth in t­ hose days — ​and also af­ter­ward — ​when the sons a 29

Noah sounds like the Hebrew for comfort. b 3 Or My spirit will not remain in c 3 Or corrupt

kings who, like Lamech, sinned through polygamy. This accounts for “any of them they chose” but is open to the same objection as the second view.

While there is no way of determining the precise meaning of the story, clearly humanity was so close to total, irredeemable corruption that God sent the flood.

6:3 God’s displeasure. God expressed his condemnation of the sin (vv. 5–­6). “Contend” can also be translated “abide with.” God limited the time man could continue in sin. The 120 years refers either to the length of time before the flood or to the shortened human life span after the flood (see Ge 11:10–­26).

6:4 Giants on the earth appears only once more (Nu 13:33).

However, the giants in Genesis (Heb. Nephilim) were destroyed

18

Genesis 6:5

The Faithful Remnant THE REMNANT

THE CIRCUMSTANCES

REFERENCE

Noah

The whole earth was wicked.

Ge 6:5–8

Abram

His home country was given over to idolatry.

Ge 12:1–4

Isaac

He lived among Canaanites, who worshiped false gods.

Ge 24:3–4

Jacob

He lived in a land filled with hostile Canaanites and Perizzites.

Ge 34:30

Joseph

He was the only worshiper of God in the land of Egypt.

Ge 41:16

rupt the e­ arth had be­come, for all the peo­ple on ­earth had cor­rupt­ed t­ heir ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am go­ing to put an end to all peo­ple, for the ­earth is ­filled with vi­o­lence be­cause of them. I am sure­ly go­ing to de­stroy both them and the e­ arth. 14 So make your­self an ark of cy­press a wood; make r­ ooms in it and coat it with ­pitch in­side and out. 15 This is how you are to b ­ uild it: The ark is to be ­three hun­dred cu­bits long, fif­ty cu­bits wide and thir­ty cu­bits high. b 16 Make a roof for it, leav­ing be­low the roof an open­ing one cu­ bit c high all ­around. d Put a door in the side of the ark and make low­er, mid­dle and up­per ­decks. 17 I am go­ing to b ­ ring flood­wa­ters on the ­earth to de­stroy all life un­der the heav­ ens, ev­ery crea­ture that has the ­breath of life in it. Ev­ery­thing on ­earth will per­ish. 18 But Noah and the Flood I will es­tab­lish my cov­enant with you, and 9 T his is the ac­ count of Noah and his you will en­ter the ark — ​you and your sons ­fam­i­ly. and your wife and your sons’ w ­ ives with you.

Noah was a righ­teous man, blame­less 19 You are to ­bring into the ark two of all liv­ ­among the peo­ple of his time, and he ­walked ing crea­tures, male and fe­male, to keep them faith­ful­ly with God. 10 Noah had ­three sons: a 14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. b 15 That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high Shem, Ham and Ja­pheth.

135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high 11 Now the ­earth was cor­rupt in G ­ od’s s­ ight cor 16 about That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters 12 and was full of vi­o­lence. God saw how cor­ d 16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. of God went to the daugh­ters of hu­mans and had chil­dren by them. They were the he­roes of old, men of re­nown.

5 The Lord saw how ­great the wick­ed­ness of the hu­man race had be­come on the ­earth, and that ev­ery in­cli­na­tion of the ­thoughts of the hu­man ­heart was only evil all the time.

6 The Lord re­gret­ted that he had made hu­ man be­ings on the ­earth, and his ­heart was deep­ly trou­bled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the e­ arth the hu­man race I have cre­at­ed — ​and with them the an­ i­mals, the ­birds and the crea­tures that move ­along the ­ground — ​for I re­gret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah f­ound fa­vor in the eyes of the Lord.

in the flood. They were not offspring of the unions of verse 2, since they existed both before and afterward. The word might possibly mean “fallen ones”; the verb is passive and conveys the meaning “those who were cast down.” Thus the Nephilim appear to have been either giants or fallen angels. They are distinct from the “heroes of old, men of renown.”

6:9 Noah’s genealogy (Heb., toledoth, lit. “these are the generations of”) marks the beginning of a new section in the book. The focus shifts from the history of humanity as a whole to that of the godly remnant miraculously preserved from judgment (see chart, The Faithful Remnant). “Righteous” refers to Noah’s actions toward other men. “Blameless” (Heb.

tamim, lit. “sound, wholesome, having integrity”) is later used to describe the perfection of sacrificial animals. Noah “walked faithfully” in his relationship to God. 6:14 The Hebrew word for ark (Heb. tebah, lit. “box” or “chest”) appears also in Exodus 2:3–­5, where Moses is placed in a “papyrus basket.” The choice of words emphasizes the ark’s character as a protection and hiding place.

6:18 The covenant. This is the first Biblical mention of covenant (Heb. berith). Covenants are made by God with man for the purpose of salvation. God declares his commitment and demands a response from man (see chart, The Covenants of Genesis).

19

Genesis 7:13

The Chronology of the Flood WHAT?

WHEN?

HOW LONG?

The rain began (Ge 7:11).

Noah’s 600th year, 2nd month, 17th day

RAIN: 40 days and 40 nights

The water remained (Ge 7:24).

The water decreased (Ge 8:3).

The ark rested (Ge 8:4).

150 days At the end of 150 days Noah’s 600th year, 7th month, 17th day

LENGTH OF FLOOD: 5 months of 30 days each

The tops of the mountains were visible (Ge 8:5).

10th month, 1st day

ARK IN PLACE: 2 months, 13 days

Noah sent out the raven (Ge 8:7).

40 days later

ARK IN PLACE: 3 months, 23 days

Noah sent out the dove (Ge 8:10).

7 days later

ARK IN PLACE: 4 months

Noah sent out the dove again (Ge 8:12).

7 days later

ARK IN PLACE: 4 months, 7 days

The waters dried up (Ge 8:13).

The earth was now dry (Ge 8:14).

Noah’s 601st year, 1st month, 1st day Noah’s 601st year, 2nd month, 27th day

TOTAL LENGTH OF FLOOD: 365 days, 1 solar year

a­ live with you. 20 Two of ev­ery kind of bird, of ev­ery kind of an­i­mal and of ev­ery kind of crea­ture that ­moves ­along the ­ground will come to you to be kept a­ live. 21 You are to take ev­ery kind of food that is to be eat­en and ­store it away as food for you and for them.”

22 Noah did ev­ery­thing just as God com­ mand­ed him.

The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your w ­ hole fam­i­ly, be­cause I have ­found you righ­teous in this gen­er­a­tion.

2 Take with you sev­en ­pairs of ev­ery kind of ­clean an­i­mal, a male and its mate, and one pair of ev­ery kind of un­clean an­i­mal, a male and its mate, 3 and also sev­en p ­ airs of ev­ery kind of bird, male and fe­male, to keep t­ heir var­i­ous ­kinds ­alive through­out the ­earth.

4 Sev­en days from now I will send rain on the ­earth for for­ty days and for­ty ­nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ­earth ev­ery liv­ ing crea­ture I have made.”

Noah did all that the Lord com­ mand­ed him.

6 Noah was six hun­dred ­years old when the flood­wa­ters came on the ­earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ w ­ ives en­tered the ark to es­cape the wa­ters of the ­flood. 8 Pairs of c­ lean and un­clean an­i­mals, of ­birds and of all crea­tures that move ­along the ­ground, 9 male and fe­male, came to Noah and en­tered the ark, as God had com­mand­ed Noah. 10 And af­ter the sev­en days the flood­ wa­ters came on the earth.

11 In the six hun­ dredth year of No­ah’s life, on the sev­en­teenth day of the sec­ond ­month — ​on that day all the s­ prings of the ­great deep ­burst ­forth, and the flood­gates of the heav­ens were o ­ pened. 12 And rain fell on the ­earth for­ty days and for­ty nights.

13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Ja­pheth, to­geth­er with his wife and the ­wives of his ­three sons, en­tered

7:1 The Lord. Genesis 6–­9 alternates between use of God

7:11 The coming of the flood, whether a natural catastrophe

7

(Elohim) and the Lord (Yahweh). The more general name, Elohim, is used when the narrative relates the effect of the flood on the entire world; Yahweh, the covenant name, is used to record the Lord’s dealings with his people.

7:2 Rather than contradicting Genesis 6:19, this verse expands upon God’s previous command. Two of every animal were to be taken. In addition, extra pairs of clean animals were to be taken (see Lev 10, Clean vs. Unclean).

5 And

or miraculous event, was divinely directed. “The springs of the great deep” refers to the invasion of the land by the sea, possibly with volcanic activity as part of the upheaval. “The floodgates of the heavens were opened” is descriptive of torrential rain. The precise dating of the flood confirms that this judgment occurred in human history (see chart, The Chronology of the Flood).

Genesis 7:14

20

the ark. 14 They had with them ev­ery wild an­i­mal ac­cord­ing to its kind, all live­stock ac­ cord­ing to ­their ­kinds, ev­ery crea­ture that ­moves ­along the ­ground ac­cord­ing to its kind and ev­ery bird ac­cord­ing to its kind, ev­ery­ thing with w ­ ings. 15 Pairs of all crea­tures that have the b ­ reath of life in them came to Noah and en­tered the ark. 16 The an­i­mals go­ing in were male and fe­male of ev­ery liv­ing ­thing, as God had com­mand­ed Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.

HONOUR TO WOMANKIND! IT NEEDS MUST BE THAT GOD LOVED WOMAN SINCE HE FASHIONED THEE.

Christine de Pisan, 1429 17 For

for­ty days the ­flood kept com­ing on the ­earth, and as the wa­ters in­creased they lift­ed the ark high a­ bove the e­ arth. 18 The wa­ ters rose and in­creased great­ly on the ­earth, and the ark float­ed on the sur­face of the wa­ ter. 19 They rose great­ly on the e­ arth, and all the high moun­tains un­der the en­tire heav­ ens were cov­ered. 20 The wa­ters rose and cov­ ered the moun­tains to a ­depth of more than fif­teen cu­bits. a , b 21 Ev­ery liv­ing ­thing that ­moved on land per­ished — ​­birds, live­stock, wild an­i­mals, all the crea­tures that ­swarm over the e­ arth, and all man­kind. 22 Ev­ery­ thing on dry land that had the b ­ reath of life in its nos­trils died. 23 Ev­ery liv­ing ­thing on the face of the e­ arth was w ­ iped out; peo­ple and an­im ­ als and the crea­tures that move a­ long the g­ round and the b ­ irds were w ­ iped from the e­ arth. Only Noah was left, and t­hose with him in the ark.

24 The wa­ters flood­ed the ­earth for a hun­ dred and fif­ty days.

But God re­mem­bered Noah and all the wild an­i­mals and the live­stock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the ­earth, and the wa­ters re­ced­ed. 2 Now the ­springs of the deep and the flood­gates of the heav­ens had been ­closed, and the rain had

8

8:1 God’s remembrance in Scripture is a determined action rather than a mental process; when he remembers, he acts mercifully to save (see Ge 30:22). God sends the wind (Heb. ruach), the same word used for the Spirit (Ge 1:2). After destruction, God re-­creates, just as he created from chaos.

s­ topped fall­ing from the sky. 3 The wa­ter re­ ced­ed steadi­ly from the ­earth. At the end of the hun­dred and fif­ty days the wa­ter had gone down, 4 and on the sev­en­teenth day of the sev­enth ­month the ark came to rest on the moun­tains of Ar­a­rat. 5 The wa­ters con­tin­ ued to re­cede un­til the ­tenth m ­ onth, and on the ­first day of the t­ enth ­month the tops of the moun­tains be­came vis­i­ble.

6 Af­ter for­ty days Noah ­opened a win­dow he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a ra­ ven, and it kept fly­ing back and ­forth un­til the wa­ter had ­dried up from the e­ arth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the wa­ter had re­ ced­ed from the sur­face of the ­ground. 9 But the dove c­ ould find no­where to p ­ erch be­ cause ­there was wa­ter over all the sur­face of the e­ arth; so it re­turned to Noah in the ark.

He ­reached out his hand and took the dove and ­brought it back to him­self in the ark.

10 He wait­ed sev­en more days and a ­ gain sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove re­turned to him in the eve­ning, t­ here in its beak was a fresh­ly p ­ lucked ol­ive leaf ! Then Noah knew that the wa­ter had re­ced­ed from the ­earth. 12 He wait­ed sev­en more days and sent the dove out ­again, but this time it did not re­turn to him.

13 By the ­first day of the ­first ­month of No­ ah’s six hun­dred and ­first year, the wa­ter had ­dried up from the e­ arth. Noah then re­moved the cov­er­ing from the ark and saw that the sur­face of the g­ round was dry. 14 By the twen­tysev­enth day of the sec­ond ­month the ­earth was com­plete­ly dry.

15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and ­their ­wives. 17 Bring out ev­ery kind of liv­ing crea­ture that is with you — ​the ­birds, the an­i­ mals, and all the crea­tures that move ­along the a 20

That is, about 23 feet or about 6.8 meters b 20 Or rose more than fifteen cubits, and the mountains were covered

TO POSSESS IS THE SAME THING AS TO KNOW: THE BIBLE IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Marguerite Yourcenar, 1935 8:4 Ararat, lying in modern eastern Armenia, was also known as Uratu in ancient times. The country itself is mountainous with a general elevation of 6,000 feet. Ararat is its highest peak at nearly 17,000 feet, but this verse does not specify upon which mountain the ark finally rested.

21

Genesis 9:6

The Covenants of Genesis COVENANT

REFERENCE

TERMS

Edenic

Ge 2:15–17

GOD: Provides for all man’s needs.

HUMANKIND: Forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Adamic

Ge 3:14–21

GOD: Gives promise of the Messiah.

HUMANKIND: No requirements, but humanity will suffer consequences of sin until coming of the Messiah.

Noahic

Ge 9:1–19

GOD: Will never flood the earth again.

HUMANKIND: No requirements.

SIGN: Rainbow (vv. 12,13).

Abrahamic

Ge 15:3–21

GOD: Will make a mighty nation of Abraham’s descendants and give them the land of Canaan.

ABRAHAM: Will walk before God and be blameless (Ge 17:1,2).

SIGN: Circumcision (Ge 17:10–14).

g­ round — ​so they can mul­ti­ply on the e­ arth and be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber on it.”

18 So Noah came out, to­geth­er with his sons and his wife and his sons’ ­wives. 19 All the an­i­mals and all the crea­tures that move ­along the g­ round and all the b ­ irds — ​ev­ery­ thing that ­moves on land — ​came out of the ark, one kind af­ter an­oth­er.

20 Then Noah b ­ uilt an al­tar to the Lord and, tak­ing some of all the c­ lean an­i­mals and ­clean ­birds, he sac­ri­ficed ­burnt of­fer­ ings on it. 21 The Lord s­ melled the pleas­ing aro­ma and said in his h ­ eart: “Nev­er a­ gain will I ­curse the ­ground be­cause of hu­mans, even ­though a ev­ery in­cli­na­tion of the hu­ man h ­ eart is evil from child­hood. And nev­er ­again will I de­stroy all liv­ing crea­tures, as I have done.

22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

8:20 Noah’s altar is the first mentioned in Scripture. Noah,

acting as did Adam, is given the task of repopulating a re­ created earth. His first act is to worship God. Noah’s sacrifice was a burnt offering in which the entire animal was consumed.

In the covenant relationship between God and man, the primary purpose of this whole burnt offering was atonement (Lev 1:4), symbolizing the complete consecration of the worshiper to God (see chart, The Offerings of the Lord).

8:21 An aroma pleasing to God is associated with burnt offerings (Lev 1:9,13) and indicates God’s acceptance of the aton-

God’s Covenant With Noah

9

Then God ­blessed Noah and his sons, say­ing to them, “Be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber and fill the ­earth. 2 The fear and ­dread of you will fall on all the b ­ easts of the ­earth, and on all the b ­ irds in the sky, on ev­ ery crea­ture that ­moves a­ long the ­ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are giv­en into your h ­ ands. 3 Ev­ery­thing that ­lives and ­moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the ­green ­plants, I now give you ev­ ery­thing.

4 “But you must not eat meat that has its life­ blood ­still in it. 5 And for your life­blood I will sure­ly de­mand an ac­count­ing. I will de­mand an ac­count­ing from ev­ery an­i­mal. And from each hu­man be­ing, too, I will de­mand an ac­ count­ing for the life of an­oth­er hu­man be­ing.

6 “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. a 21 Or humans, for

ing sacrifice. Although God recognized that the judgment of the flood had not changed individual hearts, he promised to exercise mercy. Thus, this is the first example of an OT sacrifice as propitiation for sin (i.e., satisfaction for the righteousness of God).

9:5 Because the man and woman are made in God’s image (v. 6), their lives belong to God. The divine image was not destroyed by the fall. God himself instituted the penalty of death for murder (v. 5), and civil authorities are to execute that penalty (v. 6).

Genesis 9:7

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THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

CREATED IN HIS IMAGE God places special value on human life (Ge 1:26–­27; Ps 8:4–­6). Human life is sacred because the man and woman alone were created in the image of God, and that life deserves protection. God commands his people to protect and defend innocent human life (Eze 16:20–­21,36,38). Under the Mosaic Law, the murder of another person deserved punishment by death because of the value of the life that was destroyed (Ge 9:6; Ex 20:13).

Scripture extends this special status and protection to human life in every stage of development and need (Isa 46:3–­4). The unborn child shares in God’s image (Ps 139:13–­16) and is protected under Old Testament law (Ex 21:22–­25). Believers are exhorted to defend and care for the sick, the elderly, and the poor (Lev 19:32; Dt 15:7–­8). No one is excluded from protection and care.

Throughout history this Biblical view of the sanctity of all human life has faced opposition—­most notably from those who advocate a “quality of life” viewpoint, suggesting that human life must possess certain qualities and abilities before it can be considered truly valuable and worthy of life sustenance.

According to this distorted humanistic view, if the unborn child, the handicapped infant or the elderly person does not possess these qualities, then that individual is not entitled to the protection that Scripture or the law would give.

The Bible rejects this “quality of life” view. The value of human life does not depend upon the person’s functional abilities or independent viability but is assured because of the image of God that is found in every human life. God does not measure the quality of a human being before he bestows his image.

God calls upon us to extend our care and compassion to every life he has created, in every stage of development and in every need.

See also Mt 18:3, note; notes on Abortion (Jer 1); Childbirth (Jn 16); Children (2Sa 21; Ps 128; Pr 22; Lk 15); Disabilities (Mk 2); Image of God (Ps 8); Pregnancy (Jdg 13)

7 As for you, be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber; mul­ti­ply on the e­ arth and in­crease upon it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now es­tab­lish my cov­enant with you and with your de­scen­dants af­ter you 10 and with ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture that was with you — ​the ­birds, the live­stock and all the wild an­i­mals, all t­ hose that came out of the ark with you — ​ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture on ­earth. 11 I es­tab­lish my cov­enant with you: Nev­er a­ gain will all life be de­stroyed by the wa­ters of a f­ lood; nev­er a­ gain will ­there be a ­flood to de­stroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the cov­enant I am mak­ing be­tween me and you and ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture with you, a cov­ enant for all gen­er­a­tions to come: 13 I have set my rain­bow in the ­clouds, and it will be the sign of the cov­enant be­tween me and the ­earth. 14 When­ev­er I ­bring ­clouds over the ­earth and the rain­bow ap­pears in the ­clouds, 15 I will re­mem­ber my cov­enant be­tween me

and you and all liv­ing crea­tures of ev­ery kind. Nev­er ­again will the wa­ters be­come a ­flood to de­stroy all life. 16 When­ev­er the rain­ bow ap­pears in the ­clouds, I will see it and re­mem­ber the ever­last­ing cov­enant be­tween God and all liv­ing crea­tures of ev­ery kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the cov­enant I have es­tab­lished be­tween me and all life on the earth.”

The Sons of Noah 18 The

sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Ja­pheth. (Ham was the fa­ther of Ca­naan.) 19 These were the t­ hree sons of Noah, and from them came the peo­ ple who were scat­tered over the w ­ hole earth.

20 Noah, a man of the soil, pro­ceed­ed a to ­plant a vine­yard. 21 When he ­drank some of its wine, he be­came d ­ runk and lay ­un­cov­ered a 20 Or soil, was the first

23 in­side his tent. 22 Ham, the fa­ther of Ca­ naan, saw his fa­ther na­ked and told his two ­broth­ers out­side. 23 But Shem and Ja­pheth took a gar­ment and laid it ­across t­ heir shoul­ ders; then they w ­ alked in back­ward and cov­ered ­their fa­ther’s na­ked body. ­Their fac­ es were t­ urned the oth­er way so that they ­would not see t­ heir fa­ther na­ked.

24 When Noah a ­ woke from his wine and ­found out what his youn­gest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem.

27 May God extend Japheth’s a territory; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

Genesis 10:12

3 The sons of Go­mer: Ash­ke­naz, Ri­phath and To­gar­mah.

4 The sons of Ja­van: Eli­shah, Tar­shish, the Kit­tites and the Rod­a­nites. c 5 (From ­these the mar­ i­time peo­ples ­spread out into ­their ter­ri­to­ries by ­their ­clans with­in ­their na­tions, each with its own lan­guage.)

The Hamites

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, E ­ gypt, Put and Ca­naan.

7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Hav­i­lah, Sab­tah, Ra­a­mah and Sab­te­ka.

The sons of Ra­a­mah: She­ba and De­dan.

8 Cush

was the fa­ther d of Nim­rod, who be­came a ­mighty war­rior on the e­ arth. 9 He was a m ­ ighty hunt­er be­fore the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nim­rod, a ­mighty hunt­er be­fore the Lord.” 10 The ­first cen­ters 28 Af­ter the ­flood Noah ­lived 350 ­years. of his king­dom were Bab­ylon, Uruk, Ak­kad 29 Noah ­lived a to­tal of 950 ­years, and then and Kal­neh, in e Shi­nar. f 11 From that land he went to As­syr­ia, ­where he ­built Nin­e­veh, he died. ­ hich is Re­ho­both Ir, g Ca­lah 12 and Re­sen, w be­tween Nin­e­veh and Ca­lah — ​­which is the The Table of Nations This is the ac­count of Shem, Ham and ­great city.

Ja­pheth, No­ah’s sons, who them­selves a 27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend. b 2 Sons may mean descendants or successors or nations; also in verses had sons af­ter the flood.

3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31. c 4 Some manuscripts of the

10

The Japhethites 2 The sons b of Ja­pheth:

Go­mer, Ma­gog, Mad­ai, Ja­van, Tu­bal, Me­shek and Ti­ras.

9:25 Noah’s curse. The verb tenses of this curse suggest an

appeal to God. The cursing of Canaan, Ham’s son, implies an early understanding of the principle that the iniquities of the fathers would be visited on the children (Ex 34:7). The curse apparently is restricted to this single branch of Ham’s descendants.

9:26 Abraham was a direct descendant of Shem. The descendants of Canaan, Ham’s son, included the Jebusites (Ge 10:6) and other Canaanite peoples later conquered by Israel. The curse was thus fulfilled in the taking of the promised land.

9:27 Japheth’s descendants were Gentiles west and north of Israel. Often called the “Sea Peoples,” the Japhethites, like the sons of Shem, took territory from the Canaanites. Peaceful relations between Japheth’s descendants and those of Shem are predicted. Israel experienced times of peace with the Sea Peoples as well as occupation by the Greeks, who were descendants of Japheth.

10:8 Nimrod (from Heb. marad, lit. “revolt”), whose name itself points to his rebellion, founded four cities in Shinar at the tip of the Persian Gulf (v. 10). Babel became the capital of

Masoretic Text and Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:7); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Dodanites d 8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26. e 10 Or Uruk and Akkad — ​all of them in f 10 That is, Babylonia g 11 Or Nineveh with its city squares

Babylonia; Erech was a Sumerian city; Accad was the capital of Sargon of Akkad, a prominent ruler of the 24th century BC. Kalneh may not be the name of a city, since it can also be translated “all of them.” Nimrod is the first kingdom-­builder, as Cain was the first city-­builder. He evidently distinguished himself with bold and daring deeds as the “mighty warrior” (Heb. gibor, lit. “hero” or “tyrant”), though he seemed more concerned with furthering his own interests than serving the Lord. All this he did “before” or under the watchful eye of Yahweh. Again, an ungodly line, whose genealogy will be continued, is emerging (Ge 11:1–­9).

10:11 Assyria. The subject of this verse is unclear. Either Nimrod built Assyria and the other cities, or “Ashur,” the ancestor of the Assyrians, built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen. Nineveh, east of the Tigris, and Calah both served as capitals of Assyria. Rehoboth Ir is unknown but may refer to a section of Nineveh. Resen, “the great city,” cannot be located and may allude to the total area covered by the previous three cities (see v. 12; Jnh 1:2; 3:2, “great city”).

Genesis 10:13

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13 Egypt was the fa­ther of the Lu­dites, An­a­mites, Le­ha­bites, Naph­tu­hites, 14 Path­ru­sites, Kas­lu­ hites (from whom the Phi­lis­tines came) and Caph­to­rites.

15 Ca­naan was the fa­ther of Si­don his first­born, a and of the Hit­ tites, 16 Jeb­u­sites, Am­o­rites, Gir­ga­ shites, 17 Hi­vites, Ar­kites, Si­nites, 18 Ar­ vad­ites, Zem­a­rites and Ha­math­ites.

­Je­rah, 27 Ha­d o­ram, Uzal, Dik­l ah, 28 Obal, Abim­a­el, She­ba, 29 Ophir, Hav­ i­lah and Jo­bab. All ­these were sons of Jok­tan.

30 The

re­gion w ­ here they l­ived s­tretched from Me­sha to­ward Se­phar, in the east­ern hill coun­try.

31 These are the sons of Shem by t­ heir c ­ lans and lan­guag­es, in ­their ter­ri­to­ries and na­ tions.

Lat­er the Ca­naan­ite ­clans scat­tered 19 and 32 These are the c ­ lans of No­ah’s sons, ac­ the bor­ders of Ca­naan ­reached from Si­don cord­ i ng to t ­ heir l ­ ines of de­scent, with­in t­ heir to­ward Ge­rar as far as Gaza, and then to­ward na­ t ions.

From ­ t hese the na­tions ­spread out Sod­om, Go­mor­rah, Ad­mah and Ze­boy­im, as over the ­earth af­ter the flood. far as La­sha.

20 These are the sons of Ham by ­their ­clans and lan­guag­es, in ­their ter­ri­to­ries and na­ The Tower of Babel Now the ­whole ­world had one lan­ tions. guage and a com­mon ­speech. 2 As peo­ The Semites ple ­moved east­ward, f they ­found a ­plain in 21 Sons were also born to Shem, w ­ hose old­ Shi­nar g and set­tled there.

3 They said to each oth­ er broth­er was b Ja­pheth; Shem was the an­ er, “Come, l­et’s ces­tor of all the sons of Eber. make b ­ ricks and bake them thor­ough­ly.”

They used ­brick in­stead of ­stone, and tar for 22 The sons of Shem: mor­tar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us b ­ uild Elam, Ash­ur, Ar­phax­ad, Lud and our­ s elves a city, with a tow­ e r that reach­ es to Aram. the heav­ e ns, so that we may make a name 23 The sons of Aram: for our­selves; other­wise we will be scat­tered Uz, Hul, Ge­ther and Me­shek. c over the face of the ­whole earth.”

24 d Ar­phax­ad was the fa­ther of She­lah, 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and She­lah the fa­ther of Eber. and the tow­er the peo­ple were build­ing. 6 The 25 Two sons were born to Eber: Lord said, “If as one peo­ple speak­ing the One was n ­ amed Pe­leg, e be­cause in his a 15 Or of the Sidonians, the foremost b 21 Or Shem, the time the ­earth was di­vid­ed; his broth­ older brother of c 23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:17; er was ­named Jok­tan.

Hebrew Mash. d 24 Hebrew; Septuagint father of Cainan, 26 Jok­tan was the fa­ther of and Cainan was the father of e 25 Peleg means division. f 2 Or from the east ; or in the east g 2 That is, Babylonia Al­mo­dad, She­leph, Ha­zar­ma­veth,

11

10:19 The land of Canaan included not just the territory of

Israel but also the land east of the Jordan. The inhabitants of Canaan are thought to have migrated from Arabia, where Ham had settled.

10:21 The sons of Shem were selected to be the godly seed that God would sovereignly protect. From Shem’s descendants came the three monotheistic religions—­Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Shem’s great-­grandson Eber (Heb.), transliterated to “Hebrew,” the ancestor of Abraham, is singled out for special mention (see Ge 11:10–­26). Of Shem’s five sons, Elam sired the Elamites, east of the Tigris; Lud is probably connected to the Lydians of Asia Minor; Aram founded the Syrian people known in the OT as Arameans. Ashur may have been involved with Nimrod in the building of Assyria, since both Hamitic and Semitic artifacts have been found in Assyrian ruins. The genealogy of Arphaxad, the ancestor of the Israelites, reappears (vv. 24–­29; Ge 11:10–­26).

11:1 Since mention of separate languages has already been made (Ge 10:5,20,31), these events must occur soon after the

flood (vv. 1–­9). Moses lists the table of nations before he tells the story of the events that divide them.

11:4 The city and tower. This is the first reference to city building since Cain’s project (Ge 4:17). These settlers seemingly belonged to the ungodly, rebellious line. This is confirmed by the word for tower (Heb. migdal), appearing elsewhere in Scripture as a symbol of pride that displeased God (Isa 2:15–­17).

The purpose of the builders in remaining together and aspiring toward the heavens is in direct contrast to God’s command to move throughout the earth and cultivate it (Ge 1:28; 9:1). “That reaches to the heavens” is figuratively suggesting great size and godless ambition (see Dt 1:28; 9:1; Jer 51:53).

11:6 Unbridled ambition. The Hebrew verbs translated “plan,” “to do,” and “be impossible” are used together elsewhere only when God describes his own purposes (Job 42:2).

As in the Garden of Eden, mankind was attempting to usurp divine prerogatives and would thus suffer judgment (Ge 3:1–­6; see chart, The Results of Sin).

25

Genesis 11:9

INFERTILITY

CHILDLESS IS NOT LESS Most couples anticipate children after marriage. Indeed, children are a part of God’s plan for a man and woman united in marriage since God instructed Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and increase in number” (Ge 1:28). Scripture teaches that children are a heritage from the Lord, a reward from God (Ps 127:3–­5).

Therefore, it can become very confusing and disconcerting to a married couple when children are not conceived as planned or desired. This was especially true in Bible times.

Barrenness is not merely a personal pain in the Bible. Children were a sign of material blessing (Ps 127:3–­5). They provided caregivers for older family members. Offspring were a sign of spiritual blessing: the “family line” continued because there were family representatives in the land of the living.

A person lived on through her descendants. Barrenness, then, carried with it a sense of termination.

Infertility is defined by the medical community as the inability to achieve pregnancy after a year or more of regular sexual relations without contraception or the inability to carry repeated pregnancies to live birth. About 15 percent of all married couples today are infertile. Although there are numerous causes of infertility in women and men, medical advances have made it possible to diagnose and treat many of them. Still, some couples remain childless despite years of treatment. A couple’s decision to manage the timing of conception, pursue fertility measures, or adopt a child is a responsibility they share before God, the Author of life. “Childless” is not “less” if that is God’s perfect will for a couple. Infertile couples have not been abandoned by God. Couples who face infertility can experience a wide range of emotions. Like Sarai (Ge 11:30), Rachel (Ge 30:1), Hannah (1Sa 1:2), and Elizabeth (Lk 1:36), a childless woman often feels a wide range of emotions: disappointment, helplessness, anger, self-­pity, grief, low self-­esteem or guilt. Regardless of how infertility impacts the couple, the personal pain is often great. Fellow Christians can help heal this pain by offering encouragement and understanding, by respecting the couple’s efforts to explore their options and by talking freely about infertility when the subject is introduced. Most importantly, the church needs to accept childless couples and encourage them to discover and pursue outlets for ministry.

God does not give children to every couple. God may have other blessings in store for the childless.

Though we can only speculate as to their family lives, none of these notable women in the Bible are associated with the bearing of children: Miriam, Esther, Priscilla, Mary and Martha, and Mary Magdalene.

Once a woman realizes that the rearing of children is not the only responsibility God assigns to Christian couples, she often finds true joy in embracing her personal assignment from God. See also Ge 16:1–­2; Ps 113:9; Mt 18:3; Lk 2:36–­38; notes on Bitterness (Heb 12); Marriage (Ge 2; 2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Miscarriage (Ex 21); Motherhood (1Sa 1; Isa 49; Eze 16); Pregnancy (Jdg 13); Self-­Esteem (2Co 10); Pain (Job 7); portraits of Hannah (1Sa 1); Rachel (Ge 29); Sarai (Ge 11); Elizabeth (Lk 1:5–­25)

same lan­guage they have be­gun to do this, then noth­ing they plan to do will be im­pos­ si­ble for them. 7 Come, let us go down and con­fuse ­their lan­guage so they will not un­ der­stand each oth­er.”

8 So the Lord scat­tered them from t­ here over all the e­ arth, and they s­ topped build­ 11:9 Babel (perhaps from Heb. balal, lit. “to confuse”) is later associated with Babylon, used throughout Scripture as a symbol of pride and rebellion against God.

ing the city. 9 That is why it was ­called Ba­ bel a — ​be­cause ­there the Lord con­fused the lan­guage of the w ­ hole ­world. From ­there the Lord scat­tered them over the face of the ­whole earth. a 9

That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.

26

Genesis 11:10

Sarai (Sarah) :

A SUBMISSIVE WIFE

Sarah appears in the Bible as God’s paragon of a married woman. Two notable characteristics mark her life: beauty and barrenness. Because of her beauty, even pagan rulers desired her; yet her infertility caused deep domestic humiliation and even marital dissension. Sarah undoubtedly had beauty, brilliance and creativity, but the quality that implants her in our memories and sets her apart is her unique and unequivocal devotion toward her husband Abraham. She shared not only her husband’s challenges and heartaches but also his dreams and blessings. She did not waver; she stood by his side through good choices and bad decisions, adversities and blessings, in youth and old age. She is a fine example of a woman who loved her husband unconditionally and tenaciously.

More space is devoted to Sarah than to any other woman of the Bible. An entire chapter discusses her death and burial (Ge 23). Both her husband and son grieved deeply when she died (Ge 23:2; 24:67).

Two New Testament citations commend Sarah (Heb 11:11; 1Pe 3:6); she is mentioned in Romans as well (Ro 4:19; 9:9); and she is used to illustrate the differences between the bonded and free (Gal 4:21–­31). She is styled as one of “the holy women” of old because she entrusted to her husband her willing cooperation. From the narrative it is apparent that Sarah was strong willed; yet she chose to submit to Abraham, an attitude which God commended. She was consistently identified as Abraham’s wife, reinforcing the fact that God viewed the pair as one flesh. Together they were asked to believe that God would give them a son.

Sarah is the only wife named in the heroes of the faith (Heb 11:11). Sarah’s mothering experience fluctuated from emotions of skepticism, embarrassment, envy, and cruel recrimination to intense exhilaration and joy. Even though Sarah fell into sin, God faithfully kept his promise that she would be “the mother of nations” (Ge 17:16).

Perhaps more than any other Biblical woman, Sarah stands to teach women two supreme characteristics of godly womanhood: humble submission to their husbands in marriage and fervent commitment to nurturing the next generation.

See also Ge 11:29—­23:20; Isa 51:2; Ro 4:19; 9:9; Gal 4:21–­31; Heb 11:11; 1Pe 3:5–­6; notes on Infertility (Ge 11); Submission (1Pe 3); Wives (Pr 31)

From Shem to Abram

10 This is the ac­count of ­Shem’s fam­i­ly line.

Two y­ ears af­ter the f­lood, when Shem was 100 y­ ears old, he be­came the fa­ther a of Ar­phax­ad. 11 And af­ter he be­came the fa­ther of Ar­phax­ad, Shem ­lived 500 ­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

12 When Ar­phax­ad had ­lived 35 ­years, he be­came the fa­ther of She­lah. 13 And af­ter he be­came the fa­ther of She­lah, Ar­phax­ad ­lived 403 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ ters. b 14 When She­lah had l­ ived 30 y ­ ears, he be­ came the fa­ther of Eber. 15 And af­ter he be­ 11:10 The genealogy of Shem is repeated after the story of Babel to emphasize God’s preservation of a godly line in the midst of wickedness. The genealogy is presented in multiples of seven, with the seventh places occupied by men of partic-

came the fa­ther of Eber, She­lah ­lived 403 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

16 When Eber had l­ived 34 y ­ ears, he be­ came the fa­ther of Pe­leg. 17 And af­ter he be­ came the fa­ther of Pe­leg, Eber ­lived 430 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

18 When Pe­leg had l­ived 30 y ­ ears, he be­ came the fa­ther of Reu. 19 And af­ter he be­ a 10

Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 11-25.

Hebrew; Septuagint (see also Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he became the father of Cainan. 13And after he became the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died.

When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters

b 12,13

ular importance. From Adam to Enoch are seven generations; from Enoch to Eber, ancestor of the Hebrews, are seven; and from Eber to Abram are seven generations.

27 came the fa­ther of Reu, Pe­leg ­lived 209 ­years and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

20 When Reu had l­ ived 32 y ­ ears, he be­came the fa­ther of Se­rug. 21 And af­ter he be­came the fa­ther of Se­rug, Reu l­ived 207 y­ ears and had oth­er sons and daugh­ters.

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

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

26 Af­ter Te­rah had l­ived 70 y ­ ears, he be­ came the fa­ther of ­Abram, Na­hor and Ha­ran.

Genesis 12:6

Sa­rai, the wife of his son ­Abram, and to­geth­ er they set out from Ur of the Chal­de­ans to go to Ca­naan. But when they came to Har­ran, they set­tled there.

32 Te­rah ­lived 205 ­years, and he died in Har­ran.

The Call of Abram

12

The Lord had said to A ­ bram, “Go from your coun­try, your peo­ple and your fa­ ther’s house­hold to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. a 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; Abram’s Family and all peoples on earth 27 This is the ac­count of Te­rah’s fam­il­ y line. will be blessed through you.” b 4 So ­Abram went, as the Lord had told him; Te­rah be­came the fa­ther of ­Abram, Na­hor and Ha­ran. And Ha­ran be­came the fa­ther of and Lot went with him. A ­ bram was sev­en­tyLot. 28 While his fa­ther Te­rah was s­ till a­ live, five ­years old when he set out from Har­ran.

Ha­ran died in Ur of the Chal­de­ans, in the 5 He took his wife Sa­rai, his neph­ew Lot, all land of his ­birth. 29 Abram and Na­hor both the pos­ses­sions they had ac­cu­mu­lat­ed and mar­ried. The name of A ­ bram’s wife was Sa­ the peo­ple they had ac­quired in Har­ran, and rai, and the name of Na­hor’s wife was Mil­ they set out for the land of Ca­naan, and they kah; she was the daugh­ter of Ha­ran, the fa­ ar­rived there.

6 ther of both Mil­kah and Is­kah. 30 Now Sa­rai Abram trav­eled t­hrough the land as was child­less be­cause she was not able to far as the site of the ­great tree of Mo­reh at con­ceive.

She­chem. At that time the Ca­naan­ites were 31 Te­rah took his son ­Abram, his grand­son a 2 Or be seen as blessed b 3 Or earth / will use your name Lot son of Ha­ran, and his daugh­ter-in-law in blessings (see 48:20) 11:28 Ur of the Chaldeans is almost overwhelmingly identified as the Sumerian city on the Euphrates in southern Mesopotamia.

11:29 Abram and Nahor and the women they married are important for history in general and God’s plan specifically.

Abram married his half sister Sarai, the daughter of his father but not his mother; Nahor married Milkah, the daughter of his brother Haran and therefore his niece (see chart, The Family Tree of Abraham). Though such relationships would later be forbidden as incestuous (see Lev 18), God planned for the human race to descend from one couple, necessitating marriage between brothers and sisters for a time. Certainly, however, there was never a sanction for any such relationship outside marriage (see Ge 19:31–­38; Lev 18, Incest).

11:31 Haran is in northern Mesopotamia on an upper branch of the Euphrates, approximately 600 miles north of Ur (see v. 28, note).

12:1 Abram’s story, like Noah’s, begins with a command and promise from Yahweh, the covenant God. The command is to separate himself from his countrymen, undoubtedly idolaters.

The promise includes seven clauses:

1) “I will make you into a great nation” (Heb. goy), implying the giving of territory (v. 7).

2) “I will bless you.”

3) “I will make your name great.” The promise to make Abram’s name great is a deliberate contrast to the efforts of the tower builders (Ge 11:4); this language is used of royalty elsewhere in the OT (2Sa 7:9; Ps 72:17).

4) “You will be a blessing.” This imperative is related to the first imperative, “Go from,” and is central and pivotal to the promise. Abram’s separation will result in his bringing blessing to others. The next three clauses deal with those who will be blessed.

5) “I will bless those who bless you.”

6) “Whoever curses you I will curse.”

7) “And all peoples on earth will be blessed” (vv. 2–­3). This last clause of the promise emphasizes Abram’s role in the fulfillment of the divine plan for all humanity.

12:6 Shechem, lying in a valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, was in central Canaan, approximately 500 miles south of Haran. Whether or not this city was the present Nablus is not as important as the fact that here God appeared to Abram. The terebinth tree was associated with “Moreh,” probably a Canaanite shrine for divining, before God chose to reveal his power here in a theophany (a visual appearance of the Lord, v. 7).

Genesis 12:7

28 9 Then

­Abram set out and con­tin­ued to­ ward the Ne­gev.

BLESSINGS

GIFTS FROM A LOVING FATHER The blessings of God are abundantly bestowed on all those who follow him.

God’s blessings are not simply a reward for godly living but a gift from a loving Father.

Life’s blessings are not a measure of who we are but of who God is. God promises personal blessings to those who follow him in obedience and exhorts his people to be a blessing to others (Ge 12:2–­3).

Christians need only to reflect back over their own lives to discover blessings from God. While blessings are experienced in different ways, provision, protection, and salvation are among God’s greatest blessings. The goodness of God is also apparent when Christians look around at present blessings. Health, family, friends and ministry are among God’s choicest blessings.

Christians can also look ahead to future blessings. God promises continual blessings on earth and eternal blessings in heaven.

The wonderful blessings of God should be remembered, not forgotten. The same gracious God who forgives sin, heals diseases, redeems lives and bestows mercy, also promises abundant blessings (Ps 103:2–­5).

See also Nu 23:20; Isa 61:9; Jas 1:17; notes on Gratitude (Ps 95); Promises of God (2Pe 1); Prosperity (Ps 2); Providence (Ecc 7); Spiritual Gifts (Ro 12)

in the land. 7 The Lord ap­peared to ­Abram and said, “To your off­spring a I will give this land.” So he ­built an al­tar ­there to the Lord, who had ap­peared to him.

8 From t­ here he went on to­ward the h ­ ills east of Beth­el and p ­ itched his tent, with Beth­el on the west and Ai on the east. T ­ here he b ­ uilt an al­tar to the Lord and c­ alled on the name of the Lord.

12:8 Bethel (Heb., lit. “house of God”) was 12 miles north

of the eventual site of Jerusalem. What happened to Abram also happened to Jacob (Ge 28:10–­22). The naming of the city Bethel occurred when Jacob slept there. At this time it was a Canaanite city called Luz. Ai (lit. “the ruin”) was known by this name at the time of its destruction (Jos 7–­8). Abram did not stay in Canaanite cities; he pitched a tent on the outskirts.

Abram in Egypt

10 Now t­ here was a fam­ine in the land, and

­ bram went down to E A ­ gypt to live t­ here for a ­while be­cause the fam­ine was se­vere. 11 As he was ­about to en­ter E ­ gypt, he said to his wife Sa­rai, “I know what a beau­ti­ful wom­an you are. 12 When the Egyp­tians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sis­ter, so that I will be treat­ed well for your sake and my life will be s­ pared be­cause of you.”

14 When ­Abram came to ­Egypt, the Egyp­ tians saw that Sa­rai was a very beau­ti­ful wom­an. 15 And when Phar­aoh’s of­fi­cials saw her, they ­praised her to Phar­aoh, and she was tak­en into his pal­ace. 16 He treat­ed ­Abram well for her sake, and A ­ bram ac­quired ­sheep and cat­tle, male and fe­male don­keys, male and fe­male ser­vants, and cam­els.

17 But the Lord in­flict­ed se­ri­ous dis­eas­es on Phar­aoh and his house­hold be­cause of ­Abram’s wife Sa­rai. 18 So Phar­aoh sum­moned ­Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why ­didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sis­ter,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Phar­ aoh gave or­ders a­ bout ­Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and ev­ery­thing he had.

Abram and Lot Separate

13

So ­Abram went up from E ­ gypt to the Ne­gev, with his wife and ev­ery­thing he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had be­ come very ­wealthy in live­stock and in sil­ver and gold.

3 From the Ne­gev he went from ­place to ­place un­til he came to Beth­el, to the ­place be­tween Beth­el and Ai w ­ here his tent had been ear­li­er 4 and w ­ here he had f­ irst ­built an

a 7 Or seed

12:10 Abram had not been forbidden by Yahweh to travel to Egypt. During famine, it was common for Canaanite peoples to take refuge in Egypt, which was usually well watered by the seasonal flooding of the Nile.

12:13 Abram’s sister. Sarai was his half sister (Ge 11:29, note; 20:12). Sarai, now 65, was at the midpoint of the patriarchal life span, the equivalent of modern-­day thirties or early forties.

29

Genesis 13:13

The Family Tree of Abraham Terah (Ge 11:26)

Unnamed Wife Sarai or Sarah (wife) (Ge 11:29; 20:12)

Abram or Abraham (Ge 11:26)

Hagar (concubine) (Ge 16:1–4)

Isaac (Ge 21:2,3) Judith (wife) (Ge 26:34) Basemath (wife) (Ge 36:3,4)

Esau (Ge 25:25)

Oholibamah (wife) (Ge 36:2,5)

Haran (Ge 11:26)

Keturah (wife) (Ge 25:1)

Unnamed Concubines (Ge 25:6)

Ishmael (Ge 16:15)

Unnamed Wife

Zimran Jokshan Medan Midian Ishbak Shuah (Ge 25:1)

Nahor (Ge 11:26) Reumah (concubine) (Ge 22:24)

Milkah (daughter of Haran; wife of Nahor) (Ge 11:29)

Bethuel (Ge 24:15)

Lot (Ge 11:27)

Iskah (Ge 11:29)

Lot’s Wife (Ge 19:26)

Rebekah (Ge 24:15)

Mahalath (wife) (Ge 28:9)

Leah (wife) (Ge 29:21–23)

Adah (wife) (Ge 36:2,4)

Zilpah (concubine) (Ge 30:9)

Jacob (Ge 25:26)

Dinah (Ge 30:21)

Rachel (wife) (Ge 29:28) Bilhah (concubine) (Ge 30:3)

Women Marital Relationships Descendant

al­tar. T ­ here A ­ bram c­ alled on the name of the Lord.

5 Now Lot, who was mov­ing ­about with ­Abram, also had f­ locks and ­herds and ­tents.

6 But the land ­could not sup­port them ­while they ­stayed to­geth­er, for ­their pos­ses­sions were so ­great that they were not able to stay to­geth­er. 7 And quar­rel­ing ­arose be­tween ­Abram’s herd­ers and Lot’s. The Ca­naan­ites and Per­iz­zites were also liv­ing in the land at that time.

8 So ­Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quar­rel­ing be­tween you and me, or be­tween your herd­ers and mine, for we are ­close rel­a­ tives. 9 Is not the ­whole land be­fore you? ­Let’s

part com­pa­ny. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the ­right; if you go to the r­ ight, I’ll go to the left.”

10 Lot l­ooked a ­ round and saw that the ­whole ­plain of the Jor­dan to­ward Zoar was well wa­tered, like the gar­den of the Lord, like the land of ­Egypt. (This was be­fore the Lord de­stroyed Sod­om and Go­mor­rah.) 11 So Lot ­chose for him­self the ­whole ­plain of the Jor­ dan and set out to­ward the east. The two men part­ed com­pa­ny: 12 Abram l­ ived in the land of Ca­naan, ­while Lot ­lived ­among the cit­ies of the ­plain and p ­ itched his t­ ents near Sod­om.

13 Now the peo­ple of Sod­om were wick­ed and were sin­ning great­ly ­against the Lord.

13:9 Abram’s concession. By allowing Lot first choice of

13:13 Sodom, like Zoar, probably lay at the southern end of

land, Abram put aside his own right as head of the family. This appears to be an act of faith in God’s promise and stands in contrast to his earlier actions based on fear (Ge 12:7,10–­20).

the Dead Sea and may now be underwater. Sodom was a center of homosexuality (Ge 19:5), a sin directly against Yahweh (see Ge 19:5; Lev 18, Homosexuality).

Genesis 13:14

30

14 The

Lord said to A ­ bram af­ter Lot had part­ed from him, “Look ­around from ­where you are, to the n ­ orth and ­south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your off­spring a for­ev­er. 16 I will make your off­spring like the dust of the ­earth, so that if any­one c­ ould ­count the dust, then your off­spring ­could be count­ed. 17 Go, walk ­through the l­ ength and b ­ readth of the land, for I am giv­ing it to you.”

18 So ­Abram went to live near the ­great ­trees of Mam­re at He­bron, w ­ here he ­pitched his ­tents. ­There he b ­ uilt an al­tar to the Lord.

Abram Rescues Lot

14

­ arched out and drew up t­ heir bat­tle ­lines m in the Val­ley of Sid­dim 9 against Ked­or­la­o­mer king of Elam, Ti­dal king of Goy­im, Am­ra­phel king of Shi­nar and Ar­i­och king of El­la­sar — ​ four k ­ ings a­ gainst five. 10 Now the Val­ley of Sid­dim was full of tar pits, and when the ­kings of Sod­om and Go­mor­rah fled, some of the men fell into them and the rest fled to the ­hills. 11 The four ­kings ­seized all the ­goods of Sod­om and Go­mor­rah and all ­their food; then they went away. 12 They also car­ried off ­Abram’s neph­ew Lot and his pos­ses­sions, ­since he was liv­ing in Sod­om.

13 A man who had es­caped came and re­ port­ed this to ­Abram the He­brew. Now ­Abram was liv­ing near the g­ reat t­rees of Mam­re the Am­o­rite, a broth­er c of Esh­kol and Aner, all of whom were al­lied with ­Abram.

14 When A ­ bram h ­ eard that his rel­a­tive had been tak­en cap­tive, he ­called out the 318 ­trained men born in his house­hold and went in pur­suit as far as Dan. 15 Dur­ing the ­night ­Abram di­vid­ed his men to at­tack them and he rout­ed them, pur­su­ing them as far as Ho­ bah, ­north of Da­mas­cus. 16 He re­cov­ered all the g­ oods and b ­ rought back his rel­a­tive Lot and his pos­ses­sions, to­geth­er with the wom­ en and the oth­er peo­ple.

17 Af­ter ­Abram re­turned from de­feat­ing Ked­or­la­o­mer and the ­kings al­lied with him, the king of Sod­om came out to meet him in the Val­ley of Sha­veh (that is, the ­King’s ­Val­ley).

18 Then Mel­chiz­e­dek king of Sa­lem ­brought out ­bread and wine. He was p ­ riest of God Most High, 19 and he ­blessed A ­ bram, say­ing,

At the time when Am­ra­phel was king of Shi­nar, b Ar­i­och king of El­la­sar, Ked­ or­la­o­mer king of Elam and Ti­dal king of Goy­ im, 2 these ­kings went to war ­against Bera king of Sod­om, Bir­sha king of Go­mor­rah, Shi­nab king of Ad­mah, Shem­e­ber king of Ze­boy­im, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). 3 All ­these lat­ter ­kings j­ oined forc­es in the Val­ley of Sid­ dim (that is, the Dead Sea Val­ley). 4 For ­twelve ­years they had been sub­ject to Ked­or­la­o­mer, but in the thir­teenth year they re­belled.

5 In the four­teenth year, Ked­or­la­o­mer and the ­kings al­lied with him went out and de­ feat­ed the Reph­a­ites in Ash­te­roth Kar­na­ im, the Zu­zites in Ham, the ­Emites in Sha­ veh Kir­ia­tha­im 6 and the Ho­rites in the hill coun­try of Seir, as far as El Pa­ran near the des­ert. 7 Then they t­ urned back and went to En Mish­pat (that is, Ka­desh), and they con­ quered the ­whole ter­ri­to­ry of the Am­a­lek­ ites, as well as the Am­o­rites who were liv­ing in Haz­e­zon Ta­mar.

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, 8 Then the king of Sod­om, the king of Go­ Creator of heaven and earth. mor­rah, the king of Ad­mah, the king of Ze­ a 15 Or seed ; also in verse 16 b 1 That is, Babylonia; also in boy­im and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) verse 9 c 13 Or a relative; or an ally 13:18 Mamre is the modern site of Ramet el-­Khalil, almost

two miles north of Hebron in south central Canaan. Abram would probably have used the Negev for grazing land. Mamre was named after a prominent Amorite (Ge 14:13).

14:5 Kedorlaomer and his allies formed a power complex which dominated territory all the way to the Jordan River.

On its way down to the Dead Sea, the united army followed the “King’s Highway,” which has been a major route of travel throughout history (Nu 20:17). The Rephaites, Zuzites, and Emites are described as “giants” (Dt 2:10–­12,20–­23). The path of conquest extended to the Desert of Paran, at the top of the Red Sea. The army then turned north to En Mishpat, in the Negev south of Canaan, and ended up at Hazezon Tamar on the western shore of the Dead Sea. Archaeological

evidence confirms great destruction in this area around 1900 BC. 14:10 Tar pits. The Hebrew text repeats “pits” (lit. “pits of bitumen”), emphasizing the frequency and size of the depressions. Tar, or bitumen, is a mineral found in great deposits around the Dead Sea. A kind of pitch, this sticky substance was used on Noah’s ark and for mortar (Ge 6:14; 11:3). “Fell” can also mean “lower oneself,” as in hiding, which explains the reappearance of the king of Sodom (v. 17).

14:18 Melchizedek, whose name means “my king is righteousness,” is described as “king of Salem” or “king of peace” (Heb 7:2). Some identify him as king of nearby Jerusalem (see Ps 76:2). As both priest and king, Melchizedek foreshadowed Christ (Ps 110:4). Like Abram, Melchizedek worshiped the true

31 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Genesis 15:16 6 Abram be­lieved the Lord, and he cred­it­ed

it to him as righ­teous­ness.

7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who ­brought you out of Ur of the Chal­de­ans to Then ­Abram gave him a ­tenth of ev­ery­thing.

21 The king of Sod­om said to ­Abram, “Give give you this land to take pos­ses­sion of it.”

8 But ­Abram said, “Sov­er­eign Lord, how me the peo­ple and keep the g­ oods for your­ can I know that I will gain pos­ses­sion of it?” self.”

22 But ­Abram said to the king of Sod­om, “With ­raised hand I have ­sworn an oath to the WE CAN TRUST AN UNKNOWN FUTURE Lord, God Most High, Cre­a­tor of heav­en and TO A KNOWN GOD. ­earth, 23 that I will ac­cept noth­ing be­long­ing to you, not even a ­thread or the ­strap of a san­dal, Corrie Ten Boom so that you will nev­er be able to say, ‘I made ­Abram rich.’ 24 I will ac­cept noth­ing but what 9 So the Lord said to him, “Bring me a heif­ my men have eat­en and the ­share that be­longs to the men who went with me — ​to Aner, Esh­ er, a goat and a ram, each ­three ­years old, ­along with a dove and a y­ oung pi­geon.” kol and Mam­re. Let them have ­their share.”

10 Abram b ­ rought all ­these to him, cut them in two and ar­ ranged the h ­ alves op­po­site each The Lord’s Covenant With Abram oth­er; the ­birds, how­ev­er, he did not cut in Af­ter this, the word of the Lord came half. 11 Then ­birds of prey came down on the to ­Abram in a vi­sion: car­cass­es, but A ­ bram ­drove them away.

12 As the sun was set­ting, ­Abram fell into a “Do not be afraid, Abram. deep ­sleep, and a t­ hick and dread­ful dark­ness I am your shield, a came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, your very great reward. b ” “Know for cer­tain that for four hun­dred y­ ears 2 But ­Abram said, “Sov­er­eign Lord, what your de­scen­dants will be strang­ers in a coun­ can you give me s­ ince I re­main child­less and try not ­their own and that they will be en­ the one who will in­her­it c my es­tate is El­i­e­zer slaved and mis­treat­ed ­there. 14 But I will pun­ish of Da­mas­cus?” 3 And ­Abram said, “You have the na­tion they ­serve as ­slaves, and ­af­ter­ward giv­en me no chil­dren; so a ser­vant in my they will come out with ­great pos­ses­sions.

15 You, how­ev­er, will go to your an­ces­tors in house­hold will be my heir.”

4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: ­peace and be bur­ied at a good old age. 16 In the “This man will not be your heir, but a son ­fourth gen­er­a­tion your de­scen­dants will come who is your own flesh and blood will be your back here, for the sin of the Am­o­rites has not heir.” 5 He took him out­side and said, “Look yet ­reached its full mea­sure.” up at the sky and ­count the ­stars — ​if in­deed a 1 Or sovereign b 1 Or shield; / your reward will be very you can c­ ount them.” Then he said to him, great c 2 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. d 5 Or seed “So ­shall your off­spring d be.”

15

God. His description (v. 18), his blessing of Abram (vv. 19–­20) and his acceptance of a tithe (v. 20) have prompted some to identify this as a Christophany, an appearance of the preincarnate Christ (see Heb 7:1–­10).

15:6 Abram’s great faith took the words of God as proof enough (see Ge 12:1–­4). The word translated “believed” or “verified” appear twice (Ge 42:20; 45:26); both times it involves the presence of proof for the statement made. God placed Abram’s faith on the scale of justice, causing it to tip toward righteousness (see Ro 4:3).

15:7 Confirmation of the covenant. God makes the Abrahamic covenant with Abram (vv. 7–­21). The confirmation of the covenant has five parts: 1) God reminded Abram of his faithfulness in the past (v. 7).

2) God gave a sign to confirm his promise (vv. 8–­12).

3) God specified the provision of the covenant (vv. 13–­16).

4) God ratified the covenant by a divine appearance (v. 17).

5) God concluded the covenant with an unconditional promise (v. 18).

15:9 The sign of the covenant. The animals have a double

significance. They acted as the sacrifices which accompanied covenant-­making in the OT. In addition, the party who passed through the animals bound himself to fulfill the covenant, lest a similar fate come upon him if the covenant were to be violated.

15:13 Four hundred years is a rounded or approximate figure; 430 years is the exact duration of the exile (Ex 12:40–­41).

15:16 The sin of the Amorites. Israel would only inherit the land after the Canaanite inhabitants had passed the point of divine tolerance. In his omniscient foreknowledge, God knew the timing of that ultimate judgment, which would give the Israelites their land.

Genesis 15:17

32

17 W hen

the sun had set and dark­ness had fall­en, a smok­ing fire­pot with a blaz­ ing t­orch ap­peared and p ­ assed be­tween the piec­es. 18 On that day the Lord made a cov­enant with ­Abram and said, “To your de­ scen­dants I give this land, from the Wadi a of ­Egypt to the ­great riv­er, the Eu­phra­tes — ​ 19 the land of the Ke­nites, Ken­iz­zites, Kad­ mon­ites, 20 Hit­tites, Per­iz­zites, Reph­a­ites, 21 Am­o­r ites, Ca­n aan­i tes, Gir­ga­s hites and Jeb­u­sites.”

6 “Your

slave is in your h ­ ands,” A ­ bram said. “Do with her what­ev­er you t­ hink best.”

Then Sa­rai mis­treat­ed Ha­gar; so she fled from her.

7 The an­gel of the Lord f­ ound Ha­gar near a ­spring in the des­ert; it was the ­spring that is be­side the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Ha­ gar, slave of Sa­rai, ­where have you come from, and w ­ here are you go­ing?”

“I’m run­ning away from my mis­tress Sa­ rai,” she an­swered.

9 Then the an­gel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mis­tress and sub­mit to her.”

Hagar and Ishmael 10 The an­gel add­ed, “I will in­crease your de­ Now Sa­rai, ­Abram’s wife, had ­borne scen­dants so much that they will be too nu­ him no chil­dren. But she had an Egyp­ mer­ous to count.” tian slave ­named Ha­gar; 2 so she said to 11 The an­gel of the Lord also said to her: ­Abram, “The Lord has kept me from hav­ing chil­dren. Go, s­ leep with my slave; per­haps I “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. can ­build a fam­i­ly ­through her.” b 3 Abram ­agreed to what Sa­rai said. So af­ You shall name him Ishmael, ter A ­ bram had been liv­ing in Ca­naan ten for the Lord has heard of your misery. ­years, Sa­rai his wife took her Egyp­tian slave 12

H e will be a wild donkey of a man; Ha­gar and gave her to her hus­band to be

his hand will be against everyone 4 his wife. He ­slept with Ha­gar, and she con­

and everyone’s hand against him, ceived. live in hostility When she knew she was preg­nant, she be­ and he will c gan to de­spise her mis­tress. 5 Then Sa­rai said toward all his brothers.”

13 She gave this name to the Lord who to A ­ bram, “You are re­spon­si­ble for the ­wrong I am suf­fer­ing. I put my slave in your arms, ­spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” and now that she k ­ nows she is preg­nant, she for she said, “I have now seen d the One who de­spis­es me. May the Lord ­judge be­tween a 18 Or river b 11 Ishmael means God hears. c 12 Or live to the east / of d 13 Or seen the back of you and me.”

16

15:17 Smoke and fire. Elsewhere in the Pentateuch, smoke

and fire accompany manifestations of the divine presence (see Ex 19:18). God passed between the cut halves of the animals. This was a strong method of covenant ratification (see v. 9, note). Abram was not required to perform this ritual; God chose to bind himself to a unilateral obligation.

15:18 The terms of the covenant promise are that God will give Abram’s descendants the land belonging to the ten nations listed (vv. 19–­21; see also charts, The Covenants of Genesis; The Covenants with Abraham and Jacob). The “Wadi of Egypt” is the Wadi el-­Arish, which divides Canaan and Egypt.

The area across the Jordan was also promised. Israel reached these borders during the reign of David.

16:2 Sarai’s plan. There is a parallel—­both in the words used and in their respective actions—­between Sarai, who told Abram to “Go, sleep with my slave,” and Eve, who “took some (of the fruit) and . . . also gave some to her husband” (Ge 3:6).

In both cases, the woman willfully took the initiative, and the man was a willing recipient. Hagar became Abram’s concubine and the mother of his child. The taking of a concubine to assure male heirs was both accepted and legal in the ancient Near East. Nevertheless, Abram had been called out from his cultural surroundings (Ge 12:1–­3). Sarai’s plan for securing an heir was in essence polygamy, and polygamy always has been

in violation of the Creator’s plan for marriage (Ge 2:24; see 1Ti 3, Polygamy).

16:7 The angel of the Lord is associated with the covenant God. The angel is thought by many to be a theophany or an appearance of God himself, as Hagar recognized (v. 13; see also chart, The Angel of the Lord). The angel appears in Genesis to prevent the thwarting of God’s plan for his chosen people (see Ge 22:11). Because the angel seems to distinguish himself from Yahweh while still claiming deity (vv. 11–­13), he has been identified by some as the preincarnate Christ.

16:8 Hagar was returning to her home country Egypt; Shur is at Canaan’s southern border (v. 7). God’s method of communication often utilized questioning but never implied lack of omniscience (see Ge 3:9–­11; 4:6).

16:10 The angel’s promise. Hagar received directly from God a promise of descendants. Ishmael (Heb., lit. “God hears”) was the father of 12 princes (v. 11; Ge 25:13–­16), paralleling the 12 tribes descended from Isaac’s son Jacob. Still, Ishmael’s descendants would not inherit the land. “Toward all” also carries the sense of “against the face of” (v. 12), predicting the hostility between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac. While God had compassion on Hagar, he did not allow Abram’s attempt to secure an heir through his own means to defeat his plan.

33

Genesis 17:5

Hagar :

R E J EC T E D B U T N OT A B A N D O N E D

The Egyptian maidservant Hagar was acquired by Sarai (Sarah) when she and Abram, together with his nephew Lot, moved from Canaan to Egypt to escape a famine. In ancient Near Eastern households the rank of personal maidservant to the master’s wife reflected honor, obedience and trustworthiness. However, the position stripped Hagar of all personal rights, making her totally subject to Sarai’s every wish. Because Sarai was sterile, Hagar’s surrogate maternity was perfectly legal, though a clear violation of God’s law (see Ge 2:24) and evidence of a lack of faith on the part of Abram and Sarai.

Physiologically and emotionally, however, Hagar changed radically with her pregnancy.

Sarai responded to Hagar’s pride and self-­importance with a vindictive accusation against her husband, who insisted that Sarai assume full responsibility for her maid. Because of Sarai’s mistreatment, Hagar ran away.

To this fugitive slave, God revealed himself (“You-­Are-­the-­God-­Who-­Sees,” Ge 16:13). In tender grace he met her immediate need and allowed her to experience his presence.

Hagar’s legacy speaks poignantly to the growing number of disadvantaged and dispossessed women. Under no circumstance can they escape God’s watchful care. As God provided for Hagar, he can and will provide for every woman. Twice the angel of the Lord came to her aid (Ge 16:7; 21:17). He was also involved with Hagar and her son in times of crisis and in the times in between (Ge 21:20).

Throughout Hagar’s life, she experienced estrangement and prejudice as a foreigner, hardship and abuse as a servant, grief and abandonment as an unwed pregnant woman, and hopeless despair on two occasions as she faced imminent death. Yet despite all these difficulties, Hagar responded to the God who addressed her. She did not get compensation from Sarah and Abraham; her life was never easy, but God did reward her. In the all-­seeing God, Hagar found refuge and life.

See also Ge 21:8–­21; 25:12–­18; notes on Abuse (Ps 30); Unwed Mothers (1Ki 3)

sees me.” 14 That is why the well was c­ alled Beer La­hai Roi a; it is ­still ­there, be­tween Ka­ desh and Be­red.

15 So Ha­gar bore ­Abram a son, and ­Abram gave the name Ish­ma­el to the son she had ­borne. 16 Abram was ­eighty-six ­years old when Ha­gar bore him Ish­ma­el.

The Covenant of Circumcision

17

When A ­ bram was nine­ty-nine y­ ears old, the Lord ap­peared to him and

16:14 The well (lit. “well of the living one who sees me”)

was between Kadesh and Bered on Canaan’s southern border.

Kadesh Barnea is the modern site of Ain Quedeis in the wilderness of the Negev.

17:1 The affirmation of the covenant. A second stage in the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant came 14 to 22 years after the events of chapter 15 (see chart, The Covenants of Genesis). This reaffirmation of the covenant, like its establishment, involved God’s revelation of himself and a divine promise. In this chapter, reciprocal action is demanded from Abram (obedience, v. 1; circumcision, vv. 10–­14). “Blameless” carries

said, “I am God Al­mighty b; walk be­fore me faith­ful­ly and be blame­less. 2 Then I will make my cov­enant be­tween me and you and will great­ly in­crease your num­bers.”

3 Abram fell face­down, and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my cov­enant with you: You will be the fa­ther of many na­tions.

5 No lon­ger will you be ­called ­Abram c; your name will be Abra­ham, d for I have made a 14

Beer Lahai Roi means well of the Living One who sees me.

Abram means exalted father.

Abraham probably means father of many.

b 1 Hebrew El-Shaddai c 5 d 5

with it the idea of “unblemished” and possibly “transparent” or “candid.” In Scripture, this is the first use of the name El Shaddai (“almighty God”), which in Genesis appears in the context of resolving covenant difficulties, especially those involving the continuation of the covenant line (Ge 28:3; 35:11).

17:5 The renaming of Abram (lit. “exalted father”) is perhaps a reference to his own aristocratic family. The focus of this name change (“Abraham,” lit. “father of many nations”) is on his eventual progeny of kings and nations (v. 6), while earlier this focus was primarily concerned with Abram’s immediate heir (Ge 15).

Genesis 17:6

34

CIRCUMCISION

A SIGN OF THE COVENANT Circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin of the penis. Baby boys are often circumcised for reasons of health and hygiene, but in Biblical times and in modern Jewish communities, circumcision is a religious ritual, distinguishing the seed of Abraham or the Jew from the Gentile.

When God first made a covenant with Abraham, the father of all the faithful, God commanded circumcision as a sign of that faith relationship (Ge 17:11). This act of obedience also represented the putting away of evil (Dt 10:16; Jer 4:4). Because God’s covenant promises to Abraham were fully realized by Jesus Christ, the apostle Paul taught that every Christian, both male and female, is circumcised, not by human hands, but in Christ when the sinful nature is replaced by Christ’s presence (Ro 2:29; Col 2:11).

See also Ex 12:48; notes on Childbirth (Jn 16); Culture (Isa 51)

you a fa­ther of many na­tions. 6 I will make you very fruit­ful; I will make na­tions of you, and k ­ ings will come from you. 7 I will es­tab­ lish my cov­enant as an ever­last­ing cov­enant be­tween me and you and your de­scen­dants af­ter you for the gen­er­a­tions to come, to be your God and the God of your de­scen­dants af­ter you. 8 The ­whole land of Ca­naan, w ­ here you now re­side as a for­eign­er, I will give as an ever­last­ing pos­ses­sion to you and your de­ scen­dants af­ter you; and I will be t­ heir God.” 9 Then God said to Abra­ham, “As for you, 17:10 Circumcision. The eternal covenant is accompanied

by a permanent physical sign. Where earlier covenant signs merely commemorated the making of a covenant (Ge 9:12, the rainbow; 15:7–­8, the divine appearance), circumcision carried the additional function of separation (see Circumcision).

17:14 To be cut off can be interpreted either as excommunication from the nation (Ex 12:19; Lev 7:20–­21,25; 17:9–­10) or as an untimely death by the congregation of Israel or by God himself (Ex 31:14).

17:15 Sarai’s new name is obviously a part of the new covenant relationship, though the meaning of the change is not addressed as was the renaming of Abraham (v. 5). Clearly Sarah is an equal partner in the covenant (v. 16). Some have

you must keep my cov­enant, you and your de­scen­dants af­ter you for the gen­er­a­tions to come. 10 This is my cov­enant with you and your de­scen­dants af­ter you, the cov­enant you are to keep: Ev­ery male a­ mong you ­shall be cir­cum­cised. 11 You are to un­der­go cir­cum­ ci­sion, and it will be the sign of the cov­enant be­tween me and you. 12 For the gen­er­a­tions to come ev­ery male a­ mong you who is e­ ight days old must be cir­cum­cised, in­clud­ing ­those born in your house­hold or ­bought with mon­ey from a for­eign­er — ​­those who are not your off­spring. 13 Wheth­er born in your house­hold or ­bought with your mon­ey, they must be cir­cum­cised. My cov­enant in your ­flesh is to be an ever­last­ing cov­enant. 14 Any un­cir­cum­cised male, who has not been cir­ cum­cised in the ­flesh, will be cut off from his peo­ple; he has bro­ken my cov­enant.”

15 God also said to Abra­ham, “As for Sa­rai your wife, you are no lon­ger to call her Sa­rai; her name will be Sar­ah. 16 I will b ­ less her and will sure­ly give you a son by her. I will b ­ less her so that she will be the moth­er of na­tions; ­kings of peo­ples will come from her.”

17 Abra­ham fell face­down; he l­ aughed and said to him­self, “Will a son be born to a man a hun­dred ­years old? Will Sar­ah bear a ­child at the age of nine­ty?” 18 And Abra­ham said to God, “If only Ish­ma­el m ­ ight live un­der your bless­ing!”

19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sar­ ah will bear you a son, and you will call him ­Isaac. a I will es­tab­lish my cov­enant with him as an ever­last­ing cov­enant for his de­scen­ dants af­ter him. 20 And as for Ish­ma­el, I have ­heard you: I will sure­ly ­bless him; I will make him fruit­ful and will great­ly in­crease his num­bers. He will be the fa­ther of ­twelve rul­ ers, and I will make him into a ­great na­tion. a 19

Isaac means he laughs.

suggested “Sarai” as being from a root meaning “to contend” and “Sarah” as meaning “princess.” The latter is definitely the prevalent meaning. In any case, the change added to the dignity of the occasion when God openly and publicly declared Sarah’s part in the covenant.

17:17 Isaac’s birth is connected with laughter. Isaac (Heb., lit. “he laughs,” v. 19) not only alludes to the laughter of Abraham and Sarah (Ge 18:12; 21:6) but may also be an implied prayer that God will smile and show favor to this son.

17:20 Ishmael. The contrast with Isaac is clear; God does not make a covenant (Heb. berith) with Ishmael, although the promise to both sons is similar; the sons of each will form 12 tribes.

35 21 But my cov­enant I will es­tab­lish with ­Isaac,

whom Sar­ah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had fin­ished speak­ing with Abra­ham, God went up from him.

23 On that very day Abra­ham took his son Ish­ma­el and all t­ hose born in his house­hold or ­bought with his mon­ey, ev­ery male in his house­hold, and cir­cum­cised them, as God told him. 24 Abra­ham was nine­ty-nine ­years old when he was cir­cum­cised, 25 and his son Ish­ma­el was thir­teen; 26 Abra­ham and his son Ish­ma­el were both cir­cum­cised on that very day. 27 And ev­ery male in Abra­ham’s house­ hold, in­clud­ing ­those born in his house­hold or ­bought from a for­eign­er, was cir­cum­cised with him.

The Three Visitors

18

The Lord ap­peared to Abra­ham near the ­great ­trees of Mam­re w ­ hile he was sit­ting at the en­trance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abra­ham ­looked up and saw ­three men stand­ing near­by. When he saw them, he hur­ried from the en­trance of his tent to meet them and b ­ owed low to the ground.

3 He said, “If I have ­found fa­vor in your eyes, my lord, a do not pass your ser­vant by.

4 Let a lit­tle wa­ter be b ­ rought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest un­der this tree. 5 Let me get you some­thing to eat, so you can be re­freshed and then go on your way — ​ now that you have come to your ser­vant.”

“Very well,” they an­swered, “do as you say.”

6 So Abra­ham hur­ried into the tent to Sar­ ah. “Quick,” he said, “get ­three se­ahs b of the fin­est f­ lour and k ­ nead it and bake some bread.”

7 Then he ran to the herd and se­lect­ed a ­choice, ten­der calf and gave it to a ser­vant, 17:25 Ishmael’s circumcision. Although Ishmael was not included in the covenant with Abraham, his circumcision marks his participation in God’s grace towards Abraham’s descendants (see Circumcision).

18:1 The appearance of the Lord. Abraham took the covenant confirming step of circumcision. The three men could well have been God himself, in a theophany or Christophany (vv. 13,33), accompanied by two angels (Ge 19:1).

18:3 My lord. The timing of Abraham’s recognition of the identity of his visitors is not clear. ’Adonai (Heb.), accompanied by the particle for polite request to a superior, could have also been used to address a distinguished earthly visitor. The lavishness of the feast—­using approximately eight gallons of

Genesis 18:19

who hur­ried to pre­pare it. 8 He then b ­ rought some c­ urds and milk and the calf that had been pre­pared, and set ­these be­fore them. ­While they ate, he s­ tood near them un­der a tree.

9 “Where is your wife Sar­ah?” they a ­ sked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

10 Then one of them said, “I will sure­ly re­ turn to you a­ bout this time next year, and Sar­ah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sar­ah was lis­ten­ing at the en­trance to the tent, ­which was be­hind him. 11 Abra­ham and Sar­ah were al­ready very old, and Sar­ah was past the age of child­bear­ing. 12 So Sar­ah ­laughed to her­self as she ­thought, “Af­ter I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this plea­sure?”

13 Then the Lord said to Abra­ham, “Why did Sar­ah ­laugh and say, ‘Will I real­ly have a ­child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is any­thing too hard for the Lord? I will re­turn to you at the ap­point­ed time next year, and Sar­ah will have a son.”

15 Sar­ah was ­afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Abraham Pleads for Sodom 16 When

the men got up to l­eave, they l­ooked down to­ward Sod­om, and Abra­ham ­walked ­along with them to see them on ­their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abra­ham what I am a­ bout to do? 18 Abra­ham will sure­ly be­come a g­ reat and pow­er­ful na­ tion, and all na­tions on e­ arth will be b ­ lessed ­through him. c 19 For I have cho­sen him, so that he will di­rect his chil­dren and his house­ hold af­ter him to keep the way of the Lord a 3 Or eyes, Lord b 6

That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms c 18 Or will use his name in blessings (see 48:20)

meal and an entire calf—­may suggest a plan for later ritual offerings of meal and meat, hinting that Abraham does in fact recognize his visitor (v. 6).

18:9–­12 God’s question, “Where is?” continues his pattern of summoning his creation (v. 9; see Ge 3:9; 4:9). The promise is a son for Sarah “about this time next year” (lit. “the time when it is reviving,” v. 10). This phrase is commonly used for spring, meaning “at the same time next year,” and emphasizing the contrast between Sarah’s “I am worn out” (lit. “worn out” like a garment, v. 12) and God’s promise of her renewed youth. This is apparently the first time Sarah has heard this promise applied specifically to her. Her response is identical to Abraham’s (17:17).

Genesis 18:20

36

M E N O PA U S E

FERTILITY AND BEYOND Menopause—­the cessation of a woman’s monthly periods—­announces the retirement of her ovaries from active duty and thus the end of her childbearing years. Aging and physical changes occurring after menopause are sometimes considered a negative issue. Indeed, there can be unpleasant physical repercussions. Yet God made clear that there is a season for all things (Ecc 3:1–­12). Events take place on heaven’s timeline, but God encourages us to focus on today, to honor the wisdom that comes with aging (Job 12:12), and to serve him in our own lifetime by doing good (Ecc 3:12).

Three postmenopausal women stand out as key figures in the Bible. Naomi, who thought herself too old to be of any use in Ruth’s life (Ru 1:12), was essential in the courtship of Ruth and Boaz and contributed to the rearing of their son Obed (Ru 4:16–­17). Both Sarah and Elizabeth in their old age conceived and bore sons who played important roles in the kingdom (Ge 18:11; Lk 1:36). Each of these wise and godly women was instrumental in the familial lineage or events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ.

Besides Biblical encouragement, post­menopausal women also have medical help available. Enjoying of post­menopausal years in healthy activity is often a matter of personal choice and planning. The uncomfortable physical symptoms of menopause can often be avoided or minimized by working with a physician. God never meant for your value to be determined by age or constrained by hormone levels.

Remember: God can use you at any age if your heart is faithful to him.

See also Ru 1:12; Ecc 3:1; notes on Aging (Isa 46); Menstrual Cycle (Lev 15); Premenstrual Syndrome (Pr 21)

by do­ing what is ­right and just, so that the Lord will b ­ ring a­ bout for Abra­ham what he has prom­ised him.”

20 Then the Lord said, “The out­cry a ­ gainst Sod­om and Go­mor­rah is so ­great and t­ heir sin so griev­ous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the out­cry that has ­reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men ­turned away and went to­ward Sod­om, but Abra­ham re­mained stand­ing be­ fore the Lord. a 23 Then Abra­ham ap­proached him and said: “Will you s­ weep away the righ­ teous with the wick­ed? 24 What if ­there are fif­ty righ­teous peo­ple in the city? Will you real­ly ­sweep it away and not ­spare b the ­place for the sake of the fif­ty righ­teous peo­ple in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a ­thing — ​ to kill the righ­teous with the wick­ed, treat­ing the righ­teous and the wick­ed ­alike. Far be it from you! Will not the ­Judge of all the ­earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fif­ty righ­teous peo­ple in the city of Sod­om, I will s­ pare the ­whole ­place for ­their sake.”

18:23 Abraham’s intercession is the first illustration of God’s promise that Abraham will be a blessing to the entire world (Ge 12:3).

27 Then Abra­ham ­spoke up ­again: “Now that I have been so bold as to s­ peak to the Lord, ­though I am noth­ing but dust and ash­ es, 28 what if the num­ber of the righ­teous is five less than fif­ty? Will you de­stroy the ­whole city for lack of five peo­ple?”

“If I find for­ty-five t­ here,” he said, “I will not de­stroy it.”

29 Once a ­ gain he s­ poke to him, “What if only for­ty are ­found there?”

He said, “For the sake of for­ty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be an­ gry, but let me s­ peak. What if only thir­ty can be ­found there?”

He an­swered, “I will not do it if I find thir­ ty there.”

31 Abra­ham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to s­ peak to the Lord, what if only twen­ty can be f­ ound there?”

He said, “For the sake of twen­ty, I will not de­stroy it.” a 22

Masoretic Text; an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition but the Lord remained standing before Abraham b 24 Or forgive; also in verse 26

37 32 Then

he said, “May the Lord not be an­ gry, but let me s­ peak just once more. What if only ten can be ­found there?”

He an­swered, “For the sake of ten, I will not de­stroy it.”

33 When the Lord had fin­ished speak­ing with Abra­ham, he left, and Abra­ham re­ turned home.

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

19

The two an­gels ar­rived at Sod­om in the eve­ning, and Lot was sit­ting in the gate­way of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and ­bowed down with his face to the g­ round. 2 “My l­ords,” he said, “please turn a­ side to your ser­vant’s ­house.

You can wash your feet and s­ pend the ­night and then go on your way ear­ly in the morn­ ing.”

“No,” they an­swered, “we will ­spend the ­night in the square.”

3 But he in­sist­ed so strong­ly that they did go with him and en­tered his h ­ ouse. He pre­ pared a meal for them, bak­ing ­bread with­out ­yeast, and they ate. 4 Be­fore they had gone to bed, all the men from ev­ery part of the city of Sod­om — ​both ­young and old — ​sur­round­ed the ­house. 5 They ­called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you to­night? B ­ ring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

6 Lot went out­side to meet them and shut the door be­hind him 7 and said, “No, my ­friends. D ­ on’t do this wick­ed ­thing. 8 Look, I have two daugh­ters who have nev­er ­slept with a man. Let me b ­ ring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them.

But ­don’t do any­thing to t­ hese men, for they have come un­der the pro­tec­tion of my roof.”

9 “Get out of our way,” they re­plied. “This fel­low came here as a for­eign­er, and now he ­wants to play the ­judge! ­We’ll ­treat you ­worse than them.” They kept bring­ing pres­sure on 19:1 The two angels. The three visitors to Abraham were a theophany of Yahweh (Ge 18:13) and two heavenly companions. Lot’s position “in the gateway” demonstrates his social standing in Sodom as a man of importance; he no longer lives in a tent on the outskirts but has established himself in the heart of this wicked society (see Ge 13:11–­12).

19:5 Lot’s offer of his daughters leaves no doubt that this phrase refers to sexual intimacy (v. 8). Sexual perversions were common in Canaanite culture and religious rites. Lot reflects the effects of Sodom on his own morality. Sexual violence is condemned in Genesis 34 as well as in the rest of OT history

Genesis 19:20

Lot and ­moved for­ward to ­break down the door.

10 But the men in­ side ­reached out and ­pulled Lot back into the h ­ ouse and shut the door. 11 Then they ­struck the men who were at the door of the h ­ ouse, y­ oung and old, with blind­ness so that they c­ ould not find the door.

12 The two men said to Lot, “Do you have any­one else here — ​sons-in-law, sons or daugh­ters, or any­one else in the city who be­ longs to you? Get them out of here, 13 be­cause we are go­ing to de­stroy this p ­ lace. The out­cry to the Lord a­ gainst its peo­ple is so g­ reat that he has sent us to de­stroy it.”

14 So Lot went out and ­spoke to his sonsin-law, who were p ­ ledged to mar­ry a his daugh­ters. He said, “Hur­r y and get out of this ­place, be­cause the Lord is ­about to de­ stroy the city!” But his sons-in-law t­ hought he was jok­ing.

15 With the com­ing of dawn, the an­gels ­urged Lot, say­ing, “Hur­r y! Take your wife and your two daugh­ters who are here, or you will be ­swept away when the city is pun­ ished.”

16 When he hes­i­tat­ed, the men g ­ rasped his hand and the ­hands of his wife and of his two daugh­ters and led them safe­ly out of the city, for the Lord was mer­ci­ful to them. 17 As soon as they had b ­ rought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your l­ives! D ­ on’t look back, and ­don’t stop any­where in the p ­ lain! Flee to the moun­tains or you will be s­ wept away!”

18 But Lot said to them, “No, my ­lords, b ­please! 19 Your c ser­vant has ­found fa­vor in your c eyes, and you c have s­ hown ­great kind­ ness to me in spar­ing my life. But I c­ an’t flee to the moun­tains; this di­sas­ter will over­take me, and I’ll die. 20 Look, here is a town near ­enough to run to, and it is ­small. Let me flee a 14 Or were married to b 18 Or No, Lord ; or No, my lord c 19 The Hebrew is singular.

(Jdg 19:22–­23; 2Sa 13). Lot is rescued not because of his own virtue but because of his relationship to Abraham (v. 29).

19:11 Blindness. This Hebrew word for blindness is unusual.

It occurs again only in a divinely caused loss of sight (2Ki 6:18) and may carry the connotation of “dazzled,” as in Saul’s Damascus Road experience (Ac 9:3–­8).

19:14 Sons-­in-­law. Whether Lot had other married daughters who remained in the city with their husbands or whether these were Lot’s prospective sons-­in-­law for his virgin daughters is unclear.

Genesis 19:21

38

Lot’s Disobedient Wife Though Lot was a rich and influential man (Ge 13:10–­11), the Scripture does not record his wife’s name or any information concerning her race or family. From every indication, however, his wife was a worldly, materialistic woman. Certainly she failed in the spiritual nurturing of her children. Her daughters married men of Sodom and then initiated incest with their own father (Ge 19:32–­35).

Lot’s wife did not have to die. She was offered a choice—­obedience and life or disobedience and death in pursuit of the pleasures of the world. We do not know where Lot met his wife or when they were married, but we do know they had two daughters (Ge 19:16). The kidnapping of Lot and his family (Ge 14) would have included his wife, and she would have been among the company that was rescued by Abraham since Abraham “recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people” (Ge 14:16).

This means she may well have heard Melchizedek’s witness for God (Ge 14:19–­20). In other words, she was well aware of the Lord and his dealings with Abraham. But the lifestyle of Sodom had a strong hold on her.

Sodom was a sophisticated town, offering a wide variety of cultural opportunities. The immorality had degenerated to the lowest point of sexual perversion so much that our term “sodomy” comes from the name of this city. Lot, though called a “righteous man,” seemed also to be entangled in the grip of Sodom’s influence (2Pe 2:7–­8). He chose to raise his family in Sodom, even though its reputation for depravity was well known. Still, the Lord sent messengers to rescue this family from their own destructive choices.

God wanted to save Lot’s wife. He sent angels to warn, to escort and finally physically to pull her out of harm’s way. Whether she understood exactly what would happen to Sodom is uncertain, but being escorted by angels in this fashion surely alerted her to something supernatural.

The destruction most likely began with a violent earthquake, which set fire to the gases and sulfur. Firebrands were falling around her. Though she had followed her husband into the wilderness, she had the same problem the Israelites did in the wilderness as “in their hearts they turned back to Egypt” (Ac 7:39). Just like the Israelites, she was destroyed.

Lot’s wife personifies the classic wisdom “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6:21). Jesus used her as an example of someone who started the right way but looked back because she was not completely willing to give up her old ways to follow God in obedience (Lk 17:31–­33).

See also Lk 17:29–­33; notes on Decision Making (1Co 8); Obedience (Phm)

to it — ​it is very ­small, ­isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

21 He said to him, “Very well, I will g ­ rant this re­quest too; I will not over­throw the town you ­speak of. 22 But flee ­there quick­ly, be­cause I can­not do any­thing un­til you ­reach it.” (That is why the town was c­ alled Zoar. a) 23 By the time Lot r ­ eached Zoar, the sun had ris­en over the land. 24 Then the Lord ­rained down burn­ing sul­fur on Sod­om and Go­mor­rah — ​from the Lord out of the heav­ ens. 25 Thus he over­threw ­those cit­ies and the

en­tire p ­ lain, de­stroy­ing all t­ hose liv­ing in the cit­ies — ​and also the veg­e­ta­tion in the land.

26 But ­Lot’s wife ­looked back, and she be­came a pil­lar of salt.

27 Ear­ly the next morn­ing Abra­ham got up and re­turned to the p ­ lace w ­ here he had s­ tood be­fore the Lord. 28 He ­looked down to­ward Sod­om and Go­mor­rah, to­ward all the land of the p ­ lain, and he saw d ­ ense s­ moke ris­ing from the land, like ­smoke from a fur­nace.

19:24 Burning sulfur. The Dead Sea area abounds in petroleum, bitumen, salt, and sulphur. The Lord’s use of these el-

ements in destroying the city becomes an OT image for overwhelming judgment (Ps 11:6; Eze 38:22).

a 22

Zoar means small.

39 29 So

when God de­stroyed the cit­ies of the ­plain, he re­mem­bered Abra­ham, and he ­brought Lot out of the ca­tas­tro­phe that over­ threw the cit­ies w ­ here Lot had lived.

Lot and His Daughters

30 Lot and his two daugh­ters left Zoar and set­tled in the moun­tains, for he was a­ fraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daugh­ters ­lived in a cave. 31 One day the old­er daugh­ter said to the youn­ger, “Our fa­ther is old, and t­ here is no man a­ round here to give us chil­dren — ​ as is the cus­tom all over the e­ arth. 32 Let’s get our fa­ther to ­drink wine and then ­sleep with him and pre­serve our fam­i­ly line t­ hrough our fa­ther.”

33 That ­night they got t­ heir fa­ther to ­drink wine, and the old­er daugh­ter went in and ­slept with him. He was not a­ ware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

34 The next day the old­er daugh­ter said to the youn­ger, “Last n ­ ight I s­ lept with my fa­ther. ­Let’s get him to ­drink wine ­again to­ night, and you go in and ­sleep with him so we can pre­serve our fam­i­ly line ­through our fa­ther.” 35 So they got t­ heir fa­ther to d ­ rink wine that ­night also, and the youn­ger daugh­ ter went in and ­slept with him. ­Again he was not ­aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.

36 So both of ­Lot’s daugh­ters be­came preg­ nant by t­heir fa­ther. 37 The old­er daugh­ter had a son, and she ­named him Moab a; he is the fa­ther of the Mo­ab­ites of to­day. 38 The youn­ger daugh­ter also had a son, and she ­named him Ben-Ammi b; he is the fa­ther of the Am­mon­ites c of to­day.

Abraham and Abimelek

20

Now Abra­ham m ­ oved on from t­ here into the re­gion of the Ne­gev and

19:31 Lot’s daughters. The interposition of Lot’s story be-

tween God’s promise to Abraham (Ge 18:10–­14) and the birth of Isaac (Ge 21:1–­7) highlights God’s preservation of a godly line. Even the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s closest relative, had been corrupted. The defiling of this bloodline made the birth of Isaac imperative.

19:37 The children of Lot’s daughters. Moab (Heb., lit. “from our father”) and Ben-­Ammi (Heb., lit. “son of my kinsman,” v. 38) were the sons of Lot by his daughters. The Moabites and the Ammonites later introduced into Israel two of the most abhorrent false gods of the OT: the Moabite Baal of Peor, a sun god (Nu 25:1–­3), and the Ammonite Molek (Lev 18:21; 1Ki 11:7), who was worshiped with child sacrifice.

Genesis 20:13

­lived be­tween Ka­desh and Shur. For a ­while he ­stayed in Ge­rar, 2 and ­there Abra­ham said of his wife Sar­ah, “She is my sis­ter.” Then Abim­e­lek king of Ge­rar sent for Sar­ah and took her.

3 But God came to Abim­e­lek in a d ­ ream one ­night and said to him, “You are as good as dead be­cause of the wom­an you have tak­ en; she is a mar­ried wom­an.”

4 Now Abim­e­lek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you de­stroy an in­no­cent na­tion? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sis­ ter,’ and ­didn’t she also say, ‘He is my broth­ er’? I have done this with a c­ lear con­science and ­clean hands.”

6 Then God said to him in the d ­ ream, “Yes, I know you did this with a c­ lear con­science, and so I have kept you from sin­ning ­against me. That is why I did not let you ­touch her.

7 Now re­turn the m ­ an’s wife, for he is a proph­ et, and he will pray for you and you will live.

But if you do not re­turn her, you may be sure that you and all who be­long to you will die.”

8 Ear­ly the next morn­ing Abim­e­lek sum­ moned all his of­fi­cials, and when he told them all that had hap­pened, they were very much ­afraid. 9 Then Abim­e­lek ­called Abra­ham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I w ­ ronged you that you have ­brought such g­ reat g­ uilt upon me and my king­dom?

You have done ­things to me that ­should nev­ er be done.” 10 And Abim­e­lek ­asked Abra­ham, “What was your rea­son for do­ing this?”

11 Abra­ham re­plied, “I said to my­self, ‘There is sure­ly no fear of God in this ­place, and they will kill me be­cause of my wife.’

12 Be­sides, she real­ly is my sis­ter, the daugh­ ter of my fa­ther ­though not of my moth­er; and she be­came my wife. 13 And when God a 37

b 38

Moab sounds like the Hebrew for from father.

Ben-Ammi means son of my father’s people.

c 38 Hebrew Bene-Ammon

20:7 In Canaanite religions, prophets were supposed to have the magical ability to intercede with the gods. The Israelite prophet functioned instead as a divine spokesman; but Abimelek, as a Canaanite, would have taken the former view.

He rewarded Abraham, hoping that Abraham would intercede with his God for Abimelek’s household (vv. 14–­18).

20:11 Abraham’s excuses. Like Adam, Abraham shifted the blame (Ge 3:12). He excused himself on the basis of Abimelek’s supposed lack of piety, an assumption disproved (vv. 3–­7).

Furthermore, Abraham blamed God for his own “wandering,” using a Hebrew verb with a negative connotation and one frequently associated with mental error or intoxication (v. 13).

Abraham excused Sarah. “Show your love” (Heb. chesed) is a

Genesis 20:14

40

had me wan­der from my fa­ther’s house­hold, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Ev­ery­where we go, say of me, “He is my broth­er.” ’ ” 14 Then Abim­e­lek b ­ rought ­sheep and cat­tle and male and fe­male ­slaves and gave them to Abra­ham, and he re­turned Sar­ah his wife to him. 15 And Abim­e­lek said, “My land is be­fore you; live wher­ev­er you like.”

16 To Sar­ah he said, “I am giv­ing your broth­ er a thou­sand shek­els a of sil­ver. This is to cov­er the of­fense a­ gainst you be­fore all who are with you; you are com­plete­ly vin­di­cat­ed.”

17 Then Abra­ham p ­ rayed to God, and God ­healed Abim­e­lek, his wife and his fe­male ­slaves so they ­could have chil­dren ­again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the wom­en in Abim­e­lek’s house­hold from con­ceiv­ing be­ cause of Abra­ham’s wife Sar­ah.

The Birth of Isaac

21

Now the Lord was gra­cious to Sar­ah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sar­ah what he had prom­ised. 2 Sar­ah be­came preg­nant and bore a son to Abra­ham in his old age, at the very time God had prom­ised him. 3 Abra­ham gave the name ­Isaac b to the son Sar­ah bore him. 4 When his son I­ saac was ­eight days old, Abra­ham cir­cum­cised him, as God com­mand­ed him. 5 Abra­ham was a hun­ dred y­ ears old when his son I­ saac was born to him.

6 Sar­ah said, “God has ­brought me laugh­ ter, and ev­ery­one who ­hears ­about this will ­laugh with me.” 7 And she add­ed, “Who ­would have said to Abra­ham that Sar­ah ­would ­nurse chil­dren? Yet I have ­borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

g­ reat ­feast. 9 But Sar­ah saw that the son whom Ha­gar the Egyp­tian had ­borne to Abra­ham was mock­ing, 10 and she said to Abra­ham, “Get rid of that s­ lave wom­an and her son, for that wom­an’s son will nev­er ­share in the in­ her­i­tance with my son Isaac.”

11 The mat­ter dis­tressed Abra­ham great­ly be­cause it con­cerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so dis­tressed ­about the boy and your slave wom­an. Lis­ten to what­ev­ er Sar­ah t­ ells you, be­cause it is t­ hrough I­ saac that your off­spring c will be reck­oned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a na­tion also, be­cause he is your off­spring.”

14 Ear­ly the next morn­ing Abra­ham took some food and a skin of wa­ter and gave them to Ha­gar. He set them on her shoul­ders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wan­dered in the Des­ert of Be­ er­she­ba.

15 When the wa­ter in the skin was gone, she put the boy un­der one of the bush­es. 16 Then she went off and sat down a­ bout a bow­shot away, for she t­ hought, “I can­not w ­ atch the boy die.” And as she sat ­there, she d be­gan to sob.

17 God ­heard the boy cry­ing, and the an­gel of God ­called to Ha­gar from heav­en and said to her, “What is the mat­ter, Ha­gar? Do not be a­ fraid; God has h ­ eard the boy cry­ing as he lies ­there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a ­great na­tion.”

19 Then God ­opened her eyes and she saw a well of wa­ter. So she went and ­filled the skin with wa­ter and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He ­lived in the des­ert and be­came an ar­cher.

21 While he was liv­ing in the Des­ert of Pa­ran, his moth­er got a wife for him from Egypt. a 16

c­ hild grew and was w ­ eaned, and on the day ­Isaac was ­weaned Abra­ham held a

That is, about 25 pounds or about 12 kilograms Isaac means he laughs. c 12 Or seed d 16 Hebrew; Septuagint the child

reference to covenant obligation that Sarah owed her husband (v. 13).

20:16 Abraham’s gift. OT law prescribed a money payment to a male relative in recompense for sexual wrong. Here the gift seemed to be Abimelek’s acknowledgment that Sarah remained blameless throughout the incident. “Vindicate” (lit. “cover the eyes”) is a legal term indicating innocence. “Vindicated” could also be translated as “justified” or “approved.”

The emphasis of the verse is on Sarah’s vindication.

20:18 The Lord closed the wombs. The use of God’s covenant name, Yahweh, emphasizes that God’s action will prevent Sarah’s child from being fathered by anyone but Abraham.

21:8 The weaning of children, in the ancient Near East, took place around three or four years of age, occasionally even later (see Jdg 13, Pregnancy and Breastfeeding).

21:14 Hagar was sent away. Mesopotamian law allowed a slave wife to claim freedom in return for waiving her children’s rights to inheritance. Here Abraham initiated the exchange as a way of getting out of his difficulty. The Desert of Beersheba lay in the middle of the Negev, which would become southernmost Judah.

21:21 The desert of Paran lay between Canaan and Egypt.

Hagar’s choice of an Egyptian wife for Ishmael paralleled Abraham’s efforts to find a wife of his own blood for Isaac (Ge 24:1–­4).

8 The

b 3

41

The Treaty at Beersheba 22 At

that time Abim­e­lek and Phi­col the com­mand­er of his forc­es said to Abra­ham, “God is with you in ev­ery­thing you do. 23 Now ­swear to me here be­fore God that you will not deal false­ly with me or my chil­dren or my de­scen­dants. Show to me and the coun­ try ­where you now re­side as a for­eign­er the same kind­ness I have ­shown to you.”

24 Abra­ham said, “I ­swear it.”

25 Then Abra­ ham com­plained to Abim­ e­lek a­ bout a well of wa­ter that Abim­el­ek’s ser­vants had ­seized. 26 But Abim­e­lek said, “I ­don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I ­heard a­ bout it only to­day.”

27 So Abra­ham ­brought s ­ heep and cat­tle and gave them to Abim­e­lek, and the two men made a trea­ty. 28 Abra­ham set ­apart sev­ en ewe l­ambs from the f­ lock, 29 and Abim­e­ lek ­asked Abra­ham, “What is the mean­ing of ­these sev­en ewe ­lambs you have set ­apart by them­selves?”

30 He re­plied, “Ac­cept ­these sev­en ­lambs from my hand as a wit­ness that I dug this well.”

31 So that ­place was ­called Be­er­she­ba, a be­ cause the two men ­swore an oath there.

32 Af­ter the trea­ty had been made at Be­er­ she­ba, Abim­e­lek and Phi­col the com­mand­ er of his forc­es re­turned to the land of the Phi­lis­tines. 33 Abra­ham plant­ed a tam­a­risk tree in Be­er­she­ba, and t­ here he c­ alled on the name of the Lord, the Eter­nal God. 34 And Abra­ham ­stayed in the land of the Phi­lis­tines for a long time.

Abraham Tested

22

Some time lat­er God test­ed Abra­ham.

He said to him, “Abra­ham!”

“Here I am,” he re­plied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love — ​­Isaac — ​and go to the 21:33 The tamarisk tree, an evergreen, could well represent

God’s eternal faithfulness; significantly, he is here called the Eternal God. Trees and pillars served the patriarchs as memory aids, memorials to God’s acts (see Ge 28:18–­22). God is witness to the treaty, which is expected to stand forever.

22:1 God’s test. Abraham’s trust and faith in God were tested and proven genuine and even stronger than his natural affections. The story of Abraham alternates reaffirmations of God’s promise with the testing of that promise. This most severe test was followed by a strong restatement of the covenant (vv. 15–­19).

22:2 Mount Moriah, in the territory later called Judah, would

Genesis 22:13

re­gion of Mo­ri­ah. Sac­ri­fice him t­here as a ­ urnt of­fer­ing on a moun­tain I will show you.” b 3 Ear­ly the next morn­ing Abra­ham got up and load­ed his don­key. He took with him two of his ser­vants and his son I­ saac. When he had cut ­enough wood for the ­burnt of­fer­ ing, he set out for the p ­ lace God had told him ­about. 4 On the t­ hird day Abra­ham ­looked up and saw the ­place in the dis­tance. 5 He said to his ser­vants, “Stay here with the don­key ­while I and the boy go over ­there. We will wor­ship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abra­ham took the wood for the b ­ urnt of­ fer­ing and ­placed it on his son I­ saac, and he him­self car­ried the fire and the ­knife. As the two of them went on to­geth­er, 7 Isaac ­spoke up and said to his fa­ther Abra­ham, “Fa­ther?”

“Yes, my son?” Abra­ham re­plied.

“The fire and wood are here,” ­Isaac said, “but w ­ here is the lamb for the b ­ urnt of­fer­ ing?”

8 Abra­ham an­swered, “God him­self will pro­vide the lamb for the ­burnt of­fer­ing, my son.” And the two of them went on to­geth­er.

9 When they ­reached the ­place God had told him ­about, Abra­ham ­built an al­tar ­there and ar­ranged the wood on it. He b ­ ound his son ­Isaac and laid him on the al­tar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he ­reached out his hand and took the ­knife to slay his son. 11 But the an­gel of the Lord ­called out to him from heav­en, “Abra­ham! Abra­ham!”

“Here I am,” he re­plied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said.

“Do not do any­thing to him. Now I know that you fear God, be­cause you have not with­held from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abra­ham ­looked up and t­ here in a thick­ ­ orns. He went et he saw a ram b ­caught by its h a 31

Beersheba can mean well of seven and well of the oath.

Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him

b 13

become the site of the temple (2Ch 3:1). In the NT, Calvary was identified with this site. This identification, along with the three days that Abraham traveled, suggests that this scene is a typology of God’s sacrifice of his own Son. 22:5 We will come back. Abraham’s use of the plural suggests that he was depending on God to resurrect Isaac (Heb 11:17–­19).

22:12 The fear of God suggests reverence and honor, demonstrated by Abraham’s unquestioning obedience. God’s repetition of “your son” highlights the severity of the test.

22:13 The substitutionary sacrifice. The ram in the thicket introduces substitutionary sacrifice (see Lev 1).

Genesis 22:14

42

over and took the ram and sac­ri­ficed it as a ­burnt of­fer­ing in­stead of his son. 14 So Abra­ ham ­called that ­place The Lord Will Pro­vide.

And to this day it is said, “On the moun­tain of the Lord it will be pro­vid­ed.”

15 The an­gel of the Lord ­called to Abra­ ham from heav­en a sec­ond time 16 and said, “I s­ wear by my­self, de­clares the Lord, that be­cause you have done this and have not with­held your son, your only son, 17 I will sure­ly ­bless you and make your de­scen­dants as nu­mer­ous as the s­ tars in the sky and as the sand on the sea­shore. Your de­scen­dants will take pos­ses­sion of the cit­ies of ­their en­ e­mies, 18 and ­through your off­spring a all na­ tions on ­earth will be ­blessed, b be­cause you have ­obeyed me.”

19 Then Abra­ham re­turned to his ser­vants, and they set off to­geth­er for Be­er­she­ba. And Abra­ham ­stayed in Be­er­she­ba.

Nahor’s Sons

20 Some time lat­er Abra­ham was told, “Mil­ kah is also a moth­er; she has b ­ orne sons to your broth­er Na­hor: 21 Uz the first­born, Buz his broth­er, Kem­u­el (the fa­ther of Aram), 22 Ke­sed, Hazo, Pil­dash, Jid­laph and Be­thu­ el.” 23 Be­thu­el be­came the fa­ther of Re­bek­ah.

Mil­kah bore ­these ­eight sons to Abra­ham’s broth­er Na­hor. 24 His con­cu­bine, ­whose name was Reu­mah, also had sons: Te­bah, Ga­ham, Ta­hash and Ma­a­kah.

The Death of Sarah

23

Sar­ah l­ ived to be a hun­dred and twen­ ty-sev­en ­years old. 2 She died at Kir­i­ ath Arba (that is, He­bron) in the land of Ca­ naan, and Abra­ham went to ­mourn for Sar­ah and to weep over her.

3 Then Abra­ham rose from be­side his dead wife and ­spoke to the Hit­tites. c He said, 4 “I am a for­eign­er and strang­er a ­ mong you.

22:14 This covenant name (Heb. Yahweh Yir’eh, lit. “the Lord

will provide”) expresses Abraham’s confidence in the Lord.

This name continued in use during the days of substitutionary sacrifice in the temple.

22:20 Nahor’s family was still living in Haran. His sons were the ancestors of the Arameans who lived northeast of Israel. Abraham later sent to Nahor’s family for a wife for Isaac (Ge 24). Rebekah’s genealogy appears here, after Isaac’s deliverance from death, to indicate that God would now continue Abraham’s line.

23:2 Hebron, 19 miles southwest of Jerusalem, served as David’s first capital. Kiriath Arba was named after a hero of the

Sell me some prop­er­ty for a buri­al site here so I can bury my dead.”

5 The Hit­tites re­plied to Abra­ham, 6 “Sir, lis­ ten to us. You are a ­mighty ­prince ­among us.

Bury your dead in the choic­est of our t­ ombs.

None of us will refuse you his tomb for bury­ ing your dead.”

7 Then Abra­ham rose and ­bowed down be­ fore the peo­ple of the land, the Hit­tites. 8 He said to them, “If you are will­ing to let me bury my dead, then lis­ten to me and in­ter­ cede with ­Ephron son of Zo­har on my be­half 9 so he will sell me the cave of Mach­pe­lah, ­which be­longs to him and is at the end of his ­field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full ­price as a buri­al site a­ mong you.”

10 Ephron the Hit­tite was sit­ting a ­ mong his peo­ple and he re­plied to Abra­ham in the hear­ing of all the Hit­tites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said.

“Lis­ten to me; I give d you the ­field, and I give d you the cave that is in it. I give d it to you in the pres­ence of my peo­ple. Bury your dead.”

12 Again Abra­ham ­bowed down be­fore the peo­ple of the land 13 and he said to E ­ phron in ­their hear­ing, “Lis­ten to me, if you will. I will pay the ­price of the ­field. Ac­cept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron an­swered Abra­ham, 15 “Lis­ten to me, my lord; the land is w ­ orth four hun­dred shek­els e of sil­ver, but what is that be­tween you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abra­ham ­agreed to E ­ phron’s t­ erms and ­weighed out for him the ­price he had ­named in the hear­ing of the Hit­tites: four hun­dred shek­els of sil­ver, ac­cord­ing to the w ­ eight cur­ rent ­among the mer­chants. a 18 Or seed b 18 Or and all nations on earth will use the

name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) c 3 Or the descendants of Heth; also in verses 5, 7, 10, 16, 18 and 20 d 11 Or sell e 15 That is, about 10 pounds or about 4.6 kilograms

gigantic Anakim. Caleb later captured the city and renamed it (Jos 14:14–­15).

23:4 Abraham’s negotiations. “Stranger” (Heb. ger) was a legal term for a resident alien with some rights but no land.

Abraham’s acquisition of land for Sarah is his first legal ownership within the promised territory. The Hittite offer may have been an attempt to prevent Abraham from acquiring the rights of a landholder within Canaan (v. 6).

23:9 The cave of Machpelah, a name which may indicate a double cave, was located in the district near Mamre (v. 17).

The burial place is traditionally thought to be located under a ­Moslem mosque in Hebron.

43 17 So

­Ephron’s f­ield in Mach­pe­lah near Mam­re — ​both the ­field and the cave in it, and all the ­trees with­in the bor­ders of the ­field — ​was deed­ed 18 to Abra­ham as his prop­er­ty in the pres­ence of all the Hit­tites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Af­ter­ ward Abra­ham bur­ied his wife Sar­ah in the cave in the ­field of Mach­pe­lah near Mam­re (which is at He­bron) in the land of Ca­naan.

20 So the ­field and the cave in it were deed­ed to Abra­ham by the Hit­tites as a buri­al site.

Isaac and Rebekah

24

Abra­ham was now very old, and the Lord had ­blessed him in ev­ery way.

2 He said to the sen­ior ser­vant in his house­ hold, the one in ­charge of all that he had, “Put your hand un­der my t­ high. 3 I want you to ­swear by the Lord, the God of heav­en and the God of ­earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daugh­ters of the Ca­ naan­ites, a­ mong whom I am liv­ing, 4 but will go to my coun­try and my own rel­a­tives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The ser­ vant a­ sked him, “What if the wom­an is un­will­ing to come back with me to this land? S ­ hall I then take your son back to the coun­try you came from?”

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back t­ here,” Abra­ham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heav­en, who ­brought me out of my fa­ther’s house­hold and my na­tive land and who s­ poke to me and prom­ised me on oath, say­ing, ‘To your off­spring a I will give this land’ — ​he will send his an­gel be­fore you so that you can get a wife for my son from ­there.

8 If the wom­an is un­will­ing to come back with you, then you will be re­leased from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back ­there.” 9 So the ser­vant put his hand un­der the ­thigh of his mas­ter Abra­ham and ­swore an oath to him con­cern­ing this mat­ter.

10 Then the ser­vant left, tak­ing with him ten of his mas­ter’s cam­els load­ed with all 24:2 The servant’s oath. The placing of the hand near the

reproductive organs symbolized that the oath was sworn to Abraham’s entire clan, to Isaac, and to all his descendants.

24:3 Abraham’s command is the first appearance in the OT of the command not to marry outside the chosen people (Dt 7:1–­4). Abraham recognized that God’s promise to build a nation would be fulfilled by Isaac. He did not ask Isaac to return to Haran (vv. 5–­8) because this would undo Abraham’s first covenant obligation to separate himself and come to the land of promise (Ge 12:1–­4).

Genesis 24:22

­kinds of good ­things from his mas­ter. He set out for Aram Na­ha­ra­im b and made his way to the town of Na­hor. 11 He had the cam­els k ­ neel down near the well out­side the town; it was to­ward eve­ning, the time the wom­en go out to draw wa­ter.

12 Then he ­prayed, “Lord, God of my mas­ ter Abra­ham, make me suc­cess­ful to­day, and show kind­ness to my mas­ter Abra­ham.

13 See, I am stand­ing be­side this ­spring, and the daugh­ters of the towns­peo­ple are com­ ing out to draw wa­ter. 14 May it be that when I say to a young wom­an, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a ­drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll wa­ter your cam­els too’ — ​let her be the one you have cho­sen for your ser­ vant ­Isaac. By this I will know that you have ­shown kind­ness to my mas­ter.”

15 Be­fore he had fin­ished pray­ing, Re­bek­ ah came out with her jar on her shoul­der.

She was the daugh­ter of Be­thu­el son of Mil­ kah, who was the wife of Abra­ham’s broth­er Na­hor. 16 The wom­an was very beau­ti­ful, a vir­gin; no man had ever s­ lept with her. She went down to the ­spring, f­ illed her jar and came up again.

17 The ser­ vant hur­ried to meet her and said, “Please give me a lit­tle wa­ter from your jar.”

18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quick­ly low­ered the jar to her h ­ ands and gave him a drink.

19 Af­ter she had giv­en him a d ­ rink, she said, “I’ll draw wa­ter for your cam­els too, un­til they have had ­enough to ­drink.” 20 So she quick­ly emp­tied her jar into the t­ rough, ran back to the well to draw more wa­ter, and drew e­ nough for all his cam­els. 21 With­out say­ing a word, the man ­watched her close­ly to l­ earn wheth­er or not the Lord had made his jour­ney suc­cess­ful.

22 When the cam­els had fin­ished drink­ing, the man took out a gold nose ring weigh­ing a 7 Or seed b 10 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

24:10 Nahor, actually Haran, is so named after its most dis-

tinguished inhabitant, Abraham’s brother (Ge 22:20; see chart, The Family Tree of Abraham). “Aram Naharaim” (Heb. ’Aram-­ Naharayim, lit. “Aram between the two rivers”) is the land between the Tigris and Euphrates.

24:15 Rebekah was Abraham’s great-­niece. The repetition of her grandmother’s name, Milkah, shows that she was a descendant of Nahor’s wife rather than his concubine (Ge 2:20–­24; see chart, The Family Tree of Abraham).

44

Genesis 24:23

Rebekah :

A W O M A N O F FA LT E R I N G FA I T H

Rebekah would certainly rank among the most appealing of the young women in Scripture. She is pictured as chaste and beautiful (Ge 24:16), courteous and helpful (v. 18), industrious (vv. 19–­20), hospitable (v. 25), as well as responsive and trusting (v. 58). She was chosen as the intended bride for Isaac.

Family ties were obviously close, for Rebekah’s first response was to tell the women in her household all about her encounter at the well (v. 28). For a girl to be chosen for marriage to a wealthy relative was indeed considered a blessing of God. Her father and brother knew also that this was from God (v. 50), but the choice to leave home was hers to make, reflecting the autonomy that young women in her culture enjoyed (vv. 57–­58).

Rebekah volunteered a lowly service (v. 19), which opened to her a lofty destiny as God worked his plan for her life through her mundane daily responsibilities. Her courage and faith motivated her to venture from the known and familiar (family and friends) to the unknown (a new life in a strange land).

God rewarded Rebekah’s faithfulness with a monogamous marriage, which began with romance and loving affection (v. 67; Ge 26:8), and, in answer to Isaac’s prayer for his wife’s fertility, God removed her barrenness with the birth of twins, Esau and Jacob (Ge 25:21).

In later years, Rebekah’s weakness became clear at two points: the lack of reverence and respect for her husband and his leadership and the exhibition of favoritism concerning her sons, which brought into the home rivalry, deceit and contention (Ge 25:28; see Pr 28, Favoritism).

Rebekah’s unwavering faith of her youth faltered, and she took into her own hands the direction of the future of her sons. Perhaps her own discernment of her sons—­that is, recognizing Esau as worldly and adventuresome (Ge 26:34–­35) and Jacob as having more potential for spiritual sensitivity (Ge 25:31)—­or her own affinity toward one son over the other (Ge 25:28) or even a strong faith in God’s revealed plan (Ge 25:23) motivated her own deceitful acts.

In any case, the deceiving of her husband was without excuse, and her poor example to her sons was a far-­reaching tragedy (Ge 27:12–­13). Even if her motive was pure, her action was wrong.

She paid a bitter price in living out her final years in separation from the son whose presence she desired, in alienation from the son who would ever remember his mother’s deception toward him, and in broken fellowship from a husband who had loved her devotedly.

See also Ge 25:19—­27:46; notes on Favoritism (Pr 28); Marriage (2Sa 6)

a beka a and two gold brace­lets weigh­ing ten shek­els. b 23 Then he ­asked, “Whose daugh­ter are you? ­Please tell me, is t­ here room in your fa­ther’s ­house for us to ­spend the night?”

24 She an­swered him, “I am the daugh­ter of Be­thu­el, the son that Mil­kah bore to Na­hor.”

25 And she add­ed, “We have plen­ty of s ­ traw and fod­der, as well as room for you to ­spend the night.”

26 Then the man ­bowed down and wor­ shiped the Lord, 27 say­ing, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my mas­ter Abra­ham, who has not aban­doned his kind­ness and faith­ ful­ness to my mas­ter. As for me, the Lord has led me on the jour­ney to the h ­ ouse of my mas­ter’s rel­a­tives.”

28 The young wom­ an ran and told her moth­er’s house­hold ­about ­these ­things.

29 Now Re­bek­ah had a broth­er n ­ amed La­ban,

and he hur­ried out to the man at the ­spring.

30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the brace­lets on his sis­ter’s arms, and had ­heard Re­bek­ah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and ­found him stand­ ing by the cam­els near the s­ pring. 31 “Come, you who are b ­ lessed by the Lord,” he said.

“Why are you stand­ing out here? I have pre­ pared the h ­ ouse and a p ­ lace for the cam­els.”

32 So the man went to the ­house, and the cam­els were un­load­ed. ­Straw and fod­der were ­brought for the cam­els, and wa­ter for him and his men to wash ­their feet. 33 Then food was set be­fore him, but he said, “I will not eat un­til I have told you what I have to say.” a 22

That is, about 1/5 ounce or about 5.7 grams b 22 That is, about 4 ounces or about 115 grams

45 “Then tell us,” La­ban said.

34 So he said, “I am Abra­ham’s ser­vant.

35 The Lord has ­blessed my mas­ter abun­ dant­ly, and he has be­come ­wealthy. He has giv­en him ­sheep and cat­tle, sil­ver and gold, male and fe­male ser­vants, and cam­els and don­keys. 36 My mas­ter’s wife Sar­ah has ­borne him a son in her old age, and he has giv­en him ev­ery­thing he owns. 37 And my mas­ter made me s­ wear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daugh­ters of the Ca­naan­ites, in w ­ hose land I live, 38 but go to my fa­ther’s fam­i­ly and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’

39 “Then I ­asked my mas­ter, ‘What if the wom­an will not come back with me?’

40 “He re­plied, ‘The Lord, be­fore whom I have w ­ alked faith­ful­ly, will send his an­gel with you and make your jour­ney a suc­cess, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my fa­ther’s fam­i­ly. 41 You will be re­leased from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you — ​ then you will be re­leased from my oath.’

42 “When I came to the ­spring to­day, I said, ‘Lord, God of my mas­ter Abra­ham, if you will, p ­ lease g­ rant suc­cess to the jour­ney on ­which I have come. 43 See, I am stand­ing be­ side this ­spring. If a ­young wom­an ­comes out to draw wa­ter and I say to her, “Please let me ­drink a lit­tle wa­ter from your jar,” 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw wa­ter for your cam­els too,” let her be the one the Lord has cho­sen for my mas­ter’s son.’

45 “Be­fore I fin­ished pray­ing in my h ­ eart, Re­bek­ah came out, with her jar on her shoul­ der. She went down to the ­spring and drew wa­ter, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

46 “She quick­ly low­ered her jar from her shoul­der and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll wa­ter your cam­els too.’ So I ­drank, and she wa­tered the cam­els also.

47 “I ­asked her, ‘Whose daugh­ter are you?’

“She said, ‘The daugh­ter of Be­thu­el son of Na­hor, whom Mil­kah bore to him.’

“Then I put the ring in her nose and the brace­lets on her arms, 48 and I ­bowed down 24:49 So I may know which way to turn. This Hebrew idiom means to look for another option.

24:58 Rebekah’s consent. Although ancient Near Eastern marriages were arranged by the family, some contracts—­ notably those of the Hurrians or Horites in Mesopotamia—­

Genesis 24:61

and wor­shiped the Lord. I p ­ raised the Lord, the God of my mas­ter Abra­ham, who had led me on the r­ ight road to get the grand­daugh­ ter of my mas­ter’s broth­er for his son. 49 Now if you will show kind­ness and faith­ful­ness to my mas­ter, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know ­which way to turn.”

50 La­ban and Be­thu­el an­swered, “This is from the Lord; we can say noth­ing to you one way or the oth­er. 51 Here is Re­bek­ah; take her and go, and let her be­come the wife of your mas­ter’s son, as the Lord has di­rect­ed.”

52 When Abra­ ham’s ser­vant ­heard what they said, he b ­ owed down to the g­ round be­ ­ rought out fore the Lord. 53 Then the ser­vant b gold and sil­ver jew­el­ry and ar­ti­cles of cloth­ ing and gave them to Re­bek­ah; he also gave cost­ly ­gifts to her broth­er and to her moth­er.

54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and ­drank and ­spent the ­night there.

When they got up the next morn­ing, he said, “Send me on my way to my mas­ter.”

55 But her broth­er and her moth­er re­plied, “Let the young wom­an re­main with us ten days or so; then you a may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not de­tain me, now that the Lord has grant­ed suc­cess to my jour­ney. Send me on my way so I may go to my mas­ter.”

57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young wom­an and ask her a­ bout it.” 58 So they ­called Re­bek­ah and a­ sked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said.

59 So they sent ­their sis­ter Re­bek­ah on her way, ­along with her n ­ urse and Abra­ham’s ser­vant and his men. 60 And they ­blessed Re­ bek­ah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then

Re­bek­ah and her at­ten­dants got r­eady and mount­ed ­the cam­els and went back with the man. So the ser­vant took Re­ bek­ah and left. a 55 Or she

required the consent of the bride, as Abraham himself recognized (v. 8).

24:60 The blessing on Rebekah echoes God’s blessing on Abraham (Ge 22:17), emphasizing God’s covenant obligations from one generation to the next.

Genesis 24:62

46

62 Now

­Isaac had come from Beer La­hai Roi, for he was liv­ing in the Ne­gev. 63 He went out to the ­field one eve­ning to med­i­tate, a and as he ­looked up, he saw cam­els ap­proach­ing.

64 Re­bek­ah also ­looked up and saw I­ saac. She got down from her cam­el 65 and ­asked the ser­vant, “Who is that man in the ­field com­ ing to meet us?”

“He is my mas­ter,” the ser­vant an­swered.

So she took her veil and cov­ered her­self.

66 Then the ser­vant told I­ saac all he had done. 67 Isaac ­brought her into the tent of his moth­er Sar­ah, and he mar­ried Re­bek­ah. So she be­came his wife, and he ­loved her; and ­Isaac was com­fort­ed af­ter his moth­er’s death.

The Death of Abraham

25

the ­field of E ­ phron son of Zo­har the Hit­tite, 10 the f­ield Abra­ham had ­bought from the Hit­tites. b ­There Abra­ham was bur­ied with his wife Sar­ah. 11 Af­ter Abra­ham’s ­death, God ­blessed his son ­Isaac, who then ­lived near Beer La­hai Roi.

Ishmael’s Sons

12 This is the ac­count of the fam­i­ly line of Abra­ham’s son Ish­ma­el, whom Sar­ah’s slave, Ha­gar the Egyp­tian, bore to Abra­ham.

13 T hese

are the n ­ ames of the sons of Ish­ma­el, list­ed in the or­der of ­their ­birth: Ne­ba­i oth the first­b orn of Ish­m a­e l, Ke­ dar, Ad­be­el, Mib­sam, 14 Mish­ma, Du­mah, Mas­sa, 15 Ha­dad, Tema, Je­tur, Na­phish and Ked­e­mah. 16 These were the sons of Ish­ma­ el, and ­these are the ­names of the ­twelve trib­al rul­ers ac­cord­ing to ­their set­tle­ments and ­camps. 17 Ish­ma­el ­lived a hun­dred and thir­ty-sev­en ­years. He b ­ reathed his last and died, and he was gath­ered to his peo­ple.

18 His de­scen­dants set­tled in the area from Hav­i­lah to Shur, near the east­ern bor­der of ­Egypt, as you go to­ward Ash­ur. And they ­lived in hos­til­i­ty to­ward c all the t­ ribes re­lat­ ed to them.

Abra­ham had tak­en an­oth­er wife, ­whose name was Ke­tu­rah. 2 She bore him Zim­ran, Jok­shan, Me­dan, Mid­i­an, Ish­ bak and Shu­ah. 3 Jok­shan was the fa­ther of She­ba and De­dan; the de­scen­dants of De­ dan were the Ash­ur­ites, the Le­tu­shites and the Le­um­mites. 4 The sons of Mid­i­an were ­Ephah, ­Epher, Ha­nok, Abi­da and El­da­ah. All ­these were de­scen­dants of Ke­tu­rah.

5 Abra­ham left ev­ery­thing he ­owned to ­ hile he was s­ till liv­ing, he gave ­Isaac. 6 But w ­gifts to the sons of his con­cu­bines and sent Jacob and Esau them away from his son ­Isaac to the land of 19 This is the ac­count of the fam­i­ly line of the east.

7 Abra­ham ­lived a hun­dred and sev­en­ty- Abra­ham’s son Isaac.

Abra­ham be­came the fa­ther of ­Isaac, 20 and ­ reathed his last five ­years. 8 Then Abra­ham b and died at a good old age, an old man and ­Isaac was for­ty ­years old when he mar­ried full of y­ ears; and he was gath­ered to his peo­ Re­bek­ah daugh­ter of Be­thu­el the Ar­a­me­an ple. 9 His sons ­Isaac and Ish­ma­el bur­ied him a 63 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. in the cave of Mach­pe­lah near Mam­re, in b 10 Or the descendants of Heth c 18 Or lived to the east of 24:65 Veiling during the betrothal period was a Near Eastern custom. Unveiling came after marriage.

25:1 Abraham’s second family. At what point in his life Abraham married Keturah is not explicitly stated. The narrative reads naturally as if Abraham married Keturah after the death of Sarah. The fact that Keturah is here called a “wife” would seem to eliminate the possibility of her being merely a concubine to Abraham during his marriage to Sarah. The nearly 40 years between Sarah’s death and Abraham’s allowed plenty of time for the development of a second family. Abraham’s prolific second marriage reveals that God’s miraculous working in the birth of Isaac centered on Sarah. The sons of Keturah eventually inhabited the lands south and southeast of Canaan, but only Isaac received the promised blessing (v. 5). Keturah, however, is also identified as a concubine in one place (1Ch 1:32; see also Ge 25:6). Keturah may have been called a concubine because Abraham did not place her on the same footing with Sarah, the mother of Isaac. In any case, the fact that polygamy was outside of God’s order would be demonstrated in the

future; the descendants of Keturah, like those of Hagar, later proved troublesome to Israel (see chart, The Family Tree of Abraham). The Midianites oppressed Israel in the days of the judges and promoted Baal worship in Israel (v. 4; Jdg 6–­8). The other sons are less known; Shuah was probably the tribe of Job’s friend Bildad (Job 2:11), and Sheba and Dedan are mentioned as traders with Tyre (Eze 27:20–­22).

25:21 Rebekah’s children. The story has temporarily left Isaac to deal with his sons, demonstrating the certainty of the covenant fulfillment for the next generation. The barrenness of the matriarchs is a common theme in Genesis, revealing: 1) the effects of sin in the fallen world, which could have destroyed the godly line, 2) the need for God’s miraculous intervention to protect his people, and 3) God’s divine choice of both father and mother, which ran counter to the ancient Near Eastern practice of ascribing sole importance to the blood of the father.

47

Genesis 25:30

COOKING

WHAT’S FOR SUPPER? A wide assortment of clay pots was used for various cooking purposes—­storage of water or food, meal preparation, or serving. Some women had the luxury of cooking on clay stoves—­a fire burned within the plaster-­covered “bricks,” and two or three openings on top of the oven provided “burners” on which to place pots.

Bread, stew—­generally made with vegetables, and sometimes seasoned with meat (Ge 25:29–­34; 2Ki 4:38–­41)—­and drink were considered a complete meal. As one of the oldest “menus” provided in the Bible, Sarah served cakes made of fine meal, a “choice, tender calf,” butter and milk (Ge 18:6–­8) to the divine messengers who visited her home. Family and guests generally dipped into large serving dishes with their fingers or with pieces of flat bread. Grinding grains and baking bread was a daily ritual. The dough was formed into flat cakes and baked on heated stones or in rounded, hive-­shaped ovens located just outside a home or tent.

In what is perhaps the world’s oldest cookbook—­three clay tablets dating back some 4,000 years—­a recipe for beef stew was found: “Take some meat. Prepare water, throw fat into it, then add . . , leek and garlic, all crushed together, and some plain shuhutinnu [probably onion].”

One of the tablets has twenty-­five recipes, including four vegetable dishes and twenty-­one meat dishes (featuring deer, gazelle, lamb, pigeon and wild dove).

See also notes on Hospitality (1Pe 4); Mealtime (Ps 104); Nutrition (Lev 11)

from Pad­dan Aram a and sis­ter of La­ban the Ar­a­me­an.

21 Isaac ­prayed to the Lord on be­half of his wife, be­cause she was child­less. The Lord an­swered his p ­ rayer, and his wife Re­bek­ah be­came preg­nant. 22 The ba­bies jos­tled each oth­er with­in her, and she said, “Why is this hap­pen­ing to me?” So she went to in­quire of the Lord.

23 The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

to come out was red, and his ­whole body was like a ­hairy gar­ment; so they ­named him Esau. b 26 Af­ter this, his broth­er came out, with his hand grasp­ing ­Esau’s heel; so he was ­named Ja­cob. c ­Isaac was six­ty y­ ears old when Re­bek­ah gave ­birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau be­came a skill­ful hunt­er, a man of the open coun­try, ­while Ja­cob was con­tent to stay at home ­among the ­tents. 28 Isaac, who had a ­taste for wild game, l­ oved Esau, but Re­bek­ah ­loved Ja­ cob.

29 Once when Ja­ cob was cook­ing some stew, Esau came in from the open coun­try, fam­ished. 30 He said to Ja­cob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m fam­ished!”

(That is why he was also c­ alled Edom. d )

24 When the time came for her to give ­birth, ­there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The ­first

a 20 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia b 25

25:23 Two nations. Jacob fathered the Israelites; Esau, the Edomites, who lived south of the Dead Sea (Ge 36:9–­43). The control of the Edomites by the Israelites reversed the ancient Near Eastern custom of giving preference to the older son (see Ro 9:10–­13). David conquered the Edomites, and they re-

mained under Judean control for 130 years (2Sa 8:14).

25:26 The birth of Jacob. Rebekah had suffered 20 years of barrenness before the twins were born. Jacob’s name (Heb., lit. “heeler,” “heel-­gripper,” or “one who supplants”) is a prophecy of the coming struggle between the two brothers.

Esau may mean hairy. c 26 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom d for he deceives. 30 Edom means red.

Genesis 25:31

48

31 Ja­cob

re­plied, “First sell me your birth­ right.”

32 “Look, I am ­about to die,” Esau said.

“What good is the birth­right to me?”

33 But Ja­cob said, “Swear to me ­first.” So he ­swore an oath to him, sell­ing his birth­right to Ja­cob.

34 Then Ja­cob gave Esau some b ­ read and some len­til stew. He ate and d ­ rank, and then got up and left.

So Esau de­spised his birth­right.

Isaac and Abimelek

26

Now ­there was a fam­ine in the land — ​be­sides the pre­v i­ous fam­ ine in Abra­ham’s time — ​and ­Isaac went to Abim­e­lek king of the Phi­lis­tines in Ge­ rar. 2 The Lord ap­peared to ­Isaac and said, “Do not go down to E ­ gypt; live in the land ­where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a w ­ hile, and I will be with you and will ­bless you. For to you and your de­scen­dants I will give all ­these ­lands and will con­firm the oath I ­swore to your fa­ther Abra­ham. 4 I will make your de­scen­dants as nu­mer­ous as the s­ tars in the sky and will give them all ­these ­lands, and ­through your off­spring a all na­tions on e­ arth will be b ­ lessed, b 5 be­cause Abra­ham ­obeyed me and did ev­ery­thing I re­quired of him, keep­ing my com­mands, my de­crees and my in­struc­tions.” 6 So ­Isaac ­stayed in Ge­rar.

7 When the men of that ­place ­asked him ­about his wife, he said, “She is my sis­ter,” be­ cause he was ­afraid to say, “She is my wife.”

He ­thought, “The men of this ­place ­might kill me on ac­count of Re­bek­ah, be­cause she is beau­ti­ful.”

8 When ­Isaac had been ­there a long time, Abim­e­lek king of the Phi­lis­tines ­looked down from a win­dow and saw ­Isaac ca­ress­ing his wife Re­bek­ah. 9 So Abim­e­lek sum­moned ­Isaac and said, “She is real­ly your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sis­ter’?”

25:31 The birthright guaranteed not only a larger part of

the inheritance, but also headship of the family. Some ancient Near Eastern tribes allowed the selling of the birthright but invariably at a high price. The narrative emphasizes Esau’s greed; “let me have some” is literally “to swallow greedily” or gulp (v. 30), and the story ends with a comment on the motives of Esau, not Jacob. Jacob did not earn the birthright through righteousness but received it through God’s free favor.

26:4 God’s covenant. The repetition of the covenant blessings to Abraham takes the form of covenant renewal (see

Isaac an­swered him, “Be­cause I t­ hought I ­might lose my life on ac­count of her.”

10 Then Abim­e­lek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men ­might well have ­slept with your wife, and you ­would have ­brought ­guilt upon us.”

11 So Abim­e­lek gave or­ders to all the peo­ ple: “Any­one who ­harms this man or his wife ­shall sure­ly be put to death.”

12 Isaac plant­ed ­crops in that land and the same year r­eaped a hun­dred­fold, be­cause the Lord ­blessed him. 13 The man be­came rich, and his ­wealth con­tin­ued to grow un­til he be­came very ­wealthy. 14 He had so many ­flocks and h ­ erds and ser­vants that the Phi­ ­ ells that his lis­tines en­vied him. 15 So all the w fa­ther’s ser­vants had dug in the time of his fa­ther Abra­ham, the Phi­lis­tines ­stopped up, fill­ing them with earth.

16 Then Abim­ e­lek said to ­Isaac, “Move away from us; you have be­come too pow­er­ ful for us.”

17 So I­saac m ­ oved away from t­here and en­camped in the Val­ley of Ge­rar, ­where he ­ ells that had set­tled. 18 Isaac re­opened the w been dug in the time of his fa­ther Abra­ham, ­which the Phi­lis­tines had ­stopped up af­ter Abra­ham died, and he gave them the same ­names his fa­ther had giv­en them.

19 Isaac’s ser­vants dug in the val­ley and dis­cov­ered a well of ­fresh wa­ter ­there. 20 But the herd­ers of Ge­rar quar­reled with ­those of I­ saac and said, “The wa­ter is ours!” So he ­named the well Esek, c be­cause they dis­put­ ed with him. 21 Then they dug an­oth­er well, but they quar­reled over that one also; so he ­named it Sit­nah. d 22 He ­moved on from ­there and dug an­oth­er well, and no one quar­reled over it. He ­named it Re­ho­both, e say­ing, “Now the Lord has giv­en us room and we will flour­ish in the land.” a 4 Or seed b 4 Or and all nations on earth will use the

name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) c 20 Esek means dispute. d 21 Sitnah means opposition. e 22 Rehoboth means room.

charts, The Covenants of Genesis; The Covenants with Abraham and Jacob). God’s part is to preserve Isaac in time of famine (vv. 2–­3). Isaac’s part is to keep Abraham’s threefold obedience: to his commandments, his decrees and his instructions (v. 5).

26:7 Isaac’s deception copied his father’s actions out of needless fear (see Ge 12:10–­20; 20:1–­18). God had promised to preserve him (vv. 2–­5). Rebekah, like Sarah, apparently cooperated with her husband’s request, whether out of faith or indifference.

49 23 From ­there he went up to 24 That ­night the Lord ap­peared

Be­er­she­ba. to him and said, “I am the God of your fa­ther Abra­ham.

Do not be a­ fraid, for I am with you; I will ­bless you and will in­crease the num­ber of your de­scen­dants for the sake of my ser­vant Abra­ham.”

25 Isaac ­built an al­tar ­there and ­called on the name of the Lord. ­There he ­pitched his tent, and ­there his ser­vants dug a well.

26 Mean­while, Abim­e­lek had come to him from Ge­rar, with Ahuz­zath his per­son­al ad­ vis­er and Phi­col the com­mand­er of his forc­ es. 27 Isaac ­asked them, “Why have you come to me, s­ ince you were hos­tile to me and sent me away?”

28 They an­swered, “We saw clear­ly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There o ­ ught to be a ­sworn agree­ment be­tween us’ — ​be­ tween us and you. Let us make a trea­ty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but al­ways treat­ed you well and sent you away peace­ful­ly. And now you are ­blessed by the Lord.”

30 Isaac then made a ­feast for them, and they ate and d ­ rank. 31 Ear­ly the next morn­ing the men ­swore an oath to each oth­er. Then ­Isaac sent them on t­ heir way, and they went away peace­ful­ly.

32 That day I­ saac’s ser­vants came and told him ­about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve ­found wa­ter!” 33 He ­called it Shi­bah, a and to this day the name of the town has been Be­er­she­ba. b

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was for­ty ­years old, he mar­ ried Ju­dith daugh­ter of Be­e­ri the Hit­tite, and also Bas­e­math daugh­ter of Elon the Hit­tite.

35 They were a s ­ ource of g­ rief to ­Isaac and Re­ bek­ah.

When ­Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he c­ ould no lon­ger see, he ­called for Esau his old­er son and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he an­swered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and ­don’t know the day of my d ­ eath. 3 Now then, get your equip­ment — ​your quiv­er and

27

26:34 Esau’s foreign wives. The set-­apart character of the

covenant line was marred by Esau. Both Isaac and Jacob, the covenant keepers, married within the chosen clan. At this

Genesis 27:20

bow — ​and go out to the open coun­try to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Pre­pare me the kind of t­ asty food I like and b ­ ring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my bless­ing be­fore I die.”

5 Now Re­bek­ah was lis­ten­ing as ­Isaac ­spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open coun­try to hunt game and ­bring it back, 6 Re­ bek­ah said to her son Ja­cob, “Look, I over­heard your fa­ther say to your broth­er Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and pre­pare me some ­tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my bless­ing in the pres­ence of the Lord be­fore I die.’ 8 Now, my son, lis­ten care­ful­ly and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the ­flock and b ­ ring me two ­choice ­young ­goats, so I can pre­pare some ­tasty food for your fa­ther, just the way he l­ ikes it. 10 Then take it to your fa­ther to eat, so that he may give you his bless­ing be­fore he dies.”

11 Ja­cob said to Re­bek­ah his moth­er, “But my broth­er Esau is a h ­ airy man ­while I have ­smooth skin. 12 What if my fa­ther touch­es me? I ­would ap­pear to be trick­ing him and ­would ­bring down a ­curse on my­self rath­er than a bless­ing.”

13 His moth­er said to him, “My son, let the ­curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

14 So he went and got them and ­brought them to his moth­er, and she pre­pared some ­tasty food, just the way his fa­ther ­liked it.

15 Then Re­bek­ah took the best c ­ lothes of Esau her old­er son, ­which she had in the ­house, and put them on her youn­ger son Ja­cob.

16 She also cov­ered his h ­ ands and the s­ mooth part of his neck with the goat­skins. 17 Then she hand­ed to her son Ja­cob the ­tasty food and the ­bread she had made.

18 He went to his fa­ther and said, “My fa­ ther.”

“Yes, my son,” he an­swered. “Who is it?”

19 Ja­cob said to his fa­ther, “I am Esau your first­born. I have done as you told me. ­Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your bless­ing.”

20 Isaac ­asked his son, “How did you find it so quick­ly, my son?” a 33

Shibah can mean oath or seven. b 33 Beersheba can mean well of the oath and well of seven.

time the Hittites had settlements well into Canaan.

27:20 Jacob’s lie. While it was God’s will that Jacob be blessed, Jacob’s deception was not sanctioned by God. In his

Genesis 27:21

50

M A N I P U L AT I O N

CONTROL VS. TRUST Manipulation is rooted in pride and selfishness and involves viewing others as objects, not as individuals. It is an invasion of an individual’s dignity because it seeks to limit freedom through control. The tools of manipulation are position, power, deception, and distortion.

The results, even if perceived as successful, are always a denigration of God’s best as the manipulative individual believes that she knows more than God. Scripture has many vivid examples of manipulation of people and situations. Sarah manipulated her husband Abraham and her servant Hagar in order to influence what God had promised (Ge 16:1–­16). Rebekah manipulated her husband Isaac as well as her son Jacob in order to achieve her personal goal for her favorite son (Ge 27:1–­29). In these instances—­and countless others—­ manipulation brought more sorrow than joy (Ge 16:5; 27:42–­43).

Anytime a person focuses on self rather than God, the possibility of manipulation exists.

Fundamentally, such an attitude shows a lack of trust in God and suggests the erroneous belief that since God is not doing the right thing, we must take matters into our own hands and attempt to control environment, circumstances, and people by whatever means available. Manipulation is ultimately rooted in a lack of trust in God and a negative self-­ image that manifests itself in a driving need to control.

See also Ge 29:15–­30; 38:1–­30; 2Sa 11:1–­17; Ac 5:1–­11; notes on Codependency (Ge 27); Conflict (SS 5; Mt 18); Enabling (Mk 10); Family (1Sa 3); Favoritism (Pr 28); portrait of Rebekah (Ge 24)

lie Jacob used the phrase “the Lord your God” in recognition that the covenant blessing had not yet passed to him and that he had not yet committed himself totally to Yahweh.

27:27–­29 The blessing. God overruled the sinfulness of all four participants—­Isaac’s stubborn partiality, Esau’s reckless determination to go his own way, Rebekah’s deceit, and Jacob’s ambition—­to bring about his ends. The blessing has three ­elements:

“The Lord your God gave me suc­cess,” he re­plied.

21 Then I­ saac said to Ja­cob, “Come near so I can t­ ouch you, my son, to know wheth­er you real­ly are my son Esau or not.”

22 Ja­cob went c ­ lose to his fa­ther ­Isaac, who ­touched him and said, “The ­voice is the ­voice of Ja­cob, but the ­hands are the ­hands of Esau.” 23 He did not rec­og­nize him, for his ­hands were ­hairy like ­those of his broth­er Esau; so he pro­ceed­ed to b ­ less him. 24 “Are you real­ly my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he re­plied.

25 Then he said, “My son, ­bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my bless­ing.”

Ja­cob ­brought it to him and he ate; and he ­brought some wine and he d ­ rank. 26 Then his fa­ther ­Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and k ­ issed him. When ­Isaac ­caught the ­smell of his ­clothes, he ­blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness — ​ an abundance of grain and new wine.

29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.

Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.

May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”

30 Af­ter ­Isaac fin­ished bless­ing him, and Ja­cob had scarce­ly left his fa­ther’s pres­ence, his broth­er Esau came in from hunt­ing. 31 He too pre­pared some t­ asty food and b ­ rought it to his fa­ther. Then he said to him, “My fa­ ther, ­please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your bless­ing.”

1) the promise of plenty, which assumed possession of the land (see Ge 22:17) and the blessing of fertility; 2) the promise of domination, echoing the promise to Abraham (Ge 17:8), with the addition that the recipient will rule over the rest of his family as well; 3) the contrasting blessing and cursing, which repeated God’s initial call to Abraham (Ge 12:3).

51

Genesis 27:41

CODEPENDENCY

A QUEST TO MEET NEEDS The term codependency with its diverse definitions was coined in the context of treating alcoholism.

However, it has evolved to mean a compulsion to rescue or control others by fixing their problems.

Generally codependency emanates from unmet or blocked God-­given needs, such as love, acceptance, and security in primary relationships, as with parent, spouse, or child.

More frequently codependency occurs in relationships with a dysfunctional person, resulting in a denial of the severity of the problem in the relationship, a heightened sense of responsibility, and an environment of controlling or being controlled by others. It nearly always produces a keen sense of guilt or shame, hurt, anger and loneliness in a complex and desperate quest to avoid abandonment. Ultimately, this need for acceptance can be filled by God alone. His unconditional love prepares the codependent to move toward complete healing.

Healing from codependency requires confession to God that something or someone has been put in his place. You must then receive his forgiveness and grace (1Jn1:9–­10), establish effective and appropriate boundaries, and acquire new means of communicating and relating. Counseling may be appropriate and effective in finding complete healing (Pr 11:14).

See also Mt 20:20–­28; notes on Alcoholism (Pr 20); Counseling (Pr 8); Family (1Sa 3); Guilt (2Co 7); portrait of Rebekah (Ge 24) 32 His fa­ther ­Isaac ­asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am your son,” he an­swered, “your first­ born, Esau.”

33 Isaac trem­bled vi­o­lent­ly and said, “Who was it, then, that hunt­ed game and b ­ rought it to me? I ate it just be­fore you came and I ­blessed him — ​and in­deed he will be blessed!”

34 When Esau ­heard his fa­ther’s ­words, he ­burst out with a loud and bit­ter cry and said to his fa­ther, “Bless me — ​me too, my fa­ther!”

35 But he said, “Your broth­er came de­ceit­ ful­ly and took your bless­ing.”

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he right­ly n ­ amed Ja­ cob a ? This is the sec­ond time he has tak­en ad­van­tage of me: He took my birth­right, and now he’s tak­en my bless­ing!” Then he a­ sked, “Haven’t you re­served any bless­ing for me?”

37 Isaac an­swered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his rel­a­tives his ser­vants, and I have sus­tained him with

g­ rain and new wine. So what can I pos­si­bly do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his fa­ther, “Do you have only one bless­ing, my fa­ther? ­Bless me too, my fa­ ther!” Then Esau wept aloud.

39 His fa­ther I­ saac an­swered him,

27:39–­40 Esau’s blessing. Esau would share in the fertility of

27:41 The result of the deception. The unrighteous ­method

the land but would not reap its primary benefits. The land later occupied by the Edomites, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, is partially barren with areas of great fertility. Isaac predicted that Esau’s descendants would live by war; his blessing was that the domination by Israel would have limited duration.

“Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above.

40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother.

But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck.”

41 Esau held a g ­ rudge a­ gainst Ja­cob be­cause of the bless­ing his fa­ther had giv­en him. He said to him­self, “The days of mourn­ing for my fa­ther are near; then I will kill my broth­ er Ja­cob.” a 36

Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.

used to assure the carrying out of God’s promise did not invalidate the promise, but it did result in family strife and ­separation.

Genesis 27:42

52

42 When

Re­bek­ah was told what her old­ er son Esau had said, she sent for her youn­ ger son Ja­cob and said to him, “Your broth­er Esau is plan­ning to ­avenge him­self by kill­ ing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my broth­er La­ban in Har­ran.

44 Stay with him for a ­while un­til your broth­ er’s fury sub­sides. 45 When your broth­er is no lon­ger an­gry with you and for­gets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from ­there. Why ­should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Re­bek­ah said to I­saac, “I’m dis­ gust­ed with liv­ing be­cause of t­ hese Hit­tite wom­en. If Ja­cob t­ akes a wife from a­ mong the wom­en of this land, from Hit­tite wom­en like ­these, my life will not be ­worth liv­ing.”

So ­Isaac ­called for Ja­cob and ­blessed him. Then he com­mand­ed him: “Do not mar­ry a Ca­naan­ite wom­an. 2 Go at once to Pad­dan Aram, a to the ­house of your moth­ er’s fa­ther Be­thu­el. Take a wife for your­self ­there, from ­among the daugh­ters of La­ban, your moth­er’s broth­er. 3 May God Al­mighty b ­bless you and make you fruit­ful and in­crease your num­bers un­til you be­come a com­mu­ ni­ty of peo­ples. 4 May he give you and your de­scen­dants the bless­ing giv­en to Abra­ham, so that you may take pos­ses­sion of the land ­where you now re­side as a for­eign­er, the land God gave to Abra­ham.” 5 Then I­ saac sent Ja­ cob on his way, and he went to Pad­dan Aram, to La­ban son of Be­thu­el the Ar­a­me­an, the broth­er of Re­bek­ah, who was the moth­er of Ja­cob and Esau.

6 Now Esau l­ earned that ­Isaac had b ­ lessed Ja­cob and had sent him to Pad­dan Aram to take a wife from t­here, and that when he ­blessed him he com­mand­ed him, “Do not mar­ry a Ca­naan­ite wom­an,” 7 and that Ja­cob had ­obeyed his fa­ther and moth­er and had

28

28:1–­4 Jacob’s

blessing. Isaac confirmed the covenant blessing of Abraham in full knowledge of Jacob’s identity. The name God Almighty (Heb. El Shaddai, v. 3), was also used by God in assigning the covenant sign of circumcision (Ge 17, Circumcision). In the OT, the word rendered “community of peoples” (Heb. qahal, v. 3) is used of God’s congregation and later of the Jewish synagogue. This, along with Isaac’s order not to marry a Canaanite wife, emphasizes the set-­apart character of God’s chosen people.

28:11–­17 Jacob’s dream. The phrase “a certain place” may indicate that Jacob was seeking an encounter with God. God’s appearance to Jacob confirmed the covenant blessing already bestowed by Isaac. The encounter bears striking parallels to God’s covenant appearances to Abraham (Ge 12:7–­8; 13:3–­4).

gone to Pad­dan Aram. 8 Esau then re­al­ized how dis­pleas­ing the Ca­naan­ite wom­en were to his fa­ther I­ saac; 9 so he went to Ish­ma­el and mar­ried Ma­ha­lath, the sis­ter of Ne­ba­ ioth and daugh­ter of Ish­ma­el son of Abra­ ham, in ad­di­tion to the ­wives he al­ready had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Ja­cob left Be­er­she­ba and set out for Har­

­ lace, he ran. 11 When he r­ eached a cer­tain p ­stopped for the ­night be­cause the sun had set.

Tak­ing one of the s­ tones ­there, he put it un­ der his head and lay down to ­sleep. 12 He had a ­dream in ­which he saw a stair­way rest­ing on the ­earth, with its top reach­ing to heav­en, and the an­gels of God were as­cend­ing and de­scend­ing on it. 13 There ­above it c ­stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your fa­ther Abra­ham and the God of ­Isaac. I will give you and your de­scen­dants the land on ­which you are ly­ing. 14 Your de­scen­dants will be like the dust of the e­ arth, and you will ­spread out to the west and to the east, to the ­north and to the ­south. All peo­ples on ­earth will be b ­ lessed t­hrough you and your off­ spring. d 15 I am with you and will ­watch over you wher­ev­er you go, and I will ­bring you back to this land. I will not ­leave you un­til I have done what I have prom­ised you.”

16 When Ja­cob ­awoke from his ­sleep, he ­thought, “Sure­ly the Lord is in this p ­ lace, and I was not a­ ware of it.” 17 He was a­ fraid and said, “How awe­some is this ­place! This is none oth­er than the ­house of God; this is the gate of heav­en.”

18 Ear­ly the next morn­ing Ja­cob took the ­stone he had ­placed un­der his head and set a 2

That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verses 5, 6 and 7

b 3 Hebrew El-Shaddai c 13 Or There beside him

d 14 Or will use your name and the name of your offspring in

blessings (see 48:20)

28:12 Jacob’s stairway. The stairway is visualized as a stair or ramp between heaven and earth. The word is unique in the OT, but other variations may mean “raised way” or “mound,” as in the ramped earth cast up against the walls of a besieged city.

The angels represent God’s promised, constant, providential care over the earth (v. 15; see Zec 1:10).

28:17 The gate of heaven may intentionally contrast Jacob, to whom God voluntarily and graciously came, to the builders of Babel (Ge 11:1–­9), seeking God in their own strength.

28:18 Jacob’s pillar. Throughout the OT, raised objects—­ stones, trees, altars, pillars—­serve as memory aids, reminders of God’s covenant workings with his people (Ge 21:33; Dt 27:2–­3). Anointing with oil symbolized consecration to God.

53

Genesis 29:7

PATRIARCHY IN THE BIBLE Patriarchy is a form of society in which the father functions as the authority figure of the family, tribe or clan. In such an arrangement, descent is reckoned through the male line. The term patriarch is derived from a Latin word for “father” combined with a Greek word for “rule.” Thus the patriarch was the “ruling father.” He might also serve as the priest of his household.

The designation “patriarch” may refer to the fathers of the human race from Adam to Abraham. The three great fathers of the nation Israel (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) also are called “patriarchs.” Finally, the term “patriarch” is applied to the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel who descended from Jacob.

Biblical society was patriarchal in contrast to matriarchal, which describes a form of community organization in which the mother functions as the head of the family, clan or tribe. In Biblical genealogies, lineage is traced through the male. For this reason, females are mentioned only rarely in tracing family lineage (Ge 11:29; Nu 26:33). This makes the mention of four women in addition to Mary in the genealogy of Jesus Christ very significant (Mt 1:1–­17). Tamar, the Canaanite daughter-­in-­law of Judah, bore him twins (Ge 38:1–­30; Mt 1:3). Rahab of Jericho begot Boaz by Salmon (Jos 2:1–­24; 6:17,22–­25; Mt 1:5). Ruth was the Moabitess through whom Boaz begot Obed (Ru 4:13–­17; Mt 1:5). Finally, “the wife of Uriah,” identified as the one by whom David begot Solomon, was Bathsheba (2Sa 11:1–­4; 12:24–­25; Mt 1:6).

See also Ge 22:1–­19; 50:24; Ex 3:6; notes on Authority (Jn 19); Fatherhood (Eph 5); Fatherhood of God (Ro 8); Feminism (Isa 5); Motherhood (1Sa 1; Isa 49; Eze 16)

well was ­large. 3 When all the ­flocks were gath­ered ­there, the shep­herds ­would roll the ­stone away from the ­well’s m ­ outh and wa­ter the s­ heep. Then they w ­ ould re­turn the s­ tone to its ­place over the ­mouth of the well.

4 Ja­cob ­asked the shep­herds, “My broth­ers, ­where are you from?”

“We’re from Har­ran,” they re­plied.

5 He said to them, “Do you know La­ban, Na­hor’s grand­son?”

“Yes, we know him,” they an­swered.

6 Then Ja­cob ­asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here ­comes his Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram daugh­ter Ra­chel with the sheep.”

Then Ja­cob con­tin­ued on his jour­ney 7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is s ­ till high; it is and came to the land of the east­ern not time for the ­flocks to be gath­ered. Wa­ter 2 peo­ples. There he saw a well in the open the ­sheep and take them back to pas­ture.” coun­try, with ­three f­locks of ­sheep ly­ing a 19 Bethel means house of God. b 20,21 Or Since God . . . near it be­cause the f­ locks were wa­tered from father’s household, the Lord c 21,22 Or household, and the that well. The ­stone over the ­mouth of the Lord will be my God, 22then

it up as a pil­lar and p ­ oured oil on top of it. c­ alled that p ­ lace Beth­el, a ­though the city used to be c­ alled Luz. 20 Then Ja­cob made a vow, say­ing, “If God will be with me and will ­watch over me on this jour­ney I am tak­ing and will give me food to eat and c­ lothes to wear 21 so that I re­ turn safe­ly to my fa­ther’s house­hold, then the Lord b will be my God 22 and c this s­ tone that I have set up as a pil­lar will be ­God’s ­house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

19 He

29

28:19 Bethel (Heb., lit. “house of God”; see Ge 12:8, note).

The Canaanite name Luz applied both to this spot and to the general district where it was found (Jos 16:2).

28:20,22 Jacob’s vow. Like Abraham, Jacob responded to God’s presence with obedience (Ge 17:23–­27). He recognized that, in return for God’s promised providential care, he was obligated to worship God alone (v. 15). He also followed the

example of his grandfather in pledging a tithe as an act of worship (see Ge 14:18, note).

29:3 The stone at the well. Ancient Near Eastern custom was to wait until all the local shepherds were present with their flocks before removing the stone seal on the well. This prevented any one herdsman from monopolizing the scarce water supply (v. 8).

Genesis 29:8

54

8 “We

c­ an’t,” they re­plied, “un­til all the ­flocks are gath­ered and the ­stone has been ­rolled away from the ­mouth of the well. Then we will wa­ter the sheep.”

9 While he was ­still talk­ing with them, Ra­ chel came with her fa­ther’s s­ heep, for she was a shep­herd. 10 When Ja­cob saw Ra­chel daugh­ ter of his uncle La­ban, and La­ban’s ­sheep, he went over and r­ olled the s­ tone away from the ­mouth of the well and wa­tered his un­cle’s ­ issed Ra­chel and be­gan ­sheep. 11 Then Ja­cob k to weep ­aloud. 12 He had told Ra­chel that he was a rel­a­tive of her fa­ther and a son of Re­ bek­ah. So she ran and told her fa­ther.

13 As soon as La­ban ­heard the news a ­ bout Ja­cob, his sis­ter’s son, he hur­ried to meet him. He em­braced him and k­ issed him and ­brought him to his home, and t­ here Ja­cob told him all ­these t­ hings. 14 Then La­ban said to him, “You are my own ­flesh and blood.”

22 So

La­ban ­brought to­geth­er all the peo­ ple of the p ­ lace and gave a f­ east. 23 But when eve­ning came, he took his daugh­ter Leah and ­brought her to Ja­cob, and Ja­cob made love to her. 24 And La­ban gave his ser­vant Zil­pah to his daugh­ter as her at­ten­dant.

25 When morn­ing came, t­ here was Leah! So Ja­cob said to La­ban, “What is this you have done to me? I ­served you for Ra­chel, ­didn’t I? Why have you de­ceived me?”

26 La­ban re­plied, “It is not our cus­tom here to give the youn­ger daugh­ter in mar­riage be­fore the old­er one. 27 Fin­ish this daugh­ ter’s brid­al week; then we will give you the youn­ger one also, in re­turn for an­oth­er sev­en ­years of work.”

28 And Ja­cob did so. He fin­ished the week with Leah, and then La­ban gave him his daugh­ter Ra­chel to be his wife. 29 La­ban gave his ser­vant Bil­hah to his daugh­ter Ra­chel as her at­ten­dant. 30 Ja­cob made love to Ra­chel Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel also, and his love for Ra­chel was great­er than Af­ter Ja­cob had ­stayed with him for a his love for Leah. And he ­worked for La­ban ­whole ­month, 15 La­ban said to him, “Just be­ an­oth­er sev­en years. cause you are a rel­a­tive of mine, ­should you work for me for noth­ing? Tell me what your Jacob’s Children 31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not wag­es ­should be.”

16 Now La­ban had two daugh­ters; the name ­loved, he en­abled her to con­ceive, but Ra­chel of the old­er was Leah, and the name of the re­mained child­less. 32 Leah be­came preg­nant youn­ger was Ra­chel. 17 Leah had weak a eyes, and gave b ­ irth to a son. She ­named him Reu­ but Ra­chel had a love­ly fig­ure and was beau­ ben, b for she said, “It is be­cause the Lord has ti­ful. 18 Ja­cob was in love with Ra­chel and seen my mis­ery. Sure­ly my hus­band will love said, “I’ll work for you sev­en ­years in re­turn me now.”

33 She con­ceived a for your youn­ger daugh­ter Ra­chel.” ­ gain, and when she gave 19 La­ban said, “It’s bet­ter that I give her to ­birth to a son she said, “Be­cause the Lord you than to some oth­er man. Stay here with ­heard that I am not ­loved, he gave me this me.” 20 So Ja­cob s­ erved sev­en ­years to get Ra­ one too.” So she ­named him Sim­eo ­ n. c 34 A gain she con­ chel, but they ­seemed like only a few days to ceived, and when she him be­cause of his love for her. gave ­ b irth to a son she said, “Now at last my 21 Then Ja­cob said to La­ban, “Give me my a 17 Or delicate b 32 Reuben sounds like the Hebrew wife. My time is com­plet­ed, and I want to for he has seen my misery; the name means see, a son. c 33 Simeon probably means one who hears. make love to her.”

29:17 Weak eyes may refer to lack of vision or physical unattractiveness. The former is more likely. The irony of the story lies in the deception of Jacob by his own eyes in the same way that the eyes of his blind father were deceived by Jacob’s trickery (vv. 23–­35; Ge 27:18–­29). Leah’s own weak vision would strengthen the irony.

29:18 Jacob’s service. Ancient Near Eastern custom demanded a bride-­price (Heb. mohar) to be paid to the bride’s parents (see 1Ki 9, Dowry). Aramean records indicate that it was common for a groom to work off the price in labor.

29:23 The trickery of Leah’s substitution is an obvious judgment on Jacob for his own deceitfulness. Jacob, the younger brother, stole the older brother’s blessing; later, he received

the older sister rather than the younger. God, however, accomplished his purposes despite human failure. Leah became the mother of Levi and Judah, the tribes of Israel’s priests and kings, and ultimately the ancestress of Christ.

29:30 Rachel’s marriage. Jacob married both sisters the same week and served Laban for Rachel seven more years.

Again, rupturing the Creator’s design for the one-­man, one-­ woman union leads to strife and conflict. Mosaic Law later forbade the taking of living sisters as wives (Lev 18:18).

29:31 Leah’s sons. “Not loved” (lit. “hated” or “rejected”) reveals the immense contrast in Jacob’s feelings for his two wives. It may also imply sexual avoidance. Nevertheless, God had chosen Leah as he chose Jacob (see v. 23, note).

55

Genesis 30:6

Rachel :

J ACO B ’ S B E LO V E D W I F E

Rachel, whose name means “ewe,” was caring for her father’s sheep in Haran when she met an unexpected visitor, her cousin Jacob, who was looking for his family. After what seems to have been love at first sight (Ge 29:11–­12), Jacob promised Rachel’s father Laban that he would work seven years to earn the right to marry the beautiful shepherdess (Ge 29:20). The wedding ceremony proceeded according to local tradition, allowing the men to celebrate, while keeping the bride out of sight until the groom entered her darkened tent.

Only after it was too late did Jacob realize that Laban had deceived him. He had actually married Laban’s older daughter, Leah, whom he did not love. A week after his marriage to Leah, Jacob received Rachel as his wife. Rachel must have suffered agony. Seven years of anticipation were dashed by her father’s trickery. The rivalry and jealousy between Rachel and Leah, and perhaps a desire on Rachel’s part for retaliation against her father for his deception must have greatly strained the family.

Furthermore, Rachel was unable to bear children (Ge 29:31), increasing her jealousy of Leah.

She blamed her husband, then allowed her maid to bear children for her. Finally, Rachel became pregnant and gave birth to Joseph, who became Jacob’s favorite (Ge 30:22–­24). In due time Jacob decided to return to his homeland. After Jacob’s departure, Laban found his household gods missing. Unknown to Jacob, Rachel had put the gods in her saddlebags, then seated herself on the camel. When Laban was given permission to search through their belongings, she pleaded weakness because of her menstrual cycle and did not dismount. Whatever a menstruating woman sat upon was later described as unclean (Lev 15). These small images were customarily kept in homes. Likely the images were indispensable evidence for a claim to the family inheritance, though some believe Rachel was a secret believer in pagan superstitions. If this were true, she would have believed the images would give them safety in their journey and prosperity in their new home.

Rachel returned to her husband’s homeland, but sometime later when they were moving again, she became pregnant for the second time. The travel in hilly country would have been difficult under any circumstance. Approaching Ephrath (Bethlehem), Rachel went into hard labor and died during the birth of Benjamin. She was buried there in Bethlehem (Ge 35:19). Rachel, a woman greatly loved by her husband, gave the world outstanding sons, and despite her flaws, she stands as an honored daughter of Yahweh.

See also Ge 29:26–­30; 30:1–­8,22–­26; 31:4,14–­19,34–­35; 33:2,7; 35:16–­20; Weddings (Jn 2); chart on The Family Tree of Abraham

­ us­band will be­come at­tached to me, be­ h cause I have ­borne him ­three sons.” So he was ­named Levi. a 35 She con­ceived ­again, and when she gave ­birth to a son she said, “This time I will ­praise the Lord.” So she ­named him Ju­dah. b Then she ­stopped hav­ing chil­dren.

When Ra­chel saw that she was not bear­ing Ja­cob any chil­dren, she be­ came jeal­ous of her sis­ter. So she said to Ja­ cob, “Give me chil­dren, or I’ll die!”

2 Ja­cob be­came an­gry with her and said,

30

30:3 Bilhah’s children. Rachel followed the example of Sarah.

“Am I in the p ­ lace of God, who has kept you from hav­ing chil­dren?”

3 Then she said, “Here is Bil­hah, my ser­ vant. ­Sleep with her so that she can bear chil­dren for me and I too can ­build a fam­i­ly ­through her.”

4 So she gave him her ser­vant Bil­hah as a wife. Ja­cob s­ lept with her, 5 and she be­came preg­nant and bore him a son. 6 Then Ra­chel a 34

Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached. b 35 Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise.

Genesis 30:7

56

said, “God has vin­di­cat­ed me; he has lis­tened to my plea and giv­en me a son.” Be­cause of this she ­named him Dan. a 7 Ra­chel’s ser­vant Bil­hah con­ceived ­again and bore Ja­cob a sec­ond son. 8 Then Ra­chel said, “I have had a ­great strug­gle with my sis­ter, and I have won.” So she ­named him Naph­ta­li. b 9 When Leah saw that she had ­stopped hav­ ing chil­dren, she took her ser­vant Zil­pah and gave her to Ja­cob as a wife. 10 Le­ah’s ser­vant Zil­ pah bore Ja­cob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What ­ amed him Gad. d good for­tune!” c So she n 12 Le­ah’s ser­vant Zil­pah bore Ja­cob a sec­ ond son. 13 Then Leah said, “How hap­py I am! The wom­en will call me hap­py.” So she ­named him Ash­er. e 14 Dur­ing w ­ heat har­vest, Reu­ben went out into the ­fields and ­found some man­drake ­plants, ­which he ­brought to his moth­er Leah.

Ra­chel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your ­son’s man­drakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it ­enough that you took away my hus­band? Will you take my ­son’s man­drakes too?”

“Very well,” Ra­chel said, “he can s­ leep with you to­night in re­turn for your s­ on’s man­drakes.”

16 So when Ja­cob came in from the ­fields that eve­ning, Leah went out to meet him.

“You must s­ leep with me,” she said. “I have ­hired you with my ­son’s man­drakes.” So he ­slept with her that night.

17 God lis­tened to Leah, and she be­came preg­nant and bore Ja­cob a ­fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has re­ward­ed me for giv­ing my ser­vant to my hus­band.” So she n ­ amed him Is­sa­char. f 19 Leah con­ceived a ­ gain and bore Ja­cob a ­sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has pre­ sent­ed me with a pre­cious gift. This time my hus­band will ­treat me with hon­or, be­cause I have ­borne him six sons.” So she n ­ amed him Zeb­u­lun. g 21 S ome time lat­ er she gave b ­ irth to a daugh­ter and ­named her Di­nah.

30:14 Reuben’s mandrakes. The mandrake, related to the

potato, was thought to be both an aphrodisiac and a fertility aid. The story reveals the continuing tendency of this family to resort to magic and trickery rather than to God. God had the last word: Rachel remained barren; Leah gave up the mandrakes, but she conceived.

30:15 Leah’s heartache. Two meanings are possible. Either

22 Then

God re­mem­bered Ra­chel; he lis­ tened to her and en­abled her to con­ceive.

23 She be­came preg­nant and gave b ­ irth to a son and said, “God has tak­en away my dis­ ­ amed him Jo­seph, h and said, grace.” 24 She n “May the Lord add to me an­oth­er son.”

Jacob’s Flocks Increase 25 Af­ter

Ra­chel gave ­birth to Jo­seph, Ja­cob said to La­ban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own home­land. 26 Give me my ­wives and chil­dren, for whom I have ­served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But La­ban said to him, “If I have ­found fa­vor in your eyes, p ­ lease stay. I have l­ earned by div­i­na­tion that the Lord has b ­ lessed me be­cause of you.” 28 He add­ed, “Name your wag­es, and I will pay them.”

29 Ja­cob said to him, “You know how I have ­worked for you and how your live­stock has ­fared un­der my care. 30 The lit­tle you had be­ fore I came has in­creased great­ly, and the Lord has ­blessed you wher­ev­er I have been.

But now, when may I do some­thing for my own house­hold?”

31 “What ­shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me any­thing,” Ja­cob re­plied.

“But if you will do this one ­thing for me, I will go on tend­ing your f­ locks and watch­ing over them: 32 Let me go ­through all your ­flocks to­ day and re­move from them ev­ery speck­led or spot­ted ­sheep, ev­ery dark-col­ored lamb and ev­ery spot­ted or speck­led goat. They will be my wag­es. 33 And my hon­es­ty will tes­ti­fy for me in the fu­ture, when­ev­er you ­check on the wag­es you have paid me. Any goat in my pos­ses­sion that is not speck­led or spot­ted, or any lamb that is not dark-col­ored, will be con­sid­ered sto­len.”

34 “Agreed,” said La­ban. “Let it be as you a 6

Dan here means he has vindicated. b 8 Naphtali means my struggle. c 11 Or “A troop is coming!” d 11 Gad can mean good fortune or a troop. e 13 Asher means happy. f 18 Issachar sounds like the Hebrew for reward. g 20 Zebulun probably means honor. h 24 Joseph means may he add.

Leah was accusing her sister of having usurped her position as firstborn and first wife—­a wry reminder of Jacob’s own past—­ or else Jacob was denying Leah her marital rights.

30:22 God’s gracious exercise of covenant faithfulness. Rachel displayed trust in this faithfulness when she named her son “Joseph” (lit. “He will add”), looking forward to the birth of more children.

57

Genesis 30:43

Leah :

THE UNWANTED WIFE

Leah is described as having “delicate” or “weak” eyes (Ge 29:17), which could allude to poor eyesight or merely to a lack of sparkle. Through subterfuge, Leah, instead of the promised Rachel, became the wife of Jacob. Although Leah may have been at least a willing participant in this deception, she could have been merely an obedient daughter. Nevertheless, she obviously loved Jacob and was devoted to him throughout their marriage, though surely Leah’s soul must have shriveled to be the object of Jacob’s disappointment and scorn as well as the tool of her conniving father.

Living with the constant comparison to her unusually beautiful sister, Leah was, nevertheless, not hidden from God’s caring eyes. In his omniscience, God allowed her to conceive even though her sister’s fertility was delayed. She had the honor of mothering Jacob’s oldest son, but she wrongly assumed that it would earn love from her husband (Ge 29:32). Leah faced her second childbirth realistically, but apparently deep desire gnawed at her (v. 33). When a third pregnancy came, she exclaimed, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me,” revealing an intense longing for love (v. 34).

Leah began her marriage by focusing on what she lacked and being miserable, but she changed her heart and focus to what she had and determined to praise the Lord. Not until the birth of her fourth son, Judah, did this unwanted wife learn to trust Yahweh (“This time I will praise the Lord,” Ge 29:35). Tracing the messianic lineage, the world rejoices with Leah as her faithfulness was rewarded. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah,” Jesus the Messiah, came through her offspring Judah and the priesthood through her son Levi (see Rev 5:5). Leah personified for every woman the crucial need to live primarily for God and his glory. Though she may have been unattractive in appearance, unloved, unwanted, and even despised, God saw in her an inner beauty that equipped her to carry out his plan (Ge 29:31). She could not change Jacob, but she could change herself and recognize God’s hand in her life (Ge 30:13). Leah, for her part, did not let the attitudes of others distract her from the task God had given to her.

See also Ge 29:16–­17,31–­35; 34:1; 35:23; Ru 4:11; notes on Bitterness (Heb 12); Pain (Job 7)

have said.” 35 That same day he re­moved all the male g­ oats that were ­streaked or spot­ted, and all the speck­led or spot­ted fe­male g­ oats (all that had ­white on them) and all the darkcol­ored ­lambs, and he p ­ laced them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a ­three-day jour­ney be­tween him­self and Ja­cob, ­while Ja­cob con­ tin­ued to tend the rest of La­ban’s flocks.

37 Ja­cob, how­ev­er, took ­fresh-cut branch­ es from pop­lar, al­mond and ­plane ­trees and made ­white ­stripes on them by peel­ing the bark and ex­pos­ing the w ­ hite in­ner wood of the branch­es. 38 Then he p ­ laced the ­peeled branch­es in all the wa­ter­ing ­troughs, so that they w ­ ould be di­rect­ly in f­ ront of the f­ locks when they came to ­drink. When the ­flocks were in heat and came to d ­ rink, 39 they mat­

ed in ­front of the branch­es. And they bore ­young that were s­ treaked or speck­led or spot­ted. 40 Ja­cob set a­ part the ­young of the ­flock by them­selves, but made the rest face the ­streaked and dark-col­ored an­i­mals that be­longed to La­ban. Thus he made sep­a­rate ­flocks for him­self and did not put them with La­ban’s an­i­mals. 41 When­ev­er the stron­ger fe­males were in heat, Ja­cob ­would ­place the branch­es in the t­ roughs in f­ ront of the an­i­ mals so they w ­ ould mate near the branch­es, 42 but if the an­im ­ als were weak, he w ­ ould not ­place them t­ here. So the weak an­i­mals went to La­ban and the ­strong ones to Ja­cob. 43 In this way the man grew ex­ceed­ing­ly pros­per­ ous and came to own l­ arge ­flocks, and fe­male and male ser­vants, and cam­els and don­keys.

30:43 Jacob’s wealth. Over a six-­year period Jacob built up

God’s blessing, not Jacob’s scheming, was responsible for ­Jacob’s prosperity (Ge 31:9–­13).

a large flock (Ge 31:14). Despite the trickery and manipulation used by all members of this family, God remained in control.

Genesis 31:1

58

Jacob Flees From Laban

31

Ja­cob ­heard that La­ban’s sons were say­ing, “Ja­cob has tak­en ev­ery­thing our fa­ther ­owned and has ­gained all this ­wealth from what be­longed to our fa­ther.”

2 And Ja­cob no­ticed that La­ban’s at­ti­tude to­ ward him was not what it had been.

3 Then the Lord said to Ja­cob, “Go back to the land of your fa­thers and to your rel­a­tives, and I will be with you.”

4 So Ja­cob sent word to Ra­chel and Leah to come out to the f­ ields w ­ here his ­flocks were.

5 He said to them, “I see that your fa­ther’s at­ ti­tude to­ward me is not what it was be­fore, but the God of my fa­ther has been with me.

6 You know that I’ve ­worked for your fa­ther with all my ­strength, 7 yet your fa­ther has cheat­ed me by chang­ing my wag­es ten ­times.

How­ev­er, God has not al­lowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speck­led ones will be your wag­es,’ then all the ­flocks gave ­birth to speck­led y­ oung; and if he said, ‘The s­ treaked ones will be your wag­es,’ then all the ­flocks bore ­streaked ­young. 9 So God has tak­en away your fa­ther’s live­stock and has giv­en them to me.

10 “In breed­ing sea­son I once had a d ­ ream in ­which I ­looked up and saw that the male ­goats mat­ing with the ­flock were ­streaked, speck­led or spot­ted. 11 The an­gel of God said to me in the d ­ ream, ‘Ja­cob.’ I an­swered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male ­goats mat­ing with the ­flock are ­streaked, speck­led or spot­ted, for I have seen all that La­ban has been do­ing to you. 13 I am the God of Beth­el, ­where you anoint­ed a pil­ lar and ­where you made a vow to me. Now ­leave this land at once and go back to your na­tive land.’ ” 14 Then Ra­chel and Leah re­plied, “Do we ­still have any ­share in the in­her­i­tance of our fa­ther’s es­tate? 15 Does he not re­gard us as for­ eign­ers? Not only has he sold us, but he has 31:3 Jacob’s flight. God continued to direct his chosen back

to the land of promise. Isaac was driven back by conflicts over wells; Jacob, by Laban’s resentment.

31:14–­16 Rachel and Leah respond. The response of Jacob’s wives confirmed God’s leading. An estrangement had developed because of Laban’s greed (vv. 14–­16). “Foreigners” has a negative connotation, as in unwelcome foreigners (v. 15). “He sold us” implies that Laban had given up any claim to ­fatherly respect and status by treating his daughters as a means of profit. “Wealth” is a reference to the bride-­price, part of which

used up what was paid for us. 16 Sure­ly all the ­wealth that God took away from our fa­ther be­longs to us and our chil­dren. So do what­ ev­er God has told you.”

17 Then Ja­ cob put his chil­dren and his ­ rove all his live­ ­wives on cam­els, 18 and he d stock a­ head of him, ­along with all the ­goods he had ac­cu­mu­lat­ed in Pad­dan Aram, a to go to his fa­ther I­ saac in the land of Ca­naan.

19 When La­ban had gone to s­hear his ­sheep, Ra­chel ­stole her fa­ther’s house­hold gods. 20 More­over, Ja­cob de­ceived La­ban the Ar­a­me­an by not tell­ing him he was run­ning away. 21 So he fled with all he had, c­ rossed the Eu­phra­tes Riv­er, and head­ed for the hill coun­try of Gil­e­ad.

Laban Pursues Jacob 22 On

the ­third day La­ban was told that Ja­ cob had fled. 23 Tak­ing his rel­a­tives with him, he pur­sued Ja­cob for sev­en days and ­caught up with him in the hill coun­try of Gil­e­ad.

24 Then God came to La­ban the Ar­a­me­an in a ­dream at ­night and said to him, “Be care­ful not to say any­thing to Ja­cob, ei­ther good or bad.”

25 Ja­cob had ­p itched his tent in the hill coun­try of Gil­e­ad when La­ban over­took him, and La­ban and his rel­a­tives ­camped ­t here too. 26 T hen La­b an said to Ja­cob, “What have you done? ­You’ve de­ceived me, and ­you’ve car­ried off my daugh­ters like cap­tives in war. 27 Why did you run off se­ cret­ly and de­ceive me? Why d ­ idn’t you tell me, so I ­could send you away with joy and sing­ing to the mu­sic of tim­brels and ­harps?

28 You ­didn’t even let me kiss my grand­chil­ dren and my daugh­ters goodbye. You have done a fool­ish t­ hing. 29 I have the pow­er to harm you; but last ­night the God of your fa­ ther said to me, ‘Be care­ful not to say any­ thing to Ja­cob, ei­ther good or bad.’ 30 Now a 18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia

was often given back to the bride; Laban neglected to do this for his daughters (see 1Ki 9, Dowry).

31:19 Household gods. Laban was an idolater and not a worshiper of Yahweh. These idols were “teraphim,” small household figurines possibly used for divination (Eze 21:21; Zec 10:2). The Nuzi tablets, which record contemporary law for the Mesopotamian Hurrians, connect ownership of the household idols with inheritance rights; Rachel’s motives may have been financial rather than religious (see Ge 29, Rachel).

59

Genesis 31:55

you have gone off be­cause you l­ onged to re­ turn to your fa­ther’s house­hold. But why did you s­ teal my gods?”

31 Ja­cob an­swered La­ban, “I was a ­ fraid, be­ cause I t­ hought you w ­ ould take your daugh­ ters away from me by f­ orce. 32 But if you find any­one who has your gods, that per­son ­shall not live. In the pres­ence of our rel­a­tives, see for your­self wheth­er ­there is any­thing of ­yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Ja­cob did not know that Ra­chel had sto­len the gods.

33 So La­ban went into Ja­cob’s tent and into Le­ah’s tent and into the tent of the two fe­ male ser­vants, but he f­ound noth­ing. Af­ ter he came out of Le­ah’s tent, he en­tered Ra­chel’s tent. 34 Now Ra­chel had tak­en the house­hold gods and put them in­side her cam­el’s sad­dle and was sit­ting on them. La­ ban s­ earched ­through ev­ery­thing in the tent but ­found noth­ing.

35 Ra­chel said to her fa­ther, “Don’t be an­gry, my lord, that I can­not ­stand up in your pres­ ence; I’m hav­ing my pe­ri­od.” So he ­searched but ­could not find the house­hold gods.

36 Ja­cob was an­gry and took La­ban to task.

“What is my ­crime?” he ­asked La­ban. “How have I ­wronged you that you hunt me down?

37 Now that you have ­searched ­through all my ­goods, what have you f­ ound that be­longs to your house­hold? Put it here in f­ ront of your rel­a­tives and mine, and let them ­judge be­ tween the two of us.

38 “I have been with you for twen­ty y ­ ears now. Your ­sheep and ­goats have not mis­ car­ried, nor have I eat­en rams from your ­ ring you an­i­mals torn ­flocks. 39 I did not b by wild b ­ easts; I bore the loss my­self. And you de­mand­ed pay­ment from me for what­ ev­er was sto­len by day or ­night. 40 This was my sit­u­a­tion: The heat con­sumed me in the day­time and the cold at n ­ ight, and s­ leep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twen­ ty ­years I was in your house­hold. I w ­ orked for you four­teen ­years for your two daugh­ ters and six y­ ears for your f­ locks, and you ­changed my wag­es ten t­ imes. 42 If the God of my fa­ther, the God of Abra­ham and the Fear of I­ saac, had not been with me, you w ­ ould

sure­ly have sent me away emp­ty-hand­ ed. But God has seen my hard­ship and the toil of my ­hands, and last ­night he re­buked you.”

43 La­ban an­swered Ja­cob, “The wom­en are my daugh­ters, the chil­dren are my chil­dren, and the ­flocks are my ­flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do to­day ­about ­these daugh­ters of mine, or ­about the chil­dren they have b ­ orne? 44 Come now, l­et’s make a cov­enant, you and I, and let it ­serve as a wit­ ness be­tween us.”

45 So Ja­cob took a s ­ tone and set it up as a pil­lar. 46 He said to his rel­a­tives, “Gath­er some ­stones.” So they took s­ tones and p ­ iled them in a heap, and they ate t­ here by the heap.

47 La­ban ­called it Je­gar Sa­ha­du­tha, and Ja­cob ­called it Gal­e­ed. a 48 La­ban said, “This heap is a wit­ness be­ tween you and me to­day.” That is why it was ­called Gal­e­ed. 49 It was also ­called Miz­ pah, b be­cause he said, “May the Lord keep ­watch be­tween you and me when we are away from each oth­er. 50 If you mis­treat my daugh­ters or if you take any w ­ ives be­sides my daugh­ters, even ­though no one is with us, re­mem­ber that God is a wit­ness be­tween you and me.”

51 La­ban also said to Ja­cob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pil­lar I have set up be­ tween you and me. 52 This heap is a wit­ness, and this pil­lar is a wit­ness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pil­ lar to my side to harm me. 53 May the God of Abra­ham and the God of Na­hor, the God of ­their fa­ther, ­judge be­tween us.”

So Ja­cob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his fa­ther ­Isaac. 54 He of­fered a sac­ri­ fice ­there in the hill coun­try and in­vit­ed his rel­a­tives to a meal. Af­ter they had eat­en, they ­spent the ­night there.

55 Ear­ly the next morn­ing La­ban ­kissed his grand­chil­dren and his daugh­ters and ­blessed them. Then he left and re­turned home. c

31:45 The pillar. The pillar acts as a reminder of the covenant

ed to the designation “Gilead” later assigned to the district.

This spot became known as Mizpah (Heb., lit. “watchtower”), which conveys the same idea (Jos 11:3; Jdg 11:34).

between the two men (see Ge 28:18). The Aramean name Jegar Sahadutha (“Heap of Witness”) was given in Aramean by Laban and in Hebrew by Jacob. The name “Galeed” may be relat-

a 47

The Aramaic Jegar Sahadutha and the Hebrew Galeed both mean witness heap. b 49 Mizpah means watchtower. c 55 In Hebrew texts this verse (31:55) is numbered 32:1.

Genesis 32:1

60

Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau

32

a

Ja­cob also went on his way, and the an­gels of God met him. 2 When Ja­cob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he ­named that ­place Ma­ha­na­im. b 3 Ja­cob sent mes­sen­gers a ­ head of him to his broth­er Esau in the land of Seir, the coun­try of Edom. 4 He in­struct­ed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your ser­vant Ja­cob says, I have been stay­ing with La­ban and have re­mained t­here till now. 5 I have cat­tle and don­keys, ­sheep and ­goats, male and fe­male ser­vants. Now I am send­ing this mes­sage to my lord, that I may find fa­vor in your eyes.’ ” 6 When the mes­sen­gers re­turned to Ja­cob, they said, “We went to your broth­er Esau, and now he is com­ing to meet you, and four hun­dred men are with him.”

7 In ­great fear and dis­tress Ja­cob di­vid­ ed the peo­ple who were with him into two ­groups, c and the ­flocks and ­herds and cam­ els as well. 8 He t­ hought, “If Esau c­ omes and at­tacks one ­group, d the ­group d that is left may es­cape.”

9 Then Ja­cob p ­ rayed, “O God of my fa­ther Abra­ham, God of my fa­ther ­Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your coun­ try and your rel­a­tives, and I will make you pros­per,’ 10 I am un­wor­thy of all the kind­ness and faith­ful­ness you have s­ hown your ser­ vant. I had only my ­staff when I ­crossed this Jor­dan, but now I have be­come two ­camps.

11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my broth­ er Esau, for I am a­ fraid he will come and at­ tack me, and also the moth­ers with ­their chil­dren. 12 But you have said, ‘I will sure­ly make you pros­per and will make your de­ scen­dants like the sand of the sea, w ­ hich can­not be count­ed.’ ” 13 He ­spent the ­night t­ here, and from what he had with him he se­lect­ed a gift for his broth­er Esau: 14 two hun­dred fe­male ­goats and twen­ty male ­goats, two hun­dred ewes and twen­ty rams, 15 thir­ty fe­male cam­els 32:2 Mahanaim (Heb., lit. “double camp”) is a reference

to Jacob’s own caravan and the company of God. The angels demonstrated God’s protection as Jacob advanced to meet Esau. Mahanaim later became an important fortress east of the Jordan River and probably north of the Jabbok River (2Sa 17:24–­27).

32:22 The Jabbok River (Heb., lit. “wrestler”; see v. 24), modern Nahr ez Zerka, cuts through Gilead halfway between

with ­their y­ oung, for­ty cows and ten ­bulls, and twen­ty fe­male don­keys and ten male don­keys. 16 He put them in the care of his ser­ vants, each herd by it­self, and said to his ser­ vants, “Go ­ahead of me, and keep some ­space be­tween the herds.”

17 H e in­struct­e d the one in the lead: “When my broth­er Esau ­meets you and asks, ‘Who do you be­long to, and w ­ here are you go­ing, and who owns all ­these an­i­mals in ­front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They be­long to your ser­vant Ja­cob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is com­ing be­ hind us.’ ” 19 He also in­struct­ed the sec­ond, the t­ hird and all the oth­ers who fol­lowed the h ­ erds: “You are to say the same t­ hing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, ‘Your ser­vant Ja­cob is com­ing be­hind us.’ ” For he ­thought, “I will pac­i­fy him with t­ hese g­ ifts I am send­ing on a­ head; lat­er, when I see him, per­haps he will re­ceive me.” 21 So Ja­cob’s ­gifts went on ­ahead of him, but he him­self ­spent the ­night in the camp.

Jacob Wrestles With God

22 That ­night Ja­cob got up and took his two

­wives, his two fe­male ser­vants and his elev­en sons and c­ rossed the ford of the Jab­bok. 23 Af­ ter he had sent them a­ cross the s­ tream, he sent over all his pos­ses­sions. 24 So Ja­cob was left ­alone, and a man wres­tled with him till day­break. 25 When the man saw that he c­ ould not over­pow­er him, he t­ ouched the sock­et of Ja­cob’s hip so that his hip was ­wrenched as he wres­tled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is day­break.”

But Ja­cob re­plied, “I will not let you go un­ less you ­bless me.”

27 The man ­asked him, “What is your name?”

“Ja­cob,” he an­swered. a In Hebrew texts 32:1-32 is numbered 32:2-33. b 2

Mahanaim means two camps. c 7 Or camps

d 8 Or camp

the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and flows into the Jordan about 40 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.

32:24 Jacob’s encounter with God. The wrestling match with the One who revealed himself as God (v. 28) sums up Jacob’s lifelong attitude toward God. The ultimate power is confirmed as lying in God’s hands, not in Jacob’s strength or cunning (v. 25). Jacob’s defeat resulted in his blessing (v. 29).

61

Genesis 33:7

B L E N D E D FA M I LY

BUILDING A NEW HOME While the subject of blended families is not addressed specifically in Scripture, the Bible does give us some admonitions that seem relevant:

1) Build your new family on Christ. If mistakes were made in the past, seek the forgiveness of God and others and turn away from the past in order to move with joyful purpose to future opportunities. Recognize openly that each family member has a distinct and irreplaceable relationship with Christ and that together you are a “mini-­version” of the body of Christ at work.

Seek to understand and develop the unique spiritual gifts of each person in your new family. Pray together. Make Christ the focal point and supreme authority of your home.

2) Clearly delineate the lines of authority and responsibility. The more responsibility a parent has for a child, the greater the authority he or she must have. Discuss openly and candidly with your spouse the need for defining clearly the roles of both parents over each child in your blended family to maintain order in the household (1Co 14:40).

3) Foster communication. Heartfelt harmony, peace, and order require clear, direct and convincing communication. Provide a regular forum for airing grievances, sharing ideas and opinions, and making family decisions, showing appreciation for each person’s contribution (Eph 4:29–­32).

4) Recognize and value your individual differences—­even as you seek to blend together as a family.

Allow each person the freedom to express his own personality, skills and abilities within the constraints of family rules (Ro 12:10–­12).

5) Find and pursue mutually satisfying activities (Am 3:3).

See also Ge 29:15—­33:17; notes on Divorce (Mt 19); Family (1Sa 3; Ps 78; 127); Marriage (Ge 2; 2Sa 6; Pr 5; Hos 2; Am 3; 2Co 13; Heb 12); Remarriage (Mt 5); Siblings (Ge 37); Stepparenthood (Ge 35) 28 Then

the man said, “Your name will no lon­ger be Ja­cob, but Is­ra­el, a be­cause you have strug­gled with God and with hu­mans and have over­come.”

29 Ja­cob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he re­plied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he ­blessed him there.

30 So Ja­cob ­called the ­place Pe­ni­el, b say­ing, “It is be­cause I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

31 The sun rose ­above him as he ­passed Pe­ ni­el, c and he was limp­ing be­cause of his hip.

32 There­fore to this day the Is­ra­el­ites do not eat the ten­don at­tached to the sock­et of the hip, be­cause the sock­et of Ja­cob’s hip was ­touched near the ten­don.

Jacob Meets Esau

33

Ja­cob l­ooked up and t­ here was Esau, com­ing with his four hun­dred men;

32:28 Israel (Heb., lit. “he contends with God”). Once broken

by God, Jacob ceased to become the supplanter and instead became the one for whom God himself would strive.

32:30 Peniel (Heb., lit. “face of God”). God actually with-

so he di­vid­ed the chil­dren ­among Leah, Ra­ chel and the two fe­male ser­vants. 2 He put the fe­male ser­vants and ­their chil­dren in ­front, Leah and her chil­dren next, and Ra­ chel and Jo­seph in the rear. 3 He him­self went on ­ahead and ­bowed down to the ­ground sev­en ­times as he ap­proached his broth­er.

4 But Esau ran to meet Ja­cob and em­braced him; he ­threw his arms ­around his neck and ­kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau ­looked up and saw the wom­en and chil­dren.

“Who are ­these with you?” he asked.

Ja­cob an­swered, “They are the chil­dren God has gra­cious­ly giv­en your ser­vant.”

6 Then the fe­male ser­vants and ­their chil­ dren ap­proached and ­bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her chil­dren came and b ­ owed a 28

Israel probably means he struggles with God. Peniel means face of God. c 31 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel

b 30

drew before dawn so that Jacob’s vision was incomplete. A full vision of God was incompatible with mortal limitations (Ex 33:20; Dt 34:10).

Genesis 33:8

62

down. Last of all came Jo­seph and Ra­chel, and they too b ­ owed down.

8 Esau ­asked, “What’s the meaning of all ­these ­flocks and ­herds I met?”

“To find fa­vor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.

9 But Esau said, “I al­ready have plen­ty, my broth­er. Keep what you have for your­self.”

10 “No, ­please!” said Ja­cob. “If I have ­found fa­vor in your eyes, ac­cept this gift from me.

For to see your face is like see­ing the face of God, now that you have re­ceived me fa­vor­ ably. 11 Please ac­cept the pres­ent that was ­brought to you, for God has been gra­cious to me and I have all I need.” And be­cause Ja­cob in­sist­ed, Esau ac­cept­ed it.

12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll ac­com­pa­ny you.”

13 But Ja­cob said to him, “My lord ­knows that the chil­dren are ten­der and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nurs­ ing ­their ­young. If they are driv­en hard just one day, all the an­i­mals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ­ahead of his ser­vant, ­while I move ­along slow­ly at the pace of the ­flocks and ­herds be­fore me and the pace of the chil­dren, un­til I come to my lord in Seir.”

15 Esau said, “Then let me l­ eave some of my men with you.”

“But why do that?” Ja­cob a­ sked. “Just let me find fa­vor in the eyes of my lord.”

16 So that day Esau start­ed on his way back to Seir. 17 Ja­cob, how­ev­er, went to Suk­koth, ­where he ­built a ­place for him­self and made shel­ters for his live­stock. That is why the ­place is ­called Suk­koth. a 18 Af­ter Ja­cob came from Pad­dan Aram, b he ar­rived safe­ly at the city of She­chem in Ca­naan and ­camped with­in ­sight of the city.

19 For a hun­dred piec­es of sil­ver, c he b ­ ought from the sons of Ha­mor, the fa­ther of She­ chem, the plot of g­ round w ­ here he p ­ itched his tent. 20 There he set up an al­tar and c­ alled it El Elo­he Is­ra­el. d 33:19 The sons of Hamor were the inhabitants of Shechem;

“children of” or “sons of” indicates membership in the tribe that Hamor founded. “The father of Shechem” may mean “the founder of Shechem.” Since Shechem was the name of both the city and the son of its prince, it appears that “Shechem” and “Hamor” were either titles or hereditary names. This was the second acquisition of Canaanite land by a patriarch (see Ge 23:4, note).

34:2 The rape of Dinah. The phrase “took her and raped her” conveys that apparently, kidnapping was also involved (v. 26). Although Shechem appeared in a more kindly light in

Dinah and the Shechemites

34

Now Di­nah, the daugh­ter Leah had ­borne to Ja­cob, went out to vis­it the wom­en of the land. 2 When She­chem son of Ha­mor the Hi­vite, the rul­er of that area, saw her, he took her and r­ aped her. 3 His ­heart was d ­ rawn to Di­nah daugh­ter of Ja­cob; he ­loved the ­young wom­an and ­spoke ten­der­ly to her. 4 And She­chem said to his fa­ther Ha­ mor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”

5 When Ja­cob ­heard that his daugh­ter Di­ nah had been de­filed, his sons were in the ­fields with his live­stock; so he did noth­ing ­about it un­til they came home.

6 Then She­chem’s fa­ther Ha­mor went out to talk with Ja­cob. 7 Mean­while, Ja­cob’s sons had come in from the ­fields as soon as they h ­ eard what had hap­pened. They were ­shocked and fu­ri­ous, be­cause She­chem had done an out­ra­geous ­thing in e Is­ra­el by sleep­ ing with Ja­cob’s daugh­ter — ​a ­thing that ­should not be done.

8 But Ha­mor said to them, “My son She­ chem has his ­heart set on your daugh­ter. ­Please give her to him as his wife. 9 In­ter­mar­ ry with us; give us your daugh­ters and take our daugh­ters for your­selves. 10 You can set­tle ­among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, ­trade f in it, and ac­quire prop­er­ty in it.”

11 Then She­chem said to Di­nah’s fa­ther and broth­ers, “Let me find fa­vor in your eyes, and I will give you what­ev­er you ask. 12 Make the ­price for the b ­ ride and the gift I am to b ­ ring as ­great as you like, and I’ll pay what­ev­er you ask me. Only give me the ­young wom­an as my wife.”

13 Be­cause ­their sis­ter Di­nah had been de­ filed, Ja­cob’s sons re­plied de­ceit­ful­ly as they a 17

Sukkoth means shelters. b 18 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia c 19 Hebrew hundred kesitahs; a kesitah was a unit of money of unknown weight and value. d 20 El Elohe Israel can mean El is the God of Israel or mighty is the God of Israel. e 7 Or against f 10 Or move about freely; also in verse 21

the rest of the story, the damage done by his violent act was irreversible (vv. 3,19; see Ge 34, Rape). “Hivites,” descendants of Canaan, were a loosely associated merchant tribe spread throughout Canaan (Ge 10:17).

34:7 The reference to Jacob’s family as Israel reveals an early nationalism. “Outrageous thing” refers to disgraceful acts of immorality often associated with Canaanite and non-­Israelite practices (see 2Sa 13:12). The reaction of the brothers clearly shows that they were conscious of the family as a separate social unit.

63

Genesis 34:26

Dinah :

AN INNOCENT VICTIM

Dinah was the only daughter among twelve sons of Jacob. When her father, Jacob, finally settled for a while near the city of Shechem, she decided to go exploring, perhaps to find friends. In her youthful exuberance Dinah ignored the dangers of the pagan lifestyle of the young people of Shechem, although it was in direct opposition to her family traditions. She may have felt confident that she could take care of herself even in a strange country.

What began as an excursion of curiosity ended in the tragedy of Dinah’s rape by the young prince of Shechem (Ge 34:2). Whatever the circumstances leading to this tragedy, Dinah surely did not expect or deserve this ultimate degradation. She would not only have to live with the trauma of rape, but she would have little chance for a happy marriage in the future.

Shechem’s father Hamor approached Dinah’s father to request a marriage, which was the custom of the day. The prince wanted her so much that Hamor told Jacob to name the bride price (v. 12). Hamor also offered an alliance of their two peoples (something God had forbidden).

Though Shechem’s initial act of rape was deplorable, he showed more integrity in his attempt to rectify the situation than did Dinah’s father and brothers. Through deceit they put the entire male population at a disadvantage, then slaughtered them. The result of Dinah’s visit to the city of Shechem was overwhelmingly tragic: she was raped; all the men of the town were murdered; wives and children of the townsmen were put in slavery; Jacob and his family were forced to flee their home; Dinah’s chances for a good marriage were gone; God’s name was dishonored among the idol worshipers. Even the simplest choices are often spiritual challenges in which our sisters and daughters must be cautioned that curiosity about the world can pull them into situations in which they suffer at the hands of the ungodly around them. Let parents as well be admonished to make their homes a shield and shelter for their children.

See also notes on Adversity (Ac 5); Date Rape (2Sa 13); Rape (Ge 34); Siblings (Ge 37)

­spoke to She­chem and his fa­ther Ha­mor.

14 They said to them, “We c ­ an’t do such a ­thing; we ­can’t give our sis­ter to a man who is not cir­cum­cised. That w ­ ould be a dis­grace to us. 15 We will en­ter into an agree­ment with you on one con­di­tion only: that you be­come like us by cir­cum­cis­ing all your m ­ ales. 16 Then we will give you our daugh­ters and take your daugh­ters for our­selves. ­We’ll set­tle ­among you and be­come one peo­ple with you. 17 But if you will not ­agree to be cir­cum­cised, w ­ e’ll take our sis­ter and go.”

18 Their pro­pos­al ­seemed good to Ha­mor and his son She­chem. 19 The ­young man, who was the most hon­ored of all his fa­ther’s fam­ i­ly, lost no time in do­ing what they said, be­ cause he was de­light­ed with Ja­cob’s daugh­ ter. 20 So Ha­mor and his son She­chem went to the gate of ­their city to ­speak to the men of

­their city. 21 “These men are friend­ly to­ward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and ­trade in it; the land has plen­ty of room for them. We can mar­r y ­their daugh­ters and they can mar­ry ours. 22 But the men will a­ gree to live with us as one peo­ple only on the con­ di­tion that our m ­ ales be cir­cum­cised, as they them­selves are. 23 Won’t ­their live­stock, ­their prop­er­ty and all ­their oth­er an­i­mals be­come ours? So let us ­agree to t­ heir ­terms, and they will set­tle ­among us.”

24 All the men who went out of the city gate ­agreed with Ha­mor and his son She­chem, and ev­ery male in the city was cir­cum­cised.

25 Three days lat­er, ­while all of them were ­still in pain, two of Ja­cob’s sons, Sim­e­on and Levi, Di­nah’s broth­ers, took t­heir ­swords and at­tacked the un­sus­pect­ing city, kill­ing ev­ery male. 26 They put Ha­mor and his son

34:17 Circumcision. The mere act would not have brought these Hivites into the line of promise. Hamor and Shechem presented it to the rest of the city as a commercial concession (v. 23). This was not the original design for the covenant sign,

which represented a special relationship to God (see Ge 17, Circumcision).

34:25 The massacre. The revenge was carried out by Dinah’s full brothers, the sons of Leah. The disabling pain of

Genesis 34:27

64

RAPE

THE ULTIMATE VIOLATION A woman who is raped may experience the same type of terror the Levite’s concubine must have felt (Jdg 19:23–­26). Physical death is not inevitable in every case of rape, but almost any victim does feel as though a part of her has died. A rape victim may suffer for some time from nightmares, severe and lingering fears, and feelings of low self-­worth.

The victim of rape should be encouraged to recognize God’s promise never to leave or forsake her (Isa 41:10; Heb 13:5–­6). A woman victimized by rape needs to seek comfort and healing from God, then from other believers (2Co 1:3–­4). She must find a way of dealing with her anger toward her attacker. If she denies that anger, harbors it, or focuses on revenge, she is in danger of sinning herself (Heb 12:14–­16). On the other hand, as she forgives the one who has wronged her, she will open herself to recovery and growth (Mt 6:14–­15).

The process of healing is not easy and takes time, but, as a rape victim learns to rely on God for strength as well as healing, she will also learn that her experience may be used for the Lord’s glory and honor, perhaps even by sharing the healing she has received from God with other victims.

See also 2Sa 13:1–­20; Mk 5:2, note; Gal 5:19–­21; Eph 4:17–­24; Col 3:5; 1Th 4:3–­8; notes on Date Rape (2Sa 13); Healing (Ps 13; 133; Ecc 1; 2Co 5; Gal 6; Jas 5); Incest (Lev 18); Sexual Purity (1Co 7); portraits of Dinah (Ge 34); The Levite’s Defenseless Concubine (Jdg 19); Tamar (2Sa 13)

She­chem to the ­sword and took Di­nah from She­chem’s ­house and left. 27 The sons of Ja­ cob came upon the dead bod­ies and loot­ed the city w ­ here a ­their sis­ter had been de­ filed. 28 They ­seized ­their ­flocks and ­herds and don­keys and ev­ery­thing else of ­theirs in the city and out in the ­fields. 29 They car­ried off all ­their ­wealth and all ­their wom­en and chil­dren, tak­ing as plun­der ev­ery­thing in the hous­es.

30 Then Ja­ cob said to Sim­e­on and Levi, “You have ­brought trou­ble on me by mak­ing me ob­nox­ious to the Ca­naan­ites and Per­iz­ zites, the peo­ple liv­ing in this land. We are few in num­ber, and if they join forc­es ­against me and at­tack me, I and my house­hold will be de­stroyed.”

31 But they re­plied, “Should he have treat­ed our sis­ter like a pros­ti­tute?”

Jacob Returns to Bethel

35

Then God said to Ja­cob, “Go up to Beth­el and set­tle t­here, and b ­ uild an al­tar t­ here to God, who ap­peared to you when you were flee­ing from your broth­er Esau.”

2 So Ja­cob said to his house­hold and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the for­eign gods you have with you, and pu­ri­fy your­ selves and c­ hange your c­ lothes. 3 Then come, let us go up to Beth­el, ­where I will ­build an al­tar to God, who an­swered me in the day of my dis­tress and who has been with me wher­ ev­er I have gone.” 4 So they gave Ja­cob all the for­eign gods they had and the r­ ings in t­ heir ears, and Ja­cob bur­ied them un­der the oak at She­chem. 5 Then they set out, and the ter­ror of God fell on the ­towns all ­around them so that no one pur­sued them. a 27 Or because

the ­operation would have been at its height on the third day, making it quite possible for Simeon and Levi to act alone. The other brothers appear to have joined only in the looting (v. 27).

34:27–­29 Looting the city. Jacob’s sons fell from their height of moral outrage and followed Canaanite custom themselves. Ancient Near Eastern military conquest typically included the claiming of the possessions and families of the defeated by the victors. In seizing the Hivite women, Jacob’s sons put themselves on the same level as the violent Shechem.

34:30 Jacob’s response centered not on his daughter’s honor or the morality of his sons’ revenge but on practical politics.

Jacob’s comment reveals that the position of God’s chosen people within the land of promise was still precarious and that Jacob himself continued to be more concerned with pragmatic

survival than with spiritual issues. Though Dinah’s story ends here without resolution, we see from the laws of Deuteronomy 22 that God did not forget her story, as he made provision in the law for a woman so abused in Israel.

35:2 Covenant renewal. After the threat of assimilation by the Hivites, God called Jacob to Bethel to renew his covenant where the original covenant was confirmed (Ge 28:13–­22). In preparation, Jacob ordered his household to rid themselves of all traces of pagan influence, such as the idols Rachel had stolen and any other idols acquired in Mesopotamia (Ge 31:19, note). The wearing of clean garments was symbolic of beginning a new way of life. Jacob buried these pagan objects to demonstrate the cleansing of his household (v. 4).

65

Genesis 35:12

S T E P PA R E N T H O O D

AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE Although the Bible does not address stepparenting directly, sound Biblical principles that will ultimately bring blessings can be applied toward the responsible and godly parenting of a stepchild. A woman’s character is not determined by her circumstances. Rather the character of a woman will affect how she will respond within her circumstances—­which may include stepparenting. A stepmother should begin preparation for her parenting task with the continuation of prayerful development of her own godly character.

Clear examples of stepparenting as we experience it today are not found in the Bible. Most families in Bible times were what we today would call extended families—­families in which several generations lived together, and the families of aunts and uncles were frequently as close as the next tent.

In the New Testament, Joseph might be considered a stepparent as the legal father of Jesus, although his circumstances were quite unique. We can learn from Joseph three important qualities for godly stepparents: • he did what the Lord asked him to do (Mt 1:24); • he allowed others to give good things to the child in his care (Mt 2:11); and • he acted quickly to protect his child (Mt 2:14–­15).

Stepmothers today are wise to follow his example—­seeking the Lord’s direction always in the relationship the Lord desires for them to have with their stepchildren, allowing others to provide blessings for the children, and providing protection from evil for the children.

A stepmother can be an important influence for Christ in a child’s life by: • praying for her stepchild daily; • sharing the Word of God with her stepchild; and • including her stepchild in the fellowship of her church family.

Above all, a stepmother is called upon to show “love in action” to her stepchildren—­to give freely and generously to them. In order for that to be possible, a stepmother needs to ask the Holy Spirit to work in and through her, so that she might have the patience, tolerance, fortitude and courage it takes to give to a child who very often does not want to receive.

A stepmother needs to remember always to allow the child’s affection for her own mother to flourish, being respectful of the relationship the child has with her mother if she is living or the memories of her life if she is dead.

See also Ge 29–­35; Pr 12:4; Mt 18:3, note; Eph 5:22,24,33; notes on Children (2Sa 21; Ps 128; Pr 22; Lk 15); Divorce (Mt 19); Family (Ge 32); Motherhood (1Sa 1; Isa 49; Eze 16); Parenthood (Pr 10); Remarriage (Mt 5)

6 Ja­cob and all the peo­ple with him came to Luz (that is, Beth­el) in the land of Ca­naan.

7 There he ­built an al­tar, and he ­called the ­place El Beth­el, a be­cause it was t­ here that God re­vealed him­self to him when he was flee­ing from his broth­er.

8 Now Deb­o­rah, Re­bek­ah’s ­nurse, died and was bur­ied un­der the oak out­side Beth­el. So it was ­named Al­lon Bak­uth. b 9 Af­ter Ja­cob re­turned from Pad­dan Aram, c God ap­peared to him ­again and ­blessed him.

10 God said to him, “Your name is Ja­cob, d but

you will no lon­ger be c­ alled Ja­cob; your name ­ amed him Is­ra­el. will be Is­ra­el. e ” So he n 11 And God said to him, “I am God Al­ mighty f; be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber.

A na­tion and a com­mu­ni­ty of na­tions will come from you, and k ­ ings will be ­among your de­scen­dants. 12 The land I gave to ­Abra­ham and I­ saac I also give to you, and I will give a 7

El Bethel means God of Bethel. b 8 Allon Bakuth means oak of weeping. c 9 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia; also in verse 26 d 10 Jacob means he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he deceives. e 10 Israel probably means he struggles with God. f 11 Hebrew El-Shaddai

Genesis 35:13

66 27 Ja­cob

this land to your de­scen­dants af­ter you.”

13 Then God went up from him at the p ­ lace ­where he had t­ alked with him.

14 Ja­cob set up a ­stone pil­lar at the ­place ­where God had ­talked with him, and he ­poured out a d ­ rink of­fer­ing on it; he also ­poured oil on it. 15 Ja­cob ­called the ­place ­where God had ­talked with him Beth­el. a

came home to his fa­ther ­Isaac in Mam­re, near Kir­i­ath Arba (that is, He­bron), ­where Abra­ham and ­Isaac had ­stayed. 28 Isaac ­lived a hun­dred and ­eighty ­years. 29 Then he ­breathed his last and died and was gath­ered to his peo­ple, old and full of ­years. And his sons Esau and Ja­cob bur­ied him.

The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

36

16 Then they m ­ oved on from Beth­el. ­While

Esau’s Descendants

This is the ac­count of the fam­il­y line of Esau (that is, Edom).

they were ­still some dis­tance from Eph­rath, 2 Esau took his w ­ ives from the wom­ Ra­chel be­gan to give b ­ irth and had g­ reat dif­ 17 en of Ca­naan: Adah daugh­ter of Elon fi­cul­ty. And as she was hav­ing ­great dif­fi­ the Hit­tite, and Ohol­i­ba­mah daugh­ter cul­ty in child­birth, the mid­wife said to her, of Anah and grand­daugh­ter of Zib­e­on “Don’t de­spair, for you have an­oth­er son.”

18 As she ­breathed her last — ​for she was dy­ the Hi­vite — ​ 3 also Bas­e­math daugh­ter of Ish­ma­el and sis­ter of Ne­ba­ioth. ing — ​she ­named her son Ben-Oni. b But his 4 Adah bore El­i­phaz to Esau, Bas­e­ fa­ther ­named him Ben­ja­min. c 19 So Ra­chel died and was bur­ied on the math bore Reu­el, 5 and Ohol­i­ba­mah bore 20 Je­ush, Ja­lam and Ko­rah. ­These were the way to Eph­rath (that is, Beth­le­hem). Over her tomb Ja­cob set up a pil­lar, and to this day sons of Esau, who were born to him in that pil­lar ­marks Ra­chel’s tomb.

Ca­naan.

21 Is­ra­el ­moved on a 6 Esau took his ­wives and sons and ­ gain and p ­ itched his 22 tent be­yond Mig­dal Eder. While Is­ra­el was daugh­ters and all the mem­bers of his liv­ing in that re­gion, Reu­ben went in and house­hold, as well as his live­stock and ­slept with his fa­ther’s con­cu­bine Bil­hah, and all his oth­er an­i­mals and all the g­ oods Is­ra­el ­heard of it. he had ac­quired in Ca­naan, and ­moved to a land some dis­tance from his broth­ Ja­cob had t­ welve sons: er Ja­cob. 7 Their pos­ses­sions were too 23 The sons of Leah: ­great for them to re­main to­geth­er; the Reu­ben the first­born of Ja­cob, land ­where they were stay­ing c­ ould not Sim­e­on, Levi, Ju­dah, Is­sa­char and sup­port them both be­cause of t­ heir live­ Zeb­u­lun. stock. 8 So Esau (that is, Edom) set­tled in 24 The sons of Ra­chel: the hill coun­try of Seir.

Jo­seph and Ben­ja­min.

25 The sons of Ra­chel’s ser­vant Bil­hah: 9 This is the ac­count of the fam­i­ly line of Dan and Naph­ta­li.

Esau the fa­ther of the Edom­ites in the hill 26 The sons of Le­ah’s ser­vant Zil­pah: coun­try of Seir.

Gad and Ash­er.

These were the sons of Ja­cob, who were a 15 Bethel means house of God. b 18 Ben-Oni means son of my trouble. c 18 Benjamin means son of my right hand. born to him in Pad­dan Aram.

35:14 Jacob’s pillar was set where a memorial stone and an

altar already stood (Ge 28:22; 35:7). The introduction of the drink offering transformed the location from a memorial to a place of worship. Jacob here was fulfilling his own promise (Ge 28:20–­22).

35:16 The death of Rachel. Jacob was traveling from Bethel, located to Jerusalem’s north, to Ephrath or Bethlehem (v. 19), located south of Jerusalem. Rachel’s death in childbirth was ironic, given her appeal to Jacob (Ge 30:1). The fact that Jacob changed the name of Rachel’s son was a reflection of the importance given a name in the ancient Near East; some thought that names helped to determine a child’s future (see Isa 45, Naming of Children).

36:2 Esau’s wives. Three wives are listed (vv. 2–­3): Adah,

daughter of Elon the Hittite; Oholibamah, daughter of Anah; and Basemath, daughter of Ishmael. In another reference, ­Esau’s wives are named as Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite (Ge 26:34). Esau also married Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael (Ge 28:9). There are three possibilities for the differences in these accounts: 1) The wives have alternate names, as did Esau himself—­ “Edom” (Ge 25:30).

2) Esau had more than three wives, but the descendants of only these three wives are listed (vv. 2–­3).

3) As the text has been passed from manuscript to manuscript over the years, there is also the possibility of an inadvertency in the process of copying.

67 10 These are the ­names of E ­ sau’s sons: El­ip ­ haz, the son of E ­ sau’s wife Adah, and Reu­el, the son of ­Esau’s wife Bas­ e­math.

11 The sons of El­i­phaz: Te­man, Omar, Ze­pho, Ga­tam and Ke­ naz.

12 Esau’s son El­i­phaz also had a con­cu­ bine ­named Tim­na, who bore him Am­a­lek. ­These were grand­sons of ­Esau’s wife Adah.

13 The sons of Reu­el: Na­hath, Ze­rah, Sham­mah and Miz­ zah. ­These were grand­sons of ­Esau’s wife Bas­e­math.

14 The sons of ­Esau’s wife Ohol­i­ba­mah daugh­ter of Anah and grand­daugh­ter of Zib­e­on, whom she bore to Esau: Je­ush, Ja­lam and Ko­rah.

15 These were the c ­ hiefs a­ mong E ­ sau’s de­ scen­dants: The sons of El­i­phaz the first­born of Esau: Chiefs Te­man, Omar, Ze­pho, Ke­naz, 16 Ko­rah, a Ga­tam and Am­a­lek. ­These were the c­ hiefs de­scend­ed from El­i­ phaz in Edom; they were grand­sons of Adah.

17 The sons of ­Esau’s son Reu­el: Chiefs Na­hath, Ze­rah, Sham­mah and Miz­zah. T ­ hese were the c­hiefs de­ scend­ed from Reu­el in Edom; they were grand­sons of ­Esau’s wife Bas­e­math.

18 The sons of ­Esau’s wife Ohol­i­ba­mah: Chiefs Je­ush, Ja­lam and Ko­rah. ­These were the c­ hiefs de­scend­ed from ­Esau’s wife Ohol­i­ba­mah daugh­ter of Anah.

19 These were the sons of Esau (that is, Edom), and t­ hese were t­ heir chiefs.

Genesis 36:39

24 The sons of Zib­e­on: Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who dis­cov­ered the hot ­springs c in the des­ert ­while he was graz­ing the don­ keys of his fa­ther Zib­eo ­ n.

25 The chil­dren of Anah: Di­shon and Ohol­i­ba­mah daugh­ter of Anah.

26 The sons of Di­shon d: Hem­dan, Esh­ban, Ith­ran and Ke­ran.

27 The sons of Ezer: Bil­han, Za­a­van and Akan.

28 The sons of Di­shan: Uz and Aran.

29 These were the Ho­rite chiefs: Lo­tan, Sho­bal, Zib­e­on, Anah, 30 Di­ shon, Ezer and Di­shan. ­These were the Ho­rite ­chiefs, ac­cord­ing to ­their di­vi­sions, in the land of Seir.

The Rulers of Edom

31 These were the ­kings who ­reigned in Edom be­fore any Is­ra­el­ite king reigned: 32 Bela son of Beor be­came king of Edom.

His city was n ­ amed Din­ha­bah.

33 When Bela died, Jo­bab son of Ze­rah from Boz­rah suc­ceed­ed him as king.

34 When Jo­bab died, Hu­sham from the land of the Te­man­ites suc­ceed­ed him as king.

35 When Hu­sham died, Ha­dad son of Be­ dad, who de­feat­ed Mid­i­an in the coun­try of Moab, suc­ceed­ed him as king. His city was n ­ amed Avith.

36 When Ha­dad died, Sam­lah from Mas­re­ kah suc­ceed­ed him as king.

37 When Sam­lah died, Sha­ul from Re­ho­ both on the riv­er suc­ceed­ed him as king.

38 20 These were the sons of Seir the Ho­rite, When Sha­ul died, Baal-Ha­nan son of Ak­bor suc­ceed­ed him as king. who were liv­ing in the re­gion: 39 When Baal-Ha­nan son of Ak­bor died,

21 Lo­tan, Sho­bal, Zib­e­on, Anah, Di­ Ha­dad e suc­ceed­ed him as king. His shon, Ezer and Di­shan. ­These sons of city was n ­ amed Pau, and his w ­ ife’s Seir in Edom were Ho­rite chiefs. a 16 Masoretic Text; Samaritan Pentateuch (also verse 11 and 22 The sons of Lo­tan: 1 Chron. 1:36) does not have Korah. b 22 Hebrew Hemam, a Hori and Ho­mam. b Tim­na was Lo­ variant of Homam (see 1 Chron. 1:39) c 24 Vulgate; Syriac tan’s sis­ter. discovered water; the meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. d 26 Hebrew Dishan, a variant of Dishon 23 The sons of Sho­bal: e 39 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Al­van, Man­a­hath, Ebal, She­pho and Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 1:50); most Onam. manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Hadar

36:39 Baal-­Hanan, meaning “Baal is gracious,” indicates worship of the Canaanite deity Baal among the Edomites.

Genesis 36:40

68

name was Me­het­a­bel daugh­ter of Ma­ tred, the daugh­ter of Me-Za­hab.

10 When

he told his fa­ther as well as his broth­ers, his fa­ther re­buked him and said, “What is this d ­ ream you had? Will your 40 These were the c ­ hiefs de­scend­ed from moth­er and I and your broth­ers ac­tu­al­ly Esau, by name, ac­cord­ing to ­their ­clans and come and bow down to the ­ground be­fore re­gions: you?” 11 His broth­ers were jeal­ous of him, but 41 Tim­na, Al­vah, Je­theth, Ohol­i­ba­mah, his fa­ther kept the mat­ter in mind.

Elah, Pi­non, 42 Ke­naz, Te­man, Mib­zar, 43 Mag­di­el and Iram. T ­ hese were the Joseph Sold by His Brothers ­chiefs of Edom, ac­cord­ing to t­heir 12 Now his broth­ers had gone to g ­ raze ­their set­tle­ments in the land they oc­cu­ fa ­ t her’s ­flocks near She­chem, 13 and Is­ra­el pied. said to Jo­seph, “As you know, your broth­ers This is the family line of Esau, the fa­ther are graz­ing the ­flocks near She­chem. Come, of the Edom­ites.

I am go­ing to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he re­plied.

Joseph’s Dreams 14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is Ja­cob l­ived in the land w ­ here his fa­ well with your broth­ers and with the f­ locks, ther had s­ tayed, the land of Ca­naan. and ­bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Val­ley of He­bron.

2 This is the ac­count of Ja­cob’s fam­i­ly line.

When Jo­seph ar­rived at She­chem, 15 a man Jo­seph, a ­young man of sev­en­teen, was ­found him wan­der­ing a­ round in the ­fields tend­ing the ­flocks with his broth­ers, the and ­asked him, “What are you look­ing for?”

16 He re­plied, “I’m look­ing for my broth­ers. sons of Bil­hah and the sons of Zil­pah, his fa­ther’s ­wives, and he b ­ rought ­their fa­ther a Can you tell me ­where they are graz­ing t­ heir bad re­port ­about them. flocks?”

3 Now Is­ra­el l­oved Jo­seph more than any 17 “They have m ­ oved on from here,” the of his oth­er sons, be­cause he had been born man an­swered. “I ­heard them say, ‘Let’s go to to him in his old age; and he made an or­ Do­than.’ ” nate a robe for him. 4 When his broth­ers saw So Jo­seph went af­ter his broth­ers and that ­their fa­ther l­ oved him more than any of ­found them near Do­than. 18 But they saw him them, they hat­ed him and c­ ould not s­ peak a in the dis­tance, and be­fore he r­ eached them, kind word to him. they plot­ted to kill him.

5 Jo­seph had a ­dream, and when he told it 19 “Here c ­ omes that dream­er!” they said to to his broth­ers, they hat­ed him all the more. each oth­er. 20 “Come now, ­let’s kill him and 6 He said to them, “Lis­ten to this ­dream I had: ­throw him into one of t­ hese cis­terns and say 7 We were bind­ing ­sheaves of g ­ rain out in the that a fe­ro­cious an­im ­ al de­voured him. Then ­field when sud­den­ly my ­sheaf rose and ­stood ­we’ll see what c­ omes of his dreams.”

21 When Reu­ben h up­right, ­while your ­sheaves gath­ered ­around ­ eard this, he t­ ried to res­ mine and ­bowed down to it.” cue him from t­ heir h ­ ands. “Let’s not take his 8 His broth­ers said to him, “Do you in­tend life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any ­blood. ­Throw to r­ eign over us? Will you ac­tu­al­ly rule us?” him into this cis­tern here in the wil­der­ness, And they hat­ed him all the more be­cause of but d ­ on’t lay a hand on him.” Reu­ben said his ­dream and what he had said. this to res­cue him from them and take him 9 Then he had an­oth­er ­dream, and he told back to his fa­ther.

23 So when Jo­seph came to his broth­ers, it to his broth­ers. “Lis­ten,” he said, “I had an­ oth­er d ­ ream, and this time the sun and moon a 3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; and elev­en ­stars were bow­ing down to me.” also in verses 23 and 32.

37

37:2 The history of Jacob. This final genealogy (Heb. toledoth) introduces the last section of Genesis, the story of Joseph, and takes the godly line from its existence in a single family to its existence as a nation (Ge 47:27) in fulfillment of the first part of God’s promise to Abraham (Ge 12:1–­3).

37:6 Joseph’s dreams. Throughout Genesis, dreams often

reveal God’s plans (see 15:1,12; 28:12). Joseph’s dreams placed him in the line of those chosen by God to receive blessing.

37:11 The response of the brothers. Although all of Jacob’s children are included in the covenant, Joseph was chosen for a special role. The hostility of his brothers is comparable to the hostility of Ishmael (Ge 21:8–­9) and Esau (Ge 27:41).

69

Genesis 37:28

SIBLINGS

UNITY AND DIVERSITY The world is made up of the interweaving and intersecting between individuals and groups, which we call human relationships. Society exists as a result of these relationships. They provide companionship and communication, and through them we give and receive love and understanding. Through relationships we develop, grow, and learn, and from them we obtain self-­esteem, identity and significance. All of Scripture involves relationships, both with God and with our fellow human beings. Some of the most challenging relationships are those within the family circle, especially among siblings. The Lord’s plan from the beginning has been for the family to be the foremost arena in which each of us develops identity, self-­esteem, self-­worth and a relationship with God. Our siblings play an important role in helping determine not only who we are but also who we become.

Siblings provide one another with a unique opportunity to give and receive love as well as to develop tolerance, an appreciation for others, communication skills, an ability to forgive others, and an understanding of genuine companionship.

Scripture offers these principles about sibling relationships:

1) We must allow a sibling freedom to develop his or her own traits and abilities and to pursue the unique call of God in life. Martha and Mary were very different in personality; yet each had a unique relationship with the Lord (Lk 10:38–­42; Jn 11:20–­44).

2) We are not to criticize our siblings in public, but we are to resolve our differences in the privacy of the family circle. Miriam paid a high price for publicly criticizing her brother’s choice of a wife (Nu 12:1–­15).

3) We are to rejoice without jealousy or ill will when good things happen to our siblings (Lk 15:11–­32).

4) We are to do our best always to introduce our brothers and sisters to the Lord and build up their faith, just as Andrew introduced Simon Peter to Jesus (Jn 1:40–­42).

Because the way siblings relate to one another is largely based on the way they perceive their parents’ regard for them, a special burden rests on parents to treat all their children with equal love and value, just as our heavenly Father does. Yet, at the same time, each child must be nurtured according to his or her unique capabilities and attributes.

Unity and diversity must be linked to togetherness and individuality and all within the framework of the family’s unified goals and direction.

See also Ge 4:1–­12; 21:8–­14; 27:1–­46; notes on Adolescence (Lk 2); Bitterness (Heb 12); Conflict: Resolution (Mt 18); Family (Ge 32; 1Sa 3; Ps 78; 127); Favoritism (Pr 28); Girlhood (Pr 1); Inheritance (Pr 13); Jealousy (SS 8)

they ­stripped him of his robe — ​the or­nate robe he was wear­ing — ​24 and they took him and t­ hrew him into the cis­tern. The cis­tern was emp­ty; ­there was no wa­ter in it.

25 As they sat down to eat t­ heir meal, they ­looked up and saw a car­a­van of Ish­ma­el­ ites com­ing from Gil­e­ad. T ­ heir cam­els were load­ed with spic­es, balm and ­myrrh, and they were on ­their way to take them down to Egypt.

37:28 Midianites is an overlapping term for Ishmaelites, who were the offspring of Ishmael. Midianites occupied land east

26 Ju­dah said to his broth­ers, “What will we

gain if we kill our broth­er and cov­er up his ­blood? 27 Come, ­let’s sell him to the Ish­ma­el­ ites and not lay our h ­ ands on him; af­ter all, he is our broth­er, our own ­flesh and ­blood.”

His broth­ers agreed.

28 So when the Mid­i­an­ite mer­chants came by, his broth­ers p ­ ulled Jo­seph up out of the cis­tern and sold him for twen­ty shek­els a of a 28

That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams

of the Jordan, down into the Sinai peninsula. Twenty shekels of silver was two-­thirds the value of an ordinary slave (Ex 21:32).

Genesis 37:29

70

sil­ver to the Ish­ma­el­ites, who took him to Egypt.

29 When Reu­ben re­turned to the cis­tern and saw that Jo­seph was not ­there, he tore his ­clothes. 30 He went back to his broth­ers and said, “The boy i­sn’t t­ here! ­Where can I turn now?”

31 Then they got Jo­seph’s robe, slaugh­tered a goat and ­dipped the robe in the ­blood.

32 They took the or­nate robe back to ­their fa­ ther and said, “We f­ ound this. Ex­am­ine it to see wheth­er it is your s­ on’s robe.”

33 He rec­og­nized it and said, “It is my s ­ on’s robe! Some fe­ro­cious an­i­mal has de­voured him. Jo­seph has sure­ly been torn to piec­es.”

34 Then Ja­cob tore his c ­ lothes, put on sack­ cloth and ­mourned for his son many days.

35 All his sons and daugh­ters came to com­fort him, but he re­fused to be com­fort­ed. “No,” he said, “I will con­tin­ue to mourn un­til I join my son in the ­grave.” So his fa­ther wept for him.

36 Mean­while, the Mid­i­an­ites a sold Jo­seph in E ­ gypt to Pot­i­phar, one of Phar­aoh’s of­fi­ cials, the cap­tain of the guard.

Judah and Tamar

38

At that time, Ju­dah left his broth­ers and went down to stay with a man of Adul­lam ­named Hi­rah. 2 There Ju­dah met the daugh­ter of a Ca­naan­ite man ­named Shua.

He mar­ried her and made love to her; 3 she be­came preg­nant and gave b ­ irth to a son, who was ­named Er. 4 She con­ceived ­again and gave ­birth to a son and ­named him Onan. 5 She gave ­birth to ­still an­oth­er son and n ­ amed him She­lah. It was at Ke­zib that she gave ­birth to him.

6 Ju­dah got a wife for Er, his first­born, and her name was Ta­mar. 7 But Er, Ju­dah’s first­ born, was wick­ed in the Lord’s s­ ight; so the Lord put him to death.

8 Then Ju­dah said to Onan, “Sleep with your broth­er’s wife and ful­fill your duty to 38:6 Tamar appears to have been a Canaanite. However, she, like the Moabitess Ruth, was an ancestress of Christ (Mt 1:3).

God preserved his godly line despite Judah’s sin.

38:8 Onan’s duty. The custom of levirate marriage, later regulated, guaranteed the continuance of the older brother’s line (Dt 25:5–­6, note). Onan’s children would have inherited Er’s name and property, perpetuating the name of his brother instead of his own, and thus displeasing Onan. Clearly, Onan’s coitus interruptus was a habitual practice; his sin lay not in the act itself but in his refusal to perform his brotherly duty (v. 9).

her as a broth­er-in-law to r­ aise up off­spring for your broth­er.” 9 But Onan knew that the ­child ­would not be his; so when­ev­er he s­ lept with his broth­er’s wife, he s­ pilled his se­men on the ­ground to keep from pro­vid­ing off­ spring for his broth­er. 10 What he did was wick­ed in the Lord’s s­ ight; so the Lord put him to ­death also.

11 Ju­dah then said to his daugh­ter-in-law Ta­mar, “Live as a wid­ow in your fa­ther’s house­hold un­til my son She­lah g­ rows up.”

For he ­thought, “He may die too, just like his broth­ers.” So Ta­mar went to live in her fa­ ther’s house­hold.

12 Af­ter a long time Ju­dah’s wife, the daugh­ ter of Shua, died. When Ju­dah had re­cov­ered from his g­ rief, he went up to Tim­nah, to the men who were shear­ing his s­ heep, and his ­friend Hi­rah the Adul­lam­ite went with him.

13 When Ta­ mar was told, “Your fa­therin-law is on his way to Tim­nah to ­shear his ­sheep,” 14 she took off her wid­ow’s ­clothes, cov­ered her­self with a veil to dis­guise her­ self, and then sat down at the en­trance to Ena­im, w ­ hich is on the road to Tim­nah. For she saw that, ­though She­lah had now ­grown up, she had not been giv­en to him as his wife.

15 When Ju­dah saw her, he ­thought she was a pros­ti­tute, for she had cov­ered her face.

16 Not re­al­iz­ing that she was his daugh­ter-inlaw, he went over to her by the road­side and said, “Come now, let me s­ leep with you.”

“And what will you give me to ­sleep with you?” she asked.

17 “I’ll send you a ­ young goat from my ­flock,” he said.

“Will you give me some­thing as a ­pledge un­til you send it?” she asked.

18 He said, “What ­ pledge ­should I give you?”

“Your seal and its cord, and the ­staff in your hand,” she an­swered. So he gave them a 36

Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites

38:11 Judah had no intention of fulfilling his promise; he sent Tamar to her father’s house, though usually a widow remained with the family of her husband.

38:14 Tamar’s strategy. Tamar put on the dress of a cultic prostitute (vv. 21–­22). Canaanite sheep-­shearing festivals involved cultic worship and ritual prostitution as a magic aid to fertility.

38:18 Judah’s pledge. The seal was a cylindrical seal hung by a cord around the neck; its impression was the equivalent of a personal signature. Staffs were elaborately carved by their owners. Both items were instantly recognizable (vv. 25–­26).

71

Genesis 38:27

Tamar :

DECEITFUL WIDOW

The men in Tamar’s life had failed her. Her place should have been secure as the matriarch of this prominent tribe. Instead, because of the sins of her husband, she was both childless and a widow. God had prepared for such situations by instituting the laws of levirate marriages (Dt 25:5–­6, note), which assured a man’s lineage by having the brother of the deceased take the widow for his wife and produce children for his brother’s name. Judah, Tamar’s father-­in-­law, was responsible to see that this was done. He did attempt to accomplish this with Onan, but when this second son died because of deliberate sin (Ge 38:9–­10), Judah seemed to have lost heart for the whole matter.

Tamar was at her father-­in-­law’s mercy since she could not marry without his arranging it.

In other words, she had no place inside the family and no place outside it. In addition, without heirs, the tribe of Judah now faced extinction. Unknown at the time was the importance of continuing Judah’s lineage. King David would come from this tribe, as well as Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Joseph, the husband of Mary (Mt 1:3; Lk 3:33).

The lot of a widow in ancient times was a precarious one. Taking matters in her own hands, Tamar set out to right the wrong the men in her family had caused. During the festive time of sheep shearing, sympathetic magic was practiced by the Canaanites. When they wanted the gods to do something, they would enact the deed themselves, encouraging the gods to come through. Prostitution was their attempt to encourage the gods to give them a fertile year. Tamar knew Judah would be participating in this celebration. Disguising herself as a temple prostitute, heavily veiled as was customary of such women, she intercepted her father-­in-­law and became impregnated by him. The risk was great. For a widow to become pregnant usually meant the death sentence (see Ge 38:24).

Scripture does not comment on her actions, but it does give her a prominent place in the genealogy of Christ. In Matthew 1, she is the first of only five women mentioned. Tamar’s actions were not only deceitful but a direct violation of God’s law. Nevertheless, God is able to bring about his purposes and execute his plans even when we fail. Tamar had a worthy goal, that is, to continue the line of Judah; but she did not trust God to fulfill his promises and decided to move ahead with her own plans. Even if our motivation is pure and our goal worthy, we do not please God by disobedience.

See also Dt 25:5; Mt 1:3; notes on Inheritance (Pr 13); Widowhood (Ps 68; Jer 29)

to her and s­ lept with her, and she be­came preg­nant by him. 19 Af­ter she left, she took off her veil and put on her wid­ow’s c­ lothes again.

20 Mean­while Ju­dah sent the y ­ oung goat by his f­ riend the Adul­lam­ite in or­der to get his ­pledge back from the wom­an, but he did not find her. 21 He ­asked the men who ­lived ­there, “Where is the ­shrine pros­ti­tute who was be­ side the road at Ena­im?”

“There ­hasn’t been any ­shrine pros­ti­tute here,” they said.

22 So he went back to Ju­dah and said, “I ­didn’t find her. Be­sides, the men who l­ived ­there said, ‘There h ­ asn’t been any s­ hrine pros­ti­tute here.’ ” 23 Then Ju­dah said, “Let her keep what she has, or we will be­come a laugh­ing­stock. Af­

ter all, I did send her this ­young goat, but you ­didn’t find her.”

24 About ­ three ­months lat­er Ju­dah was told, “Your daugh­ter-in-law Ta­mar is g­ uilty of pros­ti­tu­tion, and as a re­sult she is now preg­nant.”

Ju­dah said, “Bring her out and have her ­burned to death!”

25 As she was be­ing b ­ rought out, she sent a mes­sage to her fa­ther-in-law. “I am preg­nant by the man who owns ­these,” she said. And she add­ed, “See if you rec­og­nize w ­ hose seal and cord and ­staff ­these are.”

26 Ju­dah rec­og­nized them and said, “She is more righ­teous than I, ­since I ­wouldn’t give her to my son She­lah.” And he did not s­ leep with her again.

27 W hen the time came for her to give

Genesis 38:28

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­birth, t­ here were twin boys in her womb.

28 As she was giv­ing ­birth, one of them put out his hand; so the mid­wife took a scar­ let ­thread and tied it on his ­wrist and said, “This one came out ­first.” 29 But when he drew back his hand, his broth­er came out, and she said, “So this is how you have bro­ ken out!” And he was ­named Pe­rez. a 30 Then his broth­er, who had the scar­let ­thread on his ­wrist, came out. And he was named ­Ze­rah. b

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39

Now Jo­seph had been tak­en down to ­Egypt. Pot­i­phar, an Egyp­tian who was one of Phar­aoh’s of­fi­cials, the cap­tain of the ­guard, ­bought him from the Ish­ma­el­ites who had tak­en him there.

2 The Lord was with Jo­ seph so that he pros­pered, and he ­lived in the ­house of his Egyp­tian mas­ter. 3 When his mas­ter saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him suc­cess in ev­ery­thing he did, 4 Jo­ seph ­found fa­vor in his eyes and be­came his at­ten­dant. Pot­i­phar put him in ­charge of his house­hold, and he en­trust­ed to his care ev­ ery­thing he ­owned. 5 From the time he put him in c­ harge of his house­hold and of all that he ­owned, the Lord ­blessed the house­hold of the Egyp­tian be­cause of Jo­seph. The bless­ ing of the Lord was on ev­ery­thing Pot­i­phar had, both in the h ­ ouse and in the f­ ield. 6 So Pot­i­phar left ev­ery­thing he had in Jo­seph’s care; with Jo­seph in ­charge, he did not con­ cern him­self with any­thing ex­cept the food he ate.

Now Jo­seph was well-­built and hand­ some, 7 and af­ter a ­while his mas­ter’s wife took no­tice of Jo­seph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he re­ fused. “With me in ­charge,” he told her, “my mas­ter does not con­cern him­self with any­thing in the h ­ ouse; ev­ery­ thing he owns he has en­trust­ed to my care.

9 No one is great­er in this ­house than I am.

39:4 Attendant. Joseph became the superintendent of Poti­ phar’s estate, a position common in large Egyptian households. Potiphar concerned himself with nothing but his meals.

Egyptians typically did not eat with Hebrews, probably for religious reasons (see Ge 43:32).

39:7 The temptation of Potiphar’s wife. Joseph’s reaction to the temptation of a foreign woman is presented in clear contrast to Judah’s conduct in the preceding chapter. Joseph,

My mas­ter has with­held noth­ing from me ex­cept you, be­cause you are his wife. How then c­ ould I do such a wick­ed t­ hing and sin ­against God?” 10 And ­though she ­spoke to Jo­ seph day af­ter day, he re­fused to go to bed with her or even be with her.

11 One day he went into the h ­ ouse to at­tend to his du­ties, and none of the house­hold ser­ vants was in­side. 12 She ­caught him by his ­cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his c­ loak in her hand and ran out of the house.

13 When she saw that he had left his ­cloak in her hand and had run out of the h ­ ouse, 14 she ­called her house­hold ser­vants. “Look,” she said to them, “this He­brew has been ­brought to us to make ­sport of us! He came in here to ­sleep with me, but I ­screamed.

15 When he h ­ eard me s­ cream for help, he left his ­cloak be­side me and ran out of the house.”

16 She kept his c ­ loak be­side her un­til his mas­ter came home. 17 Then she told him this sto­ry: “That He­brew ­slave you ­brought us came to me to make ­sport of me. 18 But as soon as I ­screamed for help, he left his ­cloak be­side me and ran out of the house.”

19 When his mas­ ter h ­ eard the sto­r y his wife told him, say­ing, “This is how your ­slave treat­ed me,” he ­burned with an­ger. 20 Jo­seph’s mas­ter took him and put him in pris­on, the ­place ­where the ­king’s pris­on­ers were con­ fined.

But w ­ hile Jo­seph was ­there in the pris­on, 21 the Lord was with him; he ­showed him kind­ness and grant­ed him fa­vor in the eyes of the pris­on war­den. 22 So the war­den put Jo­ seph in ­charge of all t­ hose held in the pris­on, and he was made re­spon­si­ble for all that was done ­there. 23 The war­den paid no at­ten­tion to any­thing un­der Jo­seph’s care, be­cause the Lord was with Jo­seph and gave him suc­cess in what­ev­er he did. a 29

Perez means breaking out. b 30 Zerah can mean scarlet or brightness.

the chosen one through whom Israel would be saved, held up God’s standards in the face of constant temptation (“day after day,” v. 10).

39:20 Imprisonment. The Egyptian penalty for attempted rape of a married woman was death. Joseph was only imprisoned, testifying to God’s sovereign plan. His rise further confirmed God’s watchful care (vv. 22–­23).

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The Cupbearer and the Baker

40

Some time lat­er, the cup­bear­er and the bak­er of the king of ­Egypt of­fend­ ed ­their mas­ter, the king of ­Egypt. 2 Phar­aoh was an­gry with his two of­fi­cials, the c­ hief cup­bear­er and the ­chief bak­er, 3 and put them in cus­to­dy in the ­house of the cap­tain of the ­guard, in the same pris­on ­where Jo­seph was con­fined. 4 The cap­tain of the ­guard as­signed them to Jo­seph, and he at­tend­ed them.

Af­ter they had been in cus­to­dy for some time, 5 each of the two men — ​the cup­bear­ er and the bak­er of the king of ­Egypt, who were be­ing held in pris­on — ​had a d ­ ream the same ­night, and each ­dream had a mean­ing of its own.

6 When Jo­ seph came to them the next morn­ing, he saw that they were de­ject­ed. 7 So he ­asked Phar­aoh’s of­fi­cials who were in cus­ to­dy with him in his mas­ter’s ­house, “Why do you look so sad to­day?”

8 “We both had ­dreams,” they an­swered, “but ­there is no one to in­ter­pret them.”

Then Jo­seph said to them, “Do not in­ ter­pre­ta­tions be­long to God? Tell me your dreams.”

9 So the ­chief cup­bear­er told Jo­seph his ­dream. He said to him, “In my ­dream I saw a vine in ­front of me, 10 and on the vine were ­three branch­es. As soon as it bud­ded, it blos­ somed, and its clus­ters rip­ened into ­grapes.

11 Phar­aoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the ­grapes, ­squeezed them into Phar­aoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”

12 “This is what it ­means,” Jo­seph said to him. “The ­three branch­es are ­three days.

13 With­in ­three days Phar­aoh will lift up your head and re­store you to your po­si­tion, and you will put Phar­aoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cup­bear­er.

14 But when all goes well with you, re­mem­ber me and show me kind­ness; men­tion me to Phar­aoh and get me out of this pris­on. 15 I was forc­ibly car­ried off from the land of the He­ brews, and even here I have done noth­ing to de­serve be­ing put in a dun­geon.”

40:1 Cupbearer and baker. “Cupbearer” is the same position

Nehemiah held under Artaxerxes (Ne 2:1). “Baker” is the superintendent of the bakery. Both were prestigious and responsible court positions.

40:5 These dreams reveal true events (Ge 37:7–­9). The interpretation of dreams was an important part of Egyptian culture, and interpreters held a high position socially. Joseph’s

Genesis 41:8 16 When

the c­ hief bak­er saw that Jo­seph had giv­en a fa­vor­able in­ter­pre­ta­tion, he said to Jo­seph, “I too had a d ­ ream: On my head were t­hree bas­kets of b ­ read. a 17 In the top bas­ket were all ­kinds of ­baked ­goods for Phar­aoh, but the ­birds were eat­ing them out of the bas­ket on my head.”

18 “This is what it m ­ eans,” Jo­seph said.

“The t­ hree bas­kets are t­ hree days. 19 With­in ­three days Phar­aoh will lift off your head and im­pale your body on a pole. And the ­birds will eat away your flesh.”

20 Now the t­ hird day was Phar­aoh’s birth­ day, and he gave a ­feast for all his of­fi­cials.

He lift­ed up the ­heads of the ­chief cup­bear­er and the c­ hief bak­er in the pres­ence of his of­ fi­cials: 21 He re­stored the c­ hief cup­bear­er to his po­si­tion, so that he once a­ gain put the cup into Phar­aoh’s hand — ​22 but he im­paled the ­chief bak­er, just as Jo­seph had said to them in his in­ter­pre­ta­tion.

23 The ­chief cup­bear­er, how­ev­er, did not re­mem­ber Jo­seph; he for­got him.

Pharaoh’s Dreams

41

When two full y­ears had p ­ assed, Phar­aoh had a d ­ ream: He was stand­ ing by the Nile, 2 when out of the riv­er ­there came up sev­en cows, s­ leek and fat, and they ­grazed ­among the ­reeds. 3 Af­ter them, sev­en oth­er cows, ugly and g­ aunt, came up out of the Nile and s­ tood be­side ­those on the riv­ er­bank. 4 And the cows that were ugly and ­gaunt ate up the sev­en s­ leek, fat cows. Then Phar­aoh woke up.

5 He fell ­asleep ­again and had a sec­ond ­dream: Sev­en ­heads of ­grain, ­healthy and good, were grow­ing on a sin­gle ­stalk. 6 Af­ter them, sev­en oth­er ­heads of ­grain sprout­ed — ​ thin and s­ corched by the east wind. 7 The thin ­heads of ­grain swal­lowed up the sev­en ­healthy, full h ­ eads. Then Phar­aoh woke up; it had been a dream.

8 In the morn­ing his mind was trou­bled, so he sent for all the ma­gi­cians and wise men of a 16 Or three wicker baskets

response placed his God above the gods of the land who gave dream interpretations to their devotees (v. 8). The accuracy of Joseph’s interpretations confirmed the superiority of his God. 40:19 To be hanged on a tree was reprehensible both in Hebrew and Egyptian cultures (Dt 21:22–­23). The Egyptian rite of mummification arose from the immense importance of the dead body in the Egyptian religion.

Genesis 41:9

74

­ gypt. Phar­aoh told them his d E ­ reams, but no one ­could in­ter­pret them for him.

9 Then the ­chief cup­bear­er said to Phar­aoh, “To­day I am re­mind­ed of my short­com­ings.

10 Phar­aoh was once an­gry with his ser­vants, and he im­pris­oned me and the c­ hief bak­er in the ­house of the cap­tain of the ­guard. 11 Each of us had a ­dream the same ­night, and each ­dream had a mean­ing of its own. 12 Now a ­young He­brew was ­there with us, a ser­vant of the cap­tain of the g­ uard. We told him our ­dreams, and he in­ter­pret­ed them for us, giv­ ing each man the in­ter­pre­ta­tion of his d ­ ream.

13 And ­things ­turned out ex­act­ly as he in­ter­ pret­ed them to us: I was re­stored to my po­si­ tion, and the oth­er man was im­paled.”

14 So Phar­aoh sent for Jo­seph, and he was quick­ly b ­ rought from the dun­geon. When he had ­shaved and ­changed his ­clothes, he came be­fore Phar­aoh.

15 Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “I had a ­dream, and no one can in­ter­pret it. But I have ­heard it said of you that when you hear a ­dream you can in­ter­pret it.”

16 “I can­not do it,” Jo­seph re­plied to Phar­ aoh, “but God will give Phar­aoh the an­swer he de­sires.”

17 Then Phar­ aoh said to Jo­seph, “In my ­dream I was stand­ing on the bank of the Nile, 18 when out of the riv­er ­there came up sev­en cows, fat and ­sleek, and they g­ razed ­among the ­reeds. 19 Af­ter them, sev­en oth­ er cows came up — ​scraw­ny and very ugly and lean. I had nev­er seen such ugly cows in all the land of E ­ gypt. 20 The lean, ugly cows ate up the sev­en fat cows that came up f­ irst.

21 But even af­ter they ate them, no one c ­ ould tell that they had done so; they l­ ooked just as ugly as be­fore. Then I woke up.

22 “In my ­dream I saw sev­en ­heads of ­grain, full and good, grow­ing on a sin­gle s­ talk.

23 Af­ter them, sev­en oth­er ­heads sprout­ed — ​ with­ered and thin and s­ corched by the east ­ eads of g­ rain swal­lowed wind. 24 The thin h up the sev­en good ­heads. I told this to the ma­gi­cians, but none of them ­could ex­plain it to me.”

25 Then Jo­seph said to Phar­aoh, “The

­ reams of Phar­aoh are one and the same. d God has re­vealed to Phar­aoh what he is ­about to do. 26 The sev­en good cows are sev­en ­years, and the sev­en good ­heads of ­grain are sev­en ­years; it is one and the same ­dream.

27 The sev­en lean, ugly cows that came up af­ ter­ward are sev­en y­ ears, and so are the sev­ en worth­less ­heads of g­ rain ­scorched by the east wind: They are sev­en y­ ears of fam­ine.

28 “It is just as I said to Phar­aoh: God has ­shown Phar­aoh what he is ­about to do. 29 Sev­ en y­ ears of g­ reat abun­dance are com­ing through­out the land of E ­ gypt, 30 but sev­en ­years of fam­ine will fol­low them. Then all the abun­dance in E ­ gypt will be for­got­ten, and the fam­ine will rav­age the land. 31 The abun­ dance in the land will not be re­mem­bered, be­cause the fam­ine that fol­lows it will be so se­vere. 32 The rea­son the ­dream was giv­en to Phar­aoh in two ­forms is that the mat­ter has been firm­ly de­cid­ed by God, and God will do it soon.

33 “And now let Phar­aoh look for a dis­cern­ ing and wise man and put him in ­charge of the land of ­Egypt. 34 Let Phar­aoh ap­point com­mis­sion­ers over the land to take a f­ ifth of the har­vest of E ­ gypt dur­ing the sev­en ­years of abun­dance. 35 They ­should col­lect all the food of ­these good ­years that are com­ing and ­store up the ­grain un­der the au­thor­i­ty of Phar­aoh, to be kept in the cit­ies for food.

36 This food ­should be held in re­serve for the coun­try, to be used dur­ing the sev­en y­ ears of fam­ine that will come upon E ­ gypt, so that the coun­try may not be ru­ined by the fam­ ine.”

37 The plan ­seemed good to Phar­aoh and to all his of­fi­cials. 38 So Phar­aoh ­asked them, “Can we find any­one like this man, one in whom is the spir­it of God a ?”

39 Then Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “Since God has made all this k­ nown to you, t­ here is no one so dis­cern­ing and wise as you. 40 You ­shall be in ­charge of my pal­ace, and all my peo­ple are to sub­mit to your or­ders. Only with re­spect to the t­ hrone will I be great­er than you.”

41:16 God’s answer. Joseph’s interpretation showed the superiority of his God over the gods of the magicians and wise men. Such a showdown was repeated by Moses and Aaron (Ex 7–­10). The Hebrew word for peace (shalom) is used as an idiom meaning “the correct answer.”

41:33 Joseph’s advice. Egyptian cities contained granaries for the storing of grain-­taxes and the provision of the army. The supervisor of these granaries held one of the highest ranks in Egypt. Joseph recommended that an already-­existing position be filled by a capable man endowed with emergency powers.

a 38 Or of the gods

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Joseph in Charge of Egypt 41 So

Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “I here­ by put you in ­charge of the ­whole land of ­Egypt.” 42 Then Phar­aoh took his sig­net ring from his fin­ger and put it on Jo­seph’s fin­ ger. He ­dressed him in ­robes of fine lin­en and put a gold c­ hain a­ round his neck. 43 He had him ride in a char­i­ot as his sec­ond-incom­mand, a and peo­ple shout­ed be­fore him, “Make way b !” Thus he put him in ­charge of the ­whole land of Egypt.

44 Then Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “I am Phar­ aoh, but with­out your word no one will lift hand or foot in all ­Egypt.” 45 Phar­aoh gave Jo­ seph the name Zaph­e­nath-Pa­ne­ah and gave him As­e­nath daugh­ter of Po­tiph­era, ­priest of On, c to be his wife. And Jo­seph went through­out the land of Egypt.

46 Jo­seph was thir­ty ­years old when he en­ tered the ser­vice of Phar­aoh king of E ­ gypt.

And Jo­seph went out from Phar­aoh’s pres­ ence and trav­eled through­out ­Egypt. 47 Dur­ ing the sev­en y­ ears of abun­dance the land pro­duced plen­ti­ful­ly. 48 Jo­seph col­lect­ed all the food pro­duced in t­ hose sev­en y­ ears of abun­dance in ­Egypt and ­stored it in the cit­ ies. In each city he put the food g­ rown in the ­fields sur­round­ing it. 49 Jo­seph ­stored up huge quan­ti­ties of g­ rain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he s­ topped keep­ing rec­ords be­cause it was be­yond mea­sure.

50 Be­fore the y ­ ears of fam­ine came, two sons were born to Jo­seph by As­en ­ ath daugh­ ter of Po­tiph­era, ­priest of On. 51 Jo­seph ­named his first­born Ma­nas­seh d and said, “It is be­ cause God has made me for­get all my trou­ble and all my fa­ther’s house­hold.” 52 The sec­ond son he ­named Ephra­im e and said, “It is be­ cause God has made me fruit­ful in the land of my suf­fer­ing.”

53 The sev­en ­years of abun­dance in ­Egypt came to an end, 54 and the sev­en ­years of fam­ine be­gan, just as Jo­seph had said. ­There was fam­ine in all the oth­er ­lands, but in the 41:42 Joseph’s position. Joseph appeared to have been ap-

pointed vizier or governor. The signet ring carried Pharaoh’s deputized authority. “Fine linen” is an Egyptian loan-­word for court dress. The gold chain was a reward for services already rendered, that is, the interpretation of the dream. Being “second in command” confirmed that Joseph was subordinate only to Pharaoh (v. 43).

41:45 Joseph’s new name indicated that Pharaoh had made

him an Egyptian citizen. The meaning of the name is uncertain,

Genesis 42:9

­ hole land of ­Egypt ­there was food. 55 When w all ­Egypt be­gan to feel the fam­ine, the peo­ple ­cried to Phar­aoh for food. Then Phar­aoh told all the Egyp­tians, “Go to Jo­seph and do what he ­tells you.”

56 When the fam­ine had s ­ pread over the ­whole coun­try, Jo­seph ­opened all the store­ hous­es and sold ­grain to the Egyp­tians, for the fam­ine was se­vere through­out ­Egypt.

57 And all the ­world came to ­Egypt to buy ­grain from Jo­seph, be­cause the fam­ine was se­vere ev­ery­where.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42

When Ja­cob l­earned that t­ here was ­grain in E ­ gypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep look­ing at each oth­ ­ eard that ­there er?” 2 He con­tin­ued, “I have h is g­ rain in E ­ gypt. Go down t­here and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3 Then ten of Jo­seph’s broth­ers went down to buy g­ rain from E ­ gypt. 4 But Ja­cob did not send Ben­ja­min, Jo­seph’s broth­er, with the oth­ers, be­cause he was a­ fraid that harm ­might come to him. 5 So Is­ra­el’s sons were ­among t­hose who went to buy g­ rain, for there was fam­ine in the land of Ca­naan also.

6 Now Jo­seph was the gov­er­nor of the land, the per­son who sold g­ rain to all its peo­ple.

So when Jo­seph’s broth­ers ar­rived, they ­bowed down to him with t­ heir fac­es to the ­ground. 7 As soon as Jo­seph saw his broth­ers, he rec­og­nized them, but he pre­tend­ed to be a strang­er and ­spoke harsh­ly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked.

“From the land of Ca­naan,” they re­plied, “to buy food.”

8 Al­though Jo­seph rec­og­nized his broth­ ers, they did not rec­og­nize him. 9 Then he re­ mem­bered his ­dreams ­about them and said a 43 Or in the chariot of his second-in-command ; or in his

second chariot b 43 Or Bow down c 45 That is, Heliopolis; also in verse 50 d 51 Manasseh sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for forget. e 52 Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for twice fruitful.

but a likely translation is “the god speaks and he lives.”

41:50 Joseph’s sons. Joseph’s marriage to an Egyptian is

presented without comment; the names of Joseph’s sons are Hebrew, suggesting that his wife may have taken his faith.

42:7 Joseph’s greeting. Joseph’s actions toward his brothers were intended to determine whether their characters had changed (Ge 42–­45).

42:9 Spies. Egypt was prone to invasion from Canaan, and its northeastern borders were heavily fortified. “To see where our

Genesis 42:10

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to them, “You are ­spies! You have come to see ­where our land is un­pro­tect­ed.”

10 “No, my lord,” they an­swered. “Your ser­ vants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your ser­vants are hon­est men, not spies.”

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see ­where our land is un­pro­tect­ed.”

13 But they re­plied, “Your ser­vants were ­twelve broth­ers, the sons of one man, who ­lives in the land of Ca­naan. The youn­gest is now with our fa­ther, and one is no more.”

14 Jo­seph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are ­spies! 15 And this is how you will be test­ed: As sure­ly as Phar­aoh l­ ives, you will not l­eave this p ­ lace un­less your youn­gest broth­er ­comes here. 16 Send one of your num­ ber to get your broth­er; the rest of you will be kept in pris­on, so that your ­words may be test­ed to see if you are tell­ing the t­ ruth. If you are not, then as sure­ly as Phar­aoh ­lives, you are ­spies!” 17 And he put them all in cus­ to­dy for t­ hree days.

18 On the ­third day, Jo­seph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are hon­est men, let one of your broth­ers stay here in pris­on, ­while the rest of you go and take ­grain back for your starv­ing house­ ­ ring your youn­gest holds. 20 But you must b broth­er to me, so that your ­words may be ver­i­fied and that you may not die.” This they pro­ceed­ed to do.

21 They said to one an­oth­er, “Sure­ly we are be­ing pun­ished be­cause of our broth­er. We saw how dis­tressed he was when he plead­ed with us for his life, but we w ­ ould not lis­ten; ­that’s why this dis­tress has come on us.”

22 Reu­ben re­plied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin a­ gainst the boy? But you w ­ ouldn’t lis­ ten! Now we must give an ac­count­ing for his ­blood.” 23 They did not re­al­ize that Jo­seph ­could un­der­stand them, ­since he was us­ing an in­ter­pret­er.

24 He ­turned away from them and be­gan to weep, but then came back and s­ poke to them ­again. He had Sim­e­on tak­en from them and ­bound be­fore ­their eyes.

25 Jo­seph gave or­ders to fill t­ heir bags with ­grain, to put each ­man’s sil­ver back in his

sack, and to give them pro­vi­sions for ­their jour­ney. Af­ter this was done for them, 26 they load­ed ­their g­ rain on t­ heir don­keys and left.

27 At the ­place ­where they ­stopped for the ­night one of them o ­ pened his sack to get feed for his don­key, and he saw his sil­ver in the ­mouth of his sack. 28 “My sil­ver has been re­ turned,” he said to his broth­ers. “Here it is in my sack.”

Their ­hearts sank and they t­ urned to each oth­er trem­bling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 When they came to ­their fa­ther Ja­cob in the land of Ca­naan, they told him all that had hap­pened to them. They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land ­spoke harsh­ly to us and treat­ed us as ­though we were spy­ing on the land. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are hon­ est men; we are not ­spies. 32 We were ­twelve broth­ers, sons of one fa­ther. One is no more, and the youn­gest is now with our fa­ther in Ca­naan.’

33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know wheth­ er you are hon­est men: L ­ eave one of your broth­ers here with me, and take food for your starv­ing house­holds and go. 34 But ­bring your youn­gest broth­er to me so I will know that you are not s­ pies but hon­est men. Then I will give your broth­er back to you, and you can ­trade a in the land.’ ” 35 As they were emp­ty­ing ­their ­sacks, ­there in each ­man’s sack was his ­pouch of sil­ver!

When they and t­ heir fa­ther saw the mon­ey pouch­es, they were fright­ened. 36 Their fa­ ther Ja­cob said to them, “You have de­prived me of my chil­dren. Jo­seph is no more and Sim­e­on is no more, and now you want to take Ben­ja­min. Ev­ery­thing is ­against me!”

37 Then Reu­ben said to his fa­ther, “You may put both of my sons to ­death if I do not ­bring him back to you. En­trust him to my care, and I will ­bring him back.”

38 But Ja­cob said, “My son will not go down ­there with you; his broth­er is dead and he is the only one left. If harm c­ omes to him on the jour­ney you are tak­ing, you will b ­ ring my gray head down to the g­ rave in sor­row.”

land is unprotected” is translated from an idiom meaning “to pry into private affairs.”

42:16 As surely as Pharaoh lives. This oath was the Egyptian equivalent to the Hebrew “As God lives” (1Ki 17:1).

42:18 For I fear God. This was Joseph’s assurance that, even

a 34 Or move about freely

as an Egyptian, he would not act with complete injustice due to his respect for higher powers.

77

The Second Journey to Egypt

43

Now the fam­ine was ­still se­vere in the land. 2 So when they had eat­en all the ­grain they had b ­ rought from E ­ gypt, ­their fa­ ther said to them, “Go back and buy us a lit­tle more food.”

3 But Ju­dah said to him, “The man w ­ arned us sol­emn­ly, ‘You will not see my face ­again un­less your broth­er is with you.’ 4 If you will send our broth­er ­along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, be­cause the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face ­again un­less your broth­er is with you.’ ” 6 Is­ ra­el a­ sked, “Why did you ­bring this trou­ble on me by tell­ing the man you had an­oth­er broth­er?”

7 They re­plied, “The man ques­tioned us close­ly ­about our­selves and our fam­il­y. ‘Is your fa­ther s­ till liv­ing?’ he ­asked us. ‘Do you have an­oth­er broth­er?’ We sim­ply an­swered his ques­tions. How were we to know he ­would say, ‘Bring your broth­er down here’?”

8 Then Ju­dah said to Is­ra­el his fa­ther, “Send the boy ­along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our chil­dren may live and not die. 9 I my­self will guar­an­tee his safe­ ty; you can hold me per­son­al­ly re­spon­si­ble for him. If I do not b ­ ring him back to you and set him here be­fore you, I will bear the b ­ lame be­fore you all my life. 10 As it is, if we had not de­layed, we c­ ould have gone and re­turned twice.”

11 Then ­their fa­ther Is­ra­el said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best prod­ucts of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift — ​a lit­ tle balm and a lit­tle hon­ey, some spic­es and ­myrrh, some pis­ta­chio nuts and al­monds.

12 Take dou­ble the ­amount of sil­ver with you, for you must re­turn the sil­ver that was put back into the ­mouths of your s­ acks. Per­haps it was a mis­take. 13 Take your broth­er also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Al­mighty a ­grant you mer­cy be­fore the man so that he will let your oth­er broth­er and Ben­ja­min come back with you. As for me, if I am be­reaved, I am be­reaved.”

43:11 The giving of a present was an ancient Near Eastern custom for approaching someone of rank. Balm, a resin used for healing wounds, was extracted from a tree that grew in Gilead. “Honey” is probably grape juice boiled down to a syrup, a delicacy like the nuts. “Myrrh” was prized in Egypt for its

Genesis 43:29 15 So the men took the g ­ ifts and dou­ble the

­amount of sil­ver, and Ben­ja­min also. They hur­ried down to ­Egypt and pre­sent­ed them­ selves to Jo­seph. 16 When Jo­seph saw Ben­ja­ min with them, he said to the stew­ard of his ­house, “Take ­these men to my ­house, slaugh­ ter an an­i­mal and pre­pare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”

17 The man did as Jo­seph told him and took the men to Jo­seph’s ­house. 18 Now the men were fright­ened when they were tak­en to his ­house. They ­thought, “We were ­brought here be­cause of the sil­ver that was put back into our ­sacks the ­first time. He ­wants to at­tack us and over­pow­er us and s­ eize us as s­ laves and take our don­keys.”

19 So they went up to Jo­seph’s stew­ard and ­spoke to him at the en­trance to the h ­ ouse.

20 “We beg your par­don, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the f­ irst time to buy food. 21 But at the ­place ­where we s­ topped for the ­night we ­opened our ­sacks and each of us ­found his sil­ver — ​the ex­act ­weight — ​in the ­mouth of his sack. So we have ­brought it back with us. 22 We have also ­brought ad­ di­tion­al sil­ver with us to buy food. We d ­ on’t know who put our sil­ver in our sacks.”

23 “It’s all ­right,” he said. “Don’t be ­afraid.

Your God, the God of your fa­ther, has giv­en you trea­sure in your ­sacks; I re­ceived your sil­ver.” Then he b ­ rought Sim­eo ­ n out to them.

24 The stew­ard took the men into Jo­seph’s ­house, gave them wa­ter to wash ­their feet and pro­vid­ed fod­der for ­their don­keys.

25 They pre­pared t­ heir ­gifts for Jo­seph’s ar­riv­ al at noon, be­cause they had ­heard that they were to eat there.

26 When Jo­seph came home, they pre­sent­ ed to him the ­gifts they had ­brought into the ­house, and they b ­ owed down be­fore him to the ­ground. 27 He ­asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged fa­ther you told me a­ bout? Is he ­still liv­ing?”

28 They re­plied, “Your ser­vant our fa­ther is ­still ­alive and well.” And they ­bowed down, pros­trat­ing them­selves be­fore him.

29 As he l­ ooked a ­ bout and saw his broth­er a 14 Hebrew El-Shaddai

use in embalming (see chart, The Herbs of the Bible).

43:14 God Almighty (Heb. El Shaddai ) is the name used for God as he resolves difficulties or dangers for his covenant people (see Ge 17:1, note).

Genesis 43:30

78

Ben­ja­min, his own moth­er’s son, he ­asked, “Is this your youn­gest broth­er, the one you told me ­about?” And he said, “God be gra­ cious to you, my son.” 30 Deep­ly ­moved at the ­sight of his broth­er, Jo­seph hur­ried out and ­looked for a ­place to weep. He went into his pri­vate room and wept there.

31 Af­ter he had w ­ ashed his face, he came out and, con­trol­ling him­self, said, “Serve the food.”

32 They ­served him by him­self, the broth­ ers by them­selves, and the Egyp­tians who ate with him by them­selves, be­cause Egyp­ tians ­could not eat with He­brews, for that is de­test­able to Egyp­tians. 33 The men had been seat­ed be­fore him in the or­der of ­their ages, from the first­born to the youn­gest; and they l­ooked at each oth­er in as­ton­ish­ ment. 34 When por­tions were s­ erved to them from Jo­seph’s ta­ble, Ben­ja­min’s por­tion was five t­ imes as much as any­one ­else’s. So they feast­ed and ­drank free­ly with him.

A Silver Cup in a Sack

44

Now Jo­seph gave ­these in­struc­tions to the stew­ard of his h ­ ouse: “Fill the ­men’s s­ acks with as much food as they can car­ry, and put each ­man’s sil­ver in the ­mouth of his sack. 2 Then put my cup, the sil­ver one, in the m ­ outh of the youn­gest o ­ ne’s sack, ­along with the sil­ver for his ­grain.” And he did as Jo­seph said.

3 As morn­ing ­dawned, the men were sent on ­their way with ­their don­keys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Jo­seph said to his stew­ard, “Go af­ter ­those men at once, and when you ­catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you re­paid good with evil?

5 Isn’t this the cup my mas­ter d ­ rinks from and also uses for div­i­na­tion? This is a wick­ ed ­thing you have done.’ ” 6 When he c ­ aught up with them, he re­ peat­ed ­these ­words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such ­things?

43:32 A place apart. Egyptians did not eat with Hebrews for cultic reasons. The presence of the foreigners would defile the food ritually. The word “detestable” often implies something forbidden on religious grounds.

43:34 Benjamin’s portion. The double portion was an ancient Near Eastern custom for honoring a particular guest.

44:2 The silver cup. Divination with a cup was widely practiced in Egypt (v. 5). The water was disturbed by a small coin or a drop of oil, and the resulting patterns were read and interpreted. The penalty for the theft of an object of divination

Far be it from your ser­vants to do any­thing like that! 8 We even b ­ rought back to you from the land of Ca­naan the sil­ver we ­found in­side the ­mouths of our ­sacks. So why ­would we ­steal sil­ver or gold from your mas­ter’s h ­ ouse?

9 If any of your ser­vants is f­ ound to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will be­come my ­lord’s slaves.”

10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Who­ev­er is f­ ound to have it will be­ come my ­slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”

11 Each of them quick­ly low­ered his sack to the ­ground and o ­ pened it. 12 Then the stew­ard pro­ceed­ed to s­ earch, be­gin­ning with the old­ est and end­ing with the youn­gest. And the cup was f­ ound in Ben­ja­min’s sack. 13 At this, they tore t­ heir ­clothes. Then they all load­ed ­their don­keys and re­turned to the city.

14 Jo­seph was ­still in the h ­ ouse when Ju­dah and his broth­ers came in, and they t­hrew them­selves to the ­ground be­fore him. 15 Jo­ seph said to them, “What is this you have done? ­Don’t you know that a man like me can find ­things out by div­in ­ a­tion?”

16 “What can we say to my lord?” Ju­dah re­ plied. “What can we say? How can we p ­ rove our in­no­cence? God has un­cov­ered your ser­ vants’ g­ uilt. We are now my l­ord’s s­ laves — ​ we our­selves and the one who was ­found to have the cup.”

17 But Jo­seph said, “Far be it from me to do such a ­thing! Only the man who was f­ ound to have the cup will be­come my s­ lave. The rest of you, go back to your fa­ther in peace.”

18 Then Ju­dah went up to him and said: “Par­don your ser­vant, my lord, let me ­speak a word to my lord. Do not be an­gry with your ser­vant, ­though you are e­ qual to Phar­ aoh him­self. 19 My lord a­ sked his ser­vants, ‘Do you have a fa­ther or a broth­er?’ 20 And we an­swered, ‘We have an aged fa­ther, and ­there is a y­ oung son born to him in his old age. His broth­er is dead, and he is the only was death (v. 9). The placement of the cup in Benjamin’s sack was designed to test the brothers’ attitude toward Benjamin as the child of Rachel.

44:16 Judah’s answer. Judah attributed the finding of the cup, like the money, to a divine force he could not understand.

The word “guilt” is ironic, considering the greater guilt of the sin against Joseph. Judah’s plea revealed a change in character from the greed and callousness displayed earlier (vv. 18–­34; see also Ge 37).

79 one of his moth­er’s sons left, and his fa­ther ­loves him.’

21 “Then you said to your ser­vants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for my­self.’

22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy can­not ­leave his fa­ther; if he l­eaves him, his fa­ther will die.’ 23 But you told your ser­vants, ‘Un­ less your youn­gest broth­er c­ omes down with you, you will not see my face ­again.’ 24 When we went back to your ser­vant my fa­ther, we told him what my lord had said.

25 “Then our fa­ther said, ‘Go back and buy a lit­tle more food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We can­ not go down. Only if our youn­gest broth­er is with us will we go. We can­not see the ­man’s face un­less our youn­gest broth­er is with us.’

27 “Your ser­vant my fa­ther said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has sure­ly been torn to piec­es.” And I have not seen him s­ ince. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm c­ omes to him, you will ­bring my gray head down to the g­ rave in mis­ery.’

30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your ser­vant my fa­ther, and if my fa­ther, w ­ hose life is close­ly b ­ ound up with the b ­ oy’s life, 31 sees that the boy ­isn’t ­there, he will die. Your ser­vants will ­bring the gray head of our fa­ther down to the ­grave in sor­ row. 32 Your ser­vant guar­an­teed the ­boy’s safe­ty to my fa­ther. I said, ‘If I do not ­bring him back to you, I will bear the b ­ lame be­fore you, my fa­ther, all my life!’

33 “Now then, p ­ lease let your ser­vant re­ main here as my l­ord’s s­ lave in p ­ lace of the boy, and let the boy re­turn with his broth­ers.

34 How can I go back to my fa­ther if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the mis­ ery that w ­ ould come on my fa­ther.”

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45

Then Jo­seph c­ ould no lon­ger con­ trol him­self be­fore all his at­ten­dants, and he c­ ried out, “Have ev­ery­one l­eave my pres­ence!” So t­ here was no one with Jo­seph when he made him­self ­known to his broth­ 45:5 God’s

overruling sovereignty was recognized by Joseph. Despite the sins of his people, the God of the covenant sovereignly acted to carry out his plan. Joseph’s slavery was used for the preservation of the covenant line (v. 7).

45:8 Father to Pharaoh. The Egyptian title meant “advisor”

Genesis 45:16

ers. 2 And he wept so loud­ly that the Egyp­ tians h ­ eard him, and Phar­aoh’s house­hold ­heard ­about it.

3 Jo­seph said to his broth­ers, “I am Jo­seph!

Is my fa­ther ­still liv­ing?” But his broth­ers were not able to an­swer him, be­cause they were ter­ri­fied at his pres­ence.

4 Then Jo­seph said to his broth­ers, “Come ­close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your broth­er Jo­seph, the one you sold into ­Egypt! 5 And now, do not be dis­tressed and do not be an­gry with your­selves for sell­ ing me here, be­cause it was to save ­lives that God sent me ­ahead of you. 6 For two ­years now ­there has been fam­ine in the land, and for the next five ­years ­there will be no plow­ ing and reap­ing. 7 But God sent me ­ahead of you to pre­serve for you a rem­nant on e­ arth and to save your l­ ives by a g­ reat de­liv­er­ance. a 8 “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me fa­ther to Phar­ aoh, lord of his en­tire house­hold and rul­er of all ­Egypt. 9 Now hur­ry back to my fa­ther and say to him, ‘This is what your son Jo­seph says: God has made me lord of all E ­ gypt.

Come down to me; d ­ on’t de­lay. 10 You ­shall live in the re­gion of Go­shen and be near me — ​you, your chil­dren and grand­chil­dren, your f­ locks and ­herds, and all you have. 11 I will pro­vide for you ­there, be­cause five ­years of fam­ine are s­ till to come. Oth­er­wise you and your house­hold and all who be­long to you will be­come des­ti­tute.’

12 “You can see for your­selves, and so can my broth­er Ben­ja­min, that it is real­ly I who am speak­ing to you. 13 Tell my fa­ther ­about all the hon­or ac­cord­ed me in ­Egypt and ­about ev­ery­thing you have seen. And ­bring my fa­ ther down here quick­ly.”

14 T hen he t­hrew his arms a ­ round his broth­er Ben­ja­min and wept, and Ben­ja­min em­braced him, weep­ing. 15 And he ­kissed all his broth­ers and wept over them. Af­ter­ward his broth­ers ­talked with him.

16 When the news ­reached Phar­aoh’s pal­ ace that Jo­seph’s broth­ers had come, Phar­aoh a 7 Or save you as a great band of survivors

or “administrator” and was regularly given to the vizier or governor.

45:10 Goshen, later known as “Rameses,” occupied the northeastern portion of the Nile delta (Ge 47:11). It was choice, well-­irrigated land. “Near me” alludes to proximity to Tanis, the royal seat.

Genesis 45:17

80

and all his of­fi­cials were ­pleased. 17 Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “Tell your broth­ers, ‘Do this: Load your an­i­mals and re­turn to the land of ­ ring your fa­ther and your Ca­naan, 18 and b fam­i­lies back to me. I will give you the best of the land of E ­ gypt and you can en­joy the fat of the land.’

19 “You are also di­rect­ed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some ­carts from ­Egypt for your chil­dren and your ­wives, and get your fa­ther and come. 20 Nev­er mind ­about your be­long­ ings, be­cause the best of all ­Egypt will be yours.’ ” 21 So the sons of Is­ra­el did this. Jo­seph gave them c­ arts, as Phar­aoh had com­mand­ed, and he also gave them pro­vi­sions for ­their jour­ ney. 22 To each of them he gave new cloth­ing, but to Ben­ja­min he gave ­three hun­dred shek­ els a of sil­ver and five sets of ­clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his fa­ther: ten don­keys load­ed with the best t­ hings of ­Egypt, and ten fe­male don­keys load­ed with ­grain and ­bread and oth­er pro­vi­sions for his jour­ney. 24 Then he sent his broth­ers away, and as they were leav­ing he said to them, “Don’t quar­rel on the way!”

25 So they went up out of ­Egypt and came to t­ heir fa­ther Ja­cob in the land of Ca­naan.

26 They told him, “Jo­seph is ­still ­alive! In fact, he is rul­er of all ­Egypt.” Ja­cob was ­stunned; he did not be­lieve them. 27 But when they told him ev­ery­thing Jo­seph had said to them, and when he saw the c­ arts Jo­seph had sent to car­ ry him back, the spir­it of ­their fa­ther Ja­cob re­vived. 28 And Is­ra­el said, “I’m con­vinced!

My son Jo­seph is ­still ­alive. I will go and see him be­fore I die.”

Jacob

46

of­fered sac­ri­fic­es to the God of his fa­ther Isaac.

2 And God ­spoke to Is­ra­el in a vi­sion at ­night and said, “Ja­cob! Ja­cob!”

“Here I am,” he re­plied.

3 “I am God, the God of your fa­ther,” he said. “Do not be ­afraid to go down to ­Egypt, for I will make you into a ­great na­tion t­ here.

4 I will go down to ­Egypt with you, and I will sure­ly ­bring you back a­ gain. And Jo­seph’s own hand will c­ lose your eyes.”

5 Then Ja­cob left Be­er­she­ba, and Is­ra­el’s sons took t­ heir fa­ther Ja­cob and t­ heir chil­ dren and ­their ­wives in the ­carts that Phar­ aoh had sent to trans­port him. 6 So Ja­cob and all his off­spring went to ­Egypt, tak­ing with them ­their live­stock and the pos­ses­sions they had ac­quired in Ca­naan. 7 Ja­cob ­brought with him to E ­ gypt his sons and grand­sons and his daugh­ters and grand­daugh­ters — ​all his off­spring.

8 These are the ­names of the sons of Is­ra­ el (Ja­cob and his de­scen­dants) who went to Egypt:

Reu­ben the first­born of Ja­cob.

9 The sons of Reu­ben: Ha­nok, Pal­lu, Hez­ron and Kar­mi.

10 The sons of Sim­e­on: Je­mu­el, Ja­min, Ohad, Ja­kin, Zo­har and Sha­ul the son of a Ca­naan­ite wom­an.

11 The sons of Levi: Ger­shon, Ko­hath and Me­ra­ri.

12 The sons of Ju­dah: Er, Onan, She­lah, Pe­rez and Ze­rah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Ca­naan).

The sons of Pe­rez: Goes to Egypt So Is­ra­el set out with all that was his, Hez­ron and Ha­mul. and when he ­reached Be­er­she­ba, he a 22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms

46:1 Jacob’s journey began at Hebron and continued south about 20 miles to Beersheba. God had confirmed the covenant to Isaac at Beersheba, making it an important place of worship (Ge 26:23–­25). Israel’s sacrifices were a request for divine guidance.

46:3 God guided Jacob into Egypt. Earlier, God had forbidden Isaac to enter that country (Ge 26:1–­5) during a similar famine. God now planned to build a nation by isolating the Israelites within Egypt, among people who would not approve of intermarriage. In Canaan, Israel was in danger of being assimilated by the native Canaanites (Ge 34:8–­10). The promise shifted from the nation (“I will surely bring you back again”) to Jacob himself (v. 4). The last phrase confirmed that Joseph would be the one to close Jacob’s eyes after death; that is,

there would be no more separation between them.

46:8 The household of Jacob. The list of those who accompanied Jacob to Egypt is grouped into 70, probably for mnemonic reasons (v. 27). The total count of persons listed is 71, including Dinah, who is not included in the count of 33 (v. 15).

Er and Onan were buried in Canaan (v. 12); Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim were already in Egypt. This reduces the number to 66 (v. 26). The narrator then re-­adds Jacob, Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim to make 70. Rather than the actual number in Jacob’s household, this number reflects only those who are actual legal ancestors of the nation of Israel. The number 70 also signified that the complete tribe had journeyed to Egypt and served as a reminder that God had done a complete work in preparing Israel for their task as God’s people.

81 13 The sons of Is­sa­char: Tola, Puah, a Ja­shub b and Shim­ron.

14 The sons of Zeb­u­lun: Se­red, Elon and Jah­le­el.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Ja­cob in Pad­dan Aram, c be­sides his daugh­ter Di­ nah. T ­ hese sons and daugh­ters of his were thir­ty-­three in all.

16 The sons of Gad: Ze­phon, d Hag­gi, Shu­ni, Ez­bon, Eri, Ar­o­di and Are­li.

17 The sons of Ash­er: Im­nah, Ish­vah, Ish­vi and Be­ri­ah.

Their sis­ter was Se­rah.

The sons of Be­ri­ah: He­ber and Mal­ki­el.

18 These were the chil­dren born to Ja­cob by Zil­pah, whom La­ban had giv­en to his daugh­ ter Leah — ​six­teen in all.

19 The sons of Ja­cob’s wife Ra­chel: Jo­seph and Ben­ja­min. 20 In ­Egypt, Ma­ nas­seh and Ephra­im were born to Jo­ seph by As­e­nath daugh­ter of Po­tiph­ era, ­priest of On. e 21 The sons of Ben­ja­min: Bela, Be­ker, Ash­bel, Gera, Na­a­man, Ehi, Rosh, Mup­pim, Hup­pim and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Ra­chel who were born to Ja­cob — ​four­teen in all.

23 The son of Dan: Hu­shim.

24 The sons of Naph­ta­li: Jah­zi­el, Guni, Je­zer and Shil­lem.

25 These were the sons born to Ja­cob by Bil­ hah, whom La­ban had giv­en to his daugh­ter Ra­chel — ​sev­en in all.

26 All

­those who went to ­Egypt with Ja­ cob — ​­those who were his di­rect de­scen­ dants, not count­ing his sons’ w ­ ives — ​num­ bered six­ty-six per­sons. 27 With the two sons f who had been born to Jo­seph in ­Egypt, the mem­bers of Ja­cob’s fam­i­ly, ­which went to ­Egypt, were sev­en­ty g in all.

28 Now

Ja­cob sent Ju­dah a­ head of him to

46:21 Benjamin had ten sons, confirming his mature age.

Comparison with Numbers 26:38–­40 and 1 Chronicles 7:6–­12 suggests that grandsons have been added.

46:34 Detestable. The Egyptians had an aversion to the occupation of shepherding. Joseph wanted to emphasize their nationality and profession so that Pharaoh would not keep

Genesis 47:4

­Jo­seph to get di­rec­tions to Go­shen. When they ar­rived in the re­gion of Go­shen, 29 Jo­ seph had his char­i­ot made ­ready and went to Go­shen to meet his fa­ther Is­ra­el. As soon as Jo­seph ap­peared be­fore him, he t­ hrew his arms a­ round his fa­ther h and wept for a long time.

30 Is­ra­el said to Jo­seph, “Now I am r ­ eady to die, s­ ince I have seen for my­self that you are ­still alive.”

31 Then Jo­seph said to his broth­ers and to his fa­ther’s house­hold, “I will go up and ­speak to Phar­aoh and will say to him, ‘My broth­ers and my fa­ther’s house­hold, who were liv­ing in the land of Ca­naan, have come to me. 32 The men are shep­herds; they tend live­stock, and they have ­brought ­along ­their ­flocks and ­herds and ev­ery­thing they own.’

33 When Phar­aoh ­calls you in and asks, ‘What is your oc­cu­pa­tion?’ 34 you ­should an­swer, ‘Your ser­vants have tend­ed live­stock from our boy­hood on, just as our fa­thers did.’

Then you will be al­lowed to set­tle in the re­ gion of Go­shen, for all shep­herds are de­test­ able to the Egyp­tians.”

Jo­seph went and told Phar­aoh, “My fa­ther and broth­ers, with t­ heir f­ locks and h ­ erds and ev­ery­thing they own, have come from the land of Ca­naan and are now in Go­shen.” 2 He c­ hose five of his broth­ers and pre­sent­ed them be­fore Phar­aoh.

3 Phar­ aoh ­asked the broth­ers, “What is your oc­cu­pa­tion?”

“Your ser­vants are shep­herds,” they re­ plied to Phar­aoh, “just as our fa­thers were.”

4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a ­while, be­cause the fam­ine is se­vere in Ca­naan and your ser­vants’ ­flocks have no pas­ture. So now, ­please let your ser­vants set­ tle in Go­shen.”

47

a 13

Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah b 13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob c 15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia d 16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion e 20 That is, Heliopolis f 27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children g 27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five h 29 Hebrew around him

them in the city; he implied that their presence there would be disturbing to Egyptians. Goshen was both fertile and politically sensitive, being located close to the border. Joseph’s maneuver guaranteed that Pharaoh would not object to his family’s settling there (Ge 47:6; see also Ge 43:32, note).

Genesis 47:5

82

5 Phar­aoh said to Jo­seph, “Your fa­ther and

your broth­ers have come to you, 6 and the land of ­Egypt is be­fore you; set­tle your fa­ ther and your broth­ers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Go­shen. And if you know of any ­among them with spe­cial abil­i­ty, put them in ­charge of my own live­ stock.”

7 Then Jo­seph ­brought his fa­ther Ja­cob in and pre­sent­ed him be­fore Phar­aoh. Af­ter Ja­ cob ­blessed a Phar­aoh, 8 Phar­aoh ­asked him, “How old are you?”

9 And Ja­cob said to Phar­aoh, “The ­years of my pil­grim­age are a hun­dred and thir­ty. My ­years have been few and dif­fi­cult, and they do not e­ qual the y­ ears of the pil­grim­age of my fa­thers.” 10 Then Ja­cob ­blessed b Phar­aoh and went out from his pres­ence.

11 So Jo­seph set­tled his fa­ther and his broth­ers in ­Egypt and gave them prop­er­ty in the best part of the land, the dis­trict of Ram­ e­ses, as Phar­aoh di­rect­ed. 12 Jo­seph also pro­ vid­ed his fa­ther and his broth­ers and all his fa­ther’s house­hold with food, ac­cord­ing to the num­ber of t­ heir chil­dren.

Joseph and the Famine

13 There was no food, how­ev­er, in the ­whole re­gion be­cause the fam­ine was se­vere; both ­Egypt and Ca­naan wast­ed away be­cause of the fam­ine. 14 Jo­seph col­lect­ed all the mon­ey that was to be f­ ound in ­Egypt and Ca­naan in pay­ment for the ­grain they were buy­ing, and he ­brought it to Phar­aoh’s pal­ace. 15 When the mon­ey of the peo­ple of ­Egypt and Ca­naan was gone, all ­Egypt came to Jo­seph and said, “Give us food. Why ­should we die be­fore your eyes? Our mon­ey is all gone.”

16 “Then ­bring your live­stock,” said Jo­seph.

“I will sell you food in ex­change for your live­ stock, ­since your mon­ey is gone.” 17 So they ­brought ­their live­stock to Jo­seph, and he gave them food in ex­change for ­their hors­es, ­their s­ heep and ­goats, ­their cat­tle and don­ keys. And he b ­ rought them t­ hrough that year with food in ex­change for all ­their live­stock.

18 When that year was over, they came to him the fol­low­ing year and said, “We can­ not hide from our lord the fact that ­since our mon­ey is gone and our live­stock be­longs to you, t­ here is noth­ing left for our lord ex­cept our bod­ies and our land. 19 Why ­should we per­ish be­fore your eyes — ​we and our land

as well? Buy us and our land in ex­change for food, and we with our land will be in bond­ age to Phar­aoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be­come des­o­late.”

20 So Jo­seph ­bought all the land in ­Egypt for Phar­aoh. The Egyp­tians, one and all, sold ­their ­fields, be­cause the fam­ine was too se­ vere for them. The land be­came Phar­aoh’s, 21 and Jo­seph re­duced the peo­ple to ser­vi­ ­ gypt to the oth­er. tude, c from one end of E 22 How­ev­er, he did not buy the land of the ­priests, be­cause they re­ceived a reg­u­lar al­ lot­ment from Phar­aoh and had food ­enough from the al­lot­ment Phar­aoh gave them. That is why they did not sell t­ heir land.

23 Jo­seph said to the peo­ple, “Now that I have b ­ ought you and your land to­day for Phar­aoh, here is seed for you so you can ­plant the ­ground. 24 But when the crop ­comes in, give a ­fifth of it to Phar­aoh. The oth­er four-­ fifths you may keep as seed for the f­ ields and as food for your­selves and your house­holds and your chil­dren.”

25 “You have ­saved our ­lives,” they said.

“May we find fa­vor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bond­age to Phar­aoh.”

26 So Jo­seph es­tab­lished it as a law con­cern­ ing land in ­Egypt — ​­still in f­ orce to­day — ​that a ­fifth of the pro­duce be­longs to Phar­aoh. It was only the land of the p ­ riests that did not be­come Phar­aoh’s.

27 Now the Is­ra­el­ites set­tled in E ­ gypt in the re­gion of Go­shen. They ac­quired prop­er­ty ­there and were fruit­ful and in­creased great­ly in num­ber.

28 Ja­cob ­lived in ­Egypt sev­en­teen ­years, and the ­years of his life were a hun­dred and for­tysev­en. 29 When the time drew near for Is­ra­el to die, he c­ alled for his son Jo­seph and said to him, “If I have f­ ound fa­vor in your eyes, put your hand un­der my ­thigh and prom­ise that you will show me kind­ness and faith­ful­ness.

Do not bury me in ­Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fa­thers, car­ry me out of ­Egypt and bury me ­where they are bur­ied.”

“I will do as you say,” he said.

31 “Swear to me,” he said. Then Jo­ seph ­swore to him, and Is­ra­el wor­shiped as he ­leaned on the top of his staff. d a 7 Or greeted b 10 Or said farewell to c 21 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Vulgate); Masoretic Text and he moved the people into the cities d 31 Or Israel bowed down at the head of his bed

83

Manasseh and Ephraim

48

Some time lat­er Jo­seph was told, “Your fa­ther is ill.” So he took his two sons Ma­nas­seh and Ephra­im a­ long with him.

2 When Ja­cob was told, “Your son Jo­seph has come to you,” Is­ra­el ral­lied his s­ trength and sat up on the bed.

3 Ja­cob said to Jo­seph, “God Al­mighty a ap­ peared to me at Luz in the land of Ca­naan, and ­there he ­blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am go­ing to make you fruit­ful and in­crease your num­bers. I will make you a com­mu­ni­ ty of peo­ples, and I will give this land as an ever­last­ing pos­ses­sion to your de­scen­dants af­ter you.’

5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in ­Egypt be­fore I came to you here will be reck­ oned as mine; Ephra­im and Ma­nas­seh will be mine, just as Reu­ben and Sim­e­on are mine.

6 Any chil­dren born to you af­ter them will be ­yours; in the ter­ri­to­ry they in­her­it they will be reck­oned un­der the n ­ ames of t­ heir broth­ers. 7 As I was re­turn­ing from Pad­dan, b to my sor­row Ra­chel died in the land of Ca­ naan ­while we were s­ till on the way, a lit­tle dis­tance from Eph­rath. So I bur­ied her ­there be­side the road to Eph­rath” (that is, Beth­le­ hem).

8 When Is­ra­el saw the sons of Jo­seph, he ­asked, “Who are these?”

9 “They are the sons God has giv­en me here,” Jo­seph said to his fa­ther.

Then Is­ra­el said, “Bring them to me so I may b ­ less them.”

10 Now Is­ra­el’s eyes were fail­ing be­cause of old age, and he ­could hard­ly see. So Jo­seph ­brought his sons c­ lose to him, and his fa­ther ­kissed them and em­braced them.

11 Is­ra­el said to Jo­seph, “I nev­er ex­pect­ed to see your face a­ gain, and now God has al­ lowed me to see your chil­dren too.”

12 Then Jo­seph re­moved them from Is­ra­ el’s k ­ nees and b ­ owed down with his face to the ­ground. 13 And Jo­seph took both of them, Ephra­im on his ­right to­ward Is­ra­el’s left hand and Ma­nas­seh on his left to­ward Is­ra­el’s ­right hand, and b ­ rought them c­ lose to him.

14 But Is­ra­el r ­ eached out his r­ ight hand and 48:22 Joseph’s portion. This verse is obscure in meaning.

“Ridge” (lit. “shoulder” or “mountain ridge”) seems to refer to some specific area Jacob is deeding to Joseph—­possibly Shechem (Heb., lit. “shoulder”). However, Jacob did not par-

Genesis 48:22

put it on Ephra­im’s head, ­though he was the youn­ger, and cross­ing his arms, he put his left hand on Ma­nas­seh’s head, even t­ hough Ma­nas­seh was the first­born.

15 Then he b ­ lessed Jo­seph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, 16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm — ​may he bless these boys.

May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.”

17 When

Jo­seph saw his fa­ther plac­ing his r­ ight hand on Ephra­im’s head he was dis­ pleased; so he took hold of his fa­ther’s hand to move it from Ephra­im’s head to Ma­nas­ seh’s head. 18 Jo­seph said to him, “No, my fa­ ther, this one is the first­born; put your r­ ight hand on his head.”

19 But his fa­ther re­fused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will be­come a peo­ple, and he too will be­come g­ reat. Nev­er­the­less, his youn­ger broth­er will be great­er than he, and his de­scen­dants will be­come a ­group of na­tions.” 20 He ­blessed them that day and said, “In your c name will Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” So he put Ephra­im a­ head of Ma­nas­seh.

21 Then Is­ra­el said to Jo­seph, “I am ­about to die, but God will be with you d and take you d back to the land of your d fa­thers. 22 And to you I give one more ­ridge of land e than to your broth­ers, the ­ridge I took from the Am­ o­rites with my s­ word and my bow.” a 3 Hebrew El-Shaddai b 7

That is, Northwest Mesopotamia c 20 The Hebrew is singular. d 21 The Hebrew is plural. e 22 The Hebrew for ridge of land is identical with the place name Shechem.

ticipate in the taking of Shechem (Ge 34). Either he is speaking of the actions of his sons, or this refers to an unrecorded incident in Canaan.

Genesis 49:1

84

Jacob Blesses His Sons

until he to whom it belongs d shall come Then Ja­cob c­ alled for his sons and and the obedience of the nations shall be his. said: “Gath­er ­around so I can tell you 11

H e will tether his donkey to a vine,

what will hap­pen to you in days to come. his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, 2 “Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; his robes in the blood of grapes. listen to your father Israel.

12 His eyes will be darker than wine, 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, his teeth whiter than milk. e my might, the first sign of my 13 “Zebulun will live by the seashore strength, and become a haven for ships; excelling in honor, excelling in power. his border will extend toward Sidon.

4 Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, 14 “Issachar is a rawboned f donkey for you went up onto your father’s bed, lying down among the sheep pens. g onto my couch and defiled it.

15 When he sees how good is his resting

49

5 “Simeon and Levi are brothers — ​ their swords a are weapons of violence.

6 Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.

7 Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel!

I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.

8 “Judah, b your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you.

9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness — ​who dares to rouse him?

10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, c

49:1 Jacob’s last oracles. Genesis ends as it began, with

blessings, curses and predictions for the future of the chosen seed (see Ge 3:16–­19). Jacob’s last words are echoed by Moses (see Dt 33). “In days to come” is a general phrase, meaning the time for occupation of the promised land.

49:3 The land allotted to Reuben east of the Dead Sea came under continual encroachment from Moab. The tribe of Reuben never gained real power or influence in the tribal confederacy and was condemned by Deborah as weak and irresolute during times of crisis (Jdg 5:15–­16).

49:5 Simeon and Levi were condemned for the massacre of Shechem (Ge 34:25–­31). Jacob’s words recall the actions of Lamech (Ge 4:23–­24), emphasizing the violence and wickedness of the action. While the tribe of Simeon was later swallowed by Judah (Jos 19:2–­9), Levi experienced reprieve and

place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.

16 “Dan h will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.

19 “Gad i will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels. a 5

The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. c 10 Or from his descendants d 10 Or to whom tribute belongs; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. e 12 Or will be dull from wine, / his teeth white from milk f 14 Or strong g 14 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags h 16 Dan here means he provides justice. i 19 Gad sounds like the Hebrew for attack and also for band of raiders. b 8

was given priestly duties because the people demonstrated their faithfulness to God (Ex 32:25–­29).

49:9–­10 Judah is given pre-­eminence among his brothers until the coming of the Messiah (v. 10). “The scepter” or “ruler’s staff” can also be rendered “commander.” “From between his feet” refers to procreation; Judah would continually produce leaders. The Hebrew word for “Shiloh,” interpreted here as “Judah” is a difficult word, not found elsewhere as a title of the Messiah. It has been interpreted both as a reference to the place Shiloh (although the city has no particular messianic function) and as a verb form meaning “until he comes to whom it [namely, the scepter] belongs.”

49:16–­17 Dan. The comparison with the snake pictures Dan’s force and strength in contrast to its small size. The imagery is negative; Dan was treacherous and idolatrous (Jdg 18).

85 20 “Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

21 “Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns. a 22 “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. b 23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.

24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed c limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, d who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.

26 Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, e the bounty of the age-old hills. than Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among f his brothers.

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

28 All

t­ hese are the t­ welve t­ ribes of Is­ra­ el, and this is what ­their fa­ther said to them when he ­blessed them, giv­ing each the bless­ ing ap­pro­pri­ate to him.

The Death of Jacob 29 Then

he gave them t­ hese in­struc­tions: “I am ­about to be gath­ered to my peo­ple.

Bury me with my fa­thers in the cave in the ­field of E ­ phron the Hit­tite, 30 the cave in the ­field of Mach­pe­lah, near Mam­re in Ca­naan, ­which Abra­ham ­bought ­along with the ­field as a buri­al ­place from E ­ phron the Hit­tite.

49:22 Joseph’s blessings fell upon his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Ge 48:13). The blessing recognized the faithfulness of the covenant God by using the name Shaddai (Heb., lit. “Mighty One,” v. 24; see Ge 17:1, note). The emphasis on nature reveals God’s superiority over the nature gods of Egypt and Canaan (vv. 25–­26).

Genesis 50:10

31 There

Abra­ham and his wife Sar­ah were bur­ied, ­there ­Isaac and his wife Re­bek­ah were bur­ied, and ­there I bur­ied Leah. 32 The ­field and the cave in it were ­bought from the Hit­tites. g ” 33 When Ja­cob had fin­ished giv­ing in­struc­ tions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, b ­ reathed his last and was gath­ered to his peo­ple.

Jo­seph ­threw him­self on his fa­ther and wept over him and ­kissed him.

2 Then Jo­seph di­rect­ed the phy­si­cians in his ser­vice to em­balm his fa­ther Is­ra­el. So the phy­si­cians em­balmed him, 3 tak­ing a full for­ ty days, for that was the time re­quired for em­balm­ing. And the Egyp­tians ­mourned for him sev­en­ty days.

4 When the days of mourn­ing had ­passed, Jo­seph said to Phar­aoh’s ­court, “If I have ­found fa­vor in your eyes, ­speak to Phar­aoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My fa­ther made me ­swear an oath and said, “I am ­about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for my­self in the land of Ca­ naan.” Now let me go up and bury my fa­ther; then I will re­turn.’ ” 6 Phar­aoh said, “Go up and bury your fa­ ther, as he made you s­ wear to do.”

7 So Jo­seph went up to bury his fa­ther. All Phar­aoh’s of­fi­cials ac­com­pa­nied him — ​the dig­ni­tar­ies of his ­court and all the dig­ni­tar­ies of ­Egypt — ​ 8 be­sides all the mem­bers of Jo­ seph’s house­hold and his broth­ers and ­those be­long­ing to his fa­ther’s house­hold. Only ­their chil­dren and ­their ­flocks and ­herds were left in Go­shen. 9 Char­i­ots and horse­ men h also went up with him. It was a very ­large com­pa­ny.

10 When they r ­ eached the thresh­ing f­ loor of Atad, near the Jor­dan, they la­ment­ed loud­ ly and bit­ter­ly; and ­there Jo­seph ob­served a sev­en-day pe­ri­od of mourn­ing for his fa­ther.

50

a 21 Or free; / he utters beautiful words b 22 Or Joseph

is a wild colt, / a wild colt near a spring, / a wild donkey on a terraced hill c 23,24 Or archers will attack . . . will shoot . . . will remain . . . will stay d 25 Hebrew Shaddai e 26 Or of my progenitors, / as great as f 26 Or of the one separated from g 32 Or the descendants of Heth h 9 Or charioteers

49:27 Benjamin. Although a small tribe, Benjamin gave Israel its first king, Saul (1Sa 9:1–­2). Benjamites were fierce fighters (Jdg 19–­21).

50:3 Seventy days is only two days short of the mourning period for a pharaoh and probably was done out of respect for Joseph.

Genesis 50:11

86

11 When

the Ca­naan­ites who ­lived t­ here saw the mourn­ing at the thresh­ing ­floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyp­tians are hold­ing a sol­ emn cer­em ­ o­ny of mourn­ing.” That is why that p ­ lace near the Jor­dan is c­ alled Abel Miz­ ra­im. a 12 So Ja­cob’s sons did as he had com­mand­ ed them: 13 They car­ried him to the land of Ca­naan and bur­ied him in the cave in the ­field of Mach­pe­lah, near Mam­re, ­which Abra­ham had b ­ ought a­ long with the f­ield as a buri­al p ­ lace from E ­ phron the Hit­tite.

14 Af­ter bury­ing his fa­ther, Jo­seph re­turned to ­Egypt, to­geth­er with his broth­ers and all the oth­ers who had gone with him to bury his fa­ther.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15 When Jo­seph’s broth­ers saw that ­their fa­ther was dead, they said, “What if Jo­seph ­holds a ­grudge ­against us and pays us back for all the ­wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Jo­seph, say­ing, “Your fa­ther left ­these in­struc­tions be­fore he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Jo­seph: I ask you to for­ give your broth­ers the sins and the ­wrongs they com­mit­ted in treat­ing you so bad­ly.’

Now p ­ lease for­give the sins of the ser­vants of the God of your fa­ther.” When ­their mes­ sage came to him, Jo­seph wept.

18 H is broth­ers then came and ­threw

50:25 Joseph’s request. Genesis ends with Israel’s isolation in Egypt, where God could purify and build up his people. Joseph’s request indicated his faith that Israel would eventually

them­selves down be­fore him. “We are your ­slaves,” they said.

19 But Jo­seph said to them, “Don’t be ­afraid. Am I in the p ­ lace of God? 20 You in­ tend­ed to harm me, but God in­tend­ed it for good to ac­com­plish what is now be­ing done, the sav­ing of many ­lives. 21 So then, ­don’t be ­afraid. I will pro­vide for you and your chil­ dren.” And he re­as­sured them and ­spoke kind­ly to them.

The Death of Joseph 22 Jo­seph

­stayed in ­Egypt, ­along with all his fa­ther’s fam­i­ly. He ­lived a hun­dred and ten ­years 23 and saw the t­ hird gen­er­a­tion of Ephra­im’s chil­dren. Also the chil­dren of Ma­ kir son of Ma­nas­seh were ­placed at b ­ irth on Jo­seph’s knees. b 24 Then Jo­seph said to his broth­ers, “I am ­about to die. But God will sure­ly come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he prom­ised on oath to Abra­ham, ­Isaac and Ja­cob.” 25 And Jo­seph made the Is­ra­ el­ites ­swear an oath and said, “God will sure­ ly come to your aid, and then you must car­ry my ­bones up from this place.”

26 So Jo­seph died at the age of a hun­dred and ten. And af­ter they em­balmed him, he was ­placed in a cof­fin in Egypt. a 11

b 23

Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.

That is, were counted as his

occupy the land of promise. The request was fulfilled by Moses (Ex 13:19).

AUTHOR Although no one knows who wrote the book of Esther, it was apparently written by a Jew who was familiar with Susa, the royal palace, and Persian customs. The Jewish Talmud attributes Esther to the “men of the Great Synagogue,” anonymous teachers who lived in the period between the last prophets and the earliest rabbinic scholars. Early church fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, as well as Jewish authorities like Josephus, ascribed the book to Mordecai.

DATE The date of the book’s composition is also unknown. The events described in the story occurred during the reign of the Persian king Xerxes, whose name was rendered in Greek histories as Xerxes and who reigned 486–­465 BC. Although some scholars date its composition as late as the first century BC, there is evidence to indicate the book was written shortly after the events it narrates and before the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great in 331 BC. The Hebrew of Esther is similar to that of the books of Chronicles and Daniel, which suggests that these three books were composed during the same period (see chart, Timeline for Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther). The author’s knowledge of Persian court life and customs and the book’s linguistic evidence point to the late fifth century BC.

BACKGROUND

Setting The story of Esther occurs during the Achaemenid period of Biblical history (559–­330 BC) in the court of the Persian king Xerxes who ruled Persia from 486–­465 BC. This places the events of the story at least fifty years after the decree of Cyrus (538 BC), which announced that the exiled Jews could return to Jerusalem, and about twenty-­five years before Ezra’s return to Jerusalem.

Esther and Mordecai were living in the royal city of Susa (Heb. Shushan). Susa had been an important political, cultural and religious center for centuries. At the time of Esther, the city was one of the capital cities of a vast empire stretching from what is now India in the east to Turkey and Ethiopia in the west. The ruins of Susa are in Iran near its border with Iraq.

Purpose As traditionally understood, the purpose of the book is to explain the origin of the Jewish holiday of Purim as a celebration of deliverance. From the Second Temple Period until now, the Megillat Esther (Heb., lit. “scroll of Esther”) in its entirety is read in the assemblies of the Jews as the central rite of the observance of Purim. Although women are normally exempt from mandatory attendance at worship, they are required to be present for the reading of Esther.

The story has provided encouragement and hope for the Jews, who from that day until this, like Esther and Mordecai, have lived far from Jerusalem. The story of Esther is similar to that of Joseph in the court of the Egyptian pharaoh (see Ge 37–­50) and of Daniel in the court at Babylon (see Da 1–­2).

Each of these stories is about a Jew who was delivered from a death plot and rose to a high position in a pagan government.

The book as Christian Scripture is part of God’s saving work in history that culminated in the coming of Jesus the Messiah. It reminds Christians that God is never absent, even though those living in a world hostile to the Christian faith may not always be aware of his presence.

Audience The events recorded concern the well-­being of the Jews in Persia. Certainly Jews were the original audience, but whether the book was written for the Jews living in Persia or for Jews facing a similar situation elsewhere at another time is uncertain.

The book has long been included in the canon of Scripture for both Jews and Christians. Its message is relevant to readers in every generation.

Literary Characteristics The book of Esther is a prose account of an event in the life of the Jewish people who lived under Persian rule. The opening words of the book (Heb. wyhy, lit. “This is what happened”) are also used to open the historical books of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel. The reference to “the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia” implies that additional historical information about Mordecai was once available (Est 10:2).

Such features suggest that the author intended the story to be taken as history. Irony and humor are literary features appropriately used to dramatize historical events.

THEMES A most conspicuous feature of the book of Esther is the complete absence of any mention of God, the temple, Jerusalem. or the law. In this sense, it appears to be a completely secular book, which relates its story on the purely human plane of history. Nevertheless, this book is about God’s chosen people, and it appears in both the Jewish and Christian canon of Scripture. Therefore, the book must be understood in the canonical context of redemptive history.

The major theme of the book is God’s sovereign power to work, even through pagans, in order to preserve and deliver his people. The enemies of God’s people, portrayed possibly as Amalekites in the book of Esther, cannot prevail over his purposes, even when God himself seems strangely absent (see Est 3:1).

The name of the holiday, Purim (or the Festival of Lots), which celebrates this great deliverance, commemorates the theme that the destiny of God’s people will not be determined by anything other than the purposes of God himself.

OUTLINE

I. The Ascension of Esther to the Throne of Persia (1:1—­2:18) A. A banquet given by the king (1:1–­22) 1. Queen Vashti’s scandal (1:1–­12) 2. Queen Vashti’s dethronement (1:13–­22) B. The selection of a new queen (2:1–­18) 1. The search for candidates (2:1–­8) 2. The choosing of Esther (2:9–­18)

II. The Conflict Between Mordecai and Haman (2:19—­3:6)

A. An assassination attempt foiled by Mordecai (2:19–­23)

B. Mordecai’s refusal to bow to Haman (3:1–­6) III. Haman’s Evil Plan to Annihilate the Jews (3:7—­7:6)

A. Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews (3:7–­15)

B. Mordecai’s appeal to Esther for help (4:1—­5:8)

1. Queen Esther’s plan (4:1–­17)

2. Queen Esther’s banquet (5:1–­8)

C. Haman’s plot to kill Mordecai (5:9–­14)

D. The king’s honoring of Mordecai (6:1–­14)

E. Queen Esther’s revelation of Haman’s plot (7:1–­6) IV. The Reversal of Haman’s Plot (7:7—­9:17)

A. The death of Haman (7:7–­10)

B. Queen Esther’s saving of the Jews (8:1—­9:4)

1. A new decree (8:1–­14)

2. The rejoicing of the Jews (8:15—­9:4)

C. The Jews’ destruction of their enemies (9:5–­17) V. The Origin of Purim (9:18—­10:3)

A. The establishment of the Feast of Purim (9:18–­28)

B. The decree of Queen Esther (9:29–­32)

C. The advancement of Mordeai (10:1–­3)

Esther 1:1

708

Queen Vashti Deposed

1

This is what hap­pened dur­ing the time of Xer­xes, a the Xer­xes who r­ uled over 1­ 27 prov­inc­es stretch­ing from In­dia to Cush b: 2 At that time King Xer­xes ­reigned from his roy­ al ­throne in the cit­a­del of Susa, 3 and in the ­third year of his ­reign he gave a ban­quet for all his no­bles and of­fi­cials. The mil­i­tary lead­ ers of Per­sia and Me­dia, the princ­es, and the no­bles of the prov­inc­es were pres­ent.

4 For a full 180 days he dis­played the vast ­wealth of his king­dom and the splen­dor and glo­ry of his maj­es­ty. 5 When ­these days were over, the king gave a ban­quet, last­ing sev­en days, in the en­closed gar­den of the ­king’s pal­ace, for all the peo­ple from the l­east to the great­est who were in the cit­a­del of Susa.

6 The gar­den had hang­ings of ­white and blue lin­en, fas­tened with c­ ords of w ­ hite lin­en and pur­ple ma­teri­al to sil­ver r­ ings on mar­ ble pil­lars. ­There were couch­es of gold and sil­ver on a mo­sa­ic pave­ment of por­phy­r y, mar­ble, moth­er-of-­pearl and oth­er cost­ly ­stones. 7 Wine was s­ erved in gob­lets of gold, 1:1 In Greek histories, this king was known as Xerxes I (reign-

ing 486–­465 BC).

1:2 Susa had long been an important center of culture, religion, and politics. Darius (522–­486 BC) chose Susa as his political and administrative capital. For Susa, see Nehemiah 1:1, note.

1:3 Cyrus, whose mother was a Mede and father a Persian, united the Median and Persian empires into one. Median customs were adopted by the Persian court, and Medes held prominent positions in the empire. At the time of Xerxes, Persia was dominant and therefore named first (cf. to Est 10:2).

The joint Persian-­Median Empire lasted until 330 BC when Alexander the Great marched eastward. Ancient Persia was centered in the area known today as Iraq and Iran. The area known as ancient Media covers what is now the northwest part of Iran, Azerbaijan, Ardelan in northwestern Iraq, and parts of Kurdistan.

1:5 Lavish banquets were given on many occasions (see Est 2:18). The date of this banquet (483/482 BC) and its length suggest the occasion may have been a war council to plan the ill-­fated campaigns against Greece (482–­479 BC).

1:6 The palace at Susa was built by Darius I, Xerxes’ father. Archaeologists have found in its dedication inscription (housed at the Louvre in Paris), a confirmation of its lavish appointments and ornamentation. Excavation has determined that the king received visitors in a large hall separated from the king’s private living quarters by a courtyard. The hall contained 36 columns and was flanked on three sides by porticoes, each having two rows of six columns. The remains of colorfully glazed decorative brick, which formed large mosaics of human figures, winged lions and bulls, sphinxes and winged sun disks, have also been unearthed at Susa. The foundation charter describes the materials used to build the royal compound (cedar, gold, ivory, lapis lazuli, turquoise and marble) as tribute coming from all parts of the Persian Empire.

each one dif­fer­ent from the oth­er, and the roy­al wine was abun­dant, in keep­ing with the ­king’s lib­er­al­i­ty. 8 By the k ­ ing’s com­mand each ­guest was al­lowed to ­drink with no re­stric­tions, for the king in­struct­ed all the wine stew­ards to s­ erve each man what he wished.

9 Queen Vash­ti also gave a ban­quet for the wom­en in the roy­al pal­ace of King Xer­xes.

10 On the sev­ enth day, when King Xer­ xes was in high spir­its from wine, he com­ mand­ed the sev­en eu­nuchs who s­erved him — ​Me­hu­man, Biz­tha, Har­bo­na, Big­tha, Abag­tha, Ze­thar and Kar­kas — ​ 11 to ­bring be­fore him ­Queen Vash­ti, wear­ing her roy­ al c­ rown, in or­der to dis­play her beau­ty to the peo­ple and no­bles, for she was love­ly to look at. 12 But when the at­ten­dants de­liv­ered the ­king’s com­mand, ­Queen Vash­ti re­fused to come. Then the king be­came fu­ri­ous and ­burned with an­ger.

13 Since it was cus­tom­ary for the king to con­sult ex­perts in mat­ters of law and j­ us­tice, a 1 Hebrew Ahasuerus; here and throughout Esther b 1

That is, the upper Nile region

1:9 Greek historians record that Amestris was the name of

Xerxes’ wife. Some have attempted to identify this name as the Greek spelling of Vashti (or even of Esther). Others believe Amestris was neither Vashti nor Esther and that Xerxes had more than one woman who was referred to as his “wife.”

1:10 Eunuchs were castrated men employed to guard the harem. Because the legitimacy of the king’s offspring was of paramount importance, no men except eunuchs were permitted contact with the harem.

1:11 The Targum Rishon (a translation, with commentary, of the OT into Aramaic) includes the word “naked” in its translation of v. 11. The traditional Jewish reading of this story was that Xerxes commanded Vashti to parade naked around his drunken party. Vashti refused this humiliating request. Her act is interpreted by some as more than a queen’s rebellion against her king (v. 16). The king’s advisers surmised that Vashti’s refusal could well influence the way other women in the kingdom responded to their husbands, bringing widespread upheaval and discord in homes throughout the land (vv. 17–­18).

1:12 Herodotus, a Greek historian of the Persian period, writes in less than flattering terms about Xerxes as a very impatient, easily angered ruler who had a widespread reputation as a voracious womanizer. The characterization of Xerxes in the book of Esther is consistent with that (see v. 12; Est 2:1,4; 7:7).

1:13–­14 The “experts” were official advisers found in all the courts of the ancient Near East. “Understood the times” is a phrase used to suggest that the wise men could determine by divination and astrology the most opportune time for action (see Isa 47:13; Da 2:27; 5:15). Both Herodotus and Ezr 7:14 record that seven men formed the council of the king’s closest advisers. Lesser officials, such as Haman, also had wise men to advise them (see Est 6:13).

709

Esther 1:22 A ra l Sea

PERSIAN EMPIRE

Ox Ca sp

B lac k Sea

ian

Se

Athens

PERSIA

Sardis

Byblos Tyre Joppa

terranean Sea

Damascus

.

ph

ra

Jerusalem Pelusium

PI

te

s

RE

Nineveh Ecbatana Behistun

Ashur

R.

Arabi an De ser t

Sippar Babylon

Ur

Susa

Pasargadae Persepolis Pe

Memphis

ia

rs

N ile R.

300 km.

EM

R Eu

Aleppo

Sais

0

s

SALAMIS ISLAND

0

N

T i g ri Harran

Medi

a

Thermopylae

Red Sea

n

Gu

lf

Aswan (Elephantine)

300 miles

he ­spoke with the wise men who un­der­ stood the ­times 14 and were clos­ C U eSstH to the king — ​ Kar­she­na, She­thar, Ad­ma­tha, Tar­ shish, Me­res, Mar­se­na and Me­mu­kan, the sev­en no­bles of Per­sia and Me­dia who had spe­cial ac­cess to the king and were high­est in the king­dom.

15 “Ac­cord­ing to law, what must be done to Q ­ ueen Vash­ti?” he ­asked. “She has not ­obeyed the com­mand of King Xer­xes that the eu­nuchs have tak­en to her.”

16 Then Me­mu­kan re­plied in the pres­ence of the king and the no­bles, “Queen Vash­ti has done ­wrong, not only ­against the king but also a­ gainst all the no­bles and the peo­ ples of all the prov­inc­es of King Xer­xes. 17 For the ­queen’s con­duct will be­come ­known to all the wom­en, and so they will de­spise ­their hus­bands and say, ‘King Xer­xes com­mand­ed ­Queen Vash­ti to be ­brought be­fore him, but she ­would not come.’ 18 This very day the Per­ sian and Me­di­an wom­en of the no­bil­i­ty who

have ­heard ­about the ­queen’s con­duct will re­spond to all the ­king’s no­bles in the same way. ­There will be no end of dis­re­spect and dis­cord.

19 “There­fore, if it pleas­es the king, let him is­sue a roy­al de­cree and let it be writ­ten in the laws of Per­sia and Me­dia, ­which can­not be re­pealed, that Vash­ti is nev­er ­again to en­ ter the pres­ence of King Xer­xes. Also let the king give her roy­al po­si­tion to some­one else who is bet­ter than she. 20 Then when the ­king’s ­edict is pro­claimed through­out all his vast ­realm, all the wom­en will re­spect t­ heir hus­bands, from the l­ east to the great­est.”

21 The king and his no­bles were p ­ leased with this ad­vice, so the king did as Me­mu­kan pro­posed. 22 He sent dis­patch­es to all ­parts of the king­dom, to each prov­ince in its own ­script and to each peo­ple in their own lan­ guage, pro­claim­ing that ev­ery man ­should be rul­er over his own house­hold, us­ing his na­tive tongue.

1:22 Many languages were spoken such as Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian dialects, as well as Assyrian, Arabic, and Indo-­European dialects. Aramaic was the lingua franca used for trade and diplomacy across the empire. Inscriptions

from the reign of Xerxes are mostly trilingual, in Old Persian, Babylonian (Akkadian), and Elamite. Throughout the empire there was an excellent postal system using horses and riders in relays (see Est 8:10).

us

R.

710

Esther 2:1

Vashti :

DEPOSED QUEEN

The pride and splendor of the Medo-­Persian Empire were on display for 180 days before all of King Xerxes’ officials and allies. Building support for his coming Greek campaign (482–­479 BC), the king climaxed his lavish celebration with a seven-­day banquet for citizens of Susa, the site of his royal palace.

Persian monarchs insisted upon deference. Not even the queen was allowed into the throne room unless summoned. To be called by the king was a rigid order, not an invitation. On the final day of the feast such a bid was issued for Queen Vashti, who refused to come. She was hosting her own feast for the women of the palace when she was called to appear before the men.

Her action could have been a response to the Near Eastern custom that dictated that women, including the queen, be excluded from such revelry. Some historians believe she feared the gawking of a crowd of drunken officials and commoners; others suggest that she was pregnant at the time.

Vashti’s decision to disobey the order of Xerxes, probably assuming he would forgive her later, was a serious miscalculation. The sovereign had announced her arrival in front of his guests, making her refusal equally public, and the king was humiliated in the presence of his subjects. The king and his counselors realized immediately that disastrous repercussions could occur in every household, as other wives might follow the queen’s precedent.

The king acted upon the advice of his officials, whereas Vashti herself had apparently unwisely made the decision to defy her husband and king. A decree was sent out, and Vashti was eventually replaced by Queen Esther. The two queens, one a Gentile and the other a Jewess, demonstrate diverse and antithetical responses. Unlike Esther, who courageously yet humbly disobeyed the king by appearing unsummoned, Vashti defiantly disregarded his command with no recorded apology or explanation. Esther acted in the best interests of her people whose lives were in her hands and at the request of her foster parent. Vashti apparently acted in her own interest and without counsel or petition of anyone. Yet each is used sovereignly to accomplish God’s purposes. Vashti lives in history as the queen who was deposed for daring to challenge her husband as well as the irrevocable royal law of the Medes and Persians.

See also notes on Influence (Est 4); Submission (1Pe 3)

Esther Made Queen

wom­en into the har­em at the cit­a­del of Susa.

Let them be ­placed un­der the care of Heg­ai, the ­king’s eu­nuch, who is in ­charge of the wom­en; and let beau­ty treat­ments be giv­en to them. 4 Then let the ­young wom­an who pleas­es the king be q ­ ueen in­stead of Vash­ti.”

This ad­vice ap­pealed to the king, and he fol­ lowed it.

5 Now t­ here was in the cit­a­del of Susa a

2:3 Fathers may not have brought their daughters voluntarily

the reign of Xerxes, an official from Susa named Marduka, who may be this same Mordecai, is mentioned.

This first mention of the “Jews” in the book links this story to the history of Israel. The term “Jew” was used of the Israelites from the time of the exile (see Jos, Terminology for the Land and People of God). The identification of Mordecai as a descendant of Kish, a Benjamite, reminds those familiar with the Bible of Israel’s first king, Saul, who was also introduced as a Benjamite and the son of Kish (1Sa 9:1; 14:51). If Kish in both books refers to the same person, then it is being used

2

Lat­er when King Xer­xes’ fury had sub­sid­ ed, he re­mem­bered Vash­ti and what she had done and what he had de­creed ­about her. 2 Then the ­king’s per­son­al at­ten­dants pro­posed, “Let a s­ earch be made for beau­ti­ ful y­ oung vir­gins for the king. 3 Let the king ap­point com­mis­sion­ers in ev­ery prov­ince of his ­realm to ­bring all ­these beau­ti­ful ­young

to the palace (v. 2). Historical sources attest that the harems of two other Persian kings, Darius II and Artaxerxes II, were replenished by a mass gathering of virgins from throughout the empire.

2:5 Mordecai (lit. “man of Marduk”) is the Hebrew form of his Babylonian name, which contained the name of Marduk, the state god of Babylon. A common practice during the Diaspora was to give an individual both a Babylonian and Hebrew name (see Da 1:6–­7). In an undated document, possibly from

711 Jew of the t­ ribe of Ben­ja­min, ­named Mor­de­ cai son of Jair, the son of Shim­ei, the son of Kish, 6 who had been car­ried into ex­ile from Je­ru­sa­lem by Neb­u­chad­nez­zar king of Bab­ ylon, ­among t­ hose tak­en cap­tive with Je­hoi­ a­chin a king of Ju­dah. 7 Mor­de­cai had a cous­in ­named Ha­das­sah, whom he had b ­ rought up be­cause she had nei­ther fa­ther nor moth­er.

This ­young wom­an, who was also k ­ nown as Es­ther, had a love­ly fig­ure and was beau­ti­ful.

Mor­de­cai had tak­en her as his own daugh­ter when her fa­ther and moth­er died.

8 When the k ­ ing’s or­der and e­ dict had been pro­claimed, many ­young wom­en were ­brought to the cit­a­del of Susa and put un­ der the care of Heg­ai. Es­ther also was tak­en to the k ­ ing’s pal­ace and en­trust­ed to Heg­ai, who had ­charge of the har­em. 9 She ­pleased him and won his fa­vor. Im­me­di­ate­ly he pro­ vid­ed her with her beau­ty treat­ments and spe­cial food. He as­signed to her sev­en fe­male at­ten­dants se­lect­ed from the ­king’s pal­ace and ­moved her and her at­ten­dants into the best p ­ lace in the har­em.

10 Es­ther had not re­vealed her na­tion­al­i­ty and fam­i­ly back­ground, be­cause Mor­de­cai had for­bid­den her to do so. 11 Ev­ery day he ­walked back and ­forth near the court­yard of the har­em to find out how Es­ther was and what was hap­pen­ing to her.

12 Be­fore a ­young wom­an’s turn came to go in to King Xer­xes, she had to com­plete t­ welve ­months of beau­ty treat­ments pre­scribed for the wom­en, six ­months with oil of ­myrrh and six with per­fumes and cos­met­ics. 13 And this is how she ­would go to the king: Any­ thing she want­ed was giv­en her to take with her from the har­em to the ­king’s pal­ace.

14 In the eve­ning she ­would go ­there and in the morn­ing re­turn to an­oth­er part of the­ as an ancestral family name. Otherwise, there may have been two men named Kish, one the father of Saul, the other a more recent ancestor of Mordecai. This genealogy sets the stage for the conflict that is to arise between Mordecai and Haman (see Est 3:1, note).

2:6 For Jehoiachin, see 2 Kings 24:6–­17; chart, The Kings with Two Names.

2:7 Hadassah, meaning “myrtle,” is Esther’s Hebrew name.

The myrtle plant was used metaphorically in the OT to symbolize the Lord’s forgiveness and acceptance of his people (see Isa 55:13). Her Babylonian name Esther (lit. “star”) may be a form of the name Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love and war.

2:13 “Anything she wanted” may have been clothing and jew-

Esther 2:14

B E A U T Y P R E PA R AT I O N S

ESTHER’S MAKEOVER The meaning of the phrase “anything she wanted was given her” is uncertain (Est 2:13).

Clothing and jewelry, which possibly the young woman was allowed to keep as a “wedding” gift from the king, may have been provided.

The ancient beauty process referred to as “six months . . . with perfumes” has been illuminated by the archaeological find of a cosmetic burner from this period (Est 2:12).

During the Persian period and even among some Arabian tribes in this century, women would build a small charcoal fire in a pit in the floor. A fragrant oil, such as that from sandalwood, cloves, myrrh or rose, would be placed in the cosmetic burner and heated in the fire. The woman would crouch naked over the burner with her robe draped over her head and body to form a tent. As she perspired, her open pores absorbed the fragrance of the oil. By the time the fire burned out, her skin and clothing would be thoroughly perfumed.

Aromatic oils and spices were Persia’s major export.

See also article, What They Left Behind; notes on Jewelry (Ex 28); Clothing (Eze 16); Cosmetics (Ex 30)

har­em to the care of Sha­ash­gaz, the k ­ ing’s eu­nuch who was in ­charge of the con­cu­ bines. She ­would not re­turn to the king un­ less he was ­pleased with her and sum­moned her by name. a 6 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin

elry, which the young women in this process may have been allowed to keep as a “wedding” gift from the king.

2:14 The two different parts of the harem mentioned are the “best place in the harem” (v. 9) and the concubines’ part of the harem. The virgins were kept in the first area of the harem. After a woman had sexual relations with the king, she was moved to the second area of the harem where the king’s offspring were reared. From this area she would never depart—­even to other areas of the palace—­unless the king summoned her to his presence by name (see 2Sa 20:3). Both parts were securely guarded by eunuchs. The king’s living quarters in the royal palace were separate from the harem but were within the same heavily guarded royal compound.

Esther 2:15

712

ADOPTION

CHOSEN CHILDREN In the process of adoption, an individual—­whether relative or not—­assumes parental responsibility for the child of another, as Mordecai adopted his young relative Esther after the death of her parents.

Joseph adopted Jesus to be recognized as his own son in the eyes of God and man. This gave all legal inheritance rights traceable through Joseph to Jesus (Mt 1:1–­25), assigning to him legal claim to the Davidic throne. Spiritually, we are the children of God by adoption just as Jesus was the child of Joseph by adoption. This process of adoption gives to the one adopted full family standing and rights (Ro 8:15–­17).

This transaction is a divinely authorized, God-­blessed and legally binding means for adding to the family unit and passing on the family inheritance (Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5).

Though the Bible does not present explicit legal process or rights and responsibilities demanded for adoption, Old Testament examples are found (Esther’s adoption by Mordecai, Est 2:15; Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter, Ex 2:10) in addition to the use of the adoption motif in explaining God’s relationship to his people Israel (Dt 14:2). In the New Testament, adoption describes the believer’s relationship with the Lord (Gal 4:3–­7; Eph 1:1–­6).

When a woman accepts Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit completes a transaction of adoption on her behalf.

She becomes God’s daughter and he, her Abba (Aramaic) or “Daddy.” As God’s adopted daughters, we will inherit a perfect home with him, and in the meantime we have immediate access to him for comfort, direction and provision. He adopted us with pleasure and will never revoke our adoption.

See also Mt 18:3, note; Ro 9:4; notes on Children (2Sa 21; Ps 128; Pr 22; Lk 15); Family (Ge 32; 1Sa 3; Ps 78; 127); Parenthood (Pr 10); Salvation (Eph 2)

15 When the turn came for Es­ ther (the ­young wom­an Mor­de­cai had adopt­ed, the daugh­ter of his un­cle Ab­i­hail) to go to the king, she a­ sked for noth­ing oth­er than what Heg­ai, the ­king’s eu­nuch who was in ­charge of the har­em, sug­gest­ed. And Es­ther won the fa­vor of ev­ery­one who saw her. 16 She was tak­en to King Xer­xes in the roy­al res­i­dence in the t­ enth ­month, the ­month of Te­beth, in the sev­enth year of his reign.

17 Now the king was at­tract­ed to Es­ther more than to any of the oth­er wom­en, and she won his fa­vor and ap­prov­al more than

the vir­gins were as­sem­bled a sec­ ond time, Mor­de­cai was sit­ting at the ­king’s gate. 20 But Es­ther had kept se­cret her fam­il­ y back­ground and na­tion­al­i­ty just as Mor­de­cai

2:15 Abihail (Heb., lit. “my father is might”), Esther’s father, is mentioned twice (v. 15; Est 9:29).

2:16 The month of Tebeth corresponds to December–­ January in the modern calendar (see chart, The Jewish Sacred Calendar). The “seventh year of his reign” would be December, 480 BC, or January, 479 BC or some four years after Vashti was deposed (see Est 1:3). The king was occupied during these years by his disastrous war with Greece (482–­479 BC).

2:17 The favor and approval Esther received from the king hinted at the influential role she would play. According to the Jewish Talmud, Esther was one of the four most beautiful women who ever lived, along with Rahab, Sarah, and Abigail.

Evidently, the king had no desire to look further for a queen after he had seen Esther.

2:18 A holiday implies more than release from work. It may include the freeing of slaves, the forgiving of debt and the r­ emission of tribute or military service (see also Est 1:5, note).

2:20 Esther continued to listen to and be obedient to Mordecai even as the queen. For Esther to obey Mordecai’s instruction to conceal her identity as a Jew, she would have had to eat, dress and live in ways that probably would have violated Jewish ceremonial law. Interestingly, the Septuagint (LXX) adds a statement that Mordecai told Esther “to fear God and

any of the oth­er vir­gins. So he set a roy­al c­ rown on her head and made her q­ ueen in­ stead of Vash­ti. 18 And the king gave a g­ reat ban­quet, Es­ther’s ban­quet, for all his no­ bles and of­fi­cials. He pro­claimed a hol­i­day through­out the prov­inc­es and dis­trib­ut­ed ­gifts with roy­al lib­er­al­i­ty.

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy 19 When

713 had told her to do, for she con­tin­ued to fol­ low Mor­de­cai’s in­struc­tions as she had done when he was bring­ing her up.

21 Dur­ing the time Mor­de­cai was sit­ting at the ­king’s gate, Big­tha­na a and Te­resh, two of the k ­ ing’s of­fi­cers who guard­ed the door­way, be­came an­gry and con­spired to as­sas­si­nate King Xer­xes. 22 But Mor­de­cai ­found out ­about the plot and told ­Queen Es­ther, who in turn re­port­ed it to the king, giv­ing cred­it to Mor­ de­cai. 23 And when the re­port was in­ves­ti­ gat­ed and ­found to be true, the two of­fi­cials were im­paled on p ­ oles. All this was re­cord­ed in the book of the an­nals in the pres­ence of the king.

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

3

Af­ter ­these ­events, King Xer­xes hon­ored Ha­man son of Ham­me­da­tha, the Ag­ag­ ite, el­e­vat­ing him and giv­ing him a seat of hon­or high­er than that of all the oth­er no­ bles. 2 All the roy­al of­fi­cials at the k ­ ing’s gate ­knelt down and paid hon­or to Ha­man, for the king had com­mand­ed this con­cern­ing him. But Mor­de­cai ­would not k ­ neel down or pay him hon­or.

3 Then the roy­al of­fi­cials at the k ­ ing’s gate ­asked Mor­de­cai, “Why do you dis­obey the ­king’s com­mand?” 4 Day af­ter day they ­spoke to him but he re­fused to com­ply. There­fore

to perform his commandments.” The Bible does not evaluate or commend her behavior in the Persian court in a direct way.

2:21 Mordecai sat at the king’s gate. This phrase does not refer to a leisurely pastime but means Mordecai had gained an official position within the court of the king. Much administrative and judicial business was conducted in the gate, which was a large building forming the entrance to the royal compound (see Est 4:6, note). Mordecai’s position gave him access to much of the royal compound but not to the harem or the palace.

3:1 Haman was associated with Agag, king of the Amalekites, whom Saul (a son of Kish, like Mordecai) had failed to kill when he defied God’s command more than 500 years before (v. 1; Est 8:3,5; 9:24; see 1Sa 15:1–­9). The Amalekites were a nomadic people of the southern desert region who frequently raided the Israelites. They had a long history of animosity with Israel, which began when they were the first nation to war with Israel after the exodus. (Ex 17:8–­16; see also Dt 25:17–­19).

The name “Amalekite” came to refer to any indistinct group of Israel’s enemies. The conflict between Mordecai and Haman is portrayed as a continuation of the conflict between Israel and the Amalekites.

3:2 The custom of kneeling down and paying homage to those ranking members of the court was common and widespread (see 1Sa 24:8; 2Sa 14:4; 1Ki 1:16). Mordecai’s refusal may have been on the grounds that such an act would be considered idolatry (v. 4), or he, as a Jew, may have refused to bow to

Esther 3:9

they told Ha­man ­about it to see wheth­er Mor­de­cai’s be­hav­ior ­would be tol­er­at­ed, for he had told them he was a Jew. 5 When Ha­man saw that Mor­de­cai ­would not k ­ neel down or pay him hon­or, he was en­raged. 6 Yet hav­ing ­learned who Mor­de­ cai’s peo­ple were, he s­ corned the idea of kill­ ing only Mor­de­cai. In­stead Ha­man ­looked for a way to de­stroy all Mor­de­cai’s peo­ple, the Jews, through­out the w ­ hole king­dom of Xer­xes.

7 In the t­ welfth year of King Xer­xes, in the ­first ­month, the ­month of Ni­san, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the pres­ence of Ha­man to se­lect a day and ­month. And the lot fell on b the ­twelfth ­month, the ­month of Adar.

8 Then Ha­man said to King Xer­xes, “There is a cer­tain peo­ple dis­persed ­among the peo­ ples in all the prov­inc­es of your king­dom who keep them­selves sep­a­rate. ­Their cus­toms are dif­fer­ent from ­those of all oth­er peo­ple, and they do not obey the ­king’s laws; it is not in the k ­ ing’s best in­ter­est to tol­er­ate them. 9 If it pleas­es the king, let a de­cree be is­sued to de­stroy them, and I will give ten thou­sand tal­ents c of sil­ver to the ­king’s ad­min­is­tra­tors for the roy­al trea­sury.” a 21 Hebrew Bigthan, a variant of Bigthana b 7 Septuagint;

Hebrew does not have And the lot fell on. c 9 That is, about 375 tons or about 340 metric tons

Haman, the Agagite (Amalekite), because the Amalekites were long-­standing enemies of the Israelites.

3:7 The months of the Jewish calendar were renamed sometime during the exile (see chart, The Jewish Sacred Calendar).

Nisan, formerly Abib, was the month in which the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt and in which all subsequent generations of Jews have celebrated Passover (Dt 16:1). While the Jews celebrated their deliverance from Egypt, Haman was casting the “lot” to determine when they would be destroyed. The appointed date would be March or April 474 BC a month before the next celebration of Passover. Esther had been queen about five years (see Est 2:16). Pur is the singular form of an Akkadian word that was adopted into the Hebrew language referring to a little cube made of clay or glass with an inscription or dots on each side of the cube. The purim (Heb. plural of pur) were used throughout the ancient Near East to solicit decisions from the gods. This practice was also used by the Israelites (see Jos 18:6; Pr 16:33).

The celebration of that deliverance was named “Purim” (lit. “lots”) to commemorate God’s sovereignty over the gods of the oppressors (see chart, The Festival of Purim). A roll of the dice had no power to determine the destiny of God’s people.

3:9 Ten thousand talents of silver is an enormous amount—­ over two tons! The total income of the Persian Empire under Xerxes’ father Darius was 14,560 talents. Haman offered to increase the king’s treasury by about two-­thirds the national income, presumably by plundering the wealth of the Jews (see Est 4:7, note).

Esther 3:10

714

10 So the king took his sig­net ring from his

fin­ger and gave it to Ha­man son of Ham­me­ da­tha, the Ag­ag­ite, the en­em ­ y of the Jews.

11 “Keep the mon­ey,” the king said to Ha­man, “and do with the peo­ple as you please.”

12 Then on the thir­teenth day of the ­first ­month the roy­al sec­re­tar­ies were sum­moned.

They ­wrote out in the ­script of each prov­ince and in the lan­guage of each peo­ple all Ha­ man’s or­ders to the k ­ ing’s sa­traps, the gov­er­ nors of the var­i­ous prov­inc­es and the no­bles of the var­i­ous peo­ples. T ­ hese were writ­ten in the name of King Xer­xes him­self and ­sealed with his own ring. 13 Dis­patch­es were sent by cou­ri­ers to all the k­ ing’s prov­inc­es with the or­der to de­stroy, kill and an­ni­hi­late all the Jews — ​­young and old, wom­en and chil­ dren — ​on a sin­gle day, the thir­teenth day of the ­twelfth ­month, the ­month of Adar, and to plun­der ­their ­goods. 14 A copy of the text of the e­ dict was to be is­sued as law in ev­ery prov­ince and made ­known to the peo­ple of ev­ery na­tion­al­i­ty so they ­would be ­ready for that day.

15 The cou­ri­ers went out, ­spurred on by the ­king’s com­mand, and the e­ dict was is­sued in the cit­a­del of Susa. The king and Ha­man sat down to d ­ rink, but the city of Susa was be­ wil­dered.

3 In ev­ery prov­ince to ­which the ­edict and or­

When Mor­de­cai l­earned of all that had been done, he tore his ­clothes, put on sack­cloth and ash­es, and went out into the city, wail­ing loud­ly and bit­ter­ly. 2 But he went only as far as the ­king’s gate, be­cause no one ­clothed in sack­cloth was al­lowed to en­ter it.

der of the king came, t­ here was g­ reat mourn­ ing ­among the Jews, with fast­ing, weep­ing and wail­ing. Many lay in sack­cloth and ash­es.

4 When Es­ther’s eu­nuchs and fe­male at­ ten­dants came and told her a­ bout Mor­de­cai, she was in ­great dis­tress. She sent ­clothes for him to put on in­stead of his sack­cloth, but he ­would not ac­cept them. 5 Then Es­ther sum­moned Ha­thak, one of the ­king’s eu­ nuchs as­signed to at­tend her, and or­dered him to find out what was trou­bling Mor­de­ cai and why.

6 So Ha­thak went out to Mor­de­cai in the open ­square of the city in f­ ront of the ­king’s gate. 7 Mor­de­cai told him ev­ery­thing that had hap­pened to him, in­clud­ing the ex­act ­amount of mon­ey Ha­man had prom­ised to pay into the roy­al trea­sury for the de­struc­ tion of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the e­ dict for t­ heir an­ni­hi­la­tion, ­which had been pub­lished in Susa, to show to Es­ther and ex­plain it to her, and he told him to in­struct her to go into the ­king’s pres­ ence to beg for mer­cy and ­plead with him for her peo­ple.

9 Ha­thak went back and re­port­ed to Es­ther what Mor­de­cai had said. 10 Then she in­struct­ ed him to say to Mor­de­cai, 11 “All the ­king’s of­ fi­cials and the peo­ple of the roy­al prov­inc­es know that for any man or wom­an who ap­ proach­es the king in the in­ner ­court with­out be­ing sum­moned the king has but one law: that they be put to ­death un­less the king ex­ tends the gold scep­ter to them and s­ pares ­their ­lives. But thir­ty days have p ­ assed s­ ince I was c­ alled to go to the king.”

3:10 The king’s signet ring was the symbol of full executive power. Its imprint was the equivalent of a legally binding signature. By giving Haman his signet ring, the king was giving him the authority to issue a decree in the king’s name (see Est 8:8).

3:12 The governing hierarchy of the Persian Empire was well organized. “Satraps,” a Hebrew spelling of a Persian title, were rulers of large regions. “Governors” ruled over provinces within satrapies. Under Persian rule, Nehemiah was the governor of Judah (Ne 5:14). “Nobles” were local authorities. The decree with the king’s seal was sent to all levels of the Persian government.

3:15 Herodotus, a Greek historian of the Persian period, explained that Persian kings customarily deliberated weighty matters of state while inebriated. When the “king and Haman sat down to drink,” they were not necessarily celebrating but more probably were confirming deliberations on the matter.

4:1–­3 Sackcloth and ashes were an almost universal sign

of grief in the ancient Near East throughout the OT period (see 1Ki 21:27; Da 9:3; Jnh 3:6; Mt 11:21). Although Mordecai had access to the royal compound, he could not enter while so attired.

4:6 Archaeologists have uncovered the king’s gate—­a large building, 131 by 92 feet, with a central room 69 feet square.

The discovery that the gate opened onto a city square corroborates the accuracy of details such as that given in this verse.

4:7 Mordecai had heard of Haman’s offer to increase the royal treasury enormously at the expense of the Jews; he apparently had not heard that the king refused the money (Est 3:11).

Before marrying Esther, Xerxes had fought and lost a costly war with Greece (482–­479 BC). Perhaps Mordecai reasoned that the fate of the Jews was sealed because Haman had made an offer the king could not afford to refuse (see Est 3:9, note).

4:11 The law that no one, not even his family, could approach the king unsummoned was a defense against assassination. Anyone wishing to see the king was expected to send

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

4

715

Esther 4:14

Esther :

A COURAGEOUS QUEEN

How could a modern-­day woman imagine the fear and insecurity that would plague Queen Esther, who was chosen solely on the basis of her beauty and appeal to the king? She was no princess with the clout of her father’s kingdom to enhance her position in the court. When she was not summoned for thirty days, she did not know if the king had found someone more pleasing or if she was merely losing her influence.

As a displaced, orphaned Jewess, Esther had been reared by Mordecai, an older relative.

Whether at his bidding, by force of evil officials or by her own choice, she had entered the beauty contest and won. Now Mordecai’s sources informed Esther that the Jewish people were scheduled for extinction by the wicked Haman, a self-­promoter who had elevated himself to vice-­regent, second only to the monarch, King Xerxes. Faced with a desperate challenge to survival, Esther pondered Mordecai’s question: “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14). Three principles are embodied in his advice:

1) No place of privilege can ever exempt a person from responsibility to respond to God’s call.

2) Although a situation may look hopeless, God is never helpless.

3) A God-­given opportunity is an individual’s received privilege.

Courageously Esther formulated her plan, even if it meant dying in the effort. In the court she had been taught to prepare herself physically, but she had also learned to prepare herself spiritually, as was evidenced by her fasting (Est 4:16; 9:31). According to Near Eastern tradition, with patience the queen invited Xerxes and Haman to a pair of banquets. Then, seizing the right moment, she presented her case, not questioning the king’s justice or righteousness but humbly asking for mercy for herself and her people.

Divine guidance seemingly directed Esther’s thoughts, words and actions. She had won the respect and the ear of her royal husband. In response, he assigned to her the task of rewriting the law (see Est 9:29), and she became quite properly the heroine of her people. To every woman she is a reminder of God’s sovereignty. God used her beauty, her intelligence and perhaps even her respectful attitude toward her husband, as well as her remarkable, fearless faith to accomplish his will. Through her obedience, Esther became a true “star” (the meaning of her Persian name) in the kingdom.

See also notes on Heroines (Heb 11); Influence (Est 4); Submission (1Pe 3); chart on Esther: A Leader of the Jews

12 When

Es­ther’s w ­ ords were re­port­ed to Mor­de­cai, 13 he sent back this an­swer: “Do not ­think that be­cause you are in the ­king’s ­house you ­alone of all the Jews will es­cape.

14 For if you re­main si­lent at this time, re­lief

and de­liv­er­ance for the Jews will ­arise from an­oth­er ­place, but you and your fa­ther’s fam­ i­ly will per­ish. And who ­knows but that you have come to your roy­al po­si­tion for such a time as this?”

a message requesting an audience. A carved relief excavated from the royal city of Persepolis shows Darius I seated on his throne with the royal scepter in his right hand and Crown Prince ­Xerxes standing behind him. The royal bodyguards, complete with ax, sword and bow, flank the throne. Because she had not been summoned by the king for 30 days, Esther was not expecting an opportunity to speak with him in the near future. Esther believed that she had to violate court protocol at the risk of her life because of the urgency of her mission (v. 16).

4:12–­16 These verses most clearly express the book’s

theme: God works through human decisions (see Mt 26:24; Ac 2:23 for NT expressions of the concurrence of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility).

4:14 Mordecai’s belief that the Jews would be delivered is rooted in the promises of God to preserve Israel while in exile (see Jer 29:1–­14). Mordecai’s remark, implying the improbability of an unknown Jewess becoming the wife of the Persian king, designates Esther herself as the means of their deliverance. Mordecai’s remark is a veiled reference to God’s providential work in orchestrating life’s circumstances.

Esther 4:15

716

INFLUENCE

MAKING YOUR MARK Women in Bible times are often thought of as being weak pawns in the world of mighty men. A careful study of the Bible, however, reveals women of enormous influence over their families, communities, and nations.

• Queen Esther was used of God to accomplish his purpose. She offered a moving petition for the lives of her people, swayed a king’s opinion, and was given the authority and resources to devise a strategy for saving her people (Est 8:7–­12).

• Deborah judged all of Israel and led a general into a victorious battle (Jdg 4:4–­24).

• Jochebed cleverly defied the evil ruling of the pharaoh and put together a creative plan to save the life of her son, who eventually led his people out of slavery (Ex 2:1–­10).

• Rahab offered shelter to two spies, saving her family from the invaders who destroyed all others in her city. Ultimately, she committed herself to Yahweh, the God of Israel (Jos 2:12–­14; 6:22–­25).

• Abigail worked creatively to circumvent her husband’s foolishness and in so doing saved her family and servants from certain death, putting herself into a position of great influence (1Sa 25:3–­42).

• Huldah, wife of the keeper of the king’s wardrobe, boldly spoke as a prophet of the Lord to her people (2Ki 22:14–­20).

The same kind of influence is evident today among women all over the world who use their gifts and talents to lead movements, rear families, and nurture the body of Christ. Women have a real ability to impact society in their homes and in their professional lives by practicing the same sacrificial attitude of these women whose testimonies are found in Scripture. The issue is not whether women have influence but whether they will choose to use their influence for evil or good, to extend God’s kingdom on the earth or attempt to destroy it.

See also Ru 3:10–­11; Pr 11:16; 31:10–­31; Mt 15:21–­28; 26:6–­13; 1Pe 3:15–­17; notes on Feminine Leadership (1Sa 25); Intuition (Heb 5); Motherhood (1Sa 1; Isa 49; Eze 16); Women’s Ministries (Jn 4; Ac 2; 1Co 11; Eph 2; 1Ti 3; Titus 2); portraits of Abigail (1Sa 25); Deborah (Jdg 4); Esther (Est 2); Huldah (2Ki 22); Jochebed (Ex 6); Rahab (Jos 2)

15 Then Es­ther sent this re­ply to Mor­de­cai: 16 “Go, gath­er to­geth­er all the Jews who are in

Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or d ­ rink for ­three days, ­night or day. I and my at­ten­dants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even ­though it is a­ gainst the law. And if I per­ish, I per­ish.”

17 So Mor­de­cai went away and car­ried out all of Es­ther’s in­struc­tions.

4:16 Fasting was closely associated with prayer (Ezr 8:23;

Ne 1:4; Da 9:3; see Mt 6:16–­18, note). The omission of any ­mention of prayer at this point is so conspicuous in its absence that the author, for whatever reason, may well have deliberately chosen to avoid all explicitly religious language.

5:1 Greek historians described the royal robes of the Persian king. The outer robe was dyed with Phoenician purple and embroidered with gold in patterns of fighting hawks or

Esther’s Request to the King

5

On the t­ hird day Es­ther put on her roy­al ­robes and s­ tood in the in­ner ­court of the pal­ace, in ­front of the ­king’s hall. The king was sit­ting on his roy­al ­throne in the hall, ­ ueen fac­ing the en­trance. 2 When he saw Q Es­ther stand­ing in the c­ ourt, he was ­pleased with her and held out to her the gold scep­ter

serpents. White or crimson trousers edged with purple were worn under the robe. Gold jeweled earrings, bracelets and a filigree collar adorned the king. The king’s sword, with a sheath reportedly made of a single precious stone, was supported by a belt made of gold. Bright color, precious gems and abundant gold made the royal dress a glittering splendor. The queen’s royal robes were no doubt commensurate with the riches of her position.

717 that was in his hand. So Es­ther ap­proached and t­ ouched the tip of the scep­ter.

3 Then the king a ­ sked, “What is it, Q ­ ueen Es­ther? What is your re­quest? Even up to half the king­dom, it will be giv­en you.”

4 “If it pleas­es the king,” re­plied Es­ther, “let the king, to­geth­er with Ha­man, come to­day to a ban­quet I have pre­pared for him.”

5 “Bring Ha­man at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Es­ther asks.”

So the king and Ha­man went to the ban­ quet Es­ther had pre­pared. 6 As they were drink­ing wine, the king a­ gain a­ sked Es­ther, “Now what is your pe­ti­tion? It will be giv­en you. And what is your re­quest? Even up to half the king­dom, it will be grant­ed.”

7 Es­ther re­plied, “My pe­ti­tion and my re­ quest is this: 8 If the king re­gards me with fa­vor and if it pleas­es the king to ­grant my pe­ti­tion and ful­fill my re­quest, let the king and Ha­man come to­mor­row to the ban­quet I will pre­pare for them. Then I will an­swer the ­king’s ques­tion.”

Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai 9 Ha­man

went out that day hap­py and in high spir­its. But when he saw Mor­de­cai at the ­king’s gate and ob­served that he nei­ther rose nor ­showed fear in his pres­ence, he was ­filled with rage ­against Mor­de­cai. 10 Nev­er­the­less, Ha­man re­strained him­self and went home.

Call­ing to­geth­er his ­friends and Ze­resh, his wife, 11 Ha­man boast­ed to them ­about his vast ­wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had hon­ored him and how he had el­e­vat­ed him a­ bove the oth­er no­bles and of­ fi­cials. 12 “And t­ hat’s not all,” Ha­man add­ed.

“I’m the only per­son ­Queen Es­ther in­vit­ed to ac­com­pa­ny the king to the ban­quet she gave.

And she has in­vit­ed me ­along with the king 5:3 The phrase up to half the kingdom was a court idiom used

by kings in the ancient Near East to indicate their generous disposition toward the person in view. It was probably not to be understood as a literal offer of half the riches or the power of the kingdom (v. 6; Est 7:2; see Mk 6:23).

5:14 In the Persian culture “a pole” would have been used to impale Mordecai for public display. The great height (about 75 feet), which is often taken as an exaggeration, may have been intended to assure that all in Susa would have a good view of Haman’s revenge on Mordecai (see Est 9:13–­14, note). Haman’s wife Zeresh gave him advice similar to that given when Jezebel suggested to Ahab that he kill Naboth and seize his vineyard (1Ki 21). To readers familiar with that story, Zeresh’s advice hints at a disastrous outcome.

6:1 The Greek historians reported that by law Persian offi-

Esther 6:8

to­mor­row. 13 But all this ­gives me no sat­is­fac­ tion as long as I see that Jew Mor­de­cai sit­ting at the ­king’s gate.”

14 His wife Ze­resh and all his ­friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reach­ing to a ­height of fif­ty cu­bits, a and ask the king in the morn­ ing to have Mor­de­cai im­paled on it. Then go with the king to the ban­quet and en­joy your­ self.” This sug­ges­tion de­light­ed Ha­man, and he had the pole set up.

Mordecai Honored

6

That ­night the king ­could not ­sleep; so he or­dered the book of the chron­i­cles, the rec­ord of his r­ eign, to be b ­ rought in and read to him. 2 It was ­found re­cord­ed ­there that Mor­de­cai had ex­posed Big­tha­na and Te­resh, two of the ­king’s of­fi­cers who guard­ed the door­way, who had con­spired to as­sas­si­nate King Xer­xes.

3 “What hon­or and rec­og­ni­tion has Mor­de­ cai re­ceived for this?” the king asked.

“Noth­ing has been done for him,” his at­ ten­dants an­swered.

4 The king said, “Who is in the ­court?” Now Ha­man had just en­tered the out­er c­ ourt of the pal­ace to ­speak to the king ­about im­pal­ing Mor­de­cai on the pole he had set up for him.

5 H is at­ten­d ants an­swered, “Ha­m an is stand­ing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king or­dered.

6 When Ha­man en­tered, the king ­asked him, “What ­should be done for the man the king de­lights to hon­or?”

Now Ha­man ­thought to him­self, “Who is ­there that the king ­would rath­er hon­or than me?” 7 So he an­swered the king, “For the man the king de­lights to hon­or, 8 have them ­bring a roy­al robe the king has worn and a a 14

That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters

cials kept archives of royal records which contained a detailed account of the business of the Persian kings. This “book of the annals of the king” (see Est 2:23) was written on scrolls of leather or papyrus and was carefully filed in the royal archives (see Ezr 6:1–­4; Est 10:2). It was a point of honor to Persian kings, as well as good politics, to reward amply anyone whose loyal action benefited the king. As much as five years had passed between the time when Mordecai had thwarted the assassination plot and when the king realized no reward had been given (Est 2:19–­23). Fortunately, the king was disposed to reward Mordecai on the same day that Haman was preparing to kill him. This verse is the narrative center of the book, after which the plot turns to the Jews’ favor.

6:8 A royal robe. It was a great honor to wear the king’s robe in ancient times, for it symbolized special favor (see 1Sa 18:4).

Esther 6:9

718

­ orse the king has rid­den, one with a roy­al h ­crest p ­ laced on its head. 9 Then let the robe and h ­ orse be en­trust­ed to one of the k ­ ing’s most no­ble princ­es. Let them robe the man the king de­lights to hon­or, and lead him on the ­horse ­through the city s­ treets, pro­claim­ ing be­fore him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king de­lights to hon­or!’ ” 10 “Go at once,” the king com­mand­ed Ha­ man. “Get the robe and the ­horse and do just as you have sug­gest­ed for Mor­de­cai the Jew, who sits at the ­king’s gate. Do not ne­glect any­thing you have rec­om­mend­ed.”

11 So Ha­man got the robe and the ­horse. He ­robed Mor­de­cai, and led him on horse­back ­through the city ­streets, pro­claim­ing be­fore him, “This is what is done for the man the king de­lights to hon­or!”

12 A f­ter ­ward Mor­d e­cai re­t urned to the ­king’s gate. But Ha­man ­rushed home, with his head cov­ered in g­ rief, 13 and told Ze­resh his wife and all his ­friends ev­ery­thing that had hap­pened to him.

His ad­vis­ers and his wife Ze­resh said to him, “Since Mor­de­cai, be­fore whom your down­fall has start­ed, is of Jew­ish or­i­gin, you can­not ­stand ­against him — ​you will sure­ly come to ruin!” 14 While they were s­ till talk­ ing with him, the ­king’s eu­nuchs ar­rived and hur­ried Ha­man away to the ban­quet Es­ther had pre­pared.

Haman Impaled

7

So the king and Ha­man went to Q ­ ueen Es­ther’s ban­quet, 2 and as they were drink­ing wine on the sec­ond day, the king ­again a­ sked, “Queen Es­ther, what is your pe­ ti­tion? It will be giv­en you. What is your re­ quest? Even up to half the king­dom, it will be grant­ed.”

What is here called the “royal crest” on the king’s horse is seen in the reliefs excavated from the palace in Persepolis. The horse’s mane was arranged in a top-­knot between his ears.

6:13 Invincibility of the Jews. The remark made by Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and his wise men about the invincibility of the Jews and Haman’s certain defeat hints at the reversal of fortune that is about to occur. Haman, the Agagite, was an Amalekite against whom stood a long tradition of Biblical curses.

At the beginning of the conflict between Israel and the Amalekites, the Lord swore that he would be at war with every generation of Amalekites (Ex 17:16). Because Haman, an Amalekite, was warring against the Jews, as had his ancestors, he could expect nothing but defeat.

7:2 See Est 5:3, note.

7:8 A violation of harem protocol. It was a Persian custom to

3 Then

­Queen Es­ther an­swered, “If I have f­ound fa­vor with you, Your Maj­es­ty, and if it pleas­es you, g­ rant me my life — ​this is my pe­ti­tion. And ­spare my peo­ple — ​this is my re­quest. 4 For I and my peo­ple have been sold to be de­stroyed, ­killed and an­ni­hi­lat­ed. If we had mere­ly been sold as male and fe­male ­slaves, I ­would have kept qui­et, be­cause no such dis­tress ­would jus­ti­fy dis­turb­ing the king. a ” 5 King Xer­xes ­asked ­Queen Es­ther, “Who is he? ­Where is he — ​the man who has ­dared to do such a thing?”

6 Es­ther said, “An ad­ver­sary and en­e­my!

This vile Ha­man!”

Then Ha­man was ter­ri­fied be­fore the king and ­queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the pal­ace gar­den.

But Ha­man, re­al­iz­ing that the king had al­ ready de­cid­ed his fate, s­ tayed be­hind to beg ­Queen Es­ther for his life.

8 Just as the king re­turned from the pal­ace gar­den to the ban­quet hall, Ha­man was fall­ ing on the ­couch ­where Es­ther was re­clin­ing.

The king ex­claimed, “Will he even mo­ lest the ­queen ­while she is with me in the house?”

As soon as the word left the ­king’s ­mouth, they cov­ered Ha­man’s face. 9 Then Har­bo­na, one of the eu­nuchs at­tend­ing the king, said, “A pole reach­ing to a ­height of fif­ty cu­bits b ­stands by Ha­man’s ­house. He had it set up for Mor­de­cai, who ­spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Im­pale him on it!” 10 So they im­paled Ha­man on the pole he had set up for Mor­de­cai. Then the k­ ing’s fury sub­ sid­ed. a 4 Or quiet, but the compensation our adversary offers

cannot be compared with the loss the king would suffer That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters

b 9

recline during a meal. Had Haman followed harem protocol, he would have left Esther’s presence with the king. Although it was a common Near Eastern gesture of contrition to seize the feet or even kiss them, such behavior was completely inappropriate with a woman of the harem, much less the queen herself! So strict was harem protocol that the king’s interpretation of Haman’s behavior would have probably been the same even if Haman had merely knelt before Esther with no physical contact.

7:9–­10 Not only had Haman plotted against the queen’s people and assaulted the queen, but he had also planned to murder Mordecai, who had previously foiled an assassination plot against the king. The king therefore saw Haman as a traitor. Haman’s execution on the very gallows he had prepared for Mordecai is another of the book’s ironic reversals of fortune.

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Esther 8:5

Esther: A Leader of the Jews EARLY YEARS

Her Hebrew name was Hadassah (lit. “myrtle”), but she was known by her Persian name Esther (lit. “star”).

Her family was carried into captivity and chose to remain in Susa.

She was reared by her close relative (possibly cousin) Mordecai in Persia as part of a minority race (Est 2:5–7).

FAMILY STATUS

She was the orphaned daughter of Abihail of the tribe of Benjamin.

Her close relative Mordecai was her guardian (Est 2:7,15).

LEADERSHIP TRAINING

She was reared in the home of Mordecai, who sat within the king’s gate, having at least an understanding of court life and probably some official responsibilities (Est 2:21–23).

She disciplined herself to be obedient to authorities in her life (Est 2:8–9,20).

GOD’S CALL

The words of Mordecai, “who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this,” presented her call (Est 4:13–14).

GOD’S PROMISES

God’s timing was perfect (Est 4:14).

God’s providence, which uses his people to accomplish his purposes, was certain (Est 4:14–15).

God’s provision, including service, was not without cost (Est 4:16).

GOD’S INSTRUCTION

Mordecai delivered God’s instruction (Est 2:22; 4:8–14).

THE PEOPLE’S AFFIRMATION

Esther’s leadership was followed by palace staff (Est 4:5–9).

Mordecai respected and responded to Esther (Est 4:17).

ESTHER’S LEADERSHIP

She accepted God’s will (Est 4:16).

She was confident of God’s providence (Est 4:17).

She was active in mobilizing her staff and others for “fasting”; prayer and fasting were usually done in concert in times of grief or anguish (Est 4:15–16; see also 2Sa 12:16–17; Ezr 8:23).

She set an example of fasting herself (Est 4:16).

She presented herself in humility and obedience (Est 5:1—6:14).

She used creativity of effort and talent in her task (Est 5:3—6:14).

She considered timing in her plan (Est 6:1–14).

Her influence reflected extraordinary power and authority for a woman in Esther’s historical setting; it traveled far and wide; it continued unto the generations after her death (Est 9:32).

She wrote a decree that was entered in official records with full authority (Est 9:29,32).

OBSERVATIONS

She was courageous and self-sacrificing (Est 4:14,16).

She was clever (Est 5:3–4; 8:3).

She was used of God to save her people.

The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews

That same day King Xer­xes gave Q ­ ueen Es­ther the es­tate of Ha­man, the en­em ­ y of the Jews. And Mor­de­cai came into the pres­ence of the king, for Es­ther had told how he was re­lat­ed to her. 2 The king took off his sig­net ring, w ­ hich he had re­claimed from Ha­man, and pre­sent­ed it to Mor­de­cai. And Es­ther ap­point­ed him over Ha­man’s es­tate.

3 Es­ther ­again plead­ed with the king, fall­ ing at his feet and weep­ing. She b ­ egged him to put an end to the evil plan of Ha­man the Ag­ag­ite, w ­ hich he had de­vised a­ gainst the Jews. 4 Then the king ex­tend­ed the gold scep­ ter to Es­ther and she a­ rose and s­ tood be­fore him.

5 “If it pleas­es the king,” she said, “and if he re­gards me with fa­vor and ­thinks it the ­right

8:1 The house of Haman. Herodotus and Josephus both recorded that the property of a traitor became the property of the king. Xerxes gave the confiscated property to Esther as restitution for the offense against her.

8:2 Mordecai’s promotion. Not only is Mordecai’s life spared from Haman’s murderous attempts, but Mordecai is also pro-

moted as Haman’s successor in the court. Haman’s attempt to kill Mordecai leads only to Mordecai’s exaltation and Haman’s own destruction. Clearly this reversal is meant as a warning to the enemies of God’s people and as an encouragement to those on whom God’s promised protection rests.

8:4 See Est 4:11, note.

8

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Esther 8:6

t­ hing to do, and if he is p ­ leased with me, let an or­der be writ­ten over­rul­ing the dis­patch­es that Ha­man son of Ham­me­da­tha, the Ag­ag­ ite, de­vised and w ­ rote to de­stroy the Jews in all the ­king’s prov­inc­es. 6 For how can I bear to see di­sas­ter fall on my peo­ple? How can I bear to see the de­struc­tion of my fam­i­ly?”

7 King Xer­xes re­plied to ­Queen Es­ther and to Mor­de­cai the Jew, “Be­cause Ha­man at­ tacked the Jews, I have giv­en his es­tate to Es­ ther, and they have im­paled him on the pole he set up. 8 Now ­write an­oth­er de­cree in the ­king’s name in be­half of the Jews as ­seems best to you, and seal it with the ­king’s sig­ net ring — ​for no doc­u­ment writ­ten in the ­king’s name and ­sealed with his ring can be re­voked.”

GOD UNDERSTANDS OUR QUESTIONING, BUT IF OUR QUESTIONS KEEP US FROM TRUSTING HIS GOODNESS AND WISDOM, THEN WE HAVE FORFEITED HIS PROMISED BLESSEDNESS AND PEACE.

Verna Birkey 9 At

once the roy­al sec­re­tar­ies were sum­ moned — ​on the twen­ty-­third day of the ­third ­month, the ­month of Si­van. They ­wrote out all Mor­de­cai’s or­ders to the Jews, and to the sa­traps, gov­er­nors and no­bles of the 127 prov­inc­es stretch­ing from In­dia to Cush. a ­These or­ders were writ­ten in the ­script of each prov­ince and the lan­guage of each peo­ple and also to the Jews in t­ heir own ­script and lan­guage. 10 Mor­de­cai ­wrote in the name of King Xer­xes, s­ ealed the dis­patch­es with the k ­ ing’s sig­net ring, and sent them by mount­ed cou­ri­ers, who rode fast hors­es es­ pe­cial­ly bred for the king.

11 The ­king’s e ­ dict grant­ed the Jews in ­ev­ery 8:9 The twenty-­third day of the third month. The month of

Sivan corresponds with mid-­May to mid-­June on the modern calendar (see chart, The Jewish Sacred Calendar). The Jewish Festival of Pentecost (or Weeks), which, according to later Jewish tradition, celebrated the giving of the law at Sinai, was celebrated in Sivan. This festival was primarily a harvest celebration. Two months and ten days after issuing his decree, Haman was dead and his decree was counteracted. But the appointed day of confrontation was still nine months away.

8:10 See Est 1:22, note.

city the r­ ight to as­sem­ble and pro­tect them­ selves; to de­stroy, kill and an­ni­hi­late the ­armed men of any na­tion­al­i­ty or prov­ince who m ­ ight at­tack them and t­ heir wom­en and chil­dren, b and to plun­der the prop­er­ty of ­their en­e­mies. 12 The day ap­point­ed for the Jews to do this in all the prov­inc­es of King Xer­xes was the thir­teenth day of the t­ welfth m ­ onth, the ­month of Adar. 13 A copy of the text of the e­ dict was to be is­sued as law in ev­ery prov­ince and made ­known to the peo­ple of ev­ery na­tion­al­i­ ty so that the Jews w ­ ould be r­ eady on that day to ­avenge them­selves on ­their en­e­mies.

14 The cou­ri­ers, rid­ing the roy­al hors­es, went out, ­spurred on by the ­king’s com­ mand, and the ­edict was is­sued in the cit­a­del of Susa.

The Triumph of the Jews

15 When Mor­de­cai left the ­king’s pres­ence, he was wear­ing roy­al gar­ments of blue and ­white, a ­large ­crown of gold and a pur­ple robe of fine lin­en. And the city of Susa held a joy­ous cel­e­bra­tion. 16 For the Jews it was a time of hap­pi­ness and joy, glad­ness and hon­ or. 17 In ev­ery prov­ince and in ev­ery city to ­which the ­edict of the king came, ­there was joy and glad­ness a­ mong the Jews, with feast­ ing and cel­eb ­ rat­ing. And many peo­ple of oth­ er na­tion­al­i­ties be­came Jews be­cause fear of the Jews had ­seized them.

On the thir­teenth day of the ­twelfth ­month, the ­month of Adar, the ­edict com­mand­ed by the king was to be car­ried out. On this day the en­em ­ ies of the Jews had ­hoped to over­pow­er them, but now the ta­ bles were ­turned and the Jews got the up­per hand over ­those who hat­ed them. 2 The Jews as­sem­bled in t­ heir cit­ies in all the prov­inc­ es of King Xer­xes to at­tack ­those de­ter­mined to de­stroy them. No one ­could ­stand a­ gainst

9

a 9

That is, the upper Nile region b 11 Or province, together with their women and children, who might attack them;

8:11 Mordecai counteracts Haman’s decree. Mordecai’s de-

cree protecting the Jews only gave them legal permission to defend themselves in the event that anyone should still wish to act upon Haman’s edict of extermination. The fact that hostilities did occur and that so many people were killed indicates that many among the population wished to harm the Jews.

8:12 Thirteenth day of the twelfth month. The month of Adar corresponds to February–­March (see chart, The Jewish Sacred Calendar).

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Esther 9:23

them, be­cause the peo­ple of all the oth­ er na­tion­al­i­ties were ­afraid of them. 3 And all the no­bles of the prov­inc­es, the sa­traps, the gov­er­nors and the ­king’s ad­min­is­tra­tors ­helped the Jews, be­cause fear of Mor­de­cai had s­ eized them. 4 Mor­de­cai was prom­i­nent in the pal­ace; his rep­u­ta­tion ­spread through­ out the prov­inc­es, and he be­came more and more pow­er­ful.

5 The Jews s ­ truck down all ­their en­e­mies with the ­sword, kill­ing and de­stroy­ing them, and they did what they ­pleased to ­those who hat­ed them. 6 In the cit­a­del of Susa, the Jews ­killed and de­stroyed five hun­dred men.

7 They also ­killed Par­shan­da­tha, Dal­phon, As­pa­tha, 8 Po­ra­tha, Ada­lia, Arid­a­tha, 9 Par­ mash­ta, Aris­ai, Arid­ai and Vai­za­tha, 10 the ten sons of Ha­man son of Ham­me­da­tha, the en­e­my of the Jews. But they did not lay ­their ­hands on the plun­der.

11 The num­ber of t­ hose k ­ illed in the cit­a­del of Susa was re­port­ed to the king that same day. 12 The king said to ­Queen Es­ther, “The Jews have ­killed and de­stroyed five hun­dred men and the ten sons of Ha­man in the cit­a­ del of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the k ­ ing’s prov­inc­es? Now what is your pe­ti­tion? It will be giv­en you. What is your re­quest? It will also be grant­ed.”

13 “If it pleas­es the king,” Es­ther an­swered, “give the Jews in Susa per­mis­sion to car­ry out this ­day’s ­edict to­mor­row also, and let Ha­man’s ten sons be im­paled on poles.”

14 So the king com­ mand­ed that this be done. An e­ dict was is­sued in Susa, and they im­paled the ten sons of Ha­man. 15 The Jews in Susa came to­geth­er on the four­teenth day

of the ­month of Adar, and they put to d ­ eath in Susa ­three hun­dred men, but they did not lay ­their ­hands on the plun­der.

16 Mean­while, the re­main­der of the Jews who were in the ­king’s prov­inc­es also as­ sem­bled to pro­tect them­selves and get re­lief from ­their en­e­mies. They ­killed sev­en­ty-five thou­sand of them but did not lay ­their h ­ ands on the plun­der. 17 This hap­pened on the thir­ teenth day of the m ­ onth of Adar, and on the four­teenth they rest­ed and made it a day of feast­ing and joy.

18 The Jews in Susa, how­ev­er, had as­sem­ bled on the thir­teenth and four­teenth, and then on the fif­teenth they rest­ed and made it a day of feast­ing and joy.

19 That is why ru­ral Jews — ​­those liv­ing in vil­lag­es — ​ob­serve the four­teenth of the ­month of Adar as a day of joy and feast­ing, a day for giv­ing pres­ents to each oth­er.

9:5–­10 The Jews defeated their enemies. This incident is the antithesis of Saul’s disobedience to God. Saul failed to kill the Amalekites and took forbidden plunder (1Sa 15:1–­23). He consequently lost the throne. The Jews took no plunder (Est 9:10).

After this incident, Mordecai ascends to a position of leadership second only to the king himself (Est 10:3).

9:13–­14 Haman’s ten sons had been killed (v. 10). The request that they “be impaled on poles” would be understood as a request that their dead bodies be impaled for public viewing.

The public humiliation of a dead enemy was a common practice in the ancient Near East (see 1Sa 31:8–­13).

9:18–­19 Two days of celebration. Both the Jews “living in villages” and the Jews in Susa celebrated after the hostilities ceased. The Jews “living in villages” celebrated after one day of hostilities; the Jews in Susa after two days. Therefore, the village Jews celebrated on the fourteenth day of Adar and the Jews in Susa on the fifteenth day. In subsequent celebrations of Purim, both days were days of celebration (vv. 21–­22). Purim is now observed on the fifteenth of Adar in Jerusalem and on

the fourteenth by Jews living elsewhere (see charts, The Jewish Sacred Calendar; The Festival of Purim).

9:21 The celebration of Purim (or the Festival of Lots) falls in late February or early March. It continues to be celebrated by the Jews with the reading of Esther in the synagogue accompanied by noisemakers and booing whenever Haman’s name is read. It is the first Jewish festival to be observed without mention in the Torah (see charts, The Festivals of the Lord; The Festival of Purim). The holiday is observed with masquerading, feasting, and games, similar to the carnival celebration preceding the Lenten season. The Jewish Talmud prescribes festive drinking on Purim until one cannot distinguish between “Haman be cursed!” and “Mordecai be blessed!”

9:23–­24 Haman, “the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews,” believed he could secure success for his plot by casting the lots. Purim celebrates the power of God working in history to preserve his people and to deliver them from destruction (Pr 21:30–­31).

Purim Established 20 Mor­de­cai

re­cord­ed ­these ­events, and he sent let­ters to all the Jews through­out the prov­inc­es of King Xer­xes, near and far, 21 to have them cel­e­brate an­nu­al­ly the four­teenth and fif­teenth days of the m ­ onth of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got re­lief from ­their en­e­mies, and as the m ­ onth when t­ heir sor­ row was ­turned into joy and t­ heir mourn­ing into a day of cel­e­bra­tion. He ­wrote them to ob­serve the days as days of feast­ing and joy and giv­ing pres­ents of food to one an­oth­er and ­gifts to the poor.

23 So the Jews ­agreed to con­tin­ue the cel­e­bra­tion they had be­gun, do­ing what

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Esther 9:24

TheFestival Feast ofofPurim The Purim NAME

Purim (Heb. pur, lit. “the lot”)

REFERENCE

Est 9:16–32

TIME

The fourteenth day of Adar (Feb.–Mar.) by those in villages and unwalled towns and on the fifteenth day by those in fortified cities.

PURPOSE

(1) To commemorate the deliverance of the Jews from genocide through the efforts of Esther.

(2) To rejoice together and distribute food and presents.

­Mor­de­cai had writ­ten to them. 24 For Ha­man son of Ham­me­da­tha, the Ag­ag­ite, the en­ e­my of all the Jews, had plot­ted ­against the Jews to de­stroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for ­their ruin and de­struc­ tion. 25 But when the plot came to the ­king’s at­ten­tion, a he is­sued writ­ten or­ders that the evil ­scheme Ha­man had de­vised ­against the Jews ­should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons s­ hould be im­paled on ­poles. 26 (There­fore t­ hese days were ­called Pu­rim, from the word pur.) Be­cause of ev­ ery­thing writ­ten in this let­ter and be­cause of what they had seen and what had hap­pened to them, 27 the Jews took it on them­selves to es­tab­lish the cus­tom that they and ­their de­scen­dants and all who join them s­ hould with­out fail ob­serve t­hese two days ev­ery year, in the way pre­scribed and at the time ap­point­ed. 28 These days ­should be re­mem­ bered and ob­served in ev­ery gen­er­a­tion by ev­ery fam­i­ly, and in ev­ery prov­ince and in ev­ery city. And ­these days of Pu­rim ­should nev­er ­fail to be cel­e­brat­ed by the Jews — ​nor ­should the mem­o­r y of these days die out a­ mong ­their de­scen­dants.

29 So ­Queen Es­ther, daugh­ter of Ab­i­hail, ­along with Mor­de­cai the Jew, ­wrote with full 9:31 The fast of Esther is observed by Jews today on the

thirteenth of Adar in preparation for the Festival of Purim (see chart, The Festival of Purim).

9:32 The holiday is permanently established. Queen Esther institutionalized the celebration of Purim under Persian law.

The phrase “it was written down in the records” indicates that Esther’s decree establishing a permanent observance of Purim throughout the empire was filed in the royal archives (see Est 6:1, note).

10:1 Replenishing the royal coffers. Xerxes fought and lost

au­thor­i­ty to con­firm this sec­ond let­ter con­ cern­ing Pu­rim. 30 And Mor­de­cai sent let­ters to all the Jews in the 127 prov­inc­es of Xer­xes’ king­dom — ​­words of good­will and as­sur­ ance — ​ 31 to es­tab­lish t­ hese days of Pu­rim at ­their des­ig­nat­ed ­times, as Mor­de­cai the Jew and Q ­ ueen Es­ther had de­creed for them, and as they had es­tab­lished for them­selves and ­their de­scen­dants in re­gard to t­ heir t­ imes of fast­ing and lam­en­ta­tion. 32 Es­ther’s de­cree con­firmed ­these reg­u­la­tions ­about Pu­rim, and it was writ­ten down in the rec­ords.

The Greatness of Mordecai

10

King Xer­xes im­posed trib­ute through­ out the em­pire, to its dis­tant ­shores.

2 And all his acts of pow­er and m ­ ight, to­ geth­er with a full ac­count of the great­ness of Mor­de­cai, whom the king had pro­moted, are they not writ­ten in the book of the an­nals of the ­kings of Me­dia and Per­sia? 3 Mor­de­cai the Jew was sec­ond in rank to King Xer­xes, pre­ em­i­nent ­among the Jews, and held in high es­teem by his many fel­low Jews, be­cause he ­worked for the good of his peo­ple and s­ poke up for the wel­fare of all the Jews. a 25 Or when Esther came before the king

a costly war with Greece in 479 BC. The imposition of “tribute” was a system of taxation, and perhaps forced labor, which would restore the depleted royal treasury.

10:3 The rise of Mordecai, a Jew, to the second highest position in a pagan court is a reminder of Daniel in Babylon and of Joseph in Pharaoh’s Egyptian court much earlier in Israel’s history. Mordecai joined these heroes of Israel’s history as another example of how God’s people lived victoriously even when scattered among the nations.