Genesis 1:7

1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ¹  It was so. ² 

Genesis 10:5

10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

Genesis 13:11

13:11 Lot chose for himself the whole region of the Jordan and traveled ³  toward the east.

So the relatives separated from each other. ⁴ 

Genesis 26:31

26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ⁵  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ⁶ 

Genesis 30:36

30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ⁷  while ⁸  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

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¹ tn Heb “the expanse.”

² tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

³ tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”

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

⁵ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

⁶ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

⁷ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

sn Three days’ traveling distance from Jacob. E. A. Speiser observes, “Laban is delighted with the terms, and promptly proceeds to violate the spirit of the bargain by removing to a safe distance all the grown animals that would be likely to produce the specified spots” (Genesis [AB], 238). Laban apparently thought that by separating out the spotted, striped, and dark colored animals he could minimize the production of spotted, striped, or dark offspring that would then belong to Jacob.

⁸ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.