49:6 O my soul, do not come into their council,
do not be united to their assembly, my heart, 13
for in their anger they have killed men,
and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen.
1 tn Heb “and one lip to all of them.”
2 tn Heb “and now.” The foundational clause beginning with הֵן (hen) expresses the condition, and the second clause the result. It could be rendered “If this…then now.”
3 tn Heb “all that they purpose to do will not be withheld from them.”
4 tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”
6 tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7 tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”
8 tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.
9 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
10 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
11 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
12 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
13 tn The Hebrew text reads “my glory,” but it is preferable to repoint the form and read “my liver.” The liver was sometimes viewed as the seat of the emotions and will (see HALOT 456 s.v. II כָּבֵד) for which the heart is the modern equivalent.