Genesis 13:3

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ¹  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ²  He returned ³  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁴  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Genesis 14:14

14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ⁵  had been taken captive, he mobilized ⁶  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ⁷  as far as Dan. ⁸ 

Genesis 18:10

18:10 One of them ⁹  said, “I will surely return ¹⁰  to you when the season comes round again, ¹¹  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ¹²  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ¹³ 

Genesis 44:4

44:4 They had not gone very far from the city ¹⁴  when Joseph said ¹⁵  to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! ¹⁶  When you overtake ¹⁷  them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

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¹ tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

² map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

³ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

⁵ tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).

⁶ tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.

⁷ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁸ sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.

⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

sn I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?

¹¹ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

¹² tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

¹³ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

¹⁴ tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

¹⁶ tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

¹⁷ tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”