Genesis 18:10

18:10 One of them ¹  said, “I will surely return ²  to you when the season comes round again, ³  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ⁴  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ⁵ 

Genesis 19:17

19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ⁶  said, “Run ⁷  for your lives! Don’t look ⁸  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ⁹  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

Genesis 22:13

22:13 Abraham looked up ¹⁰  and saw ¹¹  behind him ¹²  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ¹³  went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

Genesis 32:20

32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ¹⁴  Jacob thought, ¹⁵  “I will first appease him ¹⁶  by sending a gift ahead of me. ¹⁷  After that I will meet him. ¹⁸  Perhaps he will accept me.” ¹⁹ 

---

¹ 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.

² 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?

³ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

⁴ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

⁵ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

⁶ tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.

⁷ tn Heb “escape.”

⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.

⁹ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

¹⁰ tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.

¹² tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Samaritan Pentateuch read “one” (אֶחָד, ’ekhad) instead of “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar).

¹³ tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁴ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

¹⁷ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.