Genesis 19:21

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, 1  “I will grant this request too 2  and will not overthrow 3  the town you mentioned.

Genesis 23:8

23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 4  that I may bury my dead, 5  then hear me out. 6  Ask 7  Ephron the son of Zohar

Genesis 31:12

31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe 8  that all the male goats mating with 9  the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you.

1 tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the Lord here. Most English translations leave the referent of the pronoun unspecified and maintain the ambiguity.

2 tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”

3 tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).

4 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).

5 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

6 tn Or “hear me.”

7 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”

8 tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

9 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.