Genesis 8:21

8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma 1  and said 2  to himself, 3  “I will never again curse 4  the ground because of humankind, even though 5  the inclination of their minds 6  is evil from childhood on. 7  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

Genesis 16:5

16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! 8  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, 9  but when she realized 10  that she was pregnant, she despised me. 11  May the Lord judge between you and me!” 12 

Genesis 19:14

19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 13  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 14  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 15 

Genesis 24:40

24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 16  will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family.

1 tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

2 tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

3 tn Heb “in his heart.”

4 tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

5 tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

6 tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

7 tn Heb “from his youth.”

8 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

9 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

10 tn Heb “saw.”

11 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.

12 tn Heb “me and you.”

sn May the Lord judge between you and me. Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar’s attitude, not the pregnancy. Here she expects to be vindicated by the Lord who will prove Abram responsible. A colloquial rendering might be, “God will get you for this.” It may mean that she thought Abram had encouraged the servant girl in her elevated status.

13 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.

14 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.

15 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.

16 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).