Discovery BoxGenesis 6:5 
Context6:5 But the Lord saw 1 that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 2 of the thoughts 3 of their minds 4 was only evil 5 all the time. 6
Genesis 9:15
Context9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you 7 and with all living creatures of all kinds. 8 Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy 9 all living things. 10
Genesis 17:16
Context17:16 I will bless her and will give you a son through her. I will bless her and she will become a mother of nations. 11 Kings of countries 12 will come from her!”
Genesis 17:20
Context17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. 13 I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. 14 He will become the father of twelve princes; 15 I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 24:35
Context24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 16 The Lord 17 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 32:10
Context32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love 18 you have shown 19 your servant. With only my walking stick 20 I crossed the Jordan, 21 but now I have become two camps.
Genesis 34:16
Context34:16 Then we will give 22 you our daughters to marry, 23 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.
Genesis 34:22-23
Context34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 24 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 25 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
Genesis 38:24
Context38:24 After three months Judah was told, 26 “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, 27 and as a result she has become pregnant.” 28 Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
Genesis 45:11
Context45:11 I will provide you with food 29 there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor – you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”’
Genesis 47:26
Context47:26 So Joseph made it a statute, 30 which is in effect 31 to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
1 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.
2 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).
3 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.
4 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”
5 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.
6 tn Heb “all the day.”
sn The author of Genesis goes out of his way to emphasize the depth of human evil at this time. Note the expressions “every inclination,” “only evil,” and “all the time.”
7 tn Heb “which [is] between me and between you.”
8 tn Heb “all flesh.”
9 tn Heb “to destroy.”
10 tn Heb “all flesh.”
11 tn Heb “she will become nations.”
12 tn Heb “peoples.”
13 sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.
14 tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.
15 tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.
16 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
17 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
18 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
19 tn Heb “you have done with.”
20 tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
21 tn Heb “this Jordan.”
22 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
23 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
25 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
26 tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”
27 tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.
28 tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”
29 tn The verb כּוּל (kul) in the Pilpel stem means “to nourish, to support, to sustain.” As in 1 Kgs 20:27, it here means “to supply with food.”
30 tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.
31 tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
