Genesis 21

Notes

1. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Rulings 52, 81, 102

   Sarah's words (21:6–7) are lined as poetry, as the Masoretic version lines them (81b), with the same colons. The Greek has Κύριος, "the Lord," where the Masoretic version reads "Elohim," and συγχαρεῖταί μοι, "will rejoice with me," where it reads "will laugh for me": the Masoretic version says "laugh" twice around the name of Isaac (יִצְחָק, "he laughs"), and the Greek keeps "laughter" (γέλως) once and gives the second line to joy shared with neighbors, the verb of Luke 1:58, where Elizabeth's neighbors "rejoiced with her" at the birth of John. The name Ἰσαάκ carries no laughter in Greek. The Greek adds γάρ, "for."

2. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Ruling 52

   The Greek has the future ἀναγγελεῖ, "will announce," where the Masoretic version reads "would have uttered," and θηλάζει παιδίον Σάρρα, "Sarah is suckling a little child," where it reads "Sarah has suckled sons." ἐν τῷ γήρει μου, "in my old age," is Sarah's own age, where the Masoretic version reads "for his old age," Abraham's (as at 21:2, where the Greek has no pronoun). The Greek adds ὅτι, "that," before the quoted words.

3. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Rulings 52, 54, 126

   παίζοντα μετὰ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἑαυτῆς, "playing with Isaac her son," where the Masoretic version reads only "laughing" (מְצַחֵק, the piel of the verb in Isaac's name, 126a). The Greek names the companion and calls the act play, the verb of Exod 32:6 ("they rose up to play," 1 Cor 10:7). Paul reads the scene as "the one born according to the flesh persecuted the one according to the spirit" (Gal 4:29). The Greek also has ὃς ἐγένετο τῷ Ἀβραάμ, "who came to be to Abraham," where the Masoretic version reads "whom she had borne to Abraham." The sentence runs on: Sarah, having seen, speaks in 21:10.

4. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Ruling 4

   Paul quotes the verse in Gal 4:30, "Cast out the servant-girl and her son; for the son of the servant-girl shall by no means inherit with the son of the free woman," putting "the son of the free woman" for "my son Isaac." The Greek has no "this" with the second "servant-girl," and no second "with" (the Masoretic version reads "with my son, with Isaac").

5. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Rulings 20, 147

   φαίνω, "shine" (1:15, 17; John 1:5), is passive here, ἐφάνη, "appeared," the split by construction of 147(f), as of an angel "appearing in a dream" (Matt 1:20) and of those who "appear beautiful outwardly" (Matt 23:27). The Greek has σκληρόν, "hard," where the Masoretic version reads "bad," the word of John 6:60, "This logos is hard."

6. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Rulings 53, 54, 143

   Swete prints Ἰσμαήλ, "Ishmael," from Alexandrinus, where Rahlfs and the Masoretic version have no name ("concerning his son"). It is printed as Swete has it and marked as a plus.

7. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Ruling 4

   "In Isaac shall seed be called for you" is quoted word for word in Rom 9:7 and Heb 11:18. The Greek adds τὸ ῥῆμα, "the word," as the subject (from 21:11), and has σκληρόν, "hard," where the Masoretic version reads "bad in your eyes"; it has no "your" with "servant-girl."

8. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Rulings 20, 147

   ἄρτους is plural, "loaves," the split by construction of 147(f) (Matt 14:17, "five loaves"); the Masoretic version has the singular לֶחֶם, "bread."

9. Reading↩ Back to the text

   Ruling 52

   The Greek, like the Masoretic version, leaves the child at the end of the clause: καὶ ἐπέθηκεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὦμον καὶ τὸ παιδίον, "and laid on the shoulder, and the little child." It can be read "and laid on her shoulder the little child too," though Ishmael is past sixteen (17:25; 21:5), and the gloss keeps both readings. The Greek has ἀνέστη, "rose," where the Masoretic version reads "started early."

10. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 18, 52

    κατὰ τὸ φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου, "by the Well of the Oath," where the Masoretic version reads "in the wilderness of Beersheba": the Greek translates the name, reading בְּאֵר שָׁבַע as "well of oath" (שְׁבוּעָה), before the story that gives the name (21:31). The Greek has her straying through "the desert" (ἐπλανᾶτο τὴν ἔρημον) beside the well, not in a wilderness named for it. The same name stands at 21:32, 33 and 22:19.

11. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Ruling 52

    ὑποκάτω μιᾶς ἐλάτης, "under one fir," where the Masoretic version reads "under one of the shrubs" (שִׂיחַ, as 2:5): the Greek names a tree.

12. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 53, 54, 143

    Swete prints μακρόθεν, "from afar," from Alexandrinus, where Rahlfs and the Masoretic version have none ("And she sat opposite"); it is printed and marked as a plus. Swete's μακρότερον, "farther off," the comparative adverb of μακρός, stands for the Masoretic version's "going far off." The Greek has αὐτοῦ, "him," with both "over against," and no word for the Masoretic version's "herself," marked as a minus.

13. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 52, 54

    ἀναβοῆσαν δὲ τὸ παιδίον ἔκλαυσεν, "but the little child, having shouted aloud, wept," where the Masoretic version reads "and she lifted her voice and wept." In the Greek it is the child, not Hagar, who cries out, and in 21:17 God hears "the voice of the little child," as in the Masoretic version God hears "the voice of the lad" though the mother wept.

14. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 18, 52, 54

    Two verbs of hearing: εἰσήκουσεν, "hearkened to," and ἐπακήκοεν, "has listened to," the verb by which the Greek gave Ishmael's name its reason at 16:11, "for the Lord has listened to your humiliation." The Greek adds "from the place where he was" to the first, marked as a plus, and has "from the place where he is" for the Masoretic version's "there where he is," and "What is it, Hagar?" for "What to you, Hagar?"

15. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Ruling 54

    φρέαρ ὕδατος ζῶντος, "a well of living water," where the Masoretic version reads "a well of waters"; the Greek adds ζῶντος, "living," marked as a plus. Jesus offers "living water" at Jacob's well (John 4:10–11, φρέαρ … ὕδωρ ζῶν).

16. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 18, 54

    The Greek adds καὶ Ὀχοζὰθ ὁ νυμφαγωγὸς αὐτοῦ, "and Ahuzzath his groomsman," here and at 21:32, marked as pluses: he is the Ahuzzath "his friend" (מֵרֵעֵהוּ) whom the Masoretic version names with Abimelech and Phicol at the second covenant, with Isaac (26:26). νυμφαγωγός is the one who leads the bride to the groom's house. δύναμις, "power," stands for the Masoretic version's "army" (צָבָא), as in "Lord of powers" for "ADONAI of armies."

17. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 21, 52

    The Greek states the oath as its content: μὴ ἀδικήσειν με μηδὲ τὸ σπέρμα μου μηδὲ τὸ ὄνομά μου, "not to wrong me, nor my seed, nor my name," where the Masoretic version keeps the oath formula with its curse unspoken, "if you will deal falsely with me, and with my progeny, and with my posterity—!" (21). "Seed" and "name" stand for the Masoretic version's pair "progeny and posterity" (נִין וָנֶכֶד). The Greek has no word for "hither" (הֵנָּה), marked as a minus, and adds ἀλλά, "but." δικαιοσύνη, "justice," stands for the Masoretic version's "loyalty" (חֶסֶד), as at 19:19 and 20:13.

18. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 18, 52

    Φρέαρ ὁρκισμοῦ, "Well of Swearing," where the Masoretic version keeps the name "Beersheba" (בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע): the Greek translates it, taking שֶׁבַע from the oath (נִשְׁבְּעוּ, "they swore," ὤμοσαν), and the translation is printed as the name. The Masoretic version's play on the "seven" (שֶׁבַע) ewe-lambs (21:28–30) is not in the Greek. Elsewhere the Greek calls the place φρέαρ τοῦ ὅρκου, "the Well of the Oath" (21:14, 32, 33; 22:19). The Greek adds "the name of" before "that place."

19. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Ruling 52

    ἄρουραν, "a plowland," a piece of arable ground, where the Masoretic version reads "a tamarisk" (אֵשֶׁל, 123l): in the Greek Abraham plants a field, not a tree. The Vulgate has nemus, "a grove," which the KJV follows ("Abraham planted a grove"). The Greek names Abraham, where the Masoretic version reads "he," marked as a plus.

20. Reading↩ Back to the text

    Rulings 2, 145

    Θεὸς αἰώνιος, "God of age," where the Masoretic version reads "El Olam" (WPRB "the Everlasting God," 123k): the Greek translates the name, and the translation is marked as a name (18). αἰώνιος, the adjective of αἰών "age," is printed as a genitive so that the noun stays in view (145a); the expected English is "the everlasting God" (KJV, RSV), "God everlasting" (NETS). The title returns in Isa 40:28 and Rom 16:26, "the command of the God of age."