Mar 17 2006
Genesis 17:1-8
וַיְהִ֣י אַבְרָ֔ם בֶּן־תִּשְׁעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְתֵ֣שַׁע שָׁנִ֑ים וַיֵּרָ֨א יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־אַבְרָ֗ם וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ אֲנִי־אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י הִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ לְפָנַ֖י וֶהְיֵ֥ה תָמִֽים׃ 2 וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה בְרִיתִ֖י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֑ךָ וְאַרְבֶּ֥ה אוֹתְךָ֖ בִּמְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד׃ 3 וַיִּפֹּ֥ל אַבְרָ֖ם עַל־פָּנָ֑יו וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אִתּ֛וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לֵאמֹֽר׃ 4 אֲנִ֕י הִנֵּ֥ה בְרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וְהָיִ֕יתָ לְאַ֖ב הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִֽם׃ 5 וְלֹא־יִקָּרֵ֥א ע֛וֹד אֶת־שִׁמְךָ֖ אַבְרָ֑ם וְהָיָ֤ה שִׁמְךָ֙ אַבְרָהָ֔ם כִּ֛י אַב־הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִ֖ם נְתַתִּֽיךָ׃ 6 וְהִפְרֵתִ֤י אֹֽתְךָ֙ בִּמְאֹ֣ד מְאֹ֔ד וּנְתַתִּ֖יךָ לְגוֹיִ֑ם וּמְלָכִ֖ים מִמְּךָ֥ יֵצֵֽאוּ׃ 7 וַהֲקִמֹתִ֨י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֜י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֗ךָ וּבֵ֨ין זַרְעֲךָ֧ אַחֲרֶ֛יךָ לְדֹרֹתָ֖ם לִבְרִ֣ית עוֹלָ֑ם לִהְי֤וֹת לְךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶֽיךָ׃ 8 וְנָתַתִּ֣י לְ֠ךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ֨ אַחֲרֶ֜יךָ אֵ֣ת ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן לַאֲחֻזַּ֖ת עוֹלָ֑ם וְהָיִ֥יתִי לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
Vocabulary
Verse 1
תשׁעים cardinal number: “ninety”
תשׁע cardinal number: “nine”
שׁדי “Almighty” (BDB, 994)
Syntax & Miscellaneous
- The idiomatic way to describe the age of an individual is to say that he was “a son of x years.”
- For more on the appellation, אל שׁדי, see HALOT entry under שׁדי.
- The clause, אֲנִי־אֵ֣ל שַׁדַּ֔י, is a verbless clause with the typology S-P.
- The verb, וֶהְיֵ֥ה, is a Qal imperfect ms from היה.
- The last word, תמים, can have the literal meaning of “complete” (Leviticus 25:30) and “whole, that is “without blemish” (Exodus 12:5; Leviticus 1:3, 10, etc.), or a figurative connotation of “blameless” (Genesis 6:9).
Vocabulary
Verse 2
אתנה verb (Qal cohortative 1cs): “I shall make/establish”
Verse 4
המון noun: “great number, multitude”
Verse 5
אברהם name: “Abraham”
Verse 6
פרה verb: “be fruitful” (BDB, 826)
Verse 7
דור noun: “generation”
Verse 8
מגורים noun: “sojourning” (BDB, 158)
כנענ name: “Canaan”
אחזה noun: “possession”
Syntax & Misc.
Verse 2
- The idiom, בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֑ךָ, repeats בין with the second element—“between me and (between) you.”
- Notice that the verb used with ברית “covenant” is נתן “establish” and not כרת “cut” as in Genesis 15:18. In general, כרת ברית is used to initiate a covenant (cf. Genesis 15:18; Exodus 34:10, 34:27; Joshua 24:25; Deuteronomy 5:2, 5:3, 28:69, 29:13, 24; 1 Kings 5:26; 2 Kings 11:17, 17:35, 38, 23:3; 2 Chronicles 21:7, 23:3, 16, 29:10, 34:30; Ezra 10:3; Nehemiah 9:8; Psalm 50:5, 89:4; Isaiah 55:3, 61:8; Jeremiah 11:10, 31:31, 32, 33, 32:40, 34:13; Ezekiel 34:25, 37:26; Hosea 2:20). The (re)establishment of a covenant uses קום ברית (Genesis 6:18, 9:9, 11, 17, 17:7, 19, 21; Exodus 6:4; Ezekiel 16:60, 62) or elsewhere for confirmation נתן ברית (Genesis 17:2; Leviticus 26:9; Numbers 25:12; Deuteronomy 8:18).
- The superlative in Hebrew is not marked morphologically but semantically with repetition, thus the expression מאד מאד means “exceedingly much” (Genesis 7:19, 17:2, 6, 20, 30:43; Exodus 1:7; Numbers 14:7; 1 Kings 7:47; 2 Kings 10:4; Ezekiel 9:9, 16:13, 37:10).
- The second clause demonstrates the means by which the covenant is established. Thus, the waw is used instrumentally “in that,” that is the proof by which covenant is established is the multiplication of Abram’s seed.
Verse 4
- The phrase, לְאַ֖ב הֲמ֥וֹן גּוֹיִֽם, is a three member construct phrase.
- The fronted אני is difficult to understand syntactically. The English translations either ignore it (RSV, ESV, NLT) or make it adverbial “as for me” (KJV, NRS, NIV, NAS, JPS). The LXX (ἐγὼ ἰδοὺ ἡ διαθήκη μου μετὰ σοῦ) duplicates the MT to the point of ambiguity with regard to the Greek syntax. The Targums present a plausible solution by gapping the verbal concept from the first clause of verse 2 (אנא הא גזר קימי עימך “I, behold, have confirmed my covenant with you”), and not treating it as a verbless clause.
Verse 5
- The naming formula usually contains the meaning or reason for the name in clause marked by the preposition כי.
Verse 6
- See the semantically and grammatically similar clause in verse 2—וְאַרְבֶּ֥ה אוֹתְךָ֖ בִּמְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד.
Verse 7
- Concerning the first clause, וַהֲקִמֹתִ֨י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֜י בֵּינִ֣י וּבֵינֶ֗ךָ וּבֵ֨ין זַרְעֲךָ֧, see notes on verse 2.
- Other references to לִבְרִ֣ית עוֹלָ֑ם include: Genesis 9:12, 16, 17:7, 13, 19; Exodus 31:16; Leviticus 24:8; Numbers 18:19, 25:13; Joshua 4:7; 2 Samuel 23:5; 1 Chronicles 16:17; Job 40:28; Psalm 105:10; Isaiah 24:5, 55:3, 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40, 50:5; Ezekiel 16:60, 37:26.
- Covenant language expanded לִהְי֤וֹת לְךָ֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים: the infinitive construct assumes the aspect (imperfective) and person (first) from the previous finite verb. Notice the expansion of this promise to include also וּֽלְזַרְעֲךָ֖ אַחֲרֶֽיךָ.
Verse 8
- The construct phrase, אֲחֻזַּ֖ת עוֹלָ֑ם, demonstrates the attributive relationship.
- The combination of two direct object phrases without waw indicates apposition, אֵ֣ת ׀ אֶ֣רֶץ מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן “the land of your sojourning, [that is] all the land of Canaan.”
