Between Bethel and Ai, and on toward the Negev
Says וַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה (“and he moved on from there to the hill country”; the lexicon: “move, proceed, advance”) then וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹה (“and he pitched his tent”; the lexicon’s natah, “stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend”). בֵּית־אֵל מִיָּם וְהָעַי מִקֶּדֶם is “Bethel from the sea and Ai from the east”: “sea” means west. BSB has “with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.”
Says וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה (“and he called on the name of the Lord”) is the phrase of 4:26, לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה. In 12:9 וַיִּסַּע אַבְרָם הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ הַנֶּגְבָּה is “and Abram set out, going and setting out, toward the Negev”: two infinitives of continuance, travel by stages (the lexicon: “3. journey, march (by stages) Gn 12⁹”). BSB has “journeyed on toward the Negev”; the Greek has “ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ” (“in the desert”).
Claims
- Saysוַיַּעְתֵּק מִשָּׁם הָהָרָה (“and he moved on from there to the hill country”; the lexicon: “move, proceed, advance”) then וַיֵּט אָהֳלֹה (“and he pitched his tent”; the lexicon’s natah, “stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend”). בֵּית־אֵל מִיָּם וְהָעַי מִקֶּדֶם is “Bethel from the sea and Ai from the east”: “sea” means west. BSB has “with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.”
- Saysוַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה (“and he called on the name of the Lord”) is the phrase of 4:26, לִקְרֹא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה. In 12:9 וַיִּסַּע אַבְרָם הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ הַנֶּגְבָּה is “and Abram set out, going and setting out, toward the Negev”: two infinitives of continuance, travel by stages (the lexicon: “3. journey, march (by stages) Gn 12⁹”). BSB has “journeyed on toward the Negev”; the Greek has “ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ” (“in the desert”).
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 12:8–9 (WLC/OSHB; morph HC/Vhw3ms HC/Vqw3ms HVqa HC/Vqa)
- BSB public domain Gen 12:8–9 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 801 (leaf n824), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H6275 “move, proceed, advance”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 639 (leaf n662), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H5186 “stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 652 (leaf n675), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H5265 “pull out or up, set out, journey”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 12:9, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 19 (leaf n50). Checked against the printed page (scan).
Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits
2026-11-12
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