“Men, brothers” and the offer of left or right
Says אַל־נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה is “please let there be no strife,” a noun from the root of “strife” in 13:7. The Hebrew order is בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיךָ (“between me and you”) and וּבֵין רֹעַי וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ (“and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen”). BSB reverses both pairs: “between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen.” The Greek keeps “me and you” but has “τῶν ποιμένων σοῦ” (“your herdsmen”) first. כִּי־אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ is “for we are men, brothers” (BSB “we are kinsmen”): Lot is Abram’s brother’s son (12:5), so “brothers” means near kin.
Says In 13:9 הֲלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ asks “is not all the land before you?”; the Greek makes it a statement, “καὶ ἰδοὺ” (“and see”). הִפָּרֶד נָא מֵעָלָי is “separate, please, from me.” אִם־הַשְּׂמֹאל וְאֵימִנָה וְאִם־הַיָּמִין וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה is “if the left, then I will go right; and if the right, then I will go left”: two verbs formed from “right” and “left” (the lexicon: “=go to the left”).
Uncertain The offer may show generosity and trust in the promise of 12:7, or it may sit in tension with that promise, since Abram puts the choice of land in Lot’s hands. The words state the offer and do not weigh it. No lean is taken here.
Claims
- Saysאַל־נָא תְהִי מְרִיבָה is “please let there be no strife,” a noun from the root of “strife” in 13:7. The Hebrew order is בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיךָ (“between me and you”) and וּבֵין רֹעַי וּבֵין רֹעֶיךָ (“and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen”). BSB reverses both pairs: “between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen.” The Greek keeps “me and you” but has “τῶν ποιμένων σοῦ” (“your herdsmen”) first. כִּי־אֲנָשִׁים אַחִים אֲנָחְנוּ is “for we are men, brothers” (BSB “we are kinsmen”): Lot is Abram’s brother’s son (12:5), so “brothers” means near kin.
- SaysIn 13:9 הֲלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ asks “is not all the land before you?”; the Greek makes it a statement, “καὶ ἰδοὺ” (“and see”). הִפָּרֶד נָא מֵעָלָי is “separate, please, from me.” אִם־הַשְּׂמֹאל וְאֵימִנָה וְאִם־הַיָּמִין וְאַשְׂמְאִילָה is “if the left, then I will go right; and if the right, then I will go left”: two verbs formed from “right” and “left” (the lexicon: “=go to the left”).
- UncertainThe offer may show generosity and trust in the promise of 12:7, or it may sit in tension with that promise, since Abram puts the choice of land in Lot’s hands. The words state the offer and do not weigh it. No lean is taken here.
Citations
- OSHB CC BY 4.0 Gen 13:8–9 (WLC/OSHB; morph HVqj3fs HVqrmpc/Sp1cs HVqrmpc/Sp2ms HC/Vhh1cs HC/Vhh1cs)
- BSB public domain Gen 13:8 (BSB)
- BDB CC BY 4.0 BDB 1906, p. 970 (leaf n993), archive.org hebrewenglishlex00browuoft, s.v. H8041 “=go to the left”; checked against the printed page (scan)
- LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Gen 13:8–9, text and apparatus. LXX: Swete, vol. 1 (1901), p. 20 (leaf n51). 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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