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Genesis 10:9-11
New English Translation
Genesis 10:9-11
New English Translation
9 He was a mighty hunter[a] before the Lord.[b] (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10 The primary regions[c] of his kingdom were Babel,[d] Erech,[e] Akkad,[f] and Calneh[g] in the land of Shinar.[h] 11 From that land he went[i] to Assyria,[j] where he built Nineveh,[k] Rehoboth Ir,[l] Calah,[m]
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- Genesis 10:9 tn The Hebrew word for “hunt” is צַיִד (tsayid), which is used on occasion for hunting men (1 Sam 24:12; Jer 16:16; Lam 3:15).
- Genesis 10:9 tn Another option is to take the divine name here, לִפְנֵי יִהוָה (lifne yehvah, “before the Lord [YHWH]”), as a means of expressing the superlative degree. In this case one may translate “Nimrod was the greatest hunter in the world.”
- Genesis 10:10 tn Heb “beginning.” E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 67, suggests “mainstays,” citing Jer 49:35 as another text where the Hebrew noun is so used.
- Genesis 10:10 tn Or “Babylon.”
- Genesis 10:10 sn Erech (ancient Uruk, modern Warka), one of the most ancient civilizations, was located southeast of Babylon.
- Genesis 10:10 sn Akkad, or ancient Agade, was associated with Sargon and located north of Babylon.
- Genesis 10:10 tn No such place is known in Shinar (i.e., Babylonia). Therefore some have translated the Hebrew term כַלְנֵה (khalneh) as “all of them,” referring to the three previous names (cf. NRSV).
- Genesis 10:10 sn Shinar is another name for Babylonia.
- Genesis 10:11 tn The subject of the verb translated “went” is probably still Nimrod. However, it has also been interpreted that “Ashur went,” referring to a derivative power.
- Genesis 10:11 tn Heb “Asshur.”
- Genesis 10:11 sn Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city situated on the Tigris River.
- Genesis 10:11 sn The name Rehoboth Ir means “and broad streets of a city,” perhaps referring to a suburb of Nineveh.
- Genesis 10:11 sn Calah (modern Nimrud) was located 20 miles north of Nineveh.
New English Translation (NET)
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