Go and teach all nations
God makes an agreement with Abraham - Genesis 17:1-27
Genesis 17:1-6
God changes the name of Abram to Abraham
v1 When Abram was 99 years of age, the Lord appeared to him. The Lord said to him, ‘I am God who can do anything. Stay near to me and have no blame.
v2 And I will make my firm agreement between me and you. I will make you have a very great number of descendants.’
v3 Then Abram fell down so that his face was on the ground.
God said to Abram,
v4 ‘Listen to me! My firm agreement is with you. You shall be the father of many nations.
v5 Now your name shall not be Abram. Your name shall be Abraham, because I have made you the father of many nations.
v6 I will make you to have a large family. I will make nations out of you. Some of your family shall be kings.
Comment:
Verse 5 - ‘Abram’ means ‘high father’. ‘Abraham’ sounds like ‘father of nations’.
‘Stay near to me and have no blame.’ God did not say, ‘Do nothing that is wrong. So you will have no blame.’ Instead, he said in this verse, ‘Stay near to me.’ And Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abram believed the Lord. Therefore the Lord considered that Abram was right with him. That was true about Abram and it is true about us. We have all done wrong things. We all deserve to have blame. So we must stay near to God. We must believe God. If we do that, God takes away our blame. Then, like Abraham, we are righteous (right with God).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 16:7-16
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 16:7-16
Hagar runs away from Sarai
v7 The Lord’s angel found Hagar by a well of water in the desert. That well is on the way to Shur.
The Lord’s angel rescues Hagar
v8 And the angel said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from? Where do you go?’ She said, ‘I have run away from Sarai, whom I served.’
v9 The Lord’s angel said to her, ‘Return to Sarai, whom you served. Serve her again and obey her.’
v10 The Lord’s angel also said to Hagar, ‘I will make you have a great number of descendants. They will be so many that nobody will be able to count them.’
v11 And the Lord’s angel said to her,
‘You are pregnant and a son will be born to you.
You shall call him Ishmael,
because the Lord has heard you in your trouble.
v12 He shall live like a wild donkey.
He will be every man’s enemy
and every man shall be his enemy.
He will live in front of all his relatives.’
v13 So Hagar gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her. She called him, ‘You are a God who sees.’ She said, ‘I have really seen the God who sees me.’
v14 Therefore people call the well Beer-lahai-roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered.
Ishmael is born
v15 And Hagar had a son for Abram. And Abram called his son Ishmael.
v16 Abram was 86 years of age when Ishmael was born to Hagar for Abram.
Comment:
Verse 7 - An angel is a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. But in this verse ‘the Lord’s angel’ means God himself. He did not send a servant but he came himself. We know that because of the words in verse 13.
Verse 8 - God already knew where Hagar had come from. He asked the question so that Hagar would speak to him.
Verse 9 - God often says this to people who run away from difficulties. He says, ‘I know that things were difficult. But go back and overcome the difficulties. I will be with you and I will help you.’
Verse 10 - God intended that Abram would have only one wife, Sarai. He did not tell Abram to take an extra wife, Hagar. (See the comment on verse 3.) So God did not intend that Abram should have descendants by Hagar. But God loves people. So he looked after those descendants. And he promised to make them a great nation.
Verse 11
‘Ishmael’ means ‘God heard’.
Verse 12 - God had promised that Abram’s descendants by his wife Sarai would live in Canaan. (See Genesis 12:7.) And God had also promised that Abram’s descendants by Hagar’s son Ishmael would be a great nation. (See verse 10.) So Ishmael’s descendants could not live in Canaan because there was not enough space for both nations. Therefore Ishmael’s descendants would live in the desert. We are not sure what the last sentence in verse 12 means. Sometimes in the Bible, ‘in front of’ means ‘to the east of’.
Verse 14 - ‘Beer-lahai-roi’ means ‘the well of the one who lives and sees’. She may have meant, ‘I have seen God and I am still alive.’
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 16:7-16
Hagar runs away from Sarai
v7 The Lord’s angel found Hagar by a well of water in the desert. That well is on the way to Shur.
The Lord’s angel rescues Hagar
v8 And the angel said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from? Where do you go?’ She said, ‘I have run away from Sarai, whom I served.’
v9 The Lord’s angel said to her, ‘Return to Sarai, whom you served. Serve her again and obey her.’
v10 The Lord’s angel also said to Hagar, ‘I will make you have a great number of descendants. They will be so many that nobody will be able to count them.’
v11 And the Lord’s angel said to her,
‘You are pregnant and a son will be born to you.
You shall call him Ishmael,
because the Lord has heard you in your trouble.
v12 He shall live like a wild donkey.
He will be every man’s enemy
and every man shall be his enemy.
He will live in front of all his relatives.’
v13 So Hagar gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her. She called him, ‘You are a God who sees.’ She said, ‘I have really seen the God who sees me.’
v14 Therefore people call the well Beer-lahai-roi. It is between Kadesh and Bered.
Ishmael is born
v15 And Hagar had a son for Abram. And Abram called his son Ishmael.
v16 Abram was 86 years of age when Ishmael was born to Hagar for Abram.
Comment:
Verse 7 - An angel is a servant of God who brings messages from heaven. But in this verse ‘the Lord’s angel’ means God himself. He did not send a servant but he came himself. We know that because of the words in verse 13.
Verse 8 - God already knew where Hagar had come from. He asked the question so that Hagar would speak to him.
Verse 9 - God often says this to people who run away from difficulties. He says, ‘I know that things were difficult. But go back and overcome the difficulties. I will be with you and I will help you.’
Verse 10 - God intended that Abram would have only one wife, Sarai. He did not tell Abram to take an extra wife, Hagar. (See the comment on verse 3.) So God did not intend that Abram should have descendants by Hagar. But God loves people. So he looked after those descendants. And he promised to make them a great nation.
Verse 11
‘Ishmael’ means ‘God heard’.
Verse 12 - God had promised that Abram’s descendants by his wife Sarai would live in Canaan. (See Genesis 12:7.) And God had also promised that Abram’s descendants by Hagar’s son Ishmael would be a great nation. (See verse 10.) So Ishmael’s descendants could not live in Canaan because there was not enough space for both nations. Therefore Ishmael’s descendants would live in the desert. We are not sure what the last sentence in verse 12 means. Sometimes in the Bible, ‘in front of’ means ‘to the east of’.
Verse 14 - ‘Beer-lahai-roi’ means ‘the well of the one who lives and sees’. She may have meant, ‘I have seen God and I am still alive.’
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, February 26, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 16:1-6
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 16:1-6
Sarai tells Abram to have children with her maid Hagar
v1 Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, had no children. She had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar.
v2 Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has made me unable to produce children. Lie with my maid and have sex with her. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram did what Sarai suggested.
v3 Abram had then lived for 10 years in the country that is called Canaan.
So Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, took her maid Hagar, the Egyptian. Sarai gave Hagar to Abram her husband so that Hagar could be his wife.
v4 And Abram had sex with Hagar and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew this, she did not respect Sarai.
v5 And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Hagar does not respect me. I pray that the blame for this will be on you! I gave my maid to you to have sex with you. As soon as she became pregnant, she did not respect me. I want the Lord to be a judge. I pray that he will blame either you or me!’
v6 But Abram said to Sarai, ‘You may control your own maid. Do to her whatever you decide to do.’ Then Sarai was cruel to Hagar, and Hagar ran away from Sarai.
Comment:
Verse 3 - Genesis tells us that several of God’s ancient people had two wives. But that does not mean that to have two wives is right.
Abram’s wife was Sarai. Abram took Hagar as an extra wife. He did that because he had no son. God had promised that Abram would have a son. (See Genesis 15:4.) But Abram thought that he must do something. He thought that otherwise God’s promise would not happen. But God wanted Abram to trust him. God did not want Abram to marry Hagar. God gave Abram a son, by his wife Sarai, when the time was right. (See Genesis 21:1-2.) God wanted Abram to wait for that time.
Verses 4-6 - Sarai was Abram’s wife and Hagar was only an extra wife. But Sarai had no child and Hagar was pregnant. Hagar would soon produce a child for Abram. So Hagar thought that she was equal in rank to Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram for this, and Abram did not help her. Sarai wanted to show that Hagar was only a maid. So she was cruel to Hagar.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 16:1-6
Sarai tells Abram to have children with her maid Hagar
v1 Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, had no children. She had an Egyptian maid, whose name was Hagar.
v2 Sarai said to Abram, ‘The Lord has made me unable to produce children. Lie with my maid and have sex with her. Perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram did what Sarai suggested.
v3 Abram had then lived for 10 years in the country that is called Canaan.
So Sarai, who was Abram’s wife, took her maid Hagar, the Egyptian. Sarai gave Hagar to Abram her husband so that Hagar could be his wife.
v4 And Abram had sex with Hagar and she became pregnant. When Hagar knew this, she did not respect Sarai.
v5 And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Hagar does not respect me. I pray that the blame for this will be on you! I gave my maid to you to have sex with you. As soon as she became pregnant, she did not respect me. I want the Lord to be a judge. I pray that he will blame either you or me!’
v6 But Abram said to Sarai, ‘You may control your own maid. Do to her whatever you decide to do.’ Then Sarai was cruel to Hagar, and Hagar ran away from Sarai.
Comment:
Verse 3 - Genesis tells us that several of God’s ancient people had two wives. But that does not mean that to have two wives is right.
Abram’s wife was Sarai. Abram took Hagar as an extra wife. He did that because he had no son. God had promised that Abram would have a son. (See Genesis 15:4.) But Abram thought that he must do something. He thought that otherwise God’s promise would not happen. But God wanted Abram to trust him. God did not want Abram to marry Hagar. God gave Abram a son, by his wife Sarai, when the time was right. (See Genesis 21:1-2.) God wanted Abram to wait for that time.
Verses 4-6 - Sarai was Abram’s wife and Hagar was only an extra wife. But Sarai had no child and Hagar was pregnant. Hagar would soon produce a child for Abram. So Hagar thought that she was equal in rank to Sarai. Sarai blamed Abram for this, and Abram did not help her. Sarai wanted to show that Hagar was only a maid. So she was cruel to Hagar.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 15:18-21
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:18-21
The Lord’s covenant wit Abram
v18 On that day the Lord made a firm agreement with Abram. The Lord said, ‘I give this country to your descendants. I give all the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, which is called Euphrates.
v19 I give the Kenites’ land and the Kenizzites’ land. I give the Kadmonites’ land
v20 and the Hittites’ land. I give the Perizzites’ land and the Rephaim people’s land.
v21 I give the Amorites’ land and the Canaanites’ land. I give the Girgashites’ land and the Jebusites’ land.’
Comment:
Verse 18 - God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. See Genesis 13:15 and the comment. And see Genesis 15:7.
‘The river of Egypt’ is a small stream that is on the border. It is between the two countries, Canaan and Egypt. The river Euphrates is north and east of Canaan.
Verses 19-21 - Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Amorites, Girgashites and Jebusites were tribes of Canaan’s original inhabitants.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:18-21
The Lord’s covenant wit Abram
v18 On that day the Lord made a firm agreement with Abram. The Lord said, ‘I give this country to your descendants. I give all the land from the river of Egypt to the great river, which is called Euphrates.
v19 I give the Kenites’ land and the Kenizzites’ land. I give the Kadmonites’ land
v20 and the Hittites’ land. I give the Perizzites’ land and the Rephaim people’s land.
v21 I give the Amorites’ land and the Canaanites’ land. I give the Girgashites’ land and the Jebusites’ land.’
Comment:
Verse 18 - God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. See Genesis 13:15 and the comment. And see Genesis 15:7.
‘The river of Egypt’ is a small stream that is on the border. It is between the two countries, Canaan and Egypt. The river Euphrates is north and east of Canaan.
Verses 19-21 - Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Amorites, Girgashites and Jebusites were tribes of Canaan’s original inhabitants.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 15:7-17
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:7-17
The prophecy of Israel’s bondage in Egypt
v7 And the Lord said to Abram, ‘I am the Lord. I brought you from Ur in Chaldea. I have given this country to you so that you may possess it.’
v8 But Abram said, ‘Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it?’
v9 The Lord said to him, ‘Bring to me a young cow that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a female goat that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a male sheep that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a dove (a bird) and a young dove.’
v10 And Abram brought all these. He cut each of these into two pieces. He laid the two halves of each one opposite each other. But he did not cut the birds into pieces.
v11 Some wild birds that eat meat flew down. They tried to land on the dead animals. Abram scared
v12 When the sun set, Abram slept. He felt fear and there was great darkness.
v13 Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Be certain about what I tell you. Your descendants will live in a country that does not belong to them. They will be slaves there. They will have to work hard for 400 years.
v14 But I will punish the nation that they serve. Afterwards your descendants shall come out of that country. They shall take with them many possessions.
v15 You yourself shall die in peace and then you shall be with your fathers. When people shall bury you, you will be very old.
v16 And your descendants shall come back to this country. The sons of the sons of the sons of your sons shall come back. But before they come back the Amorites must do still more evil things.’
v17 The sun set and the sky was dark. Then a pot appeared which contained fire. It produced smoke. Also a branch appeared, which burned with flames. They both moved between the pieces of meat.
them so that they flew away.
Comment:
Verse 7 - God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. (See Genesis 13:15 and the comment.)
Verse 9 - A dove is a kind of bird.
Verse 10 - This was probably an ancient custom when people make a firm agreement with each other. Perhaps it was like this. Two people kill animals as an offering to God and they cut the animals into two parts. They separate the parts and they walk between the parts. That shows that they must keep the agreement. Otherwise, someone will cut the people into two parts. God used this custom to show that his agreement with Abram was firm. So Abram separated the two parts of each animal. Then fire appeared and it moved between the two parts. (See verse 17.) The fire was a sign of God.
Verse 16 - ‘This country’ was the country that was called Canaan. The Amorites were Canaan’s original inhabitants. Later, Abram’s descendants lived in Canaan. And God told them to kill the Amorites. (See Deuteronomy 20:17.) But God did not say that immediately. He waited for more than 400 years. If the Amorites did good things, he would save them. But if they continued to do evil things, he would kill them.
God does not kill people quickly. He waited for 120 years before he killed people by the flood. (See Genesis 6:3 and the comment).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:7-17
The prophecy of Israel’s bondage in Egypt
v7 And the Lord said to Abram, ‘I am the Lord. I brought you from Ur in Chaldea. I have given this country to you so that you may possess it.’
v8 But Abram said, ‘Lord God, how can I know that I shall possess it?’
v9 The Lord said to him, ‘Bring to me a young cow that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a female goat that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a male sheep that is 3 years of age. Bring to me a dove (a bird) and a young dove.’
v10 And Abram brought all these. He cut each of these into two pieces. He laid the two halves of each one opposite each other. But he did not cut the birds into pieces.
v11 Some wild birds that eat meat flew down. They tried to land on the dead animals. Abram scared
v12 When the sun set, Abram slept. He felt fear and there was great darkness.
v13 Then the Lord said to Abram, ‘Be certain about what I tell you. Your descendants will live in a country that does not belong to them. They will be slaves there. They will have to work hard for 400 years.
v14 But I will punish the nation that they serve. Afterwards your descendants shall come out of that country. They shall take with them many possessions.
v15 You yourself shall die in peace and then you shall be with your fathers. When people shall bury you, you will be very old.
v16 And your descendants shall come back to this country. The sons of the sons of the sons of your sons shall come back. But before they come back the Amorites must do still more evil things.’
v17 The sun set and the sky was dark. Then a pot appeared which contained fire. It produced smoke. Also a branch appeared, which burned with flames. They both moved between the pieces of meat.
them so that they flew away.
Comment:
Verse 7 - God repeated a promise that he had made earlier. (See Genesis 13:15 and the comment.)
Verse 9 - A dove is a kind of bird.
Verse 10 - This was probably an ancient custom when people make a firm agreement with each other. Perhaps it was like this. Two people kill animals as an offering to God and they cut the animals into two parts. They separate the parts and they walk between the parts. That shows that they must keep the agreement. Otherwise, someone will cut the people into two parts. God used this custom to show that his agreement with Abram was firm. So Abram separated the two parts of each animal. Then fire appeared and it moved between the two parts. (See verse 17.) The fire was a sign of God.
Verse 16 - ‘This country’ was the country that was called Canaan. The Amorites were Canaan’s original inhabitants. Later, Abram’s descendants lived in Canaan. And God told them to kill the Amorites. (See Deuteronomy 20:17.) But God did not say that immediately. He waited for more than 400 years. If the Amorites did good things, he would save them. But if they continued to do evil things, he would kill them.
God does not kill people quickly. He waited for 120 years before he killed people by the flood. (See Genesis 6:3 and the comment).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, February 23, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 15:1-6
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:1-6
God makes promises to Abram
v1 After these things the Lord appeared to Abram. The Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am protecting you. I will reward you very greatly.’
v2 But Abram said, ‘Lord God, your gifts are no advantage to me, because I still have no child. When I die, my possessions will belong to Eliezer of Damascus.’
v3 And Abram said, ‘You have not given a child to me. A man who is my servant will own my possessions.’
v4 Then the Lord said to him, ‘This man shall not have your possessions. Your own son shall have your possessions.’
v5 And the Lord led Abram out of the tent. He said, ‘Look towards heaven. Count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’
v6 Then Abram believed the Lord. Therefore the Lord considered that Abram was righteous.
Comment:
Verse 2 - God had not given a son to Abram. That was a worry to Abram. He wanted a son so that his family would continue. And he had many things that God had given to him. He wished that those things would become his son’s possessions.
Eliezer was Abram’s chief servant. If Abram died without a child, Eliezer would own all Abram’s possessions. That was the law of the country.
Damascus is a city north of Canaan.
Verse 5 - It was night and the sky was very clear. Abram could see very many stars. There were so many stars that nobody could count them. God told Abram that nobody would count his descendants. Nobody could count them because they would be so many.
Verse 6 - Abram was not perfect. Like everybody else, he had done wrong things. But God considered that Abram was righteous (right with God). The reason was that Abram believed God. He believed that God would give him a son.
We are not perfect. We have all done wrong things. But we can believe God. We can put our trust in him. We can put our trust in Jesus. Then God will consider that we are righteous (right with God). (See Romans 4:3, 24, 25.)
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 15:1-6
God makes promises to Abram
v1 After these things the Lord appeared to Abram. The Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am protecting you. I will reward you very greatly.’
v2 But Abram said, ‘Lord God, your gifts are no advantage to me, because I still have no child. When I die, my possessions will belong to Eliezer of Damascus.’
v3 And Abram said, ‘You have not given a child to me. A man who is my servant will own my possessions.’
v4 Then the Lord said to him, ‘This man shall not have your possessions. Your own son shall have your possessions.’
v5 And the Lord led Abram out of the tent. He said, ‘Look towards heaven. Count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’
v6 Then Abram believed the Lord. Therefore the Lord considered that Abram was righteous.
Comment:
Verse 2 - God had not given a son to Abram. That was a worry to Abram. He wanted a son so that his family would continue. And he had many things that God had given to him. He wished that those things would become his son’s possessions.
Eliezer was Abram’s chief servant. If Abram died without a child, Eliezer would own all Abram’s possessions. That was the law of the country.
Damascus is a city north of Canaan.
Verse 5 - It was night and the sky was very clear. Abram could see very many stars. There were so many stars that nobody could count them. God told Abram that nobody would count his descendants. Nobody could count them because they would be so many.
Verse 6 - Abram was not perfect. Like everybody else, he had done wrong things. But God considered that Abram was righteous (right with God). The reason was that Abram believed God. He believed that God would give him a son.
We are not perfect. We have all done wrong things. But we can believe God. We can put our trust in him. We can put our trust in Jesus. Then God will consider that we are righteous (right with God). (See Romans 4:3, 24, 25.)
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 14:18-24
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:18-24
Melchizedek a priest of the great God met Abram
v18 And Melchizedek also met Abram. He was the king of Salem and he was a priest of the great God. He produced bread and wine.
v19 And he blessed Abram. He said,
‘I pray that the great God will be kind to Abram.
He is the God who made the heaven and the earth.
v20 Praise the great God,
because he has delivered your enemies to you!’
And Abram gave to Melchizedek a part of the goods that he had brought back. He gave to him one thing out of every 10 things.
v21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me, but take the goods for yourself.’
v22 But Abram spoke to the king of Sodom. He said, ‘I have made a firm promise to the great Lord God, who made the heaven and the earth.
v23 I promised that I will not take anything from you. I will not take anything that belongs to you. I will not take the smallest thing. I will not even take the string of a shoe. Otherwise, you might say, “I have made Abram rich.”
v24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten. And I will take the share of the men who went with me. And let Aner, Eshcol and Mamre take their share.’
Comment:
Verse 18 - ‘Salem’ was probably the city that is also called Jerusalem. Melchizedek was the king of Salem. The word ‘Melchizedek’ means ‘righteous king’.
‘He produced bread and wine.’ Bread and wine were ordinary food. It was natural that Melchizedek should welcome Abram after his fight. It was natural that he should give food to him. Melchizedek gave honor to Abram because Abram had overcome an enemy.
But these things have an extra meaning to us. ‘Salem’ means ‘peace’ and so ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace’. We might call Christ ‘king of peace and priest of the great God’. And Christ made bread and wine have a special meaning. So to know about Melchizedek helps us to know some things about Christ. (See Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:1, 17.)
Verse 20 - ‘He has delivered your enemies to you.’ Melchizedek knew that God had given success to Abram.
‘Abram gave one thing out of every 10 things.’ Abram had brought back all the goods. (See verse 16.) It was not possible to return all the goods to their owners. Some of the goods had come from other cities. (See verses 5-7.) So Abram shared the goods in a fair manner. He gave a share to Melchizedek, although Melchizedek’s people had not helped in the fight. Many years after this time, God told Moses to do a similar thing. After a battle, they shared the goods. And the people who fought the battle did not take all the goods. The people who did not fight also had a share. (See Numbers 31:27.)
People sometimes call one thing out of every ten things a ‘tithe’.
Hebrews 7:1-25 refers to Genesis 14:18-20.
Verses 22-24 - We do not know why Abram did not take his share. He accepted goods from Pharaoh in Egypt. (See Genesis 12:16.) And he accepted goods from Abimelech. (See Genesis 20:14, 16.) But he did not accept these goods. Perhaps Abram knew that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked. (See Genesis 18:20.) And he did not want people to say that his wealth came from wicked people. Perhaps that was the reason.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:18-24
Melchizedek a priest of the great God met Abram
v18 And Melchizedek also met Abram. He was the king of Salem and he was a priest of the great God. He produced bread and wine.
v19 And he blessed Abram. He said,
‘I pray that the great God will be kind to Abram.
He is the God who made the heaven and the earth.
v20 Praise the great God,
because he has delivered your enemies to you!’
And Abram gave to Melchizedek a part of the goods that he had brought back. He gave to him one thing out of every 10 things.
v21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, ‘Give the people to me, but take the goods for yourself.’
v22 But Abram spoke to the king of Sodom. He said, ‘I have made a firm promise to the great Lord God, who made the heaven and the earth.
v23 I promised that I will not take anything from you. I will not take anything that belongs to you. I will not take the smallest thing. I will not even take the string of a shoe. Otherwise, you might say, “I have made Abram rich.”
v24 I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten. And I will take the share of the men who went with me. And let Aner, Eshcol and Mamre take their share.’
Comment:
Verse 18 - ‘Salem’ was probably the city that is also called Jerusalem. Melchizedek was the king of Salem. The word ‘Melchizedek’ means ‘righteous king’.
‘He produced bread and wine.’ Bread and wine were ordinary food. It was natural that Melchizedek should welcome Abram after his fight. It was natural that he should give food to him. Melchizedek gave honor to Abram because Abram had overcome an enemy.
But these things have an extra meaning to us. ‘Salem’ means ‘peace’ and so ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace’. We might call Christ ‘king of peace and priest of the great God’. And Christ made bread and wine have a special meaning. So to know about Melchizedek helps us to know some things about Christ. (See Psalm 110:4 and Hebrews 7:1, 17.)
Verse 20 - ‘He has delivered your enemies to you.’ Melchizedek knew that God had given success to Abram.
‘Abram gave one thing out of every 10 things.’ Abram had brought back all the goods. (See verse 16.) It was not possible to return all the goods to their owners. Some of the goods had come from other cities. (See verses 5-7.) So Abram shared the goods in a fair manner. He gave a share to Melchizedek, although Melchizedek’s people had not helped in the fight. Many years after this time, God told Moses to do a similar thing. After a battle, they shared the goods. And the people who fought the battle did not take all the goods. The people who did not fight also had a share. (See Numbers 31:27.)
People sometimes call one thing out of every ten things a ‘tithe’.
Hebrews 7:1-25 refers to Genesis 14:18-20.
Verses 22-24 - We do not know why Abram did not take his share. He accepted goods from Pharaoh in Egypt. (See Genesis 12:16.) And he accepted goods from Abimelech. (See Genesis 20:14, 16.) But he did not accept these goods. Perhaps Abram knew that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were wicked. (See Genesis 18:20.) And he did not want people to say that his wealth came from wicked people. Perhaps that was the reason.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 14:11-17
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:11-17
Lot is captured Lot with all his goods
v11 So the enemy took all the goods in Sodom and in Gomorrah. They took all the food that people had stored.
v12 They also took Lot, who lived in Sodom. And they took all Lot’s goods. Lot was the son of Abram’s brother. The enemy took all these things and they went away.
Abram rescues Lot and his goods
v13 Then one person who had escaped came to Abram. He told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. Abram the Hebrew was near the big trees that belonged to Mamre. Mamre was an Amorite and he was the brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These people were Abram’s friends.
v14 So Abram heard that the enemy had made his relative Lot a prisoner. Abram had trained 318 men who were born in his house. He led these men and they followed the enemy as far as the place that is called Dan.
v15 There Abram divided his men into two groups. Abram and his servants attacked the enemy at night. They defeated them and they pursued them to Hobah. Hobah is north of Damascus.
v16 Then Abram brought back all the goods. He also brought back his relative, Lot with his goods. And he brought back all the women and the people.
v17 So Abram defeated Chedor-laomer. And he defeated the kings who were with him. Then he returned. The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram. He met him at the valley called Shaveh, which is also called the King’s Valley.
Comment:
Verse 12 - They took Lot as a slave. And they also took other men and women as slaves. (See verses 16 and 21.)
Verse 13 - The Amorites were a tribe of people. Mamre was the name of a town. (See Genesis 13:14.) But in this verse, Mamre is the name of a person who lived in that town. Genesis has other examples of this.
• Haran was a man. He lived in the city that was called Ur. His relatives went to the city that was called Haran. (See Genesis 11:28, 31.)
• Shechem was a man. He lived in the city that was called Shechem. (See Genesis 33:18-19.)
Verses 14-15 - Abram usually lived at peace with his neighbors. He did not usually fight. But because Lot was a prisoner, Abram had a good reason to fight. And he fought wisely. He and his servants attacked when most of the enemy were asleep. They attacked as two groups. One group attacked from one side and the other group attacked from the other side. Abram had 318 men. The armies of the 4 kings were certainly much more than that. But God gave success to Abram.
Abram’s attack was successful for two reasons. He acted wisely and he trusted in God. We need to do the same. If we wish to succeed, we should trust in God. But we also need to act wisely.
From Dan to Sodom is a distance of 240 kilometers (150 miles).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:11-17
Lot is captured Lot with all his goods
v11 So the enemy took all the goods in Sodom and in Gomorrah. They took all the food that people had stored.
v12 They also took Lot, who lived in Sodom. And they took all Lot’s goods. Lot was the son of Abram’s brother. The enemy took all these things and they went away.
Abram rescues Lot and his goods
v13 Then one person who had escaped came to Abram. He told Abram the Hebrew what had happened. Abram the Hebrew was near the big trees that belonged to Mamre. Mamre was an Amorite and he was the brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These people were Abram’s friends.
v14 So Abram heard that the enemy had made his relative Lot a prisoner. Abram had trained 318 men who were born in his house. He led these men and they followed the enemy as far as the place that is called Dan.
v15 There Abram divided his men into two groups. Abram and his servants attacked the enemy at night. They defeated them and they pursued them to Hobah. Hobah is north of Damascus.
v16 Then Abram brought back all the goods. He also brought back his relative, Lot with his goods. And he brought back all the women and the people.
v17 So Abram defeated Chedor-laomer. And he defeated the kings who were with him. Then he returned. The king of Sodom went out to meet Abram. He met him at the valley called Shaveh, which is also called the King’s Valley.
Comment:
Verse 12 - They took Lot as a slave. And they also took other men and women as slaves. (See verses 16 and 21.)
Verse 13 - The Amorites were a tribe of people. Mamre was the name of a town. (See Genesis 13:14.) But in this verse, Mamre is the name of a person who lived in that town. Genesis has other examples of this.
• Haran was a man. He lived in the city that was called Ur. His relatives went to the city that was called Haran. (See Genesis 11:28, 31.)
• Shechem was a man. He lived in the city that was called Shechem. (See Genesis 33:18-19.)
Verses 14-15 - Abram usually lived at peace with his neighbors. He did not usually fight. But because Lot was a prisoner, Abram had a good reason to fight. And he fought wisely. He and his servants attacked when most of the enemy were asleep. They attacked as two groups. One group attacked from one side and the other group attacked from the other side. Abram had 318 men. The armies of the 4 kings were certainly much more than that. But God gave success to Abram.
Abram’s attack was successful for two reasons. He acted wisely and he trusted in God. We need to do the same. If we wish to succeed, we should trust in God. But we also need to act wisely.
From Dan to Sodom is a distance of 240 kilometers (150 miles).
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 14:1-10
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:1-10
The fight between 4 kings and 5 kings
v1 At this time there were 4 kings. One was Amraphel and he was the king of Shinar. Another king was Arioch and he was the king of Ellasar. Another one was Chedor-laomer and he was the king of Elam. The other king was Tidal and he was the king of Goiim.
v2 These 4 kings fought in a war against 5 kings. One out of these 5 kings was Bera and he was the king of Sodom. Another one was Birsha and he was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was Shinab and he was the king of Admah. Another one was Shemeber and he was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. v3 These 5 kings joined their armies together in the valley that is called Siddim. That is the valley where the Salt Sea is.
v4 For 12 years, Chedor-laomer had ruled over these 5 kings. In year 13, they refused to obey him.
v5 In year 14, Chedor-laomer came. And the kings who were with him came. They overcame the Rephaim people who lived in Ashteroth-karnaim. They overcame the Zuzim people who lived in Ham. They overcame the Emim people who lived in Shaveh-kiriathaim.
v6 And they overcame the Horites who lived in Mount Seir as far as El-paran. That is at the edge of the desert.
v7 Then the 4 kings turned back and they came to Enmishpat. That is also called Kadesh. There they destroyed all the region where the descendants of Amalek lived. They also overcame the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
v8 Then the 5 kings went out. One was the king of Sodom. Another one was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was the king of Admah. Another one was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. They fought in the valley that is called Siddim.
v9 They fought against the 4 kings. One out of these 4 kings was Chedor-laomer, king of Elam. Another one was Tidal, king of Goiim. Another one was Amraphel, king of Shinar. The last one was Arioch, king of Ellasar. So 4 kings fought against 5 kings.
v10 Now in the valley that is called Siddim there were many deep holes. People had made these holes when they took bitumen from the ground. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away and they hid in the holes. Other people ran away to the hills.
Comment:
Verse 1 - The 4 kings came from countries that are east of *Canaan. They came with their armies to fight against 5 kings. These 5 kings ruled cities in the valley that is called Siddim. (See verse 3.) That valley is at the east edge of *Canaan. It is a part of the valley that Lot chose. (See Genesis 13:11.)
Verse 4 - Chedor-laomer had an agreement with the 3 kings that were with him. Together they forced the 5 kings to pay taxes to them. Perhaps these taxes were money or perhaps they were goods. They did that for 13 years. But after that time the 5 kings refused to pay taxes.
Verses 5-7 - The 4 kings came for two reasons. They came in order to overcome several more nations. So they would rule over a larger area. And they came in order to seize money and goods from the 5 kings. The Horites were a tribe of people. For Amorites, see Genesis 10:16 and the comment on that verse.
Verse 8 - The 5 kings did not wait until the 4 kings came. They heard that the 4 kings were near. So they joined their armies together (see verse 3). And they prepared to defend their land.
Verse 10 - The armies of the 4 kings were more skilful fighters than the armies of the 5 kings were. So the armies of the 5 kings ran away.
Bitumen is a black substance that people find in the ground. In ancient times, builders used it. (See Genesis 11:3.) For ‘valley of Siddim’, see verses 1-3 and the comment.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 14:1-10
The fight between 4 kings and 5 kings
v1 At this time there were 4 kings. One was Amraphel and he was the king of Shinar. Another king was Arioch and he was the king of Ellasar. Another one was Chedor-laomer and he was the king of Elam. The other king was Tidal and he was the king of Goiim.
v2 These 4 kings fought in a war against 5 kings. One out of these 5 kings was Bera and he was the king of Sodom. Another one was Birsha and he was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was Shinab and he was the king of Admah. Another one was Shemeber and he was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. v3 These 5 kings joined their armies together in the valley that is called Siddim. That is the valley where the Salt Sea is.
v4 For 12 years, Chedor-laomer had ruled over these 5 kings. In year 13, they refused to obey him.
v5 In year 14, Chedor-laomer came. And the kings who were with him came. They overcame the Rephaim people who lived in Ashteroth-karnaim. They overcame the Zuzim people who lived in Ham. They overcame the Emim people who lived in Shaveh-kiriathaim.
v6 And they overcame the Horites who lived in Mount Seir as far as El-paran. That is at the edge of the desert.
v7 Then the 4 kings turned back and they came to Enmishpat. That is also called Kadesh. There they destroyed all the region where the descendants of Amalek lived. They also overcame the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.
v8 Then the 5 kings went out. One was the king of Sodom. Another one was the king of Gomorrah. Another one was the king of Admah. Another one was the king of Zeboiim. The last one was the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar. They fought in the valley that is called Siddim.
v9 They fought against the 4 kings. One out of these 4 kings was Chedor-laomer, king of Elam. Another one was Tidal, king of Goiim. Another one was Amraphel, king of Shinar. The last one was Arioch, king of Ellasar. So 4 kings fought against 5 kings.
v10 Now in the valley that is called Siddim there were many deep holes. People had made these holes when they took bitumen from the ground. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah ran away and they hid in the holes. Other people ran away to the hills.
Comment:
Verse 1 - The 4 kings came from countries that are east of *Canaan. They came with their armies to fight against 5 kings. These 5 kings ruled cities in the valley that is called Siddim. (See verse 3.) That valley is at the east edge of *Canaan. It is a part of the valley that Lot chose. (See Genesis 13:11.)
Verse 4 - Chedor-laomer had an agreement with the 3 kings that were with him. Together they forced the 5 kings to pay taxes to them. Perhaps these taxes were money or perhaps they were goods. They did that for 13 years. But after that time the 5 kings refused to pay taxes.
Verses 5-7 - The 4 kings came for two reasons. They came in order to overcome several more nations. So they would rule over a larger area. And they came in order to seize money and goods from the 5 kings. The Horites were a tribe of people. For Amorites, see Genesis 10:16 and the comment on that verse.
Verse 8 - The 5 kings did not wait until the 4 kings came. They heard that the 4 kings were near. So they joined their armies together (see verse 3). And they prepared to defend their land.
Verse 10 - The armies of the 4 kings were more skilful fighters than the armies of the 5 kings were. So the armies of the 5 kings ran away.
Bitumen is a black substance that people find in the ground. In ancient times, builders used it. (See Genesis 11:3.) For ‘valley of Siddim’, see verses 1-3 and the comment.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Monday, February 19, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 13:14-18
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:14-18
The Lord talks to Abram and renew His promise
v14 After Lot separated from Abram, the Lord spoke to Abram. The Lord said, ‘Look at the things that are round you. Look from the place where you are. Look towards the north. Look towards the south. Look towards the east. Look towards the west.
v15 I will give to you all the land that you see. I will give it to you and to your descendants for all ages.
v16 I will make your descendants as the dust that is on the earth. Nobody can count the dust on the earth and nobody will be able to count your descendants.
v17 Get up and walk through the whole country. I will give all of it to you.’
v18 So Abram moved his tent. He went to the big trees at Mamre and he stayed there. Mamre is also called Hebron. At Mamre he built an altar so that he could make offerings to the Lord.
Comment:
Verse 15 - The land that Abram saw was Canaan. God had brought Abram from Haran to Canaan. Abram had gone to Egypt, but he had returned to Canaan. Later, Abram’s descendants went to Egypt for 400 years. But they returned to Canaan. Canaan became the country of God’s people and it was called ‘the land of Israel’.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:14-18
The Lord talks to Abram and renew His promise
v14 After Lot separated from Abram, the Lord spoke to Abram. The Lord said, ‘Look at the things that are round you. Look from the place where you are. Look towards the north. Look towards the south. Look towards the east. Look towards the west.
v15 I will give to you all the land that you see. I will give it to you and to your descendants for all ages.
v16 I will make your descendants as the dust that is on the earth. Nobody can count the dust on the earth and nobody will be able to count your descendants.
v17 Get up and walk through the whole country. I will give all of it to you.’
v18 So Abram moved his tent. He went to the big trees at Mamre and he stayed there. Mamre is also called Hebron. At Mamre he built an altar so that he could make offerings to the Lord.
Comment:
Verse 15 - The land that Abram saw was Canaan. God had brought Abram from Haran to Canaan. Abram had gone to Egypt, but he had returned to Canaan. Later, Abram’s descendants went to Egypt for 400 years. But they returned to Canaan. Canaan became the country of God’s people and it was called ‘the land of Israel’.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 13:8 13
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:8 13
Abram and Lot separate
v8 Then Abram said to Lot, ‘You and I must not fight against each other. Your servants and my servants must not fight against each other. We are relatives.
v9 The whole country is in front of you. Separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left.’
v10 And Lot looked. He saw that there was plenty of water in the valley of the river Jordan. It was like the Lord’s garden. The region round Zoar was like Egypt. The Lord had not yet destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
v11 Lot chose for himself all the valley of the river Jordan. So Lot traveled to the east. Abram and Lot separated from each other.
v12 Abram lived in Canaan. Lot lived among the cities that were in the valley. After that, Lot moved his tent near to Sodom.
v13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked. They did many things that the Lord had forbidden.
Comment:
Verse 9 - Abram was very kind to Lot. He allowed Lot to choose where he would live. Abram would live on the land that Lot did not choose.
Verse 10 - ‘The region round Zoar was like Egypt.’ Egypt was a flat country and the region round Zoar was flat. The river Nile provided plenty of water for Egypt so that crops grew well. And the river Jordan provided water for Zoar. Most of *Canaan was hilly and it was not like Egypt.
Verse 11 - Later, Lot realized that this was a bad choice. (See Genesis 19:24-25.) Abram had better land.
Verse 12 - When Lot left Abram, he began to move into bad company.
• Lot chose the way that was easiest (in verses 10-11). That was a bad choice.
• Lot moved his tent nearer to Sodom, where the inhabitants were wicked (in verses 12-13). That was not wrong. But he came nearer to evil companions.
• Lot went into Sodom. (See Genesis 14:12.) He lived among wicked men. Because he did that, he needed Abram to rescue him. (See Genesis 14:14, 16.)
• Lot took wicked men as his companions. (See Genesis 19:1. ‘Lot sat at the gate of Sodom.’ And the gate was the place where people talked together.) Because Lot did that, he needed God to rescue him. (See Genesis 19:15-16.)
Lot moved his tent nearer to the evil city, Sodom. And, when he had done that, he could easily move further. And, when he was in Sodom, he could easily take wicked men as his companions. We must not do what Lot did. We must not do little wrong things. If we do them, we can more easily do greater wrong things.-
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:8 13
Abram and Lot separate
v8 Then Abram said to Lot, ‘You and I must not fight against each other. Your servants and my servants must not fight against each other. We are relatives.
v9 The whole country is in front of you. Separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left.’
v10 And Lot looked. He saw that there was plenty of water in the valley of the river Jordan. It was like the Lord’s garden. The region round Zoar was like Egypt. The Lord had not yet destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
v11 Lot chose for himself all the valley of the river Jordan. So Lot traveled to the east. Abram and Lot separated from each other.
v12 Abram lived in Canaan. Lot lived among the cities that were in the valley. After that, Lot moved his tent near to Sodom.
v13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked. They did many things that the Lord had forbidden.
Comment:
Verse 9 - Abram was very kind to Lot. He allowed Lot to choose where he would live. Abram would live on the land that Lot did not choose.
Verse 10 - ‘The region round Zoar was like Egypt.’ Egypt was a flat country and the region round Zoar was flat. The river Nile provided plenty of water for Egypt so that crops grew well. And the river Jordan provided water for Zoar. Most of *Canaan was hilly and it was not like Egypt.
Verse 11 - Later, Lot realized that this was a bad choice. (See Genesis 19:24-25.) Abram had better land.
Verse 12 - When Lot left Abram, he began to move into bad company.
• Lot chose the way that was easiest (in verses 10-11). That was a bad choice.
• Lot moved his tent nearer to Sodom, where the inhabitants were wicked (in verses 12-13). That was not wrong. But he came nearer to evil companions.
• Lot went into Sodom. (See Genesis 14:12.) He lived among wicked men. Because he did that, he needed Abram to rescue him. (See Genesis 14:14, 16.)
• Lot took wicked men as his companions. (See Genesis 19:1. ‘Lot sat at the gate of Sodom.’ And the gate was the place where people talked together.) Because Lot did that, he needed God to rescue him. (See Genesis 19:15-16.)
Lot moved his tent nearer to the evil city, Sodom. And, when he had done that, he could easily move further. And, when he was in Sodom, he could easily take wicked men as his companions. We must not do what Lot did. We must not do little wrong things. If we do them, we can more easily do greater wrong things.-
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 13:1-7
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:1-7
Abram returns to Canaan
v1 So Abram left Egypt. He took his wife. He took everything that he had. And Lot went with him. They went into the Negeb.
v2 Abram was very rich. He had many animals. He had much silver and gold.
v3 From the Negeb he went further. He went to Bethel, where his tent had been at the beginning. He stopped between Bethel and Ai.
v4 He stopped at the place where he had made an altar before. There Abram prayed to the Lord.
v5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had sheep and cows and tents.
The fight between Abram’s and Lot’s servants
v6 The land could not provide enough food for both of them if they lived together. Their possessions were so many that they could not live together.
v7 Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants fought against each other. These were the servants who looked after the animals. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the country.
Comment:
Verses 1-4 - For the name ‘Negeb’ see Genesis 12:9 and the comment. For the name ‘Bethel’ see Genesis 12:8.
Verse 6 - Their possessions included many animals, which need grass. There was not enough grass in that region for so many animals.
Verse 7 - They fought because each wanted their own animals to have the grass. The Perizzites were a tribe that lived in the country called Canaan.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 13:1-7
Abram returns to Canaan
v1 So Abram left Egypt. He took his wife. He took everything that he had. And Lot went with him. They went into the Negeb.
v2 Abram was very rich. He had many animals. He had much silver and gold.
v3 From the Negeb he went further. He went to Bethel, where his tent had been at the beginning. He stopped between Bethel and Ai.
v4 He stopped at the place where he had made an altar before. There Abram prayed to the Lord.
v5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had sheep and cows and tents.
The fight between Abram’s and Lot’s servants
v6 The land could not provide enough food for both of them if they lived together. Their possessions were so many that they could not live together.
v7 Abram’s servants and Lot’s servants fought against each other. These were the servants who looked after the animals. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites lived in the country.
Comment:
Verses 1-4 - For the name ‘Negeb’ see Genesis 12:9 and the comment. For the name ‘Bethel’ see Genesis 12:8.
Verse 6 - Their possessions included many animals, which need grass. There was not enough grass in that region for so many animals.
Verse 7 - They fought because each wanted their own animals to have the grass. The Perizzites were a tribe that lived in the country called Canaan.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, February 16, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 12:10-20
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 12:10-20
Abram is driven to Egypt by a famine
v10 There was not enough food in the country and so Abram went to Egypt. He stayed there, because the famine was very bad in Canaan.
Abram deceives Pharaoh
v11 Before Abram entered Egypt, he spoke to Sarai his wife. He said, ‘I know that you are a beautiful woman.
v12 The inhabitants of Egypt will see you. They will say, “This is his wife.” Then they will kill me, but they will keep you alive.
v13 Say that you are my sister. So they will not hurt me because of you. They will not kill me in order to take you.’
v14 Then Abram entered Egypt. The inhabitants of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful.
v15 When the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And they took the woman into Pharaoh’s house.
v16 Pharaoh loved Sarai and therefore he was kind to Abram. Pharaoh gave to Abram sheep, cows, donkeys, servants, maids and camels.
God plagued Pharaoh and his house
v17 But the Lord made Pharaoh and his family very ill. He did this because of Sarai, who was Abram’s wife.
Abram is rebuked by Pharaoh
v18 So Pharaoh called Abram. He said, ‘You have done an evil thing to me. You should have told me that she was your wife.
v19 You should not have said, “She is my sister.” Because you said that, I took her as my wife. Now here is your wife. Take her and go away.’
v20 And Pharaoh commanded his men to guard Abram. And the men sent Abram away. Abram took his wife and everything that he had.
Comments:
Verse 10 - Egypt is a country in northern Africa. The river Nile provides water to Egypt. Therefore, crops grow in Egypt even if there is no rain. So there was no famine (lack of food) in Egypt. There was a famine in Canaan because there had been no rain.
Verses 11-13 - Abram went to Egypt, which was a foreign country. He did not know its customs. He was not confident that God would protect him and Sarai. He thought that someone might kill him in order to take Sarai as a wife. So he decided to say that Sarai was his sister. And, if anyone took Sarai as a wife, he would not kill Abram. And so perhaps Abram and Sarai would escape before the wedding. But the person who took Sarai was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Sarai was in Pharaoh’s court, she could not escape.
When Abram called Sarai his sister, he did not tell the truth. But what he said was not completely wrong. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. Sarai and Abram had the same father but they did not have the same mother. (See Genesis 20:12.) At that time, some people married their half-sisters. Later, the Bible said that a marriage with a half-sister is wrong. (See Deuteronomy 27:22.)
Verse 15 - Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. ‘Pharaoh’ was not the name of this king, but all kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh.
Verses 17-19
Sarai could not escape from Pharaoh’s court, but God saved her. Abram should have told the truth about Sarai when he arrived in Egypt. If he had done that, this trouble would not have happened.
Verse 20 - Pharaoh realized that Abram’s God had punished him and his family. (See verse 17.) Pharaoh wanted to prevent further trouble. So he told his men to make Abram leave Egypt. But Abram had gained many possessions that Pharaoh had given to him. (See verse 16.) When Abram left Egypt, he took those possessions with him. So Abram became richer because he received goods from Egypt.
Many years later, a similar thing happened. Abram’s descendants lived in Egypt for 400 years. And when they left Egypt, they gained many possessions. (See Exodus 12:35-36.) They took those possessions with them. So God’s people became richer because they received goods from Egypt.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 12:10-20
Abram is driven to Egypt by a famine
v10 There was not enough food in the country and so Abram went to Egypt. He stayed there, because the famine was very bad in Canaan.
Abram deceives Pharaoh
v11 Before Abram entered Egypt, he spoke to Sarai his wife. He said, ‘I know that you are a beautiful woman.
v12 The inhabitants of Egypt will see you. They will say, “This is his wife.” Then they will kill me, but they will keep you alive.
v13 Say that you are my sister. So they will not hurt me because of you. They will not kill me in order to take you.’
v14 Then Abram entered Egypt. The inhabitants of Egypt saw that the woman was very beautiful.
v15 When the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And they took the woman into Pharaoh’s house.
v16 Pharaoh loved Sarai and therefore he was kind to Abram. Pharaoh gave to Abram sheep, cows, donkeys, servants, maids and camels.
God plagued Pharaoh and his house
v17 But the Lord made Pharaoh and his family very ill. He did this because of Sarai, who was Abram’s wife.
Abram is rebuked by Pharaoh
v18 So Pharaoh called Abram. He said, ‘You have done an evil thing to me. You should have told me that she was your wife.
v19 You should not have said, “She is my sister.” Because you said that, I took her as my wife. Now here is your wife. Take her and go away.’
v20 And Pharaoh commanded his men to guard Abram. And the men sent Abram away. Abram took his wife and everything that he had.
Comments:
Verse 10 - Egypt is a country in northern Africa. The river Nile provides water to Egypt. Therefore, crops grow in Egypt even if there is no rain. So there was no famine (lack of food) in Egypt. There was a famine in Canaan because there had been no rain.
Verses 11-13 - Abram went to Egypt, which was a foreign country. He did not know its customs. He was not confident that God would protect him and Sarai. He thought that someone might kill him in order to take Sarai as a wife. So he decided to say that Sarai was his sister. And, if anyone took Sarai as a wife, he would not kill Abram. And so perhaps Abram and Sarai would escape before the wedding. But the person who took Sarai was Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Sarai was in Pharaoh’s court, she could not escape.
When Abram called Sarai his sister, he did not tell the truth. But what he said was not completely wrong. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. Sarai and Abram had the same father but they did not have the same mother. (See Genesis 20:12.) At that time, some people married their half-sisters. Later, the Bible said that a marriage with a half-sister is wrong. (See Deuteronomy 27:22.)
Verse 15 - Pharaoh was the king of Egypt. ‘Pharaoh’ was not the name of this king, but all kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh.
Verses 17-19
Sarai could not escape from Pharaoh’s court, but God saved her. Abram should have told the truth about Sarai when he arrived in Egypt. If he had done that, this trouble would not have happened.
Verse 20 - Pharaoh realized that Abram’s God had punished him and his family. (See verse 17.) Pharaoh wanted to prevent further trouble. So he told his men to make Abram leave Egypt. But Abram had gained many possessions that Pharaoh had given to him. (See verse 16.) When Abram left Egypt, he took those possessions with him. So Abram became richer because he received goods from Egypt.
Many years later, a similar thing happened. Abram’s descendants lived in Egypt for 400 years. And when they left Egypt, they gained many possessions. (See Exodus 12:35-36.) They took those possessions with them. So God’s people became richer because they received goods from Egypt.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 12:1-9
Go and teach all nations
God’s promises a Nation to Abram
Genesis 12:1-9
Abram’s journey to Canaan
v1 The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country. Leave your home. Leave your father’s house. Go to the country that I will show to you.
v2 And I will make you become a great nation. I will bring many good things to you. I will make your name famous. You will bring good things to people.
v3 I will be kind to those who are kind to you. I will do evil things to those who do evil things to you. All the families that are on the earth shall receive good things because of you.’
v4 So Abram went, as the Lord commanded him. Lot went with him. Abram’s age was 75 years when he left Haran.
v5 And Abram took Sarai his wife. He took Lot, who was his brother’s son. He took all their possessions that they had gathered. He took all his relatives who had been born in Haran. They set off together. And they went to the country that is called Canaan.
When they came to Canaan,
v6 Abram went through the region. He came to the big tree at Moreh. It was near to the town that is called Shechem. At that time the Canaanites lived in that country.
v7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram. He said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants who will live after you.’ So Abram built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
v8 From there he went to the mountain that is to the east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was on the west of him. Ai was east of him. He built an altar there for the Lord. And he prayed to the Lord.
v9 After that, Abram travelled further toward the Negeb.
Comment:
Verse 1 - Abram was the person who was later called Abraham. (See Genesis 17:5.)
When Abram left Haran, his father Terah did not go with him. Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left. This is how we know that: Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born. (See Genesis 11:26.) And Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. (See verse 4.) Therefore, Terah was 145 years old when Abram left Haran. But Terah lived for 205 years. (See Genesis 11:32.) So Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left.
Verse 5 - The distance from Haran to Shechem, which is in Canaan, is about 600 kilometres (400 miles).
Verse 6 - The country was called Canaan because the Canaanites lived there. The Canaanites were the descendants of Canaan, who was a grandson of Noah.
Verse 8 - Many years later, Jacob gave the name ‘Bethel’ to this place. (See Genesis 28:19.) It probably did not have that name in Abram’s time. But the people who wrote Genesis used the name. It tells us where Abram went.
Verse 9 - The Negeb is the southern part of the country that is called Canaan. It is the part of Canaan that is nearest to Egypt.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
God’s promises a Nation to Abram
Genesis 12:1-9
Abram’s journey to Canaan
v1 The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country. Leave your home. Leave your father’s house. Go to the country that I will show to you.
v2 And I will make you become a great nation. I will bring many good things to you. I will make your name famous. You will bring good things to people.
v3 I will be kind to those who are kind to you. I will do evil things to those who do evil things to you. All the families that are on the earth shall receive good things because of you.’
v4 So Abram went, as the Lord commanded him. Lot went with him. Abram’s age was 75 years when he left Haran.
v5 And Abram took Sarai his wife. He took Lot, who was his brother’s son. He took all their possessions that they had gathered. He took all his relatives who had been born in Haran. They set off together. And they went to the country that is called Canaan.
When they came to Canaan,
v6 Abram went through the region. He came to the big tree at Moreh. It was near to the town that is called Shechem. At that time the Canaanites lived in that country.
v7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram. He said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants who will live after you.’ So Abram built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
v8 From there he went to the mountain that is to the east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was on the west of him. Ai was east of him. He built an altar there for the Lord. And he prayed to the Lord.
v9 After that, Abram travelled further toward the Negeb.
Comment:
Verse 1 - Abram was the person who was later called Abraham. (See Genesis 17:5.)
When Abram left Haran, his father Terah did not go with him. Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left. This is how we know that: Terah was 70 years old when Abram was born. (See Genesis 11:26.) And Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. (See verse 4.) Therefore, Terah was 145 years old when Abram left Haran. But Terah lived for 205 years. (See Genesis 11:32.) So Terah lived in Haran for 60 years after Abram left.
Verse 5 - The distance from Haran to Shechem, which is in Canaan, is about 600 kilometres (400 miles).
Verse 6 - The country was called Canaan because the Canaanites lived there. The Canaanites were the descendants of Canaan, who was a grandson of Noah.
Verse 8 - Many years later, Jacob gave the name ‘Bethel’ to this place. (See Genesis 28:19.) It probably did not have that name in Abram’s time. But the people who wrote Genesis used the name. It tells us where Abram went.
Verse 9 - The Negeb is the southern part of the country that is called Canaan. It is the part of Canaan that is nearest to Egypt.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 11:27-32
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:27-32
The descendants of Terah
v27 These are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
v28 Haran died in the country where he was born. He died in Ur, which is a city in Chaldea. He died while his father Terah was still alive.
v29 And Abram and Nahor married wives. Abram’s wife was called Sarai. Nahor’s wife was called Milcah. Milcah was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and of Iscah.
v30 And Sarai had no child.
Comment:
Verses 28-29 - Nahor’s brother Haran died. After that, Nahor married Haran’s daughter Milcah. So Nahor married his niece. In those times, a man would marry his niece if her father had died.
Terah and Abram leave Ur
v31 Terah went away from Ur, which was a city in Chaldea. He took his son Abram. He took his grandson Lot, who was Haran’s son. He took Sarai, who was the wife of his son Abram. They set out together to go into the country that is called Canaan. But when they arrived at Haran, they stopped there.
v32 Terah lived for 205 years and he died in Haran.
Comment:
Verse 31 - We do not know where Ur was. A city in east Mesopotamia was called Ur. (Mesopotamia is the country that is between the river Tigris and the river Euphrates. Nowadays it is mostly in the countries Iraq and Syria.) That city Ur is about 1000 kilometers (600 miles) from Haran. Many people think that Abram was born there. But that city Ur would not be called ‘a city in Chaldea’. It is in east Mesopotamia, but the Chaldea was in the west part of Mesopotamia. And Abram called the west of Mesopotamia ‘my country’. That seems to mean that he was born in the west of Mesopotamia. (See Genesis 24:4.) So it is more likely that Abram’s city Ur was near to Haran. Perhaps it is the same as Urfa. That is 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the north of Haran.
‘They set out together to go into the country that is called Canaan.’ They probably did not know that they would go to Canaan. This is probably a short way to say, ‘They set out together on a journey. And the journey ended in the country that is called Canaan.’ That is likely for this reason. In Genesis 12:1, God says to Abram, ‘Go to the country that I will show to you.’ So Abram probably did not know what country that was. He did not know until God showed him.
We do not know why Terah and Abram left Ur. Perhaps God told them to do so.
‘Haran’ was the name of a man. He was a brother of Abram. (See verse 27.) And ‘Haran’ was also the name of a city. It was the city where Terah and his family stayed.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:27-32
The descendants of Terah
v27 These are the descendants of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
v28 Haran died in the country where he was born. He died in Ur, which is a city in Chaldea. He died while his father Terah was still alive.
v29 And Abram and Nahor married wives. Abram’s wife was called Sarai. Nahor’s wife was called Milcah. Milcah was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milcah and of Iscah.
v30 And Sarai had no child.
Comment:
Verses 28-29 - Nahor’s brother Haran died. After that, Nahor married Haran’s daughter Milcah. So Nahor married his niece. In those times, a man would marry his niece if her father had died.
Terah and Abram leave Ur
v31 Terah went away from Ur, which was a city in Chaldea. He took his son Abram. He took his grandson Lot, who was Haran’s son. He took Sarai, who was the wife of his son Abram. They set out together to go into the country that is called Canaan. But when they arrived at Haran, they stopped there.
v32 Terah lived for 205 years and he died in Haran.
Comment:
Verse 31 - We do not know where Ur was. A city in east Mesopotamia was called Ur. (Mesopotamia is the country that is between the river Tigris and the river Euphrates. Nowadays it is mostly in the countries Iraq and Syria.) That city Ur is about 1000 kilometers (600 miles) from Haran. Many people think that Abram was born there. But that city Ur would not be called ‘a city in Chaldea’. It is in east Mesopotamia, but the Chaldea was in the west part of Mesopotamia. And Abram called the west of Mesopotamia ‘my country’. That seems to mean that he was born in the west of Mesopotamia. (See Genesis 24:4.) So it is more likely that Abram’s city Ur was near to Haran. Perhaps it is the same as Urfa. That is 30 kilometers (20 miles) to the north of Haran.
‘They set out together to go into the country that is called Canaan.’ They probably did not know that they would go to Canaan. This is probably a short way to say, ‘They set out together on a journey. And the journey ended in the country that is called Canaan.’ That is likely for this reason. In Genesis 12:1, God says to Abram, ‘Go to the country that I will show to you.’ So Abram probably did not know what country that was. He did not know until God showed him.
We do not know why Terah and Abram left Ur. Perhaps God told them to do so.
‘Haran’ was the name of a man. He was a brother of Abram. (See verse 27.) And ‘Haran’ was also the name of a city. It was the city where Terah and his family stayed.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 11:10-26
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:10-26
Shem’s Descendants
Shem’s family after the flood
v10 These are Shem’s descendants. When Shem was 100 years of age, he became the father of Arpachshad. That was 2 years after the end of the flood. v11 After Arpachshad’s birth, Shem lived for 500 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v12 Arpachshad lived for 35 years and then he became the father of Shelah.
v13 After Shelah’s birth, Arpachshad lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v14 Shelah lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Eber.
v15 After Eber’s birth, Shelah lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v16 Eber lived for 34 years and then he became the father of Peleg. v17 After Peleg’s birth, Eber lived for 430 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v18 Peleg lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Reu. v19 After Reu’s birth, Peleg lived for 209 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v20 Reu lived for 32 years and then he became the father of Serug. v21 After Serug’s birth, Reu lived for 207 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v22 Serug lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Nahor. v23 After Nahor’s birth, Serug lived for 200 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v24 Nahor lived for 29 years and then he became the father of Terah. v25 After Terah’s birth, Nahor lived for 119 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v26 Terah lived for 70 years and then he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:10-26
Shem’s Descendants
Shem’s family after the flood
v10 These are Shem’s descendants. When Shem was 100 years of age, he became the father of Arpachshad. That was 2 years after the end of the flood. v11 After Arpachshad’s birth, Shem lived for 500 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v12 Arpachshad lived for 35 years and then he became the father of Shelah.
v13 After Shelah’s birth, Arpachshad lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v14 Shelah lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Eber.
v15 After Eber’s birth, Shelah lived for 403 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v16 Eber lived for 34 years and then he became the father of Peleg. v17 After Peleg’s birth, Eber lived for 430 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v18 Peleg lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Reu. v19 After Reu’s birth, Peleg lived for 209 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v20 Reu lived for 32 years and then he became the father of Serug. v21 After Serug’s birth, Reu lived for 207 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v22 Serug lived for 30 years and then he became the father of Nahor. v23 After Nahor’s birth, Serug lived for 200 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v24 Nahor lived for 29 years and then he became the father of Terah. v25 After Terah’s birth, Nahor lived for 119 years. He was the father of other sons and daughters.
v26 Terah lived for 70 years and then he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 11:5-9
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:5-9
The LORD didn’t allow the men to built the city and the tall building
v5 So the men built the city and the tall building. The Lord came down from heaven in order to see the city and the building.
v6 And the Lord said, ‘Look! They are one nation. They have one language. This is only the beginning of the things that they will do. Whatever they propose to do, they will be able to do it.
v7 Let us go down to the earth. We will confuse their language so that they will not understand each other’s words.’
v8 So the Lord made the people stop building the city. He made them scatter from there. And they scattered over the whole surface of the earth.
v9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And the Lord scattered them over the whole surface of the earth.
Comment:
Verse 7 - God said, ‘Let us go.’ He did not say, ‘I will go.’ Perhaps he said ‘us’ because he is 3 persons. He is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And he is also one God. But it is more likely that this is not the reason. The Hebrew word that means ‘God’ is like a plural word. Perhaps that is why God called himself ‘we’.
We do not know how God confused their language. It is possible that people spoke different languages. But they all spoke one language in addition to their own languages. So perhaps when God confused their language he made them forget that one language. Therefore, they could not understand each other.
Verse 9 - The people called the city ‘Babel’. That could mean ‘the gate to God’. The people thought that its top would reach heaven. But ‘Babel’ also means ‘confusion’.
So the people did not have the things that they wanted. They wanted a city where they could live together. But God made them scatter. They wanted a tall building. But they did not complete it. And they wanted to show that they were important. But their plans failed because their plans were different from God’s plans.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:5-9
The LORD didn’t allow the men to built the city and the tall building
v5 So the men built the city and the tall building. The Lord came down from heaven in order to see the city and the building.
v6 And the Lord said, ‘Look! They are one nation. They have one language. This is only the beginning of the things that they will do. Whatever they propose to do, they will be able to do it.
v7 Let us go down to the earth. We will confuse their language so that they will not understand each other’s words.’
v8 So the Lord made the people stop building the city. He made them scatter from there. And they scattered over the whole surface of the earth.
v9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And the Lord scattered them over the whole surface of the earth.
Comment:
Verse 7 - God said, ‘Let us go.’ He did not say, ‘I will go.’ Perhaps he said ‘us’ because he is 3 persons. He is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And he is also one God. But it is more likely that this is not the reason. The Hebrew word that means ‘God’ is like a plural word. Perhaps that is why God called himself ‘we’.
We do not know how God confused their language. It is possible that people spoke different languages. But they all spoke one language in addition to their own languages. So perhaps when God confused their language he made them forget that one language. Therefore, they could not understand each other.
Verse 9 - The people called the city ‘Babel’. That could mean ‘the gate to God’. The people thought that its top would reach heaven. But ‘Babel’ also means ‘confusion’.
So the people did not have the things that they wanted. They wanted a city where they could live together. But God made them scatter. They wanted a tall building. But they did not complete it. And they wanted to show that they were important. But their plans failed because their plans were different from God’s plans.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 11:1-4
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:1-4
The tall building at Babel
v1 All the people who were on the earth had one language. They all had one set of words.
v2 And men traveled from the east into the country that is called Shinar. There they found a plain and they lived in it.
v3 And they said to each other, ‘Let us make bricks. Let us burn them well.’ They used bricks instead of stones. And they used bitumen between the bricks in order to join them.
v4 Then they said, ‘Let us build a city for ourselves. Let us build a very tall building. Its top will reach heaven. We will make ourselves famous. And we will not scatter over the whole surface of the earth.’
Comment:
Verse 1 - This verse tells us that all people spoke one language. But chapter 10 tells us that people spoke many languages. (See Genesis 10:5, 20, 31.) And chapter 10 is before chapter 11. There are two possible explanations for this.
• Genesis usually tells us things in the order that they happened. But sometimes it does not do this. Perhaps this verse tells us about an earlier time.
• Perhaps people spoke different languages. But there was also one language that they all understood. So they all had one language in addition to their own languages. That is often true nowadays. For example, some people speak English in addition to their own language. And if they meet people with a different language, they speak English. And so they understand each other.
Verse 3 - The people made bricks out of clay. Clay is a kind of soil. If clay is wet, one can form it into bricks. Sometimes people let the sun dry the bricks so that they become hard. Then they use the bricks to make buildings. But these people burned their bricks. That means that they dried them by a fire. When the bricks became very hot, they became very hard and strong. So after the bricks cooled, people could make very tall buildings.
Bitumen is a black substance that people find in the ground. People also use it in ships. They put it on cracks in ships so that the ships do not leak. Noah put bitumen on the ark. (See Genesis 6:14.)
Verse 4 - What the people did was evil. It is not evil to build a city. But they tried to show that they were important. They did not give honor to God. And they thought that they were more important than God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 11:1-4
The tall building at Babel
v1 All the people who were on the earth had one language. They all had one set of words.
v2 And men traveled from the east into the country that is called Shinar. There they found a plain and they lived in it.
v3 And they said to each other, ‘Let us make bricks. Let us burn them well.’ They used bricks instead of stones. And they used bitumen between the bricks in order to join them.
v4 Then they said, ‘Let us build a city for ourselves. Let us build a very tall building. Its top will reach heaven. We will make ourselves famous. And we will not scatter over the whole surface of the earth.’
Comment:
Verse 1 - This verse tells us that all people spoke one language. But chapter 10 tells us that people spoke many languages. (See Genesis 10:5, 20, 31.) And chapter 10 is before chapter 11. There are two possible explanations for this.
• Genesis usually tells us things in the order that they happened. But sometimes it does not do this. Perhaps this verse tells us about an earlier time.
• Perhaps people spoke different languages. But there was also one language that they all understood. So they all had one language in addition to their own languages. That is often true nowadays. For example, some people speak English in addition to their own language. And if they meet people with a different language, they speak English. And so they understand each other.
Verse 3 - The people made bricks out of clay. Clay is a kind of soil. If clay is wet, one can form it into bricks. Sometimes people let the sun dry the bricks so that they become hard. Then they use the bricks to make buildings. But these people burned their bricks. That means that they dried them by a fire. When the bricks became very hot, they became very hard and strong. So after the bricks cooled, people could make very tall buildings.
Bitumen is a black substance that people find in the ground. People also use it in ships. They put it on cracks in ships so that the ships do not leak. Noah put bitumen on the ark. (See Genesis 6:14.)
Verse 4 - What the people did was evil. It is not evil to build a city. But they tried to show that they were important. They did not give honor to God. And they thought that they were more important than God.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 10:21-32
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 10:21-32
The sons of Shem – The Semites
v21 Shem also was the father of children. Shem was the father of all the children of Eber. He was Japheth’s older brother.
v22 Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram.
v23 Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash.
v24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.
v25 For Eber, two sons were born. One was called Peleg, because the earth divided during his life. Peleg’s brother was called Joktan.
v26–29 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons.
v30 Their country stretched to Mesha. (Mesha is on the way to Sephar.) And it stretched to the hill country that is in the east.
v31 These are Shem’s sons with their languages, their countries and their nations.
v32 These are the families of Noah’s sons. These are their families and their nations. From these people the nations spread over the earth after the flood.
Comment:
Verse 25
‘Peleg’ means ‘division’.
‘The earth was divided.’ We do not know what that means.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Genesis 10:21-32
The sons of Shem – The Semites
v21 Shem also was the father of children. Shem was the father of all the children of Eber. He was Japheth’s older brother.
v22 Shem’s sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud and Aram.
v23 Aram’s sons were Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash.
v24 Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.
v25 For Eber, two sons were born. One was called Peleg, because the earth divided during his life. Peleg’s brother was called Joktan.
v26–29 Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons.
v30 Their country stretched to Mesha. (Mesha is on the way to Sephar.) And it stretched to the hill country that is in the east.
v31 These are Shem’s sons with their languages, their countries and their nations.
v32 These are the families of Noah’s sons. These are their families and their nations. From these people the nations spread over the earth after the flood.
Comment:
Verse 25
‘Peleg’ means ‘division’.
‘The earth was divided.’ We do not know what that means.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Friday, February 02, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 10:6-20
Go and teach all nations
The Descendents of Ham
Genesis 10:6-20
The sons of Ham – The Hamites
v6 Ham’s sons were Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
v7 Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. Raamah’s sons were Sheba and Dedan.
v8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. Nimrod was the first strong man on the earth.
v9 He was a great hunter by the Lord’s strength. Therefore people say, ‘Like Nimrod, who is a great hunter by the Lord’s strength.’
v10 Nimrod was the king of Babel, Erech and Accad. All these cities are in the country that is called Shinar.
v11 From Shinar Nimrod went into Assyria. He built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen.
v12 Resen is a great city and it is between Nineveh and Calah.
v13 Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
v14 Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim. The Philistines were Casluhim’s descendants.
v15 Canaan became the father of Sidon and Heth. Sidon was Canaan’s oldest son.
v16 Canaan was also the father of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
v17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
v18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite families scattered.
v19 And the Canaanites’ land stretched from Sidon to Gaza. (Gaza is on the way to Gerar.) It also stretched to Lasha. (Lasha is on the way to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.)
v20 These are Ham’s sons in their families. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.
Comment:
Verse 6 - ‘Egypt’ and ‘Canaan’ in this chapter are people’s names. After this chapter, they are names of countries.
Verses 16-18 - Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites were tribes that were descendants of Canaan.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
The Descendents of Ham
Genesis 10:6-20
The sons of Ham – The Hamites
v6 Ham’s sons were Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.
v7 Cush’s sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteca. Raamah’s sons were Sheba and Dedan.
v8 Cush became the father of Nimrod. Nimrod was the first strong man on the earth.
v9 He was a great hunter by the Lord’s strength. Therefore people say, ‘Like Nimrod, who is a great hunter by the Lord’s strength.’
v10 Nimrod was the king of Babel, Erech and Accad. All these cities are in the country that is called Shinar.
v11 From Shinar Nimrod went into Assyria. He built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen.
v12 Resen is a great city and it is between Nineveh and Calah.
v13 Egypt became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
v14 Pathrusim, Casluhim and Caphtorim. The Philistines were Casluhim’s descendants.
v15 Canaan became the father of Sidon and Heth. Sidon was Canaan’s oldest son.
v16 Canaan was also the father of the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
v17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
v18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites and the Hamathites. Later the Canaanite families scattered.
v19 And the Canaanites’ land stretched from Sidon to Gaza. (Gaza is on the way to Gerar.) It also stretched to Lasha. (Lasha is on the way to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.)
v20 These are Ham’s sons in their families. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.
Comment:
Verse 6 - ‘Egypt’ and ‘Canaan’ in this chapter are people’s names. After this chapter, they are names of countries.
Verses 16-18 - Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites were tribes that were descendants of Canaan.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Go and teach all nations - Genesis 10:1-5
Go and teach all nations
Noah’s Descendents
Genesis 10:1-5
Noah’s family
v1 These are the descendants of Noah’s sons. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. After the flood, they became the fathers of sons.
The Descendents of the Sons of Noah
The sons of Japheth – The Japhethites
v2 Japheth’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.
v3 Gomer’s sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
v4 Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
v5 The people who live along the coast spread from these families. These are Japheth’s sons. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.
Verse 2
Genesis tells us the less important families first. After that, it tells us the more important ones. Shem’s family is the most important because Shem was the oldest son. So Genesis tells us the family of the youngest son, Japheth, first. Then it tells us the family of Ham. When it has done that, it tells us the more important family of Shem.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
Noah’s Descendents
Genesis 10:1-5
Noah’s family
v1 These are the descendants of Noah’s sons. Noah’s sons were Shem, Ham and Japheth. After the flood, they became the fathers of sons.
The Descendents of the Sons of Noah
The sons of Japheth – The Japhethites
v2 Japheth’s sons were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras.
v3 Gomer’s sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.
v4 Javan’s sons were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim.
v5 The people who live along the coast spread from these families. These are Japheth’s sons. Each family lived in its own country. And each family spoke its own language.
Verse 2
Genesis tells us the less important families first. After that, it tells us the more important ones. Shem’s family is the most important because Shem was the oldest son. So Genesis tells us the family of the youngest son, Japheth, first. Then it tells us the family of Ham. When it has done that, it tells us the more important family of Shem.
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Text from the EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary - used with permission -© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK) - For more information about EasyEnglish Publications, visit their website: www.easyenglish.info
Go and teach all nations
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