20
and blessed beוּבָרוּךְEl Elyon,אֵל עֶלְיוֹןwhoאֲשֶׁרhas deliveredמִגֵּןyour adversariesצָרֶיךָinto your hand.”בְּיָדֶךָAnd he gaveוַיִּתֶּןhimלוֹa tenthמַעֲשֵׂרof everything.מִכֹּל
Genesis 14:20
Study it in the app“and blessed be El Elyon, who has delivered your adversaries into your hand.” And he gave him a tenth of everything.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Genesis 14:20, word by word
- and blessed beבָרוּךְvaruch
praise
To praise God: "blessed be YHWH".
Where else “varuch” appears- El Elyonאֵלel
El, God, god
"El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".
Where else “el” appears- El Elyonעֶלְיוֹןelyon
Most High, Elyon
"Elyon": the highest, the Most High. It is a title of God: there is no one above him. As an adjective, upper, high.
Where else “elyon” appears- has deliveredמִגֵּןmigen
deliver over; shield
Deliver over, hand someone over into another's power; also give, and shield.
Where else “migen” appears- your adversariesצָרֶיtsare
adversary
Someone who oppresses and attacks another; the adversary.
Where else “tsare” appears- into your handיָדֶyade
power
Literally "the hand": the strength and control someone has.
Where else “yade” appears- And he gaveיִּתֶּןyiten
give
To hand something over to someone: a gift, a payment, a charge or a land.
Where else “yiten” appears- a tenthמַעֲשֵׂרmaaser
tithe
Tithe: a tenth of something.
Where else “maaser” appears
Translation note
The Hebrew says only “he gave him” and does not make clear who gave to whom. Hebrews 7:1-2 explains it: Abraham gave the tenth to Melchizedek.
The context
19He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of El Elyon, owner of the heavens and earth;
20 · This verse (above)
21The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself.”
To study Genesis 14 in a group
1. What it says
What did Abram do when he heard that his relative Lot had been taken captive (vv. 14-16)?
2. What it means
What does Melchizedek, king of Salem, do, and what does he say when he blesses Abram (vv. 18-20)?
3. How I live it
How can you help a relative or friend in trouble without expecting anything in return, as Abram did (vv. 22-24)?