When Abram was ninety-nine years old is literally “When Abram was a son of ninety-nine years,” an idiom that is correctly expressed in English by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. In some languages this clause may need to be placed after the following clause in the text.
The LORD appeared to Abram: for discussion of appeared to see 12.7.
I am God Almighty: the LORD begins here the first of five speeches in this chapter. He identifies himself as ʾEl Shaddai. ʾEl is a general Semitic word for God used in many ancient Middle Eastern languages. The combination ʾEl Shaddai has commonly been thought to express the power of God and so has been translated God Almighty or “Almighty God.” Some scholars have connected Shaddai with the Akkadian word for mountain, or to the Hebrew verb shadad “to destroy.” Neither of these interpretations has received overwhelming support, and most modern translations, including New English Bible, Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Good News Translation, employ some form similar to Revised Standard Version, which focuses on the might or power of God. Typical translations in other languages are “I am God who is very very strong,” “I am God who has all power,” “I am the really strong God.”
It may be that ʾEl Shaddai was the only name for God known to the Hebrew patriarchs before the time of Moses. See its use in 28.3; 35.11; 48.3; and especially Exo 6.3. For further discussion see “The names of God” in “Translating Genesis,” page 13.
Walk before me is the first instruction given to Abram. Walk refers here to a manner of life, or a way of living, not to moving forward on the legs. The sense is “live as I want you to live,” or as Bible en français courant says, “always live in my presence.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “conform yourself always to my will,” and Good News Translation translates simply as “obey me.” See also 24.40; 48.15.
Blameless translates the same word used in 6.9. Translators should review the discussion found there.
Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .