And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house: Good News Translation marks this verse as beginning with “So.” Others prefer a time clause, “When God,” “Later when.”
God is here ʾelohim followed by a plural form of the verb. Although scholars interpret the significance of the plural form in various ways, this usage with ʾelohim is found also in 35.7; Exo 22.9; 2 Sam 7.23, and elsewhere. Driver suggests that Abraham is adapting his speech to a pagan who believes in many gods, saying in effect “when the gods caused me to….” Speiser believes the plural usage here suggests a broader concept of God, which he translates as “Heaven.” However, it is probably best to take the plural usage in a singular sense, since this usage occurs elsewhere.
Caused me to wander recalls the command given to Abraham in 12.1. The term wander means to go about without a fixed course, aim, or objective. In 12.1 Abraham is told to go to a land that God will show him. His movements up to this point have been twice to the south and once to the north. In this context the translation of wander should not give the impression that Abraham does not know where he is.
From my father’s house does not mean “from the building where my father lives” but rather “from my father’s family” or “from my father’s household” (New International Version). See 12.1. Good News Translation completes the thought of leaving his father’s house and adds “into foreign lands.” Translators may find some such addition necessary to complete the thought here.
This is the kindness you must do me: This points ahead to what Abraham will tell Sarah to do. Kindness translates Hebrew chesed, meaning “goodness,” “mercy,” “loyalty.” Good News Translation translates “You can show how loyal you are to me.” New English Bible, Revised English Bible have “There is a duty towards me which you must loyally fulfill.” New Jerusalem Bible says “There is an act of love you can do me.” All of these are satisfactory models. However, in many languages an idiomatic expression will be more natural; for example, “Show me your good heart by saying…” or “Let your insides be loyal to me by saying….”
At every place to which we come is the literal Hebrew and can often be translated as “everywhere”; Good News Translation says “tell everyone,” New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible “everywhere we go.” The focus is on places because the theme is about wandering, migrating from place to place.
He is my brother may have to be adjusted to “tell them I am your brother” or “… that we are brother and sister.”
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 .