Kejadian 21:1--26:35
Konteks21:1 The Lord visited 1 Sarah just as he had said he would and did 2 for Sarah what he had promised. 3 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant 4 and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 5 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, 6 Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 7 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 8
21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. 9 Everyone who hears about this 10 will laugh 11 with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, 12 “Who would 13 have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared 14 a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 15 21:9 But Sarah noticed 16 the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 17 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish 18 that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 19 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset 20 about the boy or your slave wife. Do 21 all that Sarah is telling 22 you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 23 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 24 some food 25 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 26 and sent her away. So she went wandering 27 aimlessly through the wilderness 28 of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved 29 the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot 30 away; for she thought, 31 “I refuse to watch the child die.” 32 So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 33
21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 34 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 35 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 36 the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. 37 She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. 38 His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. 39
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 40 in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name 41 that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. 42 Show me, and the land 43 where you are staying, 44 the same loyalty 45 that I have shown you.” 46
21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” 47 21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint 48 against Abimelech concerning a well 49 that Abimelech’s servants had seized. 50 21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, 51 you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. 52 21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these 53 seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof 54 that I dug this well.” 55 21:31 That is why he named that place 56 Beer Sheba, 57 because the two of them swore 58 an oath there.
21:32 So they made a treaty 59 at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned 60 to the land of the Philistines. 61 21:33 Abraham 62 planted a tamarisk tree 63 in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, 64 the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. 65
22:1 Some time after these things God tested 66 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 67 replied. 22:2 God 68 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 69 – and go to the land of Moriah! 70 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 71 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 72 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 73 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 74 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 75 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 76 said to his servants, “You two stay 77 here with the donkey while 78 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 79 and then return to you.” 80
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 81 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 82 “My father?” “What is it, 83 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 84 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 85 for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 86 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 87 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter 88 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 89 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 90 the angel said. 91 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 92 that you fear 93 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 94 and saw 95 behind him 96 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 97 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” 98 It is said to this day, 99 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 100
22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ 101 decrees the Lord, 102 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 103 and I will greatly multiply 104 your descendants 105 so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession 106 of the strongholds 107 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 108 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 109 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 110 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 111
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 112 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 113 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 114 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 115 23:2 Then she 116 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 117
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 118 and said to the sons of Heth, 119 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 120 among you. Grant 121 me ownership 122 of a burial site among you so that I may 123 bury my dead.” 124
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 125 23:6 “Listen, sir, 126 you are a mighty prince 127 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 128 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 129 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 130 that I may bury my dead, 131 then hear me out. 132 Ask 133 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 134 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 135 for the full price, 136 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 137 replied to Abraham in the hearing 138 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 139 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 140 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 141 In the presence of my people 142 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay 143 to you the price 144 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 145 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 146 400 pieces of silver, 147 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 148 and weighed 149 out for him 150 the price 151 that Ephron had quoted 152 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 153
23:17 So Abraham secured 154 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. 155
23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site 156 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 157 and the Lord had blessed him 158 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 159 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 160 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 161 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 162 a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives 163 to find 164 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 165 to this land? Must I then 166 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 167 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 168 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 169 promised me with a solemn oath, 170 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 171 before you so that you may find 172 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 173 you will be free 174 from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. 175
24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. 176 He journeyed 177 to the region of Aram Naharaim 178 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 179 outside the city. It was evening, 180 the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. 181 Be faithful 182 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 183 and the daughters of the people 184 who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 185 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 186
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 187 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 188 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 189 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 190 ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering 191 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 192 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 193 her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine 194 if the Lord had made his journey successful 195 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 196 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 197 and gave them to her. 198 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 199 “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. 200 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 201 “and room for you 202 to spend the night.”
24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 203 for my master! The Lord has led me 204 to the house 205 of my master’s relatives!” 206
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 207 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 208 Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring 209 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 210 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 211 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 212 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 213 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 214 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 215 went to the house and unloaded 216 the camels. Straw and feed were given 217 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 218 24:33 When food was served, 219 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 220 “Tell us,” Laban said. 221
24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 222 The Lord 223 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him 224 when she was old, 225 and my master 226 has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find 227 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 228 with me?’ 229 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 230 will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath 231 if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, 232 may events unfold as follows: 233 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 234 When 235 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 236 along came Rebekah 237 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ 238 I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 239 of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” 240
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 241 Our wishes are of no concern. 242 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 243 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 244
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 245 brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 246
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 247 24:55 But Rebekah’s 248 brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord 249 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 250 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 251 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 252 to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”
24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 253
“Our sister, may you become the mother 254 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 255 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 256 the man. So Abraham’s servant 257 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 258 Isaac came from 259 Beer Lahai Roi, 260 for 261 he was living in the Negev. 262 24:63 He 263 went out to relax 264 in the field in the early evening. 265 Then he looked up 266 and saw that 267 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 268 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 269 Abraham’s servant, 270 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 271 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 272 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 273 as his wife and loved her. 274 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 275
25:1 Abraham had taken 276 another 277 wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. 278 The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants 279 of Keturah.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines 280 and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. 281
25:7 Abraham lived a total of 282 175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. 283 He joined his ancestors. 284 25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah 285 near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. 286 There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed 287 his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. 288
25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, 289 whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.
25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: 290 Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes 291 according to their clans.
25:17 Ishmael lived a total of 292 137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. 293 25:18 His descendants 294 settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next 295 to Egypt all the way 296 to Asshur. 297 They settled 298 away from all their relatives. 299
25:19 This is the account of Isaac, 300 the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, 301 the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. 302
25:21 Isaac prayed to 303 the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled 304 inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” 305 So she asked the Lord, 306 25:23 and the Lord said to her,
“Two nations 307 are in your womb,
and two peoples will be separated from within you.
One people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, 308 there were 309 twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish 310 all over, 311 like a hairy 312 garment, so they named him Esau. 313 25:26 When his brother came out with 314 his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. 315 Isaac was sixty years old 316 when they were born.
25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled 317 hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 318 25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, 319 but Rebekah loved 320 Jacob.
25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, 321 and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 322 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 323 Edom.) 324
25:31 But Jacob replied, “First 325 sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” 326 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” 327 So Esau 328 swore an oath to him and sold his birthright 329 to Jacob.
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 330 So Esau despised his birthright. 331
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 332 in the days of Abraham. 333 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; 334 settle down in the land that I will point out to you. 335 26:3 Stay 336 in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, 337 for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, 338 and I will fulfill 339 the solemn promise I made 340 to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them 341 all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. 342 26:5 All this will come to pass 343 because Abraham obeyed me 344 and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 345 26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.
26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” 346 He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, 347 “The men of this place will kill me to get 348 Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”
26:8 After Isaac 349 had been there a long time, 350 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 351 Isaac caressing 352 his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 353 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 354
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 355 One of the men 356 might easily have had sexual relations with 357 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches 358 this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” 359
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 360 because the Lord blessed him. 361 26:13 The man became wealthy. 362 His influence continued to grow 363 until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had 364 so many sheep 365 and cattle 366 and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous 367 of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up 368 all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.
26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, 369 for you have become much more powerful 370 than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. 371 26:18 Isaac reopened 372 the wells that had been dug 373 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 374 after Abraham died. Isaac 375 gave these wells 376 the same names his father had given them. 377
26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing 378 water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled 379 with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac 380 named the well 381 Esek 382 because they argued with him about it. 383 26:21 His servants 384 dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it 385 Sitnah. 386 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac 387 named it 388 Rehoboth, 389 saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”
26:23 From there Isaac 390 went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped 391 the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. 392
26:26 Now Abimelech had come 393 to him from Gerar along with 394 Ahuzzah his friend 395 and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me 396 and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see 397 that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be 398 a pact between us 399 – between us 400 and you. Allow us to make 401 a treaty with you 26:29 so that 402 you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed 403 you, but have always treated you well 404 before sending you away 405 in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” 406
26:30 So Isaac 407 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 408 26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. 409 Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. 410
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 411 26:33 So he named it Shibah; 412 that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba 413 to this day.
26:34 When 414 Esau was forty years old, 415 he married 416 Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. 417
Kejadian 31:1-55
Konteks31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 418 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 419 at our father’s expense!” 420 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 421
31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers 422 and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 423 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah 424 to come to the field 425 where his flocks were. 426 31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, 427 but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, 428 31:7 but your father has humiliated 429 me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 430 ‘The speckled animals 431 will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
31:10 “Once 432 during breeding season I saw 433 in a dream that the male goats mating with 434 the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe 435 that all the male goats mating with 436 the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 437 where you anointed 438 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 439 Now leave this land immediately 440 and return to your native land.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 441 in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted 442 the money paid for us! 443 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”
31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 444 31:18 He took 445 away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. 446
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 447 Rachel stole the household idols 448 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived 449 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 450 31:21 He left 451 with all he owned. He quickly crossed 452 the Euphrates River 453 and headed for 454 the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 455 31:23 So he took his relatives 456 with him and pursued Jacob 457 for seven days. 458 He caught up with 459 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, 460 “Be careful 461 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” 462
31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. 463 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me 464 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 465 31:27 Why did you run away secretly 466 and deceive me? 467 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 468 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren 469 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have 470 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful 471 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 472 31:30 Now I understand that 473 you have gone away 474 because you longed desperately 475 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” 476
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 477 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 478 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 479 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 480 In the presence of our relatives 481 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 482 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 483
31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. 484 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 485 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle 486 and sat on them.) 487 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 488 31:35 Rachel 489 said to her father, “Don’t be angry, 490 my lord. I cannot stand up 491 in your presence because I am having my period.” 492 So he searched thoroughly, 493 but did not find the idols.
31:36 Jacob became angry 494 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 495 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 496 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? 497 Set it here before my relatives and yours, 498 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 499
31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. 500 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 501 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat 502 during the day and by piercing cold 503 at night, and I went without sleep. 504 31:41 This was my lot 505 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave 506 for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears 507 – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, 508 and he rebuked you last night.”
31:43 Laban replied 509 to Jacob, “These women 510 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, 511 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today 512 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, 513 you and I, and it will be 514 proof that we have made peace.” 515
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he 516 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. 517 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, 518 but Jacob called it Galeed. 519
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 520 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah 521 because he said, “May the Lord watch 522 between us 523 when we are out of sight of one another. 524 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize 525 that God is witness to your actions.” 526
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 527 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 528 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, 529 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 530 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice 531 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. 532 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
31:55 (32:1) 533 Early in the morning Laban kissed 534 his grandchildren 535 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 536
Kejadian 34:1-31
Konteks34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet 537 the young women 538 of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, 539 and sexually assaulted her. 540 34:3 Then he became very attached 541 to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. 542 34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” 543 34:5 When 544 Jacob heard that Shechem 545 had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent 546 until they came in.
34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. 547 34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 548 They 549 were offended 550 and very angry because Shechem 551 had disgraced Israel 552 by sexually assaulting 553 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 554
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 555 Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. 556 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 557 34:10 You may live 558 among us, and the land will be open to you. 559 Live in it, travel freely in it, 560 and acquire property in it.”
34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s 561 father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me 562 I’ll give. 563 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, 564 and I’ll give 565 whatever you ask 566 of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem 567 had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 568 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 569 to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become 570 like us by circumcising 571 all your males. 34:16 Then we will give 572 you our daughters to marry, 573 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms 574 by being circumcised, then we will take 575 our sister 576 and depart.”
34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 577 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked 578 because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah 579 badly. (Now he was more important 580 than anyone in his father’s household.) 581 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 582 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 583 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 584 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 585 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 586 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 587 agreed with 588 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 589 was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 590 and went to the unsuspecting city 591 and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them 592 and looted the city because their sister had been violated. 593 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. 594 34:29 They captured as plunder 595 all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 596 on me by making me a foul odor 597 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 598 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, 599 “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”
Kejadian 41:16-25
Konteks41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, 600 but God will speak concerning 601 the welfare of Pharaoh.” 602
41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing 603 by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 604 41:19 Then 605 seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows 606 as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven 607 fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, 608 no one would have known 609 that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 41:22 I also saw in my dream 610 seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then 611 seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this 612 to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” 613
41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 614 God has revealed 615 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 616
Kejadian 41:38-39
Konteks41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, 617 one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” 618 41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning 619 as you are!
Kejadian 41:2
Konteks41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, 620 and they grazed in the reeds.
Kisah Para Rasul 6:9-10
Konteks6:9 But some men from the Synagogue 621 of the Freedmen (as it was called), 622 both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, as well as some from Cilicia and the province of Asia, 623 stood up and argued with Stephen. 6:10 Yet 624 they were not able to resist 625 the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Mazmur 25:14
Konteks25:14 The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, 626
and he reveals his covenantal demands to them. 627
Daniel 2:30
Konteks2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom 628 than any other living person, but so that the king may understand 629 the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. 630
Amos 3:7
Konteks3:7 Certainly the sovereign Lord does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.
[21:1] 1 sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the
[21:1] 2 tn Heb “and the
[21:2] 4 tn Or “she conceived.”
[21:3] 5 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
[21:4] 6 tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
[21:4] 7 sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the
[21:5] 8 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
[21:6] 9 tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”
[21:6] 10 tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:6] 11 sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).
[21:7] 13 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
[21:8] 15 sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.
[21:9] 17 tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.
[21:9] sn Mocking. Here Sarah interprets Ishmael’s actions as being sinister. Ishmael probably did not take the younger child seriously and Sarah saw this as a threat to Isaac. Paul in Gal 4:29 says that Ishmael persecuted Isaac. He uses a Greek word that can mean “to put to flight; to chase away; to pursue” and may be drawing on a rabbinic interpretation of the passage. In Paul’s analogical application of the passage, he points out that once the promised child Isaac (symbolizing Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise) has come, there is no room left for the slave woman and her son (who symbolize the Mosaic law).
[21:10] 18 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
[21:11] 19 tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.
[21:12] 20 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
[21:12] 21 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
[21:12] 22 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
[21:12] 23 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
[21:14] 24 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
[21:14] 25 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[21:14] 26 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
[21:14] 27 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
[21:14] 28 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
[21:15] 29 tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.
[21:16] 30 sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).
[21:16] 32 tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.
[21:16] 33 tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.
[21:17] 34 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
[21:17] 35 tn Heb “What to you?”
[21:17] 36 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
[21:19] 37 tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:21] 38 sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.
[21:21] 39 tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”
[21:22] 40 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
[21:23] 41 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
[21:23] 42 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
[21:23] 43 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
[21:23] 44 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
[21:23] 46 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
[21:24] 47 tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.
[21:25] 48 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.
[21:25] 49 tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”
[21:25] 50 tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.
[21:27] 52 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:29] 53 tn Heb “What are these?”
[21:30] 54 tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”
[21:30] 55 sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.
[21:31] 56 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
[21:31] 57 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
[21:31] 58 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
[21:32] 59 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[21:32] 60 tn Heb “arose and returned.”
[21:32] 61 sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.
[21:33] 62 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:33] 63 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
[21:33] 64 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
[21:34] 65 tn Heb “many days.”
[22:1] 66 sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.
[22:1] 67 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 68 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 69 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
[22:2] 70 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
[22:2] 71 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
[22:2] 72 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 73 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 74 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 75 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 76 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 77 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 78 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 79 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 80 sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.
[22:6] 81 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 82 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 83 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 84 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:8] 85 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:8] sn God will provide is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. Note Paul’s allusion to the story in Rom 8:32 (“how shall he not freely give us all things?”) as well as H. J. Schoeps, “The Sacrifice of Isaac in Paul’s Theology,” JBL 65 (1946): 385-92.
[22:9] 86 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
[22:9] 87 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
[22:10] 88 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 89 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 90 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 91 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:12] 92 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 93 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 94 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 95 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
[22:13] 96 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 97 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 98 tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.
[22:14] 99 sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[22:14] 100 sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.
[22:16] 101 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 102 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 103 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.
[22:17] 104 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] sn I will greatly multiply. The
[22:17] 105 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[22:17] 107 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).
[22:18] 108 tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.
[22:18] sn Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).
[22:18] 109 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[22:19] 110 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 111 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 112 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 113 sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.
[22:23] 114 tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).
[23:1] 115 tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”
[23:2] 116 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
[23:2] 117 sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).
[23:3] 118 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
[23:3] 119 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[23:4] 120 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
[23:4] 121 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
[23:4] 122 tn Or “possession.”
[23:4] 123 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
[23:4] 124 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:5] 125 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
[23:6] 126 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
[23:6] 127 tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.
[23:6] 128 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:7] 129 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
[23:8] 130 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
[23:8] 131 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:8] 133 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
[23:9] 134 tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.
[23:9] 135 tn Heb “in your presence.”
[23:10] 137 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
[23:10] 138 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
[23:10] 139 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
[23:11] 140 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
[23:11] 141 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[23:11] 142 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
[23:13] 145 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
[23:15] 146 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:15] 147 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
[23:16] 148 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
[23:16] 149 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
[23:16] 150 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 152 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 153 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
[23:17] 154 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:18] 155 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:18] sn See G. M. Tucker, “The Legal Background of Genesis 23,” JBL 85 (1966):77-84; and M. R. Lehmann, “Abraham’s Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law,” BASOR 129 (1953): 15-18.
[23:20] 156 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
[24:1] 158 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[24:2] 159 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
[24:2] 160 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
[24:3] 161 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
[24:3] 162 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
[24:4] 163 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
[24:5] 165 tn Heb “to go after me.”
[24:5] 166 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
[24:6] 167 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
[24:6] 168 tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:7] 169 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
[24:7] 170 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
[24:7] 171 tn Or “his messenger.”
[24:7] 172 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
[24:8] 173 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
[24:8] 174 sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.
[24:9] 175 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
[24:10] 176 tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.
[24:10] 177 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[24:10] 178 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:10] sn Aram Naharaim means in Hebrew “Aram of the Two Rivers,” a region in northern Mesopotamia.
[24:11] 179 tn Heb “well of water.”
[24:11] 180 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
[24:12] 181 tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).
[24:12] 182 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
[24:13] 183 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:14] 185 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
[24:14] 186 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
[24:15] 187 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
[24:15] 188 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:16] 189 tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.
[24:17] 190 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 191 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 192 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 193 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 195 tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).
[24:22] 196 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 197 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
[24:22] 198 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 199 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:24] 200 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 201 tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:25] 202 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 203 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 204 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 205 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:27] 206 tn Heb “brothers.”
[24:28] 207 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 208 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 209 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[24:30] 210 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 211 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
[24:31] 212 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 213 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 214 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 215 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 216 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
[24:32] 217 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 218 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 219 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 220 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 221 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:33] tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:35] 222 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 223 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 224 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 225 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 226 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 227 tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”
[24:39] 228 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:39] 229 tn Heb “after me.”
[24:40] 230 tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the
[24:41] 231 tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).
[24:42] 232 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 233 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 234 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 235 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 236 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
[24:45] 237 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 238 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 239 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
[24:49] 240 tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.
[24:50] 241 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 242 tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.
[24:51] 243 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 244 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 245 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 246 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 247 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 248 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 249 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 250 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 251 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 252 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 253 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 254 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).
[24:60] 255 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
[24:61] 256 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 257 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 258 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 259 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 260 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.
[24:62] 261 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 262 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:62] sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
[24:63] 263 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 264 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 265 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 266 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 267 tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.
[24:64] 268 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 269 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 270 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 271 tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 272 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 273 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 274 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 275 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
[25:1] sn Abraham had taken another wife. These events are not necessarily in chronological order following the events of the preceding chapter. They are listed here to summarize Abraham’s other descendants before the narrative of his death.
[25:1] 277 tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”
[25:3] 278 sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.
[25:6] 280 tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”
[25:6] 281 tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”
[25:7] 282 tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.
[25:8] 283 tn Heb “old and full.”
[25:8] 284 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:9] 285 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
[25:10] 286 tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.
[25:11] 287 sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).
[25:11] 288 sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.
[25:12] 289 sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).
[25:13] 290 tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”
[25:16] 291 tn Or “tribal chieftains.”
[25:17] 292 tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”
[25:17] 293 tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[25:18] 294 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 295 tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.
[25:18] 296 tn Heb “as you go.”
[25:18] 297 sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.
[25:18] 299 tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.
[25:19] 300 sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.
[25:20] 301 tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”
[25:20] 302 sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.
[25:21] 303 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the
[25:22] 304 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
[25:22] 305 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
[25:22] 306 sn Asked the
[25:23] 307 sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.
[25:24] 308 tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”
[25:24] 309 tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.
[25:25] 310 sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.
[25:25] 311 tn Heb “all of him.”
[25:25] 312 sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.
[25:25] 313 tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.
[25:26] 314 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
[25:26] 315 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
[25:26] sn The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. It did not have a negative connotation until Esau redefined it. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.
[25:26] 316 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
[25:27] 318 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”
[25:28] 319 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
[25:28] 320 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
[25:29] 321 sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).
[25:30] 322 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
[25:30] 323 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
[25:30] 324 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
[25:32] 326 tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”
[25:33] 327 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
[25:33] 328 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[25:33] 329 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
[25:34] 330 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
[25:34] 331 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
[26:1] 332 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
[26:1] 333 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
[26:2] 334 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
[26:2] 335 tn Heb “say to you.”
[26:3] 336 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
[26:3] 337 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
[26:3] sn I will be with you and I will bless you. The promise of divine presence is a promise to intervene to protect and to bless.
[26:3] 338 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
[26:3] sn To you and to your descendants. The Abrahamic blessing will pass to Isaac. Everything included in that blessing will now belong to the son, and in turn will be passed on to his sons. But there is a contingency involved: If they are to enjoy the full blessings, they will have to obey the word of the
[26:3] 339 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
[26:3] 340 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
[26:3] sn The solemn promise I made. See Gen 15:18-20; 22:16-18.
[26:4] 341 tn Heb “your descendants.”
[26:4] 342 tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)
[26:5] 343 tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[26:5] 344 tn Heb “listened to my voice.”
[26:5] 345 sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.
[26:7] 346 sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.
[26:7] 347 tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.
[26:7] 348 tn Heb “kill me on account of.”
[26:8] 349 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:8] 350 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
[26:8] 351 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
[26:8] sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.
[26:9] 353 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
[26:9] 354 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
[26:10] 355 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
[26:10] 357 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
[26:11] 358 tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.
[26:11] 359 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.
[26:12] 360 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
[26:12] 361 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
[26:13] 362 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.
[26:13] 363 tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.
[26:14] 364 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
[26:14] 365 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
[26:14] 366 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
[26:14] 367 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
[26:15] 368 tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”
[26:16] 369 tn Heb “Go away from us.”
[26:16] 370 sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).
[26:17] 371 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
[26:17] sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the
[26:18] 372 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
[26:18] 373 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
[26:18] 374 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
[26:18] 375 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 376 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:18] 377 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
[26:19] 378 tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).
[26:20] 379 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
[26:20] 380 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:20] 381 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
[26:20] 382 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
[26:20] 383 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:21] 384 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 385 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:21] 386 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
[26:22] 387 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:22] 388 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
[26:22] 389 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
[26:23] 390 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:25] 391 tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the
[26:25] 392 tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”
[26:26] 393 tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”
[26:26] 395 tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.
[26:27] 396 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.
[26:28] 397 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
[26:28] 398 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:28] 399 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
[26:28] 400 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
[26:28] 401 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
[26:29] 402 tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”
[26:29] 404 tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”
[26:29] 405 tn Heb “and we sent you away.”
[26:29] 406 tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).
[26:30] 407 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[26:30] 408 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
[26:31] 409 tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”
[26:31] 410 tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”
[26:32] 411 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[26:33] 412 sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.
[26:33] 413 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.
[26:34] 414 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.
[26:34] 415 tn Heb “the son of forty years.”
[26:34] 416 tn Heb “took as a wife.”
[26:35] 417 tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”
[31:1] 418 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
[31:1] 419 sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).
[31:1] 420 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
[31:2] 421 tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.
[31:3] 422 tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.
[31:3] 423 sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the
[31:4] 424 tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.
[31:4] 425 tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[31:4] 426 tn Heb “to his flock.”
[31:5] 427 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
[31:6] 428 tn Heb “with all my strength.”
[31:7] 429 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
[31:8] 430 tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.
[31:8] 431 tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.
[31:10] 432 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”
[31:10] 433 tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”
[31:10] 434 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:12] 435 tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”
[31:12] 436 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:13] 437 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[31:13] 438 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
[31:13] 439 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
[31:13] 440 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
[31:13] sn Leave this land immediately. The decision to leave was a wise one in view of the changed attitude in Laban and his sons. But more than that, it was the will of God. Jacob needed to respond to God’s call – the circumstances simply made it easier.
[31:14] 441 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
[31:15] 442 tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.
[31:15] sn He sold us and…wasted our money. The precise nature of Rachel’s and Leah’s complaint is not entirely clear. Since Jacob had to work to pay for them, they probably mean that their father has cheated Jacob and therefore cheated them as well. See M. Burrows, “The Complaint of Laban’s Daughters,” JAOS 57 (1937): 250-76.
[31:15] 443 tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.
[31:17] 444 tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
[31:18] 445 tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
[31:18] 446 tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”
[31:19] 447 tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
[31:19] 448 tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.
[31:20] 449 tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.
[31:20] 450 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
[31:21] 451 tn Heb “and he fled.”
[31:21] 452 tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
[31:21] 453 tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:21] 454 tn Heb “he set his face.”
[31:22] 455 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
[31:23] 456 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[31:23] 457 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:23] 458 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
[31:23] 459 tn Heb “drew close to.”
[31:24] 460 tn Heb “said to him.”
[31:24] 461 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:24] 462 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
[31:25] 463 tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
[31:26] 464 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
[31:26] 465 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
[31:27] 466 tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”
[31:27] 467 tn Heb “and steal me.”
[31:27] 468 tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”
[31:28] 469 tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:29] 470 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
[31:29] 471 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:29] 472 tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
[31:30] 473 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[31:30] 474 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
[31:30] 475 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
[31:30] 476 sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.
[31:31] 477 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:31] 478 tn Heb “for I said.”
[31:31] 479 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
[31:32] 480 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
[31:32] 481 tn Heb “brothers.”
[31:32] 482 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
[31:32] 483 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
[31:33] 484 tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:33] 485 tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
[31:34] 486 tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
[31:34] 487 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
[31:34] 488 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:35] 489 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:35] 490 tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.
[31:35] 491 tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
[31:35] 492 tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
[31:35] 493 tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[31:36] 494 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
[31:36] 495 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[31:36] 496 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
[31:37] 497 tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
[31:37] 498 tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
[31:37] 499 tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
[31:39] 500 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
[31:39] 501 tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
[31:40] 502 tn Or “by drought.”
[31:40] 503 tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.
[31:40] 504 tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
[31:41] 505 tn Heb “this to me.”
[31:41] 506 tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
[31:42] 507 tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.
[31:42] 508 tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
[31:43] 509 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[31:43] 510 tn Heb “daughters.”
[31:43] 511 tn Heb “children.”
[31:43] 512 tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”
[31:44] 513 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[31:44] 514 tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”
[31:44] 515 tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”
[31:46] 516 tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:46] 517 sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.
[31:47] 518 sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
[31:47] 519 sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.
[31:48] 520 tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
[31:49] 521 tn Heb “and Mizpah.”
[31:49] 522 sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the
[31:49] 523 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:49] 524 tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”
[31:50] 526 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:51] 527 tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:52] 528 tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”
[31:53] 529 tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.
[31:53] 530 tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.
[31:54] 531 tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.
[31:54] 532 tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.
[31:55] 533 sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[31:55] 534 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
[31:55] 535 tn Heb “his sons.”
[31:55] 536 tn Heb “to his place.”
[34:1] 537 tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
[34:1] 538 tn Heb “daughters.”
[34:2] 539 tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.
[34:2] 540 tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
[34:3] 541 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
[34:3] 542 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
[34:4] 543 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
[34:5] 544 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
[34:5] 545 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:5] 546 sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.
[34:6] 547 tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 548 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:7] 549 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
[34:7] 550 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
[34:7] 551 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 552 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
[34:7] 553 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
[34:7] 554 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
[34:8] 555 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
[34:9] 556 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
[34:9] sn Intermarry with us. This includes the idea of becoming allied by marriage. The incident foreshadows the temptations Israel would eventually face when they entered the promised land (see Deut 7:3; Josh 23:12).
[34:9] 557 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
[34:10] 558 tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[34:10] 559 tn Heb “before you.”
[34:10] 560 tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”
[34:11] 561 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 562 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
[34:12] 564 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
[34:12] 565 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
[34:13] 567 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 568 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
[34:14] 569 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
[34:15] 570 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
[34:15] 571 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
[34:16] 572 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:16] 573 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:17] 574 tn Heb “listen to us.”
[34:17] 575 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:17] 576 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
[34:18] 577 tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
[34:19] 578 tn Heb “doing the thing.”
[34:19] 579 tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:19] 580 tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
[34:19] 581 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).
[34:20] 582 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
[34:21] 583 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
[34:21] 584 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:22] 585 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
[34:23] 586 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[34:24] 587 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:24] 588 tn Heb “listened to.”
[34:24] 589 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:25] 590 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
[34:25] 591 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
[34:27] 592 tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
[34:27] 593 tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
[34:28] 594 tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
[34:29] 595 tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
[34:30] 596 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
[34:30] 597 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
[34:30] 598 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
[34:31] 599 tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[41:16] 600 tn Heb “not within me.”
[41:16] 601 tn Heb “God will answer.”
[41:16] 602 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[41:17] 603 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
[41:18] 604 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
[41:19] 605 tn Heb “And look.”
[41:19] 606 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:20] 607 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
[41:21] 608 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
[41:21] 609 tn Heb “it was not known.”
[41:22] 610 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
[41:23] 611 tn Heb “And look.”
[41:24] 612 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:24] 613 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
[41:25] 614 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
[41:25] 615 tn Heb “declared.”
[41:25] 616 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
[41:38] 617 tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.
[41:38] 618 tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”
[41:39] 619 tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:2] 620 tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.
[6:9] 621 sn A synagogue was a place for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).
[6:9] 622 tn Grk “the so-called Synagogue of the Freedmen.” The translation of the participle λεγομένης (legomenh") by the phrase “as it was called” is given by L&N 87.86. “Freedmen” would be slaves who had gained their freedom, or the descendants of such people (BDAG 594-95 s.v. Λιβερτῖνος).
[6:9] 623 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
[6:10] 624 tn Grk “and.” The context, however, indicates that the conjunction carries an adversative force.
[6:10] 625 sn They were not able to resist. This represents another fulfillment of Luke 12:11-12; 21:15.
[25:14] 626 tn Heb “the advice of the
[25:14] 627 tn Heb “and his covenant, to make them know.”
[2:30] 628 tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”
[2:30] 629 tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).
