Kejadian 27:1

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ¹  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ²  he called his older ³  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ⁴  replied.

Kejadian 48:10

48:10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing ⁵  because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph ⁶  brought his sons ⁷  near to him, and his father ⁸  kissed them and embraced them.

Ulangan 34:7

34:7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull ⁹  nor had his vitality ¹⁰  departed.

Ulangan 34:1

The Death of Moses

34:1 Then Moses ascended from the deserts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. ¹¹  The Lord showed him the whole land – Gilead to Dan,

1 Samuel 3:2

3:2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place,

1 Samuel 4:15

4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead; ¹²  he was unable to see.

Mazmur 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ¹³ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ¹⁴ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ¹⁵ 

Yes, ¹⁶  they pass quickly ¹⁷  and we fly away. ¹⁸ 

Pengkhotbah 12:3

12:3 when those who keep watch over the house ¹⁹  begin to tremble, ²⁰ 

and the virile men begin to stoop over, ²¹ 

and the grinders ²²  begin to cease because they grow few,

and those who look through the windows grow dim, ²³ 

[27:1]  ¹ tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.

[27:1]  ² tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ³ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “heavy.”

[48:10]  sn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story. The weakness of Israel’s sight is one of several connections between this chapter and Gen 27. Here there are two sons, and it appears that the younger is being blessed over the older by a blind old man. While it was by Jacob’s deception in chap. 27, here it is with Jacob’s full knowledge.

[48:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁹ tn Or “dimmed.” The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.

[34:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sap.” That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.

[34:1]  ¹¹ sn For the geography involved, see note on the term “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17.

[34:1]  map For the location of Jericho see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[4:15]  ¹² tn Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.

[90:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ¹⁶ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ¹⁸ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).

[12:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the watchers of the house.”

[12:3]  ²⁰ tn The verb זְוּעַ (zÿua’, “to tremble”) probably does not refer to physical tremors but to trembling in fear (e.g., Esth 5:9; Hab 2:7; Sir 48:12); cf. HALOT 267 s.v. זוע). At the onset of old age, those who had been the most courageous during their youth suddenly become fearful.

[12:3]  ²¹ tn The verb עָוַת (’avat, “to bend; to stoop”) means “to be stooped” (HALOT 804 s.v. עות) rather than “to bend themselves” (BDB 736 s.v. עות). The perfect tense may be taken in an ingressive sense (“begin to stoop over”).

[12:3]  ²² tn The term הַטֹּחֲנוֹת (hattokhanot, Qal active participle feminine plural from טָחַן, takhan, “to grind”) is a double entendre. In its literal sense, it refers to female mill-grinders; in its figurative sense, it refers to molar teeth (HALOT 374 s.v. *טֹחֲנָה). The related Hebrew noun טַחֲנָה (takhanah) refers to a “mill,” and the related Arabic noun tahinat means “molar tooth” (HALOT 374 s.v. *טַחֲנָה).

[12:3]  ²³ tn The verb חָשַׁךְ (khashakh, “to grow dim”) is used elsewhere in reference to failing eyesight (e.g., Ps 69:24; Lam 5:17); see HALOT 361 s.v. חשׁך 2. Therefore, the phrase “those who look through the windows” is probably a figurative description of the eyes, picturing failing eyesight at the onset of old age.