Kejadian 20:13

20:13 When God made me wander ¹  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ²  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

Kejadian 24:31-32

24:31 Laban said to him, ³  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ⁴  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ⁵  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ⁶  went to the house and unloaded ⁷  the camels. Straw and feed were given ⁸  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ⁹ 

Kejadian 29:13

29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ¹⁰  told Laban how he was related to him. ¹¹ 

Kejadian 33:17

33:17 But ¹²  Jacob traveled to Succoth ¹³  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ¹⁴  Succoth. ¹⁵ 

Kejadian 41:51

41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ¹⁶  saying, ¹⁷  “Certainly ¹⁸  God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”

[20:13]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  ² tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[24:31]  ³ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ⁴ sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

[24:31]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[24:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:32]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

[24:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

[29:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).

[33:17]  ¹² tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ¹³ sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.

[33:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.

[33:17]  ¹⁵ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[41:51]  ¹⁶ sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.

[41:51]  ¹⁷ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ¹⁸ tn Or “for.”