Genesis 29:1--35:29

The Marriages of Jacob

29:1 So Jacob moved on ¹  and came to the land of the eastern people. ²  29:2 He saw ³  in the field a well with ⁴  three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now ⁵  a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds ⁶  would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.

29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson ⁷  of Nahor?” “We know him,” ⁸  they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” ⁹  Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. ¹⁰  Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob ¹¹  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ¹²  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ¹³  29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water ¹⁴  the sheep.”

29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. ¹⁵  29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, ¹⁶  and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he ¹⁷  went over ¹⁸  and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. ¹⁹  29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. ²⁰  29:12 When Jacob explained ²¹  to Rachel that he was a relative of her father ²²  and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 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 ²³  told Laban how he was related to him. ²⁴  29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ²⁵  So Jacob ²⁶  stayed with him for a month. ²⁷ 

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ²⁸  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ²⁹  Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; ³⁰  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, ³¹  but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) ³²  29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ³³  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. ³⁴  Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ³⁵  But they seemed like only a few days to him ³⁶  because his love for her was so great. ³⁷ 

29:21 Finally Jacob said ³⁸  to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. ³⁹  I want to have marital relations with her.” ⁴⁰  29:22 So Laban invited all the people ⁴¹  of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah ⁴²  to Jacob, ⁴³  and Jacob ⁴⁴  had marital relations with her. ⁴⁵  29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ⁴⁶ 

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ⁴⁷  So Jacob ⁴⁸  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ⁴⁹  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ⁵⁰  me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” ⁵¹  Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage ⁵²  before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ⁵³  Then we will give you the younger one ⁵⁴  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ⁵⁵ 

29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. ⁵⁶  When Jacob ⁵⁷  completed Leah’s bridal week, ⁵⁸  Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ⁵⁹  29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ⁶⁰  29:30 Jacob ⁶¹  had marital relations ⁶²  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ⁶³  for seven more years. ⁶⁴ 

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ⁶⁵  he enabled her to become pregnant ⁶⁶  while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant ⁶⁷  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ⁶⁸  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ⁶⁹  Surely my husband will love me now.”

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ⁷⁰  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ⁷¹ 

29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, ⁷²  because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. ⁷³ 

29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. ⁷⁴  Then she stopped having children.

30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she ⁷⁵  became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children ⁷⁶  or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious ⁷⁷  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ⁷⁸  30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with ⁷⁹  her so that she can bear ⁸⁰  children ⁸¹  for me ⁸²  and I can have a family through her.” ⁸³ 

30:4 So Rachel ⁸⁴  gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with ⁸⁵  her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant ⁸⁶  and gave Jacob a son. ⁸⁷  30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer ⁸⁸  and given me a son.” That is why ⁸⁹  she named him Dan. ⁹⁰ 

30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. ⁹¹  30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ⁹²  So she named him Naphtali. ⁹³ 

30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave ⁹⁴  her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. ⁹⁵  30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” ⁹⁶  So she named him Gad. ⁹⁷ 

30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. ⁹⁸  30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, ⁹⁹  for women ¹⁰⁰  will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. ¹⁰¹ 

30:14 At the time ¹⁰²  of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants ¹⁰³  in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, ¹⁰⁴  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ¹⁰⁵  Rachel said, “he may sleep ¹⁰⁶  with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep ¹⁰⁷  with me because I have paid for your services ¹⁰⁸  with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations ¹⁰⁹  with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention ¹¹⁰  to Leah; she became pregnant ¹¹¹  and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. ¹¹²  30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward ¹¹³  because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” ¹¹⁴  So she named him Issachar. ¹¹⁵ 

30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. ¹¹⁶  30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. ¹¹⁷ 

30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

30:22 Then God took note of ¹¹⁸  Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. ¹¹⁹  30:23 She became pregnant ¹²⁰  and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ¹²¹  30:24 She named him Joseph, ¹²²  saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

The Flocks of Jacob

30:25 After Rachel had given birth ¹²³  to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send ¹²⁴  me on my way so that I can go ¹²⁵  home to my own country. ¹²⁶  30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ¹²⁷  Then I’ll depart, ¹²⁸  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ¹²⁹ 

30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, ¹³⁰  for I have learned by divination ¹³¹  that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” ¹³² 

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ¹³³  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ¹³⁴  30:30 Indeed, ¹³⁵  you had little before I arrived, ¹³⁶  but now your possessions have increased many times over. ¹³⁷  The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. ¹³⁸  But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” ¹³⁹ 

30:31 So Laban asked, ¹⁴⁰  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ¹⁴¹  Jacob replied, ¹⁴²  “but if you agree to this one condition, ¹⁴³  I will continue to care for ¹⁴⁴  your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among ¹⁴⁵  all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, ¹⁴⁶  and the spotted or speckled goats. ¹⁴⁷  These animals will be my wages. ¹⁴⁸  30:33 My integrity will testify for me ¹⁴⁹  later on. ¹⁵⁰  When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, ¹⁵¹  if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” ¹⁵²  30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” ¹⁵³ 

30:35 So that day Laban ¹⁵⁴  removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care ¹⁵⁵  of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ¹⁵⁶  while ¹⁵⁷  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. ¹⁵⁸  30:39 When the sheep mated ¹⁵⁹  in front of the branches, they ¹⁶⁰  gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ¹⁶¹  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, ¹⁶²  Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ¹⁶³  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ¹⁶⁴  and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob ¹⁶⁵  became extremely prosperous. He owned ¹⁶⁶  large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ¹⁶⁷  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ¹⁶⁸  at our father’s expense!” ¹⁶⁹  31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ¹⁷⁰ 

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ¹⁷¹  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ¹⁷²  31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah ¹⁷³  to come to the field ¹⁷⁴  where his flocks were. ¹⁷⁵  31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ¹⁷⁶  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, ¹⁷⁷  31:7 but your father has humiliated ¹⁷⁸  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, ¹⁷⁹  ‘The speckled animals ¹⁸⁰  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 ¹⁸¹  during breeding season I saw ¹⁸²  in a dream that the male goats mating with ¹⁸³  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 ¹⁸⁴  that all the male goats mating with ¹⁸⁵  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, ¹⁸⁶  where you anointed ¹⁸⁷  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. ¹⁸⁸  Now leave this land immediately ¹⁸⁹  and return to your native land.’”

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance ¹⁹⁰  in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted ¹⁹¹  the money paid for us! ¹⁹²  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. ¹⁹³  31:18 He took ¹⁹⁴  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. ¹⁹⁵ 

31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, ¹⁹⁶  Rachel stole the household idols ¹⁹⁷  that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived ¹⁹⁸  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ¹⁹⁹  31:21 He left ²⁰⁰  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ²⁰¹  the Euphrates River ²⁰²  and headed for ²⁰³  the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. ²⁰⁴  31:23 So he took his relatives ²⁰⁵  with him and pursued Jacob ²⁰⁶  for seven days. ²⁰⁷  He caught up with ²⁰⁸  him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ²⁰⁹  “Be careful ²¹⁰  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ²¹¹ 

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. ²¹²  31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me ²¹³  and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! ²¹⁴  31:27 Why did you run away secretly ²¹⁵  and deceive me? ²¹⁶  Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? ²¹⁷  31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren ²¹⁸  good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have ²¹⁹  the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful ²²⁰  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ ²²¹  31:30 Now I understand that ²²²  you have gone away ²²³  because you longed desperately ²²⁴  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ²²⁵ 

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” ²²⁶  Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought ²²⁷  you might take your daughters away from me by force. ²²⁸  31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! ²²⁹  In the presence of our relatives ²³⁰  identify whatever is yours and take it.” ²³¹  (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) ²³² 

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. ²³³  Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ²³⁴  31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle ²³⁵  and sat on them.) ²³⁶  Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ²³⁷  31:35 Rachel ²³⁸  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ²³⁹  my lord. I cannot stand up ²⁴⁰  in your presence because I am having my period.” ²⁴¹  So he searched thoroughly, ²⁴²  but did not find the idols.

31:36 Jacob became angry ²⁴³  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ²⁴⁴  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ²⁴⁵  31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? ²⁴⁶  Set it here before my relatives and yours, ²⁴⁷  and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! ²⁴⁸ 

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. ²⁴⁹  You always made me pay for every missing animal, ²⁵⁰  whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat ²⁵¹  during the day and by piercing cold ²⁵²  at night, and I went without sleep. ²⁵³  31:41 This was my lot ²⁵⁴  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ²⁵⁵  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 ²⁵⁶  – 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, ²⁵⁷  and he rebuked you last night.”

31:43 Laban replied ²⁵⁸  to Jacob, “These women ²⁵⁹  are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, ²⁶⁰  and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today ²⁶¹  or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ²⁶²  you and I, and it will be ²⁶³  proof that we have made peace.” ²⁶⁴ 

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he ²⁶⁵  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ²⁶⁶  They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ²⁶⁷  but Jacob called it Galeed. ²⁶⁸ 

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement ²⁶⁹  today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah ²⁷⁰  because he said, “May the Lord watch ²⁷¹  between us ²⁷²  when we are out of sight of one another. ²⁷³  31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ²⁷⁴  that God is witness to your actions.” ²⁷⁵ 

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ²⁷⁶  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. ²⁷⁷  31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ²⁷⁸  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ²⁷⁹  31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice ²⁸⁰  on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. ²⁸¹  They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

31:55 (32:1) ²⁸²  Early in the morning Laban kissed ²⁸³  his grandchildren ²⁸⁴  and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. ²⁸⁵ 

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ²⁸⁶  met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ²⁸⁷  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ²⁸⁸ 

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead ²⁸⁹  to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region ²⁹⁰  of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ²⁹¹  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ²⁹²  this message ²⁹³  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” ²⁹⁴  he thought, ²⁹⁵  “then the other camp will be able to escape.” ²⁹⁶ 

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ²⁹⁷  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ²⁹⁸  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ²⁹⁹  32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love ³⁰⁰  you have shown ³⁰¹  your servant. With only my walking stick ³⁰²  I crossed the Jordan, ³⁰³  but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, ³⁰⁴  I pray, from the hand ³⁰⁵  of my brother Esau, ³⁰⁶  for I am afraid he will come ³⁰⁷  and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. ³⁰⁸  32:12 But you ³⁰⁹  said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper ³¹⁰  and will make ³¹¹  your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” ³¹² 

32:13 Jacob ³¹³  stayed there that night. Then he sent ³¹⁴  as a gift ³¹⁵  to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to ³¹⁶  his servants, who divided them into herds. ³¹⁷  He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, ³¹⁸  “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? ³¹⁹  Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ ³²⁰  32:18 then you must say, ³²¹  ‘They belong ³²²  to your servant Jacob. ³²³  They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. ³²⁴  In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” ³²⁵ 

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ³²⁶  32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ³²⁷  Jacob thought, ³²⁸  “I will first appease him ³²⁹  by sending a gift ahead of me. ³³⁰  After that I will meet him. ³³¹  Perhaps he will accept me.” ³³²  32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ³³³  while he spent that night in the camp. ³³⁴ 

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took ³³⁵  his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons ³³⁶  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ³³⁷  32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ³³⁸  32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man ³³⁹  wrestled ³⁴⁰  with him until daybreak. ³⁴¹  32:25 When the man ³⁴²  saw that he could not defeat Jacob, ³⁴³  he struck ³⁴⁴  the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man ³⁴⁵  said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” ³⁴⁶  “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, ³⁴⁷  “unless you bless me.” ³⁴⁸  32:27 The man asked him, ³⁴⁹  “What is your name?” ³⁵⁰  He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ³⁵¹  “but Israel, ³⁵²  because you have fought ³⁵³  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” ³⁵⁴  “Why ³⁵⁵  do you ask my name?” the man replied. ³⁵⁶  Then he blessed ³⁵⁷  Jacob ³⁵⁸  there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, ³⁵⁹  explaining, ³⁶⁰  “Certainly ³⁶¹  I have seen God face to face ³⁶²  and have survived.” ³⁶³ 

32:31 The sun rose ³⁶⁴  over him as he crossed over Penuel, ³⁶⁵  but ³⁶⁶  he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day ³⁶⁷  the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck ³⁶⁸  the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ³⁶⁹  and saw that Esau was coming ³⁷⁰  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. ³⁷¹  33:3 But Jacob ³⁷²  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached ³⁷³  his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau ³⁷⁴  looked up ³⁷⁵  and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob ³⁷⁶  replied, “The children whom God has graciously given ³⁷⁷  your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. ³⁷⁸  33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.

33:8 Esau ³⁷⁹  then asked, “What did you intend ³⁸⁰  by sending all these herds to meet me?” ³⁸¹  Jacob ³⁸²  replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. ³⁸³  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ³⁸⁴  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ³⁸⁵  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ³⁸⁶  33:11 Please take my present ³⁸⁷  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ³⁸⁸  to me and I have all I need.” ³⁸⁹  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ³⁹⁰ 

33:12 Then Esau ³⁹¹  said, “Let’s be on our way! ³⁹²  I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob ³⁹³  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ³⁹⁴  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ³⁹⁵  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ³⁹⁶  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ³⁹⁷  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ³⁹⁸  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ³⁹⁹ 

33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back ⁴⁰⁰  to Seir. 33:17 But ⁴⁰¹  Jacob traveled to Succoth ⁴⁰²  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ⁴⁰³  Succoth. ⁴⁰⁴ 

33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near ⁴⁰⁵  the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it ⁴⁰⁶  from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. ⁴⁰⁷  33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” ⁴⁰⁸ 

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ⁴⁰⁹  the young women ⁴¹⁰  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, ⁴¹¹  and sexually assaulted her. ⁴¹²  34:3 Then he became very attached ⁴¹³  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ⁴¹⁴  34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” ⁴¹⁵  34:5 When ⁴¹⁶  Jacob heard that Shechem ⁴¹⁷  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ⁴¹⁸  until they came in.

34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. ⁴¹⁹  34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ⁴²⁰  They ⁴²¹  were offended ⁴²²  and very angry because Shechem ⁴²³  had disgraced Israel ⁴²⁴  by sexually assaulting ⁴²⁵  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ⁴²⁶ 

34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. ⁴²⁷  Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. ⁴²⁸  Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. ⁴²⁹  34:10 You may live ⁴³⁰  among us, and the land will be open to you. ⁴³¹  Live in it, travel freely in it, ⁴³²  and acquire property in it.”

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ⁴³³  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ⁴³⁴  I’ll give. ⁴³⁵  34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, ⁴³⁶  and I’ll give ⁴³⁷  whatever you ask ⁴³⁸  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 ⁴³⁹  had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ⁴⁴⁰  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ⁴⁴¹  to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become ⁴⁴²  like us by circumcising ⁴⁴³  all your males. 34:16 Then we will give ⁴⁴⁴  you our daughters to marry, ⁴⁴⁵  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 ⁴⁴⁶  by being circumcised, then we will take ⁴⁴⁷  our sister ⁴⁴⁸  and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ⁴⁴⁹  34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ⁴⁵⁰  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ⁴⁵¹  badly. (Now he was more important ⁴⁵²  than anyone in his father’s household.) ⁴⁵³  34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate ⁴⁵⁴  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 ⁴⁵⁵  for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. ⁴⁵⁶  34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand ⁴⁵⁷  that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, ⁴⁵⁸  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 ⁴⁵⁹  agreed with ⁴⁶⁰  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ⁴⁶¹  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 ⁴⁶²  and went to the unsuspecting city ⁴⁶³  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 ⁴⁶⁴  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ⁴⁶⁵  34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ⁴⁶⁶  34:29 They captured as plunder ⁴⁶⁷  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 ⁴⁶⁸  on me by making me a foul odor ⁴⁶⁹  among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I ⁴⁷⁰  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, ⁴⁷¹  “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ⁴⁷²  to Bethel ⁴⁷³  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ⁴⁷⁴  35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ⁴⁷⁵  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ⁴⁷⁶  35:3 Let us go up at once ⁴⁷⁷  to Bethel. Then I will make ⁴⁷⁸  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ⁴⁷⁹  and has been with me wherever I went.” ⁴⁸⁰ 

35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ⁴⁸¹  and the rings that were in their ears. ⁴⁸²  Jacob buried them ⁴⁸³  under the oak ⁴⁸⁴  near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. ⁴⁸⁵  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ⁴⁸⁶  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) ⁴⁸⁷  in the land of Canaan. ⁴⁸⁸  35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ⁴⁸⁹  because there God had revealed himself ⁴⁹⁰  to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, ⁴⁹¹  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ⁴⁹²  Oak of Weeping.) ⁴⁹³ 

35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. ⁴⁹⁴  35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ⁴⁹⁵  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ⁴⁹⁶  35:12 The land I gave ⁴⁹⁷  to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants ⁴⁹⁸  I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place ⁴⁹⁹  where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. ⁵⁰⁰  He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. ⁵⁰¹  35:15 Jacob named the place ⁵⁰²  where God spoke with him Bethel. ⁵⁰³ 

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ⁵⁰⁴  Rachel went into labor ⁵⁰⁵  – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, ⁵⁰⁶  the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” ⁵⁰⁷  35:18 With her dying breath, ⁵⁰⁸  she named him Ben-Oni. ⁵⁰⁹  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ⁵¹⁰  35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ⁵¹¹  35:20 Jacob set up a marker ⁵¹²  over her grave; it is ⁵¹³  the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ⁵¹⁴  35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ⁵¹⁵  Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, ⁵¹⁶  to Kiriath Arba ⁵¹⁷  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ⁵¹⁸  35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. ⁵¹⁹  35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. ⁵²⁰  He died an old man who had lived a full life. ⁵²¹  His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁵²²  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁵²³  in Gerar,

Genesis 28:7

28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.

Genesis 31:6-7

31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, ⁵²⁴  31:7 but your father has humiliated ⁵²⁵  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm.

Isaiah 5:11

5:11 Those who get up early to drink beer are as good as dead, ⁵²⁶ 

those who keep drinking long after dark

until they are intoxicated with wine. ⁵²⁷ 

Isaiah 5:22

5:22 Those who are champions ⁵²⁸  at drinking wine are as good as dead, ⁵²⁹ 

who display great courage when mixing strong drinks.

Isaiah 22:13

22:13 But look, there is outright celebration! ⁵³⁰ 

You say, “Kill the ox and slaughter the sheep,

eat meat and drink wine.

Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” ⁵³¹ 

Matthew 24:49

24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards,

Luke 15:13

15:13 After ⁵³²  a few days, ⁵³³  the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered ⁵³⁴  his wealth ⁵³⁵  with a wild lifestyle.

Luke 16:19

The Rich Man and Lazarus

16:19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple ⁵³⁶  and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously ⁵³⁷  every day.

Luke 21:34

Be Ready!

21:34 “But be on your guard ⁵³⁸  so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day close down upon you suddenly like a trap. ⁵³⁹ 

Romans 13:13

13:13 Let us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in discord and jealousy.

Ephesians 5:18

5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, which ⁵⁴⁰  is debauchery, ⁵⁴¹  but be filled by the Spirit, ⁵⁴² 

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ⁵⁴³  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 4:3-4

4:3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling,

[29:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.

[29:1]  ² tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”

[29:2]  ³ tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.

[29:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and look, there.”

[29:2]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[29:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “son.”

[29:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.

[29:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”

[29:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “peace.”

[29:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the day is great.”

[29:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.

[29:8]  ¹⁴ tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.

[29:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”

[29:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).

[29:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “drew near, approached.”

[29:10]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).

[29:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.

[29:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “declared.”

[29:12]  ²² tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

[29:13]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ²⁴ 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).

[29:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).

[29:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “a month of days.”

[29:15]  ²⁸ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

[29:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.

[29:16]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.

[29:17]  ³¹ tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.

[29:17]  ³² tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”

[29:18]  ³³ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:19]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”

[29:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ³⁶ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ³⁷ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob said.”

[29:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”

[29:21]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).

[29:22]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “men.”

[29:23]  ⁴² tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”

[29:23]  ⁴³ tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.

[29:25]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[29:25]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”

[29:25]  ⁵⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.

[29:26]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:26]  ⁵² tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[29:27]  ⁵³ tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.

[29:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”

[29:28]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:28]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.

[29:28]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:29]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”

[29:30]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁶² tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ⁶³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:31]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.

[29:31]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[29:32]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ⁶⁸ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[29:33]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ⁷¹ sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

[29:34]  ⁷² tn Heb “will be joined to me.”

[29:34]  ⁷³ sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[29:35]  ⁷⁴ sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.

[30:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “sons.”

[30:2]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:3]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:3]  ⁸⁰ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.

[30:3]  ⁸¹ tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:3]  ⁸² tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.

[30:3]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).

[30:4]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:4]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:5]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).

[30:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.

[30:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “therefore.”

[30:6]  ⁹⁰ sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.

[30:7]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:8]  ⁹² tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.

[30:8]  ⁹³ sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”

[30:9]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”

[30:10]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:11]  ⁹⁶ tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”

[30:11]  ⁹⁷ sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[30:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:13]  ⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”

[30:13]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “daughters.”

[30:13]  ¹⁰¹ sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.

[30:14]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “during the days.”

[30:14]  ¹⁰³ sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.

[30:15]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “therefore.”

[30:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[30:16]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.

[30:16]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.

[30:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.

[30:17]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “listened to.”

[30:17]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).

[30:17]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:18]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “God has given my reward.”

[30:18]  ¹¹⁴ tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).

[30:18]  ¹¹⁵ sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.

[30:19]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:20]  ¹¹⁷ sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.

[30:22]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “remembered.”

[30:22]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons

[30:23]  ¹²⁰ tn Or “conceived.”

[30:23]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.

[30:24]  ¹²² sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.

[30:25]  ¹²³ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

[30:25]  ¹²⁴ tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

[30:25]  ¹²⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:25]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

[30:26]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ¹²⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[30:27]  ¹³⁰ tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[30:27]  ¹³¹ tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the Lord has blessed me” (cf. NEB). See J. Finkelstein, “An Old Babylonian Herding Contract and Genesis 31:38f.,” JAOS 88 (1968): 34, n. 19.

[30:28]  ¹³² tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”

[30:29]  ¹³³ tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:29]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”

[30:30]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “for.”

[30:30]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “before me.”

[30:30]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”

[30:30]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “at my foot.”

[30:30]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”

[30:31]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:31]  ¹⁴¹ tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.

[30:31]  ¹⁴² tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:31]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”

[30:31]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”

[30:32]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “pass through.”

[30:32]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”

[30:32]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”

[30:32]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.

[30:33]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”

[30:34]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.

[30:35]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:35]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”

[30:36]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

[30:36]  ¹⁵⁷ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.

[30:38]  ¹⁵⁸ sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).

[30:39]  ¹⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.

[30:39]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:40]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

[30:41]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

[30:42]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.

[30:42]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “were for Laban.”

[30:43]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[30:43]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and there were to him.”

[31:1]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”

[31:1]  ¹⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”

[31:2]  ¹⁷⁰ 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]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ¹⁷² sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:4]  ¹⁷³ 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]  ¹⁷⁴ 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]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “to his flock.”

[31:5]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:6]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:7]  ¹⁷⁸ 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]  ¹⁷⁹ 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]  ¹⁸⁰ 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]  ¹⁸¹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”

[31:10]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”

[31:10]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:12]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

[31:12]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:13]  ¹⁸⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[31:13]  ¹⁸⁷ 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 Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

[31:13]  ¹⁸⁸ sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

[31:13]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

[31:14]  ¹⁹⁰ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

[31:15]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.

[31:15]  ¹⁹² 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]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”

[31:18]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.

[31:18]  ¹⁹⁵ 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]  ¹⁹⁶ 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]  ¹⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:21]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ²⁰² tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “he set his face.”

[31:22]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”

[31:23]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[31:23]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

[31:23]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “drew close to.”

[31:24]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ²¹¹ 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]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

[31:26]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

[31:27]  ²¹⁵ 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]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “and steal me.”

[31:27]  ²¹⁷ 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]  ²¹⁸ 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]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

[31:29]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:29]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[31:30]  ²²³ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

[31:30]  ²²⁴ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

[31:30]  ²²⁵ 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]  ²²⁶ 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]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “for I said.”

[31:31]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”

[31:32]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”

[31:32]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “brothers.”

[31:32]  ²³¹ tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”

[31:32]  ²³² 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]  ²³³ 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]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”

[31:34]  ²³⁵ 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]  ²³⁶ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.

[31:34]  ²³⁷ tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:35]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ²³⁹ 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]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ²⁴² tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:36]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.

[31:36]  ²⁴⁴ 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]  ²⁴⁵ 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]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”

[31:37]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[31:37]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”

[31:39]  ²⁴⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.

[31:39]  ²⁵⁰ 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]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “by drought.”

[31:40]  ²⁵² 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]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”

[31:41]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “this to me.”

[31:41]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”

[31:42]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[31:43]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[31:43]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “daughters.”

[31:43]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “children.”

[31:43]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”

[31:44]  ²⁶² tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ²⁶³ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

[31:46]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ²⁶⁶ sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[31:47]  ²⁶⁷ sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”

[31:47]  ²⁶⁸ 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]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”

[31:49]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

[31:49]  ²⁷¹ 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 Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

[31:49]  ²⁷² tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:49]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”

[31:50]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:51]  ²⁷⁶ 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]  ²⁷⁷ 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]  ²⁷⁸ 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]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

[31:54]  ²⁸⁰ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

[31:54]  ²⁸¹ 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]  ²⁸² 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]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”

[31:55]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “his sons.”

[31:55]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “to his place.”

[32:1]  ²⁸⁶ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[32:2]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ²⁸⁸ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:3]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “before him.”

[32:3]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “field.”

[32:4]  ²⁹¹ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

[32:5]  ²⁹² tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ²⁹³ tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”

[32:8]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.

[32:9]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.

[32:10]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).

[32:10]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “you have done with.”

[32:10]  ³⁰² tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.

[32:10]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “this Jordan.”

[32:11]  ³⁰⁴ tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.

[32:11]  ³⁰⁵ tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”

[32:11]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”

[32:11]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”

[32:11]  ³⁰⁸ sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.

[32:12]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[32:12]  ³¹⁰ tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.

[32:12]  ³¹¹ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.

[32:12]  ³¹² tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.

[32:13]  ³¹³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.

[32:13]  ³¹⁵ sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).

[32:16]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.

[32:17]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.

[32:17]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “to whom are you?”

[32:17]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”

[32:18]  ³²¹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18]  ³²² tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18]  ³²³ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:19]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”

[32:20]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ³²⁸ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ³³¹ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ³³² tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[32:21]  ³³³ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ³³⁴ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:22]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

[32:22]  ³³⁶ tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

[32:22]  ³³⁷ sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

[32:23]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”

[32:24]  ³³⁹ sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.

[32:24]  ³⁴⁰ sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.

[32:24]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”

[32:25]  ³⁴² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ³⁴⁴ tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.

[32:26]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:26]  ³⁴⁶ tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

[32:26]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:26]  ³⁴⁸ sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

[32:27]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:27]  ³⁵⁰ sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.

[32:28]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:28]  ³⁵² sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ³⁵³ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

[32:29]  ³⁵⁴ sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.

[32:29]  ³⁵⁵ tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.

[32:29]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:29]  ³⁵⁷ tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.

[32:29]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ³⁵⁹ sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.

[32:30]  ³⁶⁰ tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:30]  ³⁶¹ tn Or “because.”

[32:30]  ³⁶² sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.

[32:30]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”

[32:31]  ³⁶⁴ tn Heb “shone.”

[32:31]  ³⁶⁵ sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).

[32:31]  ³⁶⁶ tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.

[32:32]  ³⁶⁷ sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[32:32]  ³⁶⁸ tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.

[33:1]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

[33:1]  ³⁷⁰ tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[33:2]  ³⁷¹ sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.

[33:3]  ³⁷² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:3]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

[33:5]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[33:5]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ³⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”

[33:6]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”

[33:8]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:8]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “Who to you?”

[33:8]  ³⁸¹ tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”

[33:8]  ³⁸² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[33:10]  ³⁸⁴ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.

[33:10]  ³⁸⁵ tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.

[33:10]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”

[33:11]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ³⁸⁸ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³⁹² tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”

[33:13]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “weak.”

[33:13]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”

[33:14]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”

[33:15]  ³⁹⁷ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[33:16]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “returned on his way.”

[33:17]  ⁴⁰¹ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ⁴⁰² 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]  ⁴⁰³ 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]  ⁴⁰⁴ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[33:18]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “in front of.”

[33:19]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.

[33:19]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).

[33:20]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.

[34:1]  ⁴⁰⁹ 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]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “daughters.”

[34:2]  ⁴¹¹ 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]  ⁴¹² 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]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

[34:3]  ⁴¹⁴ 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]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”

[34:5]  ⁴¹⁶ tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ⁴¹⁸ 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]  ⁴¹⁹ 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]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:7]  ⁴²¹ 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]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”

[34:7]  ⁴²⁵ 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]  ⁴²⁶ 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]  ⁴²⁷ 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]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”

[34:9]  ⁴²⁹ 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]  ⁴³⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[34:10]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “before you.”

[34:10]  ⁴³² 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]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ⁴³⁵ tn Or “pay.”

[34:12]  ⁴³⁶ 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]  ⁴³⁷ tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.

[34:12]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “say.”

[34:13]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ⁴⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴⁴¹ 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]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15]  ⁴⁴³ tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ⁴⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17]  ⁴⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ⁴⁵² 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]  ⁴⁵³ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20]  ⁴⁵⁴ sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23]  ⁴⁵⁸ 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]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25]  ⁴⁶² tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25]  ⁴⁶³ 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]  ⁴⁶⁴ 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]  ⁴⁶⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30]  ⁴⁶⁸ 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]  ⁴⁶⁹ 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]  ⁴⁷⁰ tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31]  ⁴⁷¹ tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ⁴⁷² tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ⁴⁷³ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ⁴⁷⁴ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:2]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ⁴⁷⁶ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

[35:3]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

[35:3]  ⁴⁷⁸ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

[35:3]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

[35:3]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).

[35:4]  ⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “in their hand.”

[35:4]  ⁴⁸² sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).

[35:4]  ⁴⁸³ sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.

[35:4]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Or “terebinth.”

[35:5]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).

[35:6]  ⁴⁸⁷ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ⁴⁸⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”

[35:7]  ⁴⁸⁹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.

[35:8]  ⁴⁹¹ sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.

[35:8]  ⁴⁹² tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ⁴⁹³ tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.

[35:10]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:11]  ⁴⁹⁵ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[35:11]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:12]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the Lord made it certain; but it has the sense “promised to give.”

[35:12]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”

[35:13]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”

[35:14]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.

[35:14]  ⁵⁰¹ tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.

[35:15]  ⁵⁰² sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.

[35:15]  ⁵⁰³ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:16]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”

[35:17]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).

[35:17]  ⁵⁰⁷ sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.

[35:18]  ⁵⁰⁸ tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ⁵⁰⁹ sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.

[35:18]  ⁵¹⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.

[35:19]  ⁵¹¹ sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.

[35:20]  ⁵¹² tn Heb “standing stone.”

[35:20]  ⁵¹³ tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).

[35:21]  ⁵¹⁴ sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.

[35:22]  ⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:27]  ⁵¹⁶ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ⁵¹⁷ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ⁵¹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[35:28]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”

[35:29]  ⁵²⁰ tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[35:29]  ⁵²¹ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

[20:1]  ⁵²² tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  ⁵²³ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[31:6]  ⁵²⁴ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:7]  ⁵²⁵ 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).

[5:11]  ⁵²⁶ tn Heb “Woe [to] those who arise early in the morning, [who] chase beer.”

[5:11]  ⁵²⁷ tn Heb “[who] delay until dark, [until] wine enflames them.”

[5:22]  ⁵²⁸ tn The language used here is quite sarcastic and paves the way for the shocking description of the enemy army in vv. 25-30. The rich leaders of Judah are nothing but “party animals” who are totally incapable of withstanding real warriors.

[5:22]  ⁵²⁹ tn Heb “Woe [to]….” See the note at v. 8.

[22:13]  ⁵³⁰ tn Heb “happiness and joy.”

[22:13]  ⁵³¹ tn The prophet here quotes what the fatalistic people are saying. The introductory “you say” is supplied in the translation for clarification; the concluding verb “we die” makes it clear the people are speaking. The six verbs translated as imperatives are actually infinitives absolute, functioning here as finite verbs.

[15:13]  ⁵³² tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:13]  ⁵³³ tn Grk “after not many days.”

[15:13]  ⁵³⁴ tn Or “wasted.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[15:13]  ⁵³⁵ tn Or “estate” (the same word has been translated “estate” in v. 12).

[16:19]  ⁵³⁶ sn Purple describes a fine, expensive dye used on luxurious clothing, and by metonymy, refers to clothing colored with that dye. It pictures someone of great wealth.

[16:19]  ⁵³⁷ tn Or “celebrated with ostentation” (L&N 88.255), that is, with showing off. Here was the original conspicuous consumer.

[21:34]  ⁵³⁸ tn Grk “watch out for yourselves.”

[21:34]  ⁵³⁹ sn Or like a thief, see Luke 12:39-40. The metaphor of a trap is a vivid one. Most modern English translations traditionally place the words “like a trap” at the end of v. 34, completing the metaphor. In the Greek text (and in the NRSV and REB) the words “like a trap” are placed at the beginning of v. 35. This does not affect the meaning.

[5:18]  ⁵⁴⁰ tn Grk “in which.”

[5:18]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Or “dissipation.” See BDAG 148 s.v. ἀσωτία.

[5:18]  ⁵⁴² tn Many have taken ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati) as indicating content, i.e., one is to be filled with the Spirit. ExSyn 375 states, “There are no other examples in biblical Greek in which ἐν + the dative after πληρόω indicates content. Further, the parallel with οἴνῳ as well as the common grammatical category of means suggest that the idea intended is that believers are to be filled by means of the [Holy] Spirit. If so there seems to be an unnamed agent. The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the πληρόω language in Ephesians. Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity. Three considerations seem to be key: (1) In Eph 3:19 the ‘hinge’ prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers ‘be filled with all the fullness of God’ (πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ). The explicit content of πληρόω is thus God’s fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes). (2) In 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts). (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in 5:18: Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.”

[5:1]  ⁵⁴³ tn Or “become.”