27:1 When 1 Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, 2 he called his older 3 son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau 4 replied. 27:2 Isaac 5 said, “Since 6 I am so old, I could die at any time. 7 27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game 8 for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then 9 I will eat it so that I may bless you 10 before I die.”
27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 11 When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 12 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 27:7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat 13 it and bless you 14 in the presence of the Lord 15 before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do 16 exactly what I tell you! 17 27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare 18 them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take 19 it to your father. Thus he will eat it 20 and 21 bless you before he dies.”
27:11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! 22 27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him 23 and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 27:13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, 24 my son! Just obey me! 25 Go and get them for me!”
27:14 So he went and got the goats 26 and brought them to his mother. She 27 prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 27:15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 27:16 She put the skins of the young goats 28 on his hands 29 and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed 30 the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.
27:18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac 31 replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” 32 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up 33 and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” 34 27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world 35 did you find it so quickly, 36 my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” 37 he replied. 38 27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, 39 my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” 40 27:22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. 41 27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob 42 replied. 27:25 Isaac 43 said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. 44 Then I will bless you.” 45 So Jacob 46 brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac 47 drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob 48 went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent 49 of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,
“Yes, 50 my son smells
like the scent of an open field
which the Lord has blessed.
27:28 May God give you
the dew of the sky 51
and the richness 52 of the earth,
and plenty of grain and new wine.
27:29 May peoples serve you
and nations bow down to you.
You will be 53 lord 54 over your brothers,
and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. 55
May those who curse you be cursed,
and those who bless you be blessed.”
27:30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left 56 his father’s 57 presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. 58 27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau 59 said to him, “My father, get up 60 and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 61 27:32 His father Isaac asked, 62 “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” 63 he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently 64 and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. 65 He will indeed be blessed!”
27:34 When Esau heard 66 his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. 67 He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac 68 replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away 69 your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! 70 He has tripped me up 71 two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”
27:37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” 72 Then Esau wept loudly. 73
27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, 74 your home will be
away from the richness 75 of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
27:40 You will live by your sword
but you will serve your brother.
When you grow restless,
you will tear off his yoke
from your neck.” 76
27:41 So Esau hated 77 Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. 78 Esau said privately, 79 “The time 80 of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill 81 my brother Jacob!”
27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, 82 she quickly summoned 83 her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 84 27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. 85 Run away immediately 86 to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while 87 until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there 88 until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. 89 Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 90
27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed 91 because of these daughters of Heth. 92 If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” 93
28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 94 28:2 Leave immediately 95 for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God 96 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 97 Then you will become 98 a large nation. 99 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 100 so that you may possess the land 101 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 102 28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 103 As he blessed him, 104 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 105 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 106 that the Canaanite women 107 were displeasing to 108 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 109 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 110 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 111 He took one of the stones 112 and placed it near his head. 113 Then he fell asleep 114 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 115 He saw 116 a stairway 117 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 118 I will give you and your descendants the ground 119 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 120 and you will spread out 121 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 122 using your name and that of your descendants. 123 28:15 I am with you! 124 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 125 and thought, 126 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 127 in the morning Jacob 128 took the stone he had placed near his head 129 and set it up as a sacred stone. 130 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 131 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 132 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 133 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 134 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 135 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 136
29:1 So Jacob moved on 137 and came to the land of the eastern people. 138 29:2 He saw 139 in the field a well with 140 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 141 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 142 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 143 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 144 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 145 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 146 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 147 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 148 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 149 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 150 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 151 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 152 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 153 went over 154 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 155 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 156 29:12 When Jacob explained 157 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 158 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 159 told Laban how he was related to him. 160 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 161 So Jacob 162 stayed with him for a month. 163
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 164 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 165 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 166 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 167 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 168 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 169 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. 170 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 171 But they seemed like only a few days to him 172 because his love for her was so great. 173
29:21 Finally Jacob said 174 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 175 I want to have marital relations with her.” 176 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 177 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 178 to Jacob, 179 and Jacob 180 had marital relations with her. 181 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 182
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 183 So Jacob 184 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 185 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 186 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 187 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 188 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 189 Then we will give you the younger one 190 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 191
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 192 When Jacob 193 completed Leah’s bridal week, 194 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 195 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 196 29:30 Jacob 197 had marital relations 198 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 199 for seven more years. 200
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 201 he enabled her to become pregnant 202 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 203 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 204 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 205 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, 206 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 207
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 208 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 209
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. 210 Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 211 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 212 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 213 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 214 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 215 her so that she can bear 216 children 217 for me 218 and I can have a family through her.” 219
30:4 So Rachel 220 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 221 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 222 and gave Jacob a son. 223 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 224 and given me a son.” That is why 225 she named him Dan. 226
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 227 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 228 So she named him Naphtali. 229
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 230 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 231 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 232 So she named him Gad. 233
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 234 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 235 for women 236 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 237
30:14 At the time 238 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 239 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, 240 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 241 Rachel said, “he may sleep 242 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 243 with me because I have paid for your services 244 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 245 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 246 to Leah; she became pregnant 247 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 248 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 249 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 250 So she named him Issachar. 251
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 252 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. 253
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 254 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 255 30:23 She became pregnant 256 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 257 30:24 She named him Joseph, 258 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 259 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 260 me on my way so that I can go 261 home to my own country. 262 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 263 Then I’ll depart, 264 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 265
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 266 for I have learned by divination 267 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” 268
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 269 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 270 30:30 Indeed, 271 you had little before I arrived, 272 but now your possessions have increased many times over. 273 The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. 274 But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” 275
30:31 So Laban asked, 276 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 277 Jacob replied, 278 “but if you agree to this one condition, 279 I will continue to care for 280 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 281 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 282 and the spotted or speckled goats. 283 These animals will be my wages. 284 30:33 My integrity will testify for me 285 later on. 286 When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, 287 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.” 288 30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” 289
30:35 So that day Laban 290 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 291 of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, 292 while 293 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. 294 30:39 When the sheep mated 295 in front of the branches, they 296 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 297 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, 298 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. 299 So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban 300 and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob 301 became extremely prosperous. He owned 302 large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 303 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 304 at our father’s expense!” 305 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 306
31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers 307 and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 308 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah 309 to come to the field 310 where his flocks were. 311 31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, 312 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, 313 31:7 but your father has humiliated 314 me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 315 ‘The speckled animals 316 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 317 during breeding season I saw 318 in a dream that the male goats mating with 319 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 320 that all the male goats mating with 321 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, 322 where you anointed 323 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 324 Now leave this land immediately 325 and return to your native land.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 326 in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted 327 the money paid for us! 328 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. 329 31:18 He took 330 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. 331
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 332 Rachel stole the household idols 333 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived 334 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 335 31:21 He left 336 with all he owned. He quickly crossed 337 the Euphrates River 338 and headed for 339 the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 340 31:23 So he took his relatives 341 with him and pursued Jacob 342 for seven days. 343 He caught up with 344 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, 345 “Be careful 346 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” 347
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. 348 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me 349 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 350 31:27 Why did you run away secretly 351 and deceive me? 352 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 353 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren 354 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have 355 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful 356 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 357 31:30 Now I understand that 358 you have gone away 359 because you longed desperately 360 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” 361
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 362 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 363 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 364 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 365 In the presence of our relatives 366 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 367 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 368
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. 369 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 370 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle 371 and sat on them.) 372 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 373 31:35 Rachel 374 said to her father, “Don’t be angry, 375 my lord. I cannot stand up 376 in your presence because I am having my period.” 377 So he searched thoroughly, 378 but did not find the idols.
31:36 Jacob became angry 379 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 380 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 381 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? 382 Set it here before my relatives and yours, 383 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 384
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. 385 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 386 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat 387 during the day and by piercing cold 388 at night, and I went without sleep. 389 31:41 This was my lot 390 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave 391 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 392 – 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, 393 and he rebuked you last night.”
31:43 Laban replied 394 to Jacob, “These women 395 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, 396 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today 397 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, 398 you and I, and it will be 399 proof that we have made peace.” 400
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he 401 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. 402 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, 403 but Jacob called it Galeed. 404
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 405 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah 406 because he said, “May the Lord watch 407 between us 408 when we are out of sight of one another. 409 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize 410 that God is witness to your actions.” 411
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 412 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. 413 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, 414 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 415 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice 416 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. 417 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
31:55 (32:1) 418 Early in the morning Laban kissed 419 his grandchildren 420 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 421
32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God 422 met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, 423 “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. 424
32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead 425 to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region 426 of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant 427 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 428 this message 429 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,” 430 he thought, 431 “then the other camp will be able to escape.” 432
32:9 Then Jacob prayed, 433 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said 434 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ 435 32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love 436 you have shown 437 your servant. With only my walking stick 438 I crossed the Jordan, 439 but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, 440 I pray, from the hand 441 of my brother Esau, 442 for I am afraid he will come 443 and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. 444 32:12 But you 445 said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper 446 and will make 447 your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” 448
32:13 Jacob 449 stayed there that night. Then he sent 450 as a gift 451 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 452 his servants, who divided them into herds. 453 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, 454 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? 455 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ 456 32:18 then you must say, 457 ‘They belong 458 to your servant Jacob. 459 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 460 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 461
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. 462 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” 463 Jacob thought, 464 “I will first appease him 465 by sending a gift ahead of me. 466 After that I will meet him. 467 Perhaps he will accept me.” 468 32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him 469 while he spent that night in the camp. 470
32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took 471 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons 472 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 473 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. 474 32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man 475 wrestled 476 with him until daybreak. 477 32:25 When the man 478 saw that he could not defeat Jacob, 479 he struck 480 the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
32:26 Then the man 481 said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” 482 “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, 483 “unless you bless me.” 484 32:27 The man asked him, 485 “What is your name?” 486 He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, 487 “but Israel, 488 because you have fought 489 with God and with men and have prevailed.”
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 490 “Why 491 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 492 Then he blessed 493 Jacob 494 there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, 495 explaining, 496 “Certainly 497 I have seen God face to face 498 and have survived.” 499
32:31 The sun rose 500 over him as he crossed over Penuel, 501 but 502 he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day 503 the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck 504 the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.
33:1 Jacob looked up 505 and saw that Esau was coming 506 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. 507 33:3 But Jacob 508 himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 509 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 510 looked up 511 and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob 512 replied, “The children whom God has graciously given 513 your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. 514 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 515 then asked, “What did you intend 516 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 517 Jacob 518 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. 519 “If I have found favor in your sight, accept 520 my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, 521 it is as if I have seen the face of God. 522 33:11 Please take my present 523 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 524 to me and I have all I need.” 525 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 526
33:12 Then Esau 527 said, “Let’s be on our way! 528 I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob 529 said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, 530 and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. 531 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, 532 until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 533 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 534 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 535
33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back 536 to Seir. 33:17 But 537 Jacob traveled to Succoth 538 where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called 539 Succoth. 540
33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near 541 the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it 542 from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 543 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” 544
1 tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.
2 tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”
3 tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.
7 tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”
8 tn The Hebrew word is to be spelled either צַיִד (tsayid) following the marginal reading (Qere), or צֵידָה (tsedah) following the consonantal text (Kethib). Either way it is from the same root as the imperative צוּדָה (tsudah, “hunt down”).
9 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
10 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.
11 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a conjunction with the subject, followed by the predicate) here introduces a new scene in the story.
12 tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.
13 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
14 tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.
15 tn In her report to Jacob, Rebekah plays down Isaac’s strong desire to bless Esau by leaving out נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), but by adding the phrase “in the presence of the
16 tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The Hebrew idiom means “to comply; to obey.”
17 tn Heb “to that which I am commanding you.”
18 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
19 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive. It carries forward the tone of instruction initiated by the command to “go…and get” in the preceding verse.
20 tn The form is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the future nuance of the preceding verbs of instruction, but by switching the subject to Jacob, indicates the expected result of the subterfuge.
21 tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.
22 tn Heb “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth [skinned] man.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
23 tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”
24 tn Heb “upon me your curse.”
25 tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”
26 tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
27 tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
28 tn In the Hebrew text the object (“the skins of the young goats”) precedes the verb. The disjunctive clause draws attention to this key element in the subterfuge.
29 tn The word “hands” probably includes the forearms here. How the skins were attached is not specified in the Hebrew text; cf. NLT “she made him a pair of gloves.”
30 tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”
31 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 sn Which are you, my son? Isaac’s first question shows that the deception is going to require more subterfuge than Rebekah had anticipated. Jacob will have to pull off the deceit.
33 tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.
34 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.
35 tn Heb “What is this?” The enclitic pronoun “this” adds emphasis to the question, which is comparable to the English rhetorical question, “How in the world?”
36 tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.
37 tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”
38 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Because the
39 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
40 tn Heb “Are you this one, Esau, my son, or not?” On the use of the interrogative particle here, see BDB 210 s.v. הֲ.
41 tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
43 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
45 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.
46 tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
47 tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
50 tn Heb “see.”
51 tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”
52 tn Heb “and from the fatness.”
53 tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.
54 tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”
55 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
56 tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite form of the verb makes the construction emphatic.
57 tn Heb “the presence of Isaac his father.” The repetition of the proper name (“Isaac”) was
58 tn Heb “and Esau his brother came from his hunt.”
59 tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.
60 tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).
61 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”
62 tn Heb “said.”
63 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I [am] your son, your firstborn.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
64 tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.
65 tn Heb “Who then is he who hunted game and brought [it] to me so that I ate from all before you arrived and blessed him?”
66 tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.
67 tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”
68 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
69 tn Or “took”; “received.”
70 tn Heb “Is he not rightly named Jacob?” The rhetorical question, since it expects a positive reply, has been translated as a declarative statement.
71 sn He has tripped me up. When originally given, the name Jacob was a play on the word “heel” (see Gen 25:26). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. Esau gives the name “Jacob” a negative connotation here, the meaning “to trip up; to supplant.”
72 tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
73 tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”
74 tn Heb “look.”
75 tn Heb “from the fatness.”
76 sn You will tear off his yoke from your neck. It may be that this prophetic blessing found its fulfillment when Jerusalem fell and Edom got its revenge. The oracle makes Edom subservient to Israel and suggests the Edomites would live away from the best land and be forced to sustain themselves by violent measures.
77 tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.
78 tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”
79 tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.
80 tn Heb “days.”
81 tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.
82 tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”
83 tn Heb “she sent and called for.”
84 tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.
85 tn Heb “listen to my voice.”
86 tn Heb “arise, flee.”
87 tn Heb “a few days.” Rebekah probably downplays the length of time Jacob will be gone, perhaps to encourage him and assure him that things will settle down soon. She probably expects Esau’s anger to die down quickly. However, Jacob ends up being gone twenty years and he never sees Rebekah again.
88 tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
89 tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.
90 tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.
91 tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).
92 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
93 tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”
94 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
95 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
96 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
97 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
98 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
99 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
100 tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.
101 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
102 tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.
103 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
104 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
105 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
106 tn Heb “saw.”
107 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
108 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
109 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
110 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
111 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
112 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
113 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
114 tn Heb “lay down.”
115 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
116 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
117 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
118 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
119 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
120 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
121 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
122 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
123 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
124 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
125 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
126 tn Heb “said.”
127 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
128 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
129 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
130 tn Heb “standing stone.”
131 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
132 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
133 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
134 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
135 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
136 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
137 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.
138 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
139 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.
140 tn Heb “and look, there.”
141 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
142 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
143 tn Heb “son.”
144 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.
145 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
146 tn Heb “peace.”
147 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
148 tn Heb “the day is great.”
149 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.
150 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
151 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
152 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
153 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
154 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
155 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).
156 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
157 tn Heb “declared.”
158 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
159 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
160 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).
161 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).
162 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
163 tn Heb “a month of days.”
164 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
165 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
166 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.
167 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.
168 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
169 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
170 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
171 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
172 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.
173 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
174 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
175 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
176 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).
177 tn Heb “men.”
178 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
179 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
180 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
181 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.
182 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.
183 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.
184 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
185 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?”
186 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.
187 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.
188 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
189 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.
190 tn Heb “this other one.”
191 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.”
192 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
193 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
194 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.
195 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.
196 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
197 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
198 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.
199 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
200 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
201 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.
202 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
203 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
204 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
205 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
206 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
207 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
208 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
209 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.
210 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.
211 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
212 tn Heb “sons.”
213 tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
214 tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
215 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
216 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
217 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
218 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.
219 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).
220 tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
221 tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
222 tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
223 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
224 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
225 tn Or “therefore.”
226 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.
227 tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
228 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.
229 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.”
230 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.”
231 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
232 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.”
233 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.
234 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
235 tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
236 tn Heb “daughters.”
237 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.
238 tn Heb “during the days.”
239 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
240 tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
241 tn Heb “therefore.”
242 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.
243 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.
244 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.
245 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.
246 tn Heb “listened to.”
247 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
248 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
249 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
250 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
251 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.
252 tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
253 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.
254 tn Heb “remembered.”
255 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
256 tn Or “conceived.”
257 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.
258 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.
259 tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
260 tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.
261 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
262 tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”
263 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.
264 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
265 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
266 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
267 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
268 tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”
269 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.
270 tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
271 tn Or “for.”
272 tn Heb “before me.”
273 tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
274 tn Heb “at my foot.”
275 tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
276 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
277 tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
278 tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
279 tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
280 tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
281 tn Heb “pass through.”
282 tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
283 tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
284 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.
285 tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”
286 tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”
287 tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”
288 tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”
289 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.
290 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
291 tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”
292 tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”
293 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.
294 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).
295 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.
296 tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
297 tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”
298 tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”
299 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.
300 tn Heb “were for Laban.”
301 tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
302 tn Heb “and there were to him.”
303 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
304 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).
305 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
306 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.
307 tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.
308 sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the
309 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.
310 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.
311 tn Heb “to his flock.”
312 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
313 tn Heb “with all my strength.”
314 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).
315 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.
316 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.
317 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”
318 tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”
319 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
320 tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”
321 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
322 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
323 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
324 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
325 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
326 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
327 tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.
328 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.
329 tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
330 tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
331 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.”
332 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.
333 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.
334 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.
335 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
336 tn Heb “and he fled.”
337 tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
338 tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
339 tn Heb “he set his face.”
340 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
341 tn Heb “his brothers.”
342 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
343 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
344 tn Heb “drew close to.”
345 tn Heb “said to him.”
346 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
347 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.
348 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.
349 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
350 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
351 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.”
352 tn Heb “and steal me.”
353 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?”
354 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.
355 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
356 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
357 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.
358 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
359 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
360 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
361 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.
362 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.
363 tn Heb “for I said.”
364 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
365 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
366 tn Heb “brothers.”
367 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
368 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.
369 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.
370 tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
371 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.”
372 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
373 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
374 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
375 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.
376 tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
377 tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
378 tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
379 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
380 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.
381 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).
382 tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
383 tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
384 tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
385 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
386 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.
387 tn Or “by drought.”
388 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.
389 tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
390 tn Heb “this to me.”
391 tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
392 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.
393 tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
394 tn Heb “answered and said.”
395 tn Heb “daughters.”
396 tn Heb “children.”
397 tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”
398 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
399 tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”
400 tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”
401 tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
402 sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.
403 sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
404 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.
405 tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
406 tn Heb “and Mizpah.”
407 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
408 tn Heb “between me and you.”
409 tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”
410 tn Heb “see.”
411 tn Heb “between me and you.”
412 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.
413 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.”
414 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.
415 tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.
416 tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.
417 tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.
418 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.
419 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
420 tn Heb “his sons.”
421 tn Heb “to his place.”
422 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.
423 tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”
424 sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.
425 tn Heb “before him.”
426 tn Heb “field.”
427 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.
428 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.
429 tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
430 tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”
431 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.
432 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.
433 tn Heb “said.”
434 tn Heb “the one who said.”
435 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.
436 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
437 tn Heb “you have done with.”
438 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.
439 tn Heb “this Jordan.”
440 tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
441 tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
442 tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
443 tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
444 sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
445 tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
446 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.
447 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.
448 tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.
449 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
450 tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
451 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).
452 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
453 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
454 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
455 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
456 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
457 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
458 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
459 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
460 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
461 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
462 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.’”
463 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
464 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.”
465 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.
466 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
467 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
468 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
469 tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
470 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
471 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.
472 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).
473 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.
474 tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
475 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.
476 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.
477 tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
478 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
479 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
480 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.
481 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
482 tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
483 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.
484 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.
485 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.
486 sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the
487 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.
488 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
489 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).
490 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.
491 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
492 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.
493 tn The verb here means that the
494 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
495 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
496 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
497 tn Or “because.”
498 sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
499 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”
500 tn Heb “shone.”
501 sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
502 tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.
503 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.
504 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.
505 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”
506 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.
507 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.
508 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
509 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.
510 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
511 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
512 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
513 tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”
514 tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”
515 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
516 tn Heb “Who to you?”
517 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
518 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
519 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.
520 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.
521 tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.
522 tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”
523 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
524 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
525 tn Heb “all.”
526 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.
527 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
528 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.”
529 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
530 tn Heb “weak.”
531 tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”
532 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.”
533 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
534 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.
535 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
536 tn Heb “returned on his way.”
537 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
538 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.
539 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.
540 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
541 tn Heb “in front of.”
542 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
543 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”).
544 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.