29:1 So Jacob moved on 1 and came to the land of the eastern people. 2 29:2 He saw 3 in the field a well with 4 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 5 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 6 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 7 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 8 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 9 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 10 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 11 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 12 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 13 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 14 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 15 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 16 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 17 went over 18 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 19 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 20 29:12 When Jacob explained 21 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 22 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 23 told Laban how he was related to him. 24 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 25 So Jacob 26 stayed with him for a month. 27
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 28 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 29 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 30 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 31 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 32 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 33 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 34 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 35 But they seemed like only a few days to him 36 because his love for her was so great. 37
29:21 Finally Jacob said 38 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 39 I want to have marital relations with her.” 40 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 41 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 42 to Jacob, 43 and Jacob 44 had marital relations with her. 45 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 46
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 47 So Jacob 48 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 49 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 50 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 51 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 52 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 53 Then we will give you the younger one 54 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 55
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 56 When Jacob 57 completed Leah’s bridal week, 58 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 59 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 60 29:30 Jacob 61 had marital relations 62 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 63 for seven more years. 64
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 65 he enabled her to become pregnant 66 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 67 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 68 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 69 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 70 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 71
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 72 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 73
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 74 Then she stopped having children.
12:1 Now the Lord said 79 to Abram, 80
“Go out 81 from your country, your relatives, and your father’s household
to the land that I will show you. 82
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 83 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 84
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 85 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 86
14:13 A fugitive 87 came and told Abram the Hebrew. 88 Now Abram was living by the oaks 89 of Mamre the Amorite, the brother 90 of Eshcol and Aner. (All these were allied by treaty 91 with Abram.) 92
42:21 The Lord wanted to exhibit his justice
by magnifying his law and displaying it. 95
49:3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, through whom I will reveal my splendor.” 96
2:6 111 who though he existed in the form of God 112
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,
2:7 but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave, 113
by looking like other men, 114
and by sharing in human nature. 115
2:8 He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
– even death on a cross!
2:9 As a result God exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow
– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –
2:11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
2 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
3 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
4 tn Heb “and look, there.”
5 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
6 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “son.”
8 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
9 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
10 tn Heb “peace.”
11 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “the day is great.”
13 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
14 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
15 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
16 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
17 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
19 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
21 tn Heb “declared.”
22 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
25 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
26 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Heb “a month of days.”
28 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
29 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
30 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
31 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
32 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
33 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
34 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
35 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
36 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
37 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
38 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
39 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
40 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
41 tn Heb “men.”
42 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
43 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
46 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
47 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
48 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
50 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
51 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
52 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
54 tn Heb “this other one.”
55 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
56 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
57 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
59 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
61 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
62 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
63 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
64 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
65 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
66 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
67 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
68 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
69 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
70 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
71 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
72 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
73 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
74 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
75 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
76 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
77 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
78 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
79 sn The
80 tn The call of Abram begins with an imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lÿkha, “go out”) followed by three cohortatives (v. 2a) indicating purpose or consequence (“that I may” or “then I will”). If Abram leaves, then God will do these three things. The second imperative (v. 2b, literally “and be a blessing”) is subordinated to the preceding cohortatives and indicates God’s ultimate purpose in calling and blessing Abram. On the syntactical structure of vv. 1-2 see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 37. For a similar sequence of volitive forms see Gen 45:18.
81 tn The initial command is the direct imperative (לֶךְ, lekh) from the verb הָלַךְ (halakh). It is followed by the lamed preposition with a pronominal suffix (לְךָ, lÿkha) emphasizing the subject of the imperative: “you leave.”
82 sn To the land that I will show you. The call of Abram illustrates the leading of the
83 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
84 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
85 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
86 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
87 tn Heb “the fugitive.” The article carries a generic force or indicates that this fugitive is definite in the mind of the speaker.
88 sn E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103) suggests that part of this chapter came from an outside source since it refers to Abram the Hebrew. That is not impossible, given that the narrator likely utilized traditions and genealogies that had been collected and transmitted over the years. The meaning of the word “Hebrew” has proved elusive. It may be related to the verb “to cross over,” perhaps meaning “immigrant.” Or it might be derived from the name of Abram’s ancestor Eber (see Gen 11:14-16).
89 tn Or “terebinths.”
90 tn Or “a brother”; or “a relative”; or perhaps “an ally.”
91 tn Heb “possessors of a treaty with.” Since it is likely that the qualifying statement refers to all three (Mamre, Eshcol, and Aner) the words “all these” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear.
92 tn This parenthetical disjunctive clause explains how Abram came to be living in their territory, but it also explains why they must go to war with Abram.
93 tn Heb “I.”
94 tn Heb “is” (הִנֵּה, hinneh).
95 tn Heb “The Lord was pleased for the sake of his righteousness [or “justice”], he was magnifying [the] law and was making [it] glorious.” The Lord contrasts his good intentions for the people with their present crisis (v. 22). To demonstrate his just character and attract the nations, the Lord wanted to showcase his law among and through Israel (Deut 4:5-8). But Israel disobeyed (v. 24) and failed to carry out their commission.
96 sn This verse identifies the servant as Israel. This seems to refer to the exiled nation (cf. 41:8-9; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20), but in vv. 5-6 this servant says he has been commissioned to reconcile Israel to God, so he must be distinct from the exiled nation. This servant is an ideal “Israel” who, like Moses of old, mediates a covenant for the nation (see v. 8), leads them out of bondage (v. 9a), and carries out God’s original plan for Israel by positively impacting the pagan nations (see v. 6b). By living according to God’s law, Israel was to be a model of God’s standards of justice to the surrounding nations (Deut 4:6-8). The sinful nation failed, but the servant, the ideal “Israel,” will succeed by establishing justice throughout the earth.
97 tn Grk “but Jesus, answering, said.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “replied to him.”
98 tn Grk “Permit now.”
99 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
100 tn Or “permitted him.”
101 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
102 tn Grk “behold the heavens.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
103 tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ourano") may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 17.
104 tc ‡ αὐτῷ (autw, “to/before him”) is found in the majority of witnesses (א1 C Ds L W 0233 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat), perhaps added as a point of clarification or emphasis. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
105 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.
106 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here.
107 tn Grk “behold, a voice from the cloud, saying.” This is an incomplete sentence in Greek which portrays intensity and emotion. The participle λέγουσα (legousa) was translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style.
108 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
109 tn Grk “in whom.”
110 tn Or “with whom I am well pleased.”
111 sn This passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
112 sn The Greek term translated form indicates a correspondence with reality. Thus the meaning of this phrase is that Christ was truly God.
113 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 1:1.
114 tn Grk “by coming in the likeness of people.”
115 tn Grk “and by being found in form as a man.” The versification of vv. 7 and 8 (so also NRSV) is according to the versification in the NA27 and UBS4 editions of the Greek text. Some translations, however, break the verses in front of this phrase (NKJV, NASB, NIV, NLT). The same material has been translated in each case; the only difference is the versification of that material.