Genesis 24:2

24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ¹  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ² 

Genesis 47:29

47:29 The time ³  for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh ⁴  and show me kindness and faithfulness. ⁵  Do not bury me in Egypt,

Genesis 47:2

47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. ⁶ 

Genesis 30:8

30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ⁷  So she named him Naphtali. ⁸ 

Ezekiel 17:18

17:18 He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Take note ⁹  – he gave his promise ¹⁰  and did all these things – he will not escape!

¹ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

² sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

³ tn Heb “days.”

⁴ sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.

⁵ tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”

⁶ tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.”

⁹ tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates being aware of or taking notice of something.

¹⁰ sn Heb “hand.” “Giving one’s hand” is a gesture of promise (2 Kgs 10:15).