Genesis 10:21

10:21 And sons were also born ¹  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), ²  the father of all the sons of Eber.

Genesis 20:4

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ³  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ⁴ 

Genesis 24:19

24:19 When she had done so, ⁵  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.”

Genesis 26:21

26:21 His servants ⁶  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ⁷  Sitnah. ⁸ 

Genesis 30:8

30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ⁹  So she named him Naphtali. ¹⁰ 

Genesis 31:15

31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted ¹¹  the money paid for us! ¹² 

Genesis 33:7

33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.

Genesis 50:18

50:18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.”

¹ tn Heb “And to Shem was born.”

² tn Or “whose older brother was Japheth.” Some translations render Japheth as the older brother, understanding the adjective הַגָּדוֹל (haggadol, “older”) as modifying Japheth. However, in Hebrew when a masculine singular definite attributive adjective follows the sequence masculine singular construct noun + proper name, the adjective invariably modifies the noun in construct, not the proper name. Such is the case here. See Deut 11:7; Judg 1:13; 2:7; 3:9; 9:5; 2 Kgs 15:35; 2 Chr 27:3; Neh 3:30; Jer 13:9; 36:10; Ezek 10:19; 11:1.

³ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

⁴ tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.

⁵ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ 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.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.

¹² 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.