Genesis 18:19

18:19 I have chosen him ¹  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ²  the way of the Lord by doing ³  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁴  to Abraham what he promised ⁵  him.”

Genesis 31:35

31:35 Rachel ⁶  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ⁷  my lord. I cannot stand up ⁸  in your presence because I am having my period.” ⁹  So he searched thoroughly, ¹⁰  but did not find the idols.

Genesis 38:14

38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because ¹¹  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

² tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

³ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

⁴ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

⁵ tn Heb “spoke to.”

⁶ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

⁹ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

¹⁰ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

¹¹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.

¹² tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”