19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 1 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 2 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 3
21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 4 some food 5 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 6 and sent her away. So she went wandering 7 aimlessly through the wilderness 8 of Beer Sheba.
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 9 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 10 for the place God had spoken to him about.
31:55 (32:1) 11 Early in the morning Laban kissed 12 his grandchildren 13 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 14
1 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
2 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
3 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
4 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
5 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
6 tn Heb “He put upon her shoulder, and the boy [or perhaps, “and with the boy”], and he sent her away.” It is unclear how “and the boy” relates syntactically to what precedes. Perhaps the words should be rearranged and the text read, “and he put [them] on her shoulder and he gave to Hagar the boy.”
7 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
8 tn Or “desert,” although for English readers this usually connotes a sandy desert like the Sahara rather than the arid wasteland of this region with its sparse vegetation.
9 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
10 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
11 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.
12 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
13 tn Heb “his sons.”
14 tn Heb “to his place.”