Genesis 20:13

20:13 When God made me wander ¹  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ²  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

Genesis 27:36

27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! ³  He has tripped me up ⁴  two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”

Genesis 29:33

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ⁵  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ⁶ 

Genesis 31:41

31:41 This was my lot ⁷  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ⁸  for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times!

Genesis 50:11

50:11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion ⁹  for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called ¹⁰  Abel Mizraim, ¹¹  which is beyond the Jordan.

¹ tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

² tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

³ tn Heb “Is he not rightly named Jacob?” The rhetorical question, since it expects a positive reply, has been translated as a declarative statement.

⁴ sn He has tripped me up. When originally given, the name Jacob was a play on the word “heel” (see Gen 25:26). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. Esau gives the name “Jacob” a negative connotation here, the meaning “to trip up; to supplant.”

⁵ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

⁶ 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 Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

⁷ tn Heb “this to me.”

⁸ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”

⁹ tn Heb “this is heavy mourning for Egypt.”

¹⁰ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so it may be translated as passive.

¹¹ sn The name Abel Mizraim means “the mourning of Egypt.”