21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took 1 some food 2 and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, 3 and sent her away. So she went wandering 4 aimlessly through the wilderness 5 of Beer Sheba.
26:23 From there Isaac 15 went up to Beer Sheba.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran.
28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 16
3:20 The man 17 named his wife Eve, 18 because 19 she was the mother of all the living. 20
1 tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”
2 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
3 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.”
4 tn Heb “she went and wandered.”
5 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.
6 tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”
7 sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of the oath” or “well of the seven.” Both the verb “to swear” and the number “seven” have been used throughout the account. Now they are drawn in as part of the explanation of the significance of the name.
8 sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.
9 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 sn The planting of the tamarisk tree is a sign of Abraham’s intent to stay there for a long time, not a religious act. A growing tree in the Negev would be a lasting witness to God’s provision of water.
11 tn Heb “he called there in the name of the
12 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Heb “and he called its name.”
14 sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.
15 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
17 tn Or “Adam”; however, the Hebrew term has the definite article here.
18 sn The name Eve means “Living one” or “Life-giver” in Hebrew.
19 tn The explanatory clause gives the reason for the name. Where the one doing the naming gives the explanation, the text normally uses “saying”; where the narrator explains it, the explanatory clause is typically used.
20 tn The explanation of the name forms a sound play (paronomasia) with the name. “Eve” is חַוָּה (khavvah) and “living” is חַי (khay). The name preserves the archaic form of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) with the middle vav (ו) instead of yod (י). The form חַי (khay) is derived from the normal form חַיָּה (khayyah). Compare the name Yahweh (יְהוָה) explained from הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) rather than from הַוָה (havah). The biblical account stands in contrast to the pagan material that presents a serpent goddess hawwat who is the mother of life. See J. Heller, “Der Name Eva,” ArOr 26 (1958): 636-56; and A. F. Key, “The Giving of Proper Names in the OT,” JBL 83 (1964): 55-59.