24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 1 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 2 and gave them to her. 3
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 8 and the rings that were in their ears. 9 Jacob buried them 10 under the oak 11 near Shechem
1 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
2 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
3 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
4 tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.
5 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
6 tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.
7 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “in their hand.”
11 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
12 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
13 tn Or “terebinth.”