Genesis 24:3

24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ¹  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ²  a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living.

Genesis 31:5

31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ³  but the God of my father has been with me.

Genesis 31:53

31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ⁴  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ⁵ 

Genesis 32:9

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ⁶  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ⁷  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ⁸ 

¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

² tn Heb “because you must not take.”

³ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

⁵ tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.

⁶ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

⁷ tn Heb “said.”

⁸ tn Heb “the one who said.”

⁹ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.