Genesis 27:41

27:41 So Esau hated ¹  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ²  Esau said privately, ³  “The time ⁴  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁵  my brother Jacob!”

Genesis 31:53

31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ⁶  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ⁷ 

Genesis 44:32

44:32 Indeed, ⁸  your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.’

Genesis 45:23

45:23 To his father he sent the following: ⁹  ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey.

¹ tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

² tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

³ tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.

⁴ tn Heb “days.”

⁵ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

⁶ 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.

⁷ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

¹¹ tn Or “for.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “according to this.”