15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 4 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 5
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 20 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 21
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 22 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 23 or I’ll die!”
50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to you 33 and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give 34 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
1 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
2 tn Heb “for seven days yet,” meaning “after [or “in”] seven days.”
3 tn The Hiphil participle מַמְטִיר (mamtir, “cause to rain”) here expresses the certainty of the act in the imminent future.
3 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
4 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
4 tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”
5 tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”
6 tn Heb “saw.”
7 tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.
8 tn Heb “me and you.”
5 tn Heb “and also.”
6 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
7 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
8 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
9 tn Heb “brothers.”
7 tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.
8 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.
8 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
9 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
10 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
11 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
11 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Heb “sons.”
12 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
13 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
14 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
15 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
13 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
14 tn Heb “who these to him.”
15 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
14 tn Heb “saying.”
15 tn The imperfect verbal form here has the force of a command.
15 tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit,” i.e., to intervene for blessing or cursing; here Joseph announces that God would come to fulfill the promises by delivering them from Egypt. The statement is emphasized by the use of the infinitive absolute with the verb: “God will surely visit you.”
16 tn The words “to give” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.