Genesis 18:1--44:34

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ¹  by the oaks ²  of Mamre while ³  he was sitting at the entrance ⁴  to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 18:2 Abraham ⁵  looked up ⁶  and saw ⁷  three men standing across ⁸  from him. When he saw them ⁹  he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low ¹⁰  to the ground. ¹¹ 

18:3 He said, “My lord, ¹²  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ¹³  18:4 Let a little water be brought so that ¹⁴  you may all ¹⁵  wash your feet and rest under the tree. 18:5 And let me get ¹⁶  a bit of food ¹⁷  so that you may refresh yourselves ¹⁸  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ¹⁹  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ²⁰  three measures ²¹  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ²²  18:7 Then Abraham ran to the herd and chose a fine, tender calf, and gave it to a servant, ²³  who quickly prepared it. ²⁴  18:8 Abraham ²⁵  then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food ²⁶  before them. They ate while ²⁷  he was standing near them under a tree.

18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, ²⁸  in the tent.” 18:10 One of them ²⁹  said, “I will surely return ³⁰  to you when the season comes round again, ³¹  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ³²  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ³³  18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old and advancing in years; ³⁴  Sarah had long since passed menopause.) ³⁵  18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, thinking, ³⁶  “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, ³⁷  especially when my husband is old too?” ³⁸ 

18:13 The Lord said to Abraham, “Why ³⁹  did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really ⁴⁰  have a child when I am old?’ 18:14 Is anything impossible ⁴¹  for the Lord? I will return to you when the season comes round again and Sarah will have a son.” ⁴²  18:15 Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.” ⁴³ 

Abraham Pleads for Sodom

18:16 When the men got up to leave, ⁴⁴  they looked out over ⁴⁵  Sodom. (Now ⁴⁶  Abraham was walking with them to see them on their way.) ⁴⁷  18:17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? ⁴⁸  18:18 After all, Abraham ⁴⁹  will surely become ⁵⁰  a great and powerful nation, and all the nations on the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁵¹  using his name. 18:19 I have chosen him ⁵²  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁵³  the way of the Lord by doing ⁵⁴  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁵⁵  to Abraham what he promised ⁵⁶  him.”

18:20 So the Lord said, “The outcry against ⁵⁷  Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so blatant ⁵⁸  18:21 that I must go down ⁵⁹  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁶⁰  If not, ⁶¹  I want to know.”

18:22 The two men turned ⁶²  and headed ⁶³  toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord. ⁶⁴  18:23 Abraham approached and said, “Will you sweep away the godly along with the wicked? 18:24 What if there are fifty godly people in the city? Will you really wipe it out and not spare ⁶⁵  the place for the sake of the fifty godly people who are in it? 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge ⁶⁶  of the whole earth do what is right?” ⁶⁷ 

18:26 So the Lord replied, “If I find in the city of Sodom fifty godly people, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

18:27 Then Abraham asked, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord ⁶⁸  (although I am but dust and ashes), ⁶⁹  18:28 what if there are five less than the fifty godly people? Will you destroy ⁷⁰  the whole city because five are lacking?” ⁷¹  He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”

18:29 Abraham ⁷²  spoke to him again, ⁷³  “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”

18:30 Then Abraham ⁷⁴  said, “May the Lord not be angry ⁷⁵  so that I may speak! ⁷⁶  What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

18:31 Abraham ⁷⁷  said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

18:32 Finally Abraham ⁷⁸  said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

18:33 The Lord went on his way ⁷⁹  when he had finished speaking ⁸⁰  to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home. ⁸¹ 

The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

19:1 The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while ⁸²  Lot was sitting in the city’s gateway. ⁸³  When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.

19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night ⁸⁴  and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” ⁸⁵  “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” ⁸⁶ 

19:3 But he urged ⁸⁷  them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate. 19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, ⁸⁸  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ⁸⁹  19:5 They shouted to Lot, ⁹⁰  “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex ⁹¹  with them!”

19:6 Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him. 19:7 He said, “No, my brothers! Don’t act so wickedly! ⁹²  19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ⁹³  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ⁹⁴  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ⁹⁵  of my roof.” ⁹⁶ 

19:9 “Out of our way!” ⁹⁷  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ⁹⁸  and now he dares to judge us! ⁹⁹  We’ll do more harm ¹⁰⁰  to you than to them!” They kept ¹⁰¹  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ¹⁰²  to break down the door.

19:10 So the men inside ¹⁰³  reached out ¹⁰⁴  and pulled Lot back into the house ¹⁰⁵  as they shut the door. 19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, ¹⁰⁶  with blindness. The men outside ¹⁰⁷  wore themselves out trying to find the door. 19:12 Then the two visitors ¹⁰⁸  said to Lot, “Who else do you have here? ¹⁰⁹  Do you have ¹¹⁰  any sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or other relatives in the city? ¹¹¹  Get them out of this ¹¹²  place 19:13 because we are about to destroy ¹¹³  it. The outcry against this place ¹¹⁴  is so great before the Lord that he ¹¹⁵  has sent us to destroy it.”

19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. ¹¹⁶  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ¹¹⁷  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ¹¹⁸ 

19:15 At dawn ¹¹⁹  the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, ¹²⁰  or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!” ¹²¹  19:16 When Lot ¹²²  hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them. ¹²³  They led them away and placed them ¹²⁴  outside the city. 19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ¹²⁵  said, “Run ¹²⁶  for your lives! Don’t look ¹²⁷  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ¹²⁸  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ¹²⁹  19:19 Your ¹³⁰  servant has found favor with you, ¹³¹  and you have shown me great ¹³²  kindness ¹³³  by sparing ¹³⁴  my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because ¹³⁵  this disaster will overtake ¹³⁶  me and I’ll die. ¹³⁷  19:20 Look, this town ¹³⁸  over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. ¹³⁹  Let me go there. ¹⁴⁰  It’s just a little place, isn’t it? ¹⁴¹  Then I’ll survive.” ¹⁴² 

19:21 “Very well,” he replied, ¹⁴³  “I will grant this request too ¹⁴⁴  and will not overthrow ¹⁴⁵  the town you mentioned. 19:22 Run there quickly, ¹⁴⁶  for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.” (This incident explains why the town was called Zoar.) ¹⁴⁷ 

19:23 The sun had just risen ¹⁴⁸  over the land as Lot reached Zoar. ¹⁴⁹  19:24 Then the Lord rained down ¹⁵⁰  sulfur and fire ¹⁵¹  on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. ¹⁵²  19:25 So he overthrew those cities and all that region, ¹⁵³  including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew ¹⁵⁴  from the ground. 19:26 But Lot’s ¹⁵⁵  wife looked back longingly ¹⁵⁶  and was turned into a pillar of salt.

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ¹⁵⁷  to the place where he had stood before the Lord. 19:28 He looked out toward ¹⁵⁸  Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. ¹⁵⁹  As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. ¹⁶⁰ 

19:29 So when God destroyed ¹⁶¹  the cities of the region, ¹⁶²  God honored ¹⁶³  Abraham’s request. He removed Lot ¹⁶⁴  from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed ¹⁶⁵  the cities Lot had lived in.

19:30 Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. 19:31 Later the older daughter said ¹⁶⁶  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ¹⁶⁷  to have sexual relations with us, ¹⁶⁸  according to the way of all the world. 19:32 Come, let’s make our father drunk with wine ¹⁶⁹  so we can have sexual relations ¹⁷⁰  with him and preserve ¹⁷¹  our family line through our father.” ¹⁷² 

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ¹⁷³  and the older daughter ¹⁷⁴  came and had sexual relations with her father. ¹⁷⁵  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ¹⁷⁶  19:34 So in the morning the older daughter ¹⁷⁷  said to the younger, “Since I had sexual relations with my father last night, let’s make him drunk again tonight. ¹⁷⁸  Then you go and have sexual relations with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ¹⁷⁹  19:35 So they made their father drunk ¹⁸⁰  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ¹⁸¹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ¹⁸² 

19:36 In this way both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 19:37 The older daughter ¹⁸³  gave birth to a son and named him Moab. ¹⁸⁴  He is the ancestor of the Moabites of today. 19:38 The younger daughter also gave birth to a son and named him Ben-Ammi. ¹⁸⁵  He is the ancestor of the Ammonites of today.

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ¹⁸⁶  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ¹⁸⁷  in Gerar, 20:2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her.

20:3 But God appeared ¹⁸⁸  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ¹⁸⁹  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ¹⁹⁰ 

20:4 Now Abimelech had not gone near her. He said, “Lord, ¹⁹¹  would you really slaughter an innocent nation? ¹⁹²  20:5 Did Abraham ¹⁹³  not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ¹⁹⁴  ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience ¹⁹⁵  and with innocent hands!”

20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. ¹⁹⁶  That is why I have kept you ¹⁹⁷  from sinning against me and why ¹⁹⁸  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ¹⁹⁹  he is a prophet ²⁰⁰  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ²⁰¹  But if you don’t give her back, ²⁰²  know that you will surely die ²⁰³  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ²⁰⁴  Abimelech summoned ²⁰⁵  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ²⁰⁶  they ²⁰⁷  were terrified. 20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? ²⁰⁸  You have done things to me that should not be done!” ²⁰⁹  20:10 Then Abimelech asked ²¹⁰  Abraham, “What prompted you to do this thing?” ²¹¹ 

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ²¹²  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ²¹³  my wife.’ 20:12 What’s more, ²¹⁴  she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife. 20:13 When God made me wander ²¹⁵  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ²¹⁶  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

20:14 So Abimelech gave ²¹⁷  sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him. 20:15 Then Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you; live wherever you please.” ²¹⁸ 

20:16 To Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver ²¹⁹  to your ‘brother.’ ²²⁰  This is compensation for you so that you will stand vindicated before all who are with you.” ²²¹ 

20:17 Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, as well as his wife and female slaves so that they were able to have children. 20:18 For the Lord ²²²  had caused infertility to strike every woman ²²³  in the household of Abimelech because he took ²²⁴  Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

The Birth of Isaac

21:1 The Lord visited ²²⁵  Sarah just as he had said he would and did ²²⁶  for Sarah what he had promised. ²²⁷  21:2 So Sarah became pregnant ²²⁸  and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. ²²⁹  21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, ²³⁰  Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. ²³¹  21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) ²³² 

21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. ²³³  Everyone who hears about this ²³⁴  will laugh ²³⁵  with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, ²³⁶  “Who would ²³⁷  have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”

21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared ²³⁸  a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. ²³⁹  21:9 But Sarah noticed ²⁴⁰  the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. ²⁴¹  21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish ²⁴²  that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”

21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. ²⁴³  21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset ²⁴⁴  about the boy or your slave wife. Do ²⁴⁵  all that Sarah is telling ²⁴⁶  you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. ²⁴⁷  21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.”

21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took ²⁴⁸  some food ²⁴⁹  and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, ²⁵⁰  and sent her away. So she went wandering ²⁵¹  aimlessly through the wilderness ²⁵²  of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved ²⁵³  the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot ²⁵⁴  away; for she thought, ²⁵⁵  “I refuse to watch the child die.” ²⁵⁶  So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. ²⁵⁷ 

21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. ²⁵⁸  The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, ²⁵⁹  Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard ²⁶⁰  the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. ²⁶¹  She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.

21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. ²⁶²  His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt. ²⁶³ 

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ²⁶⁴  in all that you do. 21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ²⁶⁵  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ²⁶⁶  Show me, and the land ²⁶⁷  where you are staying, ²⁶⁸  the same loyalty ²⁶⁹  that I have shown you.” ²⁷⁰ 

21:24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.” ²⁷¹  21:25 But Abraham lodged a complaint ²⁷²  against Abimelech concerning a well ²⁷³  that Abimelech’s servants had seized. ²⁷⁴  21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ²⁷⁵  you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”

21:27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty. ²⁷⁶  21:28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 21:29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these ²⁷⁷  seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 21:30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof ²⁷⁸  that I dug this well.” ²⁷⁹  21:31 That is why he named that place ²⁸⁰  Beer Sheba, ²⁸¹  because the two of them swore ²⁸²  an oath there.

21:32 So they made a treaty ²⁸³  at Beer Sheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned ²⁸⁴  to the land of the Philistines. ²⁸⁵  21:33 Abraham ²⁸⁶  planted a tamarisk tree ²⁸⁷  in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord, ²⁸⁸  the eternal God. 21:34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time. ²⁸⁹ 

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ²⁹⁰  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ²⁹¹  replied. 22:2 God ²⁹²  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ²⁹³  – and go to the land of Moriah! ²⁹⁴  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ²⁹⁵  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ²⁹⁶  you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ²⁹⁷  He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out ²⁹⁸  for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ²⁹⁹  the place in the distance. 22:5 So he ³⁰⁰  said to his servants, “You two stay ³⁰¹  here with the donkey while ³⁰²  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ³⁰³  and then return to you.” ³⁰⁴ 

22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, ³⁰⁵  and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, ³⁰⁶  “My father?” “What is it, ³⁰⁷  my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, ³⁰⁸  “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide ³⁰⁹  for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.

22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there ³¹⁰  and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up ³¹¹  his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter ³¹²  his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel ³¹³  called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ³¹⁴  the angel said. ³¹⁵  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ³¹⁶  that you fear ³¹⁷  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up ³¹⁸  and saw ³¹⁹  behind him ³²⁰  a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he ³²¹  went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” ³²²  It is said to this day, ³²³  “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ³²⁴ 

22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ ³²⁵  decrees the Lord, ³²⁶  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, ³²⁷  and I will greatly multiply ³²⁸  your descendants ³²⁹  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ³³⁰  of the strongholds ³³¹  of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, ³³²  all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ³³³  using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ³³⁴  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ³³⁵ 

22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah ³³⁶  also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), ³³⁷  22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now ³³⁸  Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) These were the eight sons Milcah bore to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 22:24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore him children – Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

The Death of Sarah

23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. ³³⁹  23:2 Then she ³⁴⁰  died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. ³⁴¹ 

23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife ³⁴²  and said to the sons of Heth, ³⁴³  23:4 “I am a temporary settler ³⁴⁴  among you. Grant ³⁴⁵  me ownership ³⁴⁶  of a burial site among you so that I may ³⁴⁷  bury my dead.” ³⁴⁸ 

23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, ³⁴⁹  23:6 “Listen, sir, ³⁵⁰  you are a mighty prince ³⁵¹  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ³⁵²  from burying your dead.”

23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, ³⁵³  the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree ³⁵⁴  that I may bury my dead, ³⁵⁵  then hear me out. ³⁵⁶  Ask ³⁵⁷  Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell ³⁵⁸  me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly ³⁵⁹  for the full price, ³⁶⁰  so that I may own it as a burial site.”

23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite ³⁶¹  replied to Abraham in the hearing ³⁶²  of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate ³⁶³  of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell ³⁶⁴  you both the field and the cave that is in it. ³⁶⁵  In the presence of my people ³⁶⁶  I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”

23:12 Abraham bowed before the local people 23:13 and said to Ephron in their hearing, “Hear me, if you will. I pay ³⁶⁷  to you the price ³⁶⁸  of the field. Take it from me so that I may ³⁶⁹  bury my dead there.”

23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth ³⁷⁰  400 pieces of silver, ³⁷¹  but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”

23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price ³⁷²  and weighed ³⁷³  out for him ³⁷⁴  the price ³⁷⁵  that Ephron had quoted ³⁷⁶  in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. ³⁷⁷ 

23:17 So Abraham secured ³⁷⁸  Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border, 23:18 as his property in the presence of the sons of Heth before all who entered the gate of Ephron’s city. ³⁷⁹ 

23:19 After this Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah next to Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 23:20 So Abraham secured the field and the cave that was in it as a burial site ³⁸⁰  from the sons of Heth.

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ³⁸¹  and the Lord had blessed him ³⁸²  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ³⁸³  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ³⁸⁴  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ³⁸⁵  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ³⁸⁶  a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives ³⁸⁷  to find ³⁸⁸  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ³⁸⁹  to this land? Must I then ³⁹⁰  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ³⁹¹  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ³⁹²  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ³⁹³  promised me with a solemn oath, ³⁹⁴  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ³⁹⁵  before you so that you may find ³⁹⁶  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ³⁹⁷  you will be free ³⁹⁸  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ³⁹⁹ 

24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. ⁴⁰⁰  He journeyed ⁴⁰¹  to the region of Aram Naharaim ⁴⁰²  and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ⁴⁰³  outside the city. It was evening, ⁴⁰⁴  the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. ⁴⁰⁵  Be faithful ⁴⁰⁶  to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, ⁴⁰⁷  and the daughters of the people ⁴⁰⁸  who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ ⁴⁰⁹  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ⁴¹⁰ 

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ⁴¹¹  with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). ⁴¹²  24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ⁴¹³  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant ⁴¹⁴  ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering ⁴¹⁵  her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, ⁴¹⁶  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied ⁴¹⁷  her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine ⁴¹⁸  if the Lord had made his journey successful ⁴¹⁹  or not.

24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka ⁴²⁰  and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels ⁴²¹  and gave them to her. ⁴²²  24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. ⁴²³  “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. ⁴²⁴  24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, ⁴²⁵  “and room for you ⁴²⁶  to spend the night.”

24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ⁴²⁷  for my master! The Lord has led me ⁴²⁸  to the house ⁴²⁹  of my master’s relatives!” ⁴³⁰ 

24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about ⁴³¹  these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ⁴³²  Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring ⁴³³  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ⁴³⁴  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ⁴³⁵  by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, ⁴³⁶  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ⁴³⁷  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ⁴³⁸  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ⁴³⁹  went to the house and unloaded ⁴⁴⁰  the camels. Straw and feed were given ⁴⁴¹  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ⁴⁴²  24:33 When food was served, ⁴⁴³  he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” ⁴⁴⁴  “Tell us,” Laban said. ⁴⁴⁵ 

24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. ⁴⁴⁶  The Lord ⁴⁴⁷  has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him ⁴⁴⁸  when she was old, ⁴⁴⁹  and my master ⁴⁵⁰  has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find ⁴⁵¹  a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ⁴⁵²  with me?’ ⁴⁵³  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ⁴⁵⁴  will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath ⁴⁵⁵  if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, ⁴⁵⁶  may events unfold as follows: ⁴⁵⁷  24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. ⁴⁵⁸  When ⁴⁵⁹  the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, ⁴⁶⁰  along came Rebekah ⁴⁶¹  with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ ⁴⁶²  I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter ⁴⁶³  of my master’s brother for his son. 24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” ⁴⁶⁴ 

24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. ⁴⁶⁵  Our wishes are of no concern. ⁴⁶⁶  24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ⁴⁶⁷  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ⁴⁶⁸ 

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he ⁴⁶⁹  brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. ⁴⁷⁰ 

When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” ⁴⁷¹  24:55 But Rebekah’s ⁴⁷²  brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord ⁴⁷³  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ⁴⁷⁴  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ⁴⁷⁵  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ⁴⁷⁶  to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”

24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ⁴⁷⁷ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁴⁷⁸  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁴⁷⁹  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ⁴⁸⁰  the man. So Abraham’s servant ⁴⁸¹  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ⁴⁸²  Isaac came from ⁴⁸³  Beer Lahai Roi, ⁴⁸⁴  for ⁴⁸⁵  he was living in the Negev. ⁴⁸⁶  24:63 He ⁴⁸⁷  went out to relax ⁴⁸⁸  in the field in the early evening. ⁴⁸⁹  Then he looked up ⁴⁹⁰  and saw that ⁴⁹¹  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ⁴⁹²  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ⁴⁹³  Abraham’s servant, ⁴⁹⁴  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ⁴⁹⁵  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ⁴⁹⁶  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ⁴⁹⁷  as his wife and loved her. ⁴⁹⁸  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ⁴⁹⁹ 

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ⁵⁰⁰  another ⁵⁰¹  wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. ⁵⁰²  The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants ⁵⁰³  of Keturah.

25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines ⁵⁰⁴  and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. ⁵⁰⁵ 

25:7 Abraham lived a total of ⁵⁰⁶  175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. ⁵⁰⁷  He joined his ancestors. ⁵⁰⁸  25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ⁵⁰⁹  near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. ⁵¹⁰  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ⁵¹¹  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ⁵¹² 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ⁵¹³  whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: ⁵¹⁴  Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes ⁵¹⁵  according to their clans.

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ⁵¹⁶  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ⁵¹⁷  25:18 His descendants ⁵¹⁸  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ⁵¹⁹  to Egypt all the way ⁵²⁰  to Asshur. ⁵²¹  They settled ⁵²²  away from all their relatives. ⁵²³ 

Jacob and Esau

25:19 This is the account of Isaac, ⁵²⁴  the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, ⁵²⁵  the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ⁵²⁶ 

25:21 Isaac prayed to ⁵²⁷  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled ⁵²⁸  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ⁵²⁹  So she asked the Lord, ⁵³⁰  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ⁵³¹  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, ⁵³²  there were ⁵³³  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ⁵³⁴  all over, ⁵³⁵  like a hairy ⁵³⁶  garment, so they named him Esau. ⁵³⁷  25:26 When his brother came out with ⁵³⁸  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ⁵³⁹  Isaac was sixty years old ⁵⁴⁰  when they were born.

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ⁵⁴¹  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ⁵⁴²  25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, ⁵⁴³  but Rebekah loved ⁵⁴⁴  Jacob.

25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, ⁵⁴⁵  and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed ⁵⁴⁶  me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called ⁵⁴⁷  Edom.) ⁵⁴⁸ 

25:31 But Jacob replied, “First ⁵⁴⁹  sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” ⁵⁵⁰  25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ⁵⁵¹  So Esau ⁵⁵²  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ⁵⁵³  to Jacob.

25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. ⁵⁵⁴  So Esau despised his birthright. ⁵⁵⁵ 

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ⁵⁵⁶  in the days of Abraham. ⁵⁵⁷  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar. 26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; ⁵⁵⁸  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ⁵⁵⁹  26:3 Stay ⁵⁶⁰  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ⁵⁶¹  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ⁵⁶²  and I will fulfill ⁵⁶³  the solemn promise I made ⁵⁶⁴  to your father Abraham. 26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them ⁵⁶⁵  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ⁵⁶⁶  26:5 All this will come to pass ⁵⁶⁷  because Abraham obeyed me ⁵⁶⁸  and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ⁵⁶⁹  26:6 So Isaac settled in Gerar.

26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he replied, “She is my sister.” ⁵⁷⁰  He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, ⁵⁷¹  “The men of this place will kill me to get ⁵⁷²  Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”

26:8 After Isaac ⁵⁷³  had been there a long time, ⁵⁷⁴  Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed ⁵⁷⁵  Isaac caressing ⁵⁷⁶  his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ⁵⁷⁷  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ⁵⁷⁸ 

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ⁵⁷⁹  One of the men ⁵⁸⁰  might easily have had sexual relations with ⁵⁸¹  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches ⁵⁸²  this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ⁵⁸³ 

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ⁵⁸⁴  because the Lord blessed him. ⁵⁸⁵  26:13 The man became wealthy. ⁵⁸⁶  His influence continued to grow ⁵⁸⁷  until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had ⁵⁸⁸  so many sheep ⁵⁸⁹  and cattle ⁵⁹⁰  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ⁵⁹¹  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ⁵⁹²  all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham.

26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us and go elsewhere, ⁵⁹³  for you have become much more powerful ⁵⁹⁴  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ⁵⁹⁵  26:18 Isaac reopened ⁵⁹⁶  the wells that had been dug ⁵⁹⁷  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ⁵⁹⁸  after Abraham died. Isaac ⁵⁹⁹  gave these wells ⁶⁰⁰  the same names his father had given them. ⁶⁰¹ 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ⁶⁰²  water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ⁶⁰³  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ⁶⁰⁴  named the well ⁶⁰⁵  Esek ⁶⁰⁶  because they argued with him about it. ⁶⁰⁷  26:21 His servants ⁶⁰⁸  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ⁶⁰⁹  Sitnah. ⁶¹⁰  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ⁶¹¹  named it ⁶¹²  Rehoboth, ⁶¹³  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac ⁶¹⁴  went up to Beer Sheba. 26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.” 26:25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped ⁶¹⁵  the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. ⁶¹⁶ 

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ⁶¹⁷  to him from Gerar along with ⁶¹⁸  Ahuzzah his friend ⁶¹⁹  and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me ⁶²⁰  and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ⁶²¹  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ⁶²²  a pact between us ⁶²³  – between us ⁶²⁴  and you. Allow us to make ⁶²⁵  a treaty with you 26:29 so that ⁶²⁶  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ⁶²⁷  you, but have always treated you well ⁶²⁸  before sending you away ⁶²⁹  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ⁶³⁰ 

26:30 So Isaac ⁶³¹  held a feast for them and they celebrated. ⁶³²  26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ⁶³³  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ⁶³⁴ 

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ⁶³⁵  26:33 So he named it Shibah; ⁶³⁶  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ⁶³⁷  to this day.

26:34 When ⁶³⁸  Esau was forty years old, ⁶³⁹  he married ⁶⁴⁰  Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, as well as Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 26:35 They caused Isaac and Rebekah great anxiety. ⁶⁴¹ 

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ⁶⁴²  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ⁶⁴³  he called his older ⁶⁴⁴  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ⁶⁴⁵  replied. 27:2 Isaac ⁶⁴⁶  said, “Since ⁶⁴⁷  I am so old, I could die at any time. ⁶⁴⁸  27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game ⁶⁴⁹  for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then ⁶⁵⁰  I will eat it so that I may bless you ⁶⁵¹  before I die.”

27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. ⁶⁵²  When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, ⁶⁵³  27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau, 27:7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare for me some tasty food. Then I will eat ⁶⁵⁴  it and bless you ⁶⁵⁵  in the presence of the Lord ⁶⁵⁶  before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do ⁶⁵⁷  exactly what I tell you! ⁶⁵⁸  27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare ⁶⁵⁹  them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take ⁶⁶⁰  it to your father. Thus he will eat it ⁶⁶¹  and ⁶⁶²  bless you before he dies.”

27:11 “But Esau my brother is a hairy man,” Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, “and I have smooth skin! ⁶⁶³  27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him ⁶⁶⁴  and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.” 27:13 So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, ⁶⁶⁵  my son! Just obey me! ⁶⁶⁶  Go and get them for me!”

27:14 So he went and got the goats ⁶⁶⁷  and brought them to his mother. She ⁶⁶⁸  prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it. 27:15 Then Rebekah took her older son Esau’s best clothes, which she had with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 27:16 She put the skins of the young goats ⁶⁶⁹  on his hands ⁶⁷⁰  and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed ⁶⁷¹  the tasty food and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

27:18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac ⁶⁷²  replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” ⁶⁷³  27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ⁶⁷⁴  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ⁶⁷⁵  27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world ⁶⁷⁶  did you find it so quickly, ⁶⁷⁷  my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” ⁶⁷⁸  he replied. ⁶⁷⁹  27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, ⁶⁸⁰  my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” ⁶⁸¹  27:22 So Jacob went over to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.” 27:23 He did not recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s hands. So Isaac blessed Jacob. ⁶⁸²  27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob ⁶⁸³  replied. 27:25 Isaac ⁶⁸⁴  said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. ⁶⁸⁵  Then I will bless you.” ⁶⁸⁶  So Jacob ⁶⁸⁷  brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac ⁶⁸⁸  drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob ⁶⁸⁹  went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent ⁶⁹⁰  of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,

“Yes, ⁶⁹¹  my son smells

like the scent of an open field

which the Lord has blessed.

27:28 May God give you

the dew of the sky ⁶⁹² 

and the richness ⁶⁹³  of the earth,

and plenty of grain and new wine.

27:29 May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

You will be ⁶⁹⁴  lord ⁶⁹⁵  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ⁶⁹⁶ 

May those who curse you be cursed,

and those who bless you be blessed.”

27:30 Isaac had just finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely left ⁶⁹⁷  his father’s ⁶⁹⁸  presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. ⁶⁹⁹  27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau ⁷⁰⁰  said to him, “My father, get up ⁷⁰¹  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” ⁷⁰²  27:32 His father Isaac asked, ⁷⁰³  “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” ⁷⁰⁴  he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently ⁷⁰⁵  and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. ⁷⁰⁶  He will indeed be blessed!”

27:34 When Esau heard ⁷⁰⁷  his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. ⁷⁰⁸  He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac ⁷⁰⁹  replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away ⁷¹⁰  your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! ⁷¹¹  He has tripped me up ⁷¹²  two times! He took away my birthright, and now, look, he has taken away my blessing!” Then he asked, “Have you not kept back a blessing for me?”

27:37 Isaac replied to Esau, “Look! I have made him lord over you. I have made all his relatives his servants and provided him with grain and new wine. What is left that I can do for you, my son?” 27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” ⁷¹³  Then Esau wept loudly. ⁷¹⁴ 

27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,

“Indeed, ⁷¹⁵  your home will be

away from the richness ⁷¹⁶  of the earth,

and away from the dew of the sky above.

27:40 You will live by your sword

but you will serve your brother.

When you grow restless,

you will tear off his yoke

from your neck.” ⁷¹⁷ 

27:41 So Esau hated ⁷¹⁸  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ⁷¹⁹  Esau said privately, ⁷²⁰  “The time ⁷²¹  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁷²²  my brother Jacob!”

27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, ⁷²³  she quickly summoned ⁷²⁴  her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. ⁷²⁵  27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. ⁷²⁶  Run away immediately ⁷²⁷  to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while ⁷²⁸  until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there ⁷²⁹  until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. ⁷³⁰  Why should I lose both of you in one day?” ⁷³¹ 

27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed ⁷³²  because of these daughters of Heth. ⁷³³  If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” ⁷³⁴ 

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! ⁷³⁵  28:2 Leave immediately ⁷³⁶  for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God ⁷³⁷  bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! ⁷³⁸  Then you will become ⁷³⁹  a large nation. ⁷⁴⁰  28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham ⁷⁴¹  so that you may possess the land ⁷⁴²  God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” ⁷⁴³  28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. ⁷⁴⁴  As he blessed him, ⁷⁴⁵  Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” ⁷⁴⁶  28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized ⁷⁴⁷  that the Canaanite women ⁷⁴⁸  were displeasing to ⁷⁴⁹  his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married ⁷⁵⁰  Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place ⁷⁵¹  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ⁷⁵²  He took one of the stones ⁷⁵³  and placed it near his head. ⁷⁵⁴  Then he fell asleep ⁷⁵⁵  in that place 28:12 and had a dream. ⁷⁵⁶  He saw ⁷⁵⁷  a stairway ⁷⁵⁸  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ⁷⁵⁹  I will give you and your descendants the ground ⁷⁶⁰  you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ⁷⁶¹  and you will spread out ⁷⁶²  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ⁷⁶³  using your name and that of your descendants. ⁷⁶⁴  28:15 I am with you! ⁷⁶⁵  I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

28:16 Then Jacob woke up ⁷⁶⁶  and thought, ⁷⁶⁷  “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

28:18 Early ⁷⁶⁸  in the morning Jacob ⁷⁶⁹  took the stone he had placed near his head ⁷⁷⁰  and set it up as a sacred stone. ⁷⁷¹  Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, ⁷⁷²  although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food ⁷⁷³  to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, ⁷⁷⁴  then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone ⁷⁷⁵  that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely ⁷⁷⁶  give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” ⁷⁷⁷ 

The Marriages of Jacob

29:1 So Jacob moved on ⁷⁷⁸  and came to the land of the eastern people. ⁷⁷⁹  29:2 He saw ⁷⁸⁰  in the field a well with ⁷⁸¹  three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now ⁷⁸²  a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds ⁷⁸³  would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.

29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson ⁷⁸⁴  of Nahor?” “We know him,” ⁷⁸⁵  they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” ⁷⁸⁶  Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. ⁷⁸⁷  Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob ⁷⁸⁸  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ⁷⁸⁹  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ⁷⁹⁰  29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water ⁷⁹¹  the sheep.”

29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. ⁷⁹²  29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, ⁷⁹³  and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he ⁷⁹⁴  went over ⁷⁹⁵  and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. ⁷⁹⁶  29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. ⁷⁹⁷  29:12 When Jacob explained ⁷⁹⁸  to Rachel that he was a relative of her father ⁷⁹⁹  and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ⁸⁰⁰  told Laban how he was related to him. ⁸⁰¹  29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ⁸⁰²  So Jacob ⁸⁰³  stayed with him for a month. ⁸⁰⁴ 

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ⁸⁰⁵  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ⁸⁰⁶  Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; ⁸⁰⁷  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, ⁸⁰⁸  but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) ⁸⁰⁹  29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ⁸¹⁰  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. ⁸¹¹  Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ⁸¹²  But they seemed like only a few days to him ⁸¹³  because his love for her was so great. ⁸¹⁴ 

29:21 Finally Jacob said ⁸¹⁵  to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. ⁸¹⁶  I want to have marital relations with her.” ⁸¹⁷  29:22 So Laban invited all the people ⁸¹⁸  of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah ⁸¹⁹  to Jacob, ⁸²⁰  and Jacob ⁸²¹  had marital relations with her. ⁸²²  29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ⁸²³ 

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ⁸²⁴  So Jacob ⁸²⁵  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ⁸²⁶  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ⁸²⁷  me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” ⁸²⁸  Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage ⁸²⁹  before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ⁸³⁰  Then we will give you the younger one ⁸³¹  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ⁸³² 

29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. ⁸³³  When Jacob ⁸³⁴  completed Leah’s bridal week, ⁸³⁵  Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ⁸³⁶  29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ⁸³⁷  29:30 Jacob ⁸³⁸  had marital relations ⁸³⁹  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ⁸⁴⁰  for seven more years. ⁸⁴¹ 

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ⁸⁴²  he enabled her to become pregnant ⁸⁴³  while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant ⁸⁴⁴  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ⁸⁴⁵  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ⁸⁴⁶  Surely my husband will love me now.”

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ⁸⁴⁷  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ⁸⁴⁸ 

29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, ⁸⁴⁹  because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. ⁸⁵⁰ 

29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. ⁸⁵¹  Then she stopped having children.

30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she ⁸⁵²  became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children ⁸⁵³  or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious ⁸⁵⁴  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ⁸⁵⁵  30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with ⁸⁵⁶  her so that she can bear ⁸⁵⁷  children ⁸⁵⁸  for me ⁸⁵⁹  and I can have a family through her.” ⁸⁶⁰ 

30:4 So Rachel ⁸⁶¹  gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with ⁸⁶²  her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant ⁸⁶³  and gave Jacob a son. ⁸⁶⁴  30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer ⁸⁶⁵  and given me a son.” That is why ⁸⁶⁶  she named him Dan. ⁸⁶⁷ 

30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. ⁸⁶⁸  30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ⁸⁶⁹  So she named him Naphtali. ⁸⁷⁰ 

30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave ⁸⁷¹  her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. ⁸⁷²  30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” ⁸⁷³  So she named him Gad. ⁸⁷⁴ 

30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. ⁸⁷⁵  30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, ⁸⁷⁶  for women ⁸⁷⁷  will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. ⁸⁷⁸ 

30:14 At the time ⁸⁷⁹  of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants ⁸⁸⁰  in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, ⁸⁸¹  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ⁸⁸²  Rachel said, “he may sleep ⁸⁸³  with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep ⁸⁸⁴  with me because I have paid for your services ⁸⁸⁵  with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations ⁸⁸⁶  with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention ⁸⁸⁷  to Leah; she became pregnant ⁸⁸⁸  and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. ⁸⁸⁹  30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward ⁸⁹⁰  because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” ⁸⁹¹  So she named him Issachar. ⁸⁹² 

30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. ⁸⁹³  30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. ⁸⁹⁴ 

30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

30:22 Then God took note of ⁸⁹⁵  Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. ⁸⁹⁶  30:23 She became pregnant ⁸⁹⁷  and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ⁸⁹⁸  30:24 She named him Joseph, ⁸⁹⁹  saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

The Flocks of Jacob

30:25 After Rachel had given birth ⁹⁰⁰  to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send ⁹⁰¹  me on my way so that I can go ⁹⁰²  home to my own country. ⁹⁰³  30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ⁹⁰⁴  Then I’ll depart, ⁹⁰⁵  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ⁹⁰⁶ 

30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, ⁹⁰⁷  for I have learned by divination ⁹⁰⁸  that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” ⁹⁰⁹ 

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ⁹¹⁰  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ⁹¹¹  30:30 Indeed, ⁹¹²  you had little before I arrived, ⁹¹³  but now your possessions have increased many times over. ⁹¹⁴  The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. ⁹¹⁵  But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” ⁹¹⁶ 

30:31 So Laban asked, ⁹¹⁷  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ⁹¹⁸  Jacob replied, ⁹¹⁹  “but if you agree to this one condition, ⁹²⁰  I will continue to care for ⁹²¹  your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among ⁹²²  all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, ⁹²³  and the spotted or speckled goats. ⁹²⁴  These animals will be my wages. ⁹²⁵  30:33 My integrity will testify for me ⁹²⁶  later on. ⁹²⁷  When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, ⁹²⁸  if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” ⁹²⁹  30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” ⁹³⁰ 

30:35 So that day Laban ⁹³¹  removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care ⁹³²  of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ⁹³³  while ⁹³⁴  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. ⁹³⁵  30:39 When the sheep mated ⁹³⁶  in front of the branches, they ⁹³⁷  gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ⁹³⁸  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, ⁹³⁹  Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ⁹⁴⁰  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ⁹⁴¹  and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob ⁹⁴²  became extremely prosperous. He owned ⁹⁴³  large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ⁹⁴⁴  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ⁹⁴⁵  at our father’s expense!” ⁹⁴⁶  31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ⁹⁴⁷ 

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ⁹⁴⁸  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ⁹⁴⁹  31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah ⁹⁵⁰  to come to the field ⁹⁵¹  where his flocks were. ⁹⁵²  31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ⁹⁵³  but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, ⁹⁵⁴  31:7 but your father has humiliated ⁹⁵⁵  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, ⁹⁵⁶  ‘The speckled animals ⁹⁵⁷  will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

31:10 “Once ⁹⁵⁸  during breeding season I saw ⁹⁵⁹  in a dream that the male goats mating with ⁹⁶⁰  the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe ⁹⁶¹  that all the male goats mating with ⁹⁶²  the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, ⁹⁶³  where you anointed ⁹⁶⁴  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. ⁹⁶⁵  Now leave this land immediately ⁹⁶⁶  and return to your native land.’”

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance ⁹⁶⁷  in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted ⁹⁶⁸  the money paid for us! ⁹⁶⁹  31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”

31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. ⁹⁷⁰  31:18 He took ⁹⁷¹  away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. ⁹⁷² 

31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, ⁹⁷³  Rachel stole the household idols ⁹⁷⁴  that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived ⁹⁷⁵  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ⁹⁷⁶  31:21 He left ⁹⁷⁷  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ⁹⁷⁸  the Euphrates River ⁹⁷⁹  and headed for ⁹⁸⁰  the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. ⁹⁸¹  31:23 So he took his relatives ⁹⁸²  with him and pursued Jacob ⁹⁸³  for seven days. ⁹⁸⁴  He caught up with ⁹⁸⁵  him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ⁹⁸⁶  “Be careful ⁹⁸⁷  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ⁹⁸⁸ 

31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. ⁹⁸⁹  31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me ⁹⁹⁰  and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! ⁹⁹¹  31:27 Why did you run away secretly ⁹⁹²  and deceive me? ⁹⁹³  Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? ⁹⁹⁴  31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren ⁹⁹⁵  good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have ⁹⁹⁶  the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful ⁹⁹⁷  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ ⁹⁹⁸  31:30 Now I understand that ⁹⁹⁹  you have gone away ¹⁰⁰⁰  because you longed desperately ¹⁰⁰¹  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ¹⁰⁰² 

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” ¹⁰⁰³  Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought ¹⁰⁰⁴  you might take your daughters away from me by force. ¹⁰⁰⁵  31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! ¹⁰⁰⁶  In the presence of our relatives ¹⁰⁰⁷  identify whatever is yours and take it.” ¹⁰⁰⁸  (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) ¹⁰⁰⁹ 

31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. ¹⁰¹⁰  Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ¹⁰¹¹  31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle ¹⁰¹²  and sat on them.) ¹⁰¹³  Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ¹⁰¹⁴  31:35 Rachel ¹⁰¹⁵  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ¹⁰¹⁶  my lord. I cannot stand up ¹⁰¹⁷  in your presence because I am having my period.” ¹⁰¹⁸  So he searched thoroughly, ¹⁰¹⁹  but did not find the idols.

31:36 Jacob became angry ¹⁰²⁰  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ¹⁰²¹  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ¹⁰²²  31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? ¹⁰²³  Set it here before my relatives and yours, ¹⁰²⁴  and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! ¹⁰²⁵ 

31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. ¹⁰²⁶  You always made me pay for every missing animal, ¹⁰²⁷  whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat ¹⁰²⁸  during the day and by piercing cold ¹⁰²⁹  at night, and I went without sleep. ¹⁰³⁰  31:41 This was my lot ¹⁰³¹  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ¹⁰³²  for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears ¹⁰³³  – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, ¹⁰³⁴  and he rebuked you last night.”

31:43 Laban replied ¹⁰³⁵  to Jacob, “These women ¹⁰³⁶  are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, ¹⁰³⁷  and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today ¹⁰³⁸  or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ¹⁰³⁹  you and I, and it will be ¹⁰⁴⁰  proof that we have made peace.” ¹⁰⁴¹ 

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he ¹⁰⁴²  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ¹⁰⁴³  They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ¹⁰⁴⁴  but Jacob called it Galeed. ¹⁰⁴⁵ 

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement ¹⁰⁴⁶  today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah ¹⁰⁴⁷  because he said, “May the Lord watch ¹⁰⁴⁸  between us ¹⁰⁴⁹  when we are out of sight of one another. ¹⁰⁵⁰  31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ¹⁰⁵¹  that God is witness to your actions.” ¹⁰⁵² 

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ¹⁰⁵³  31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. ¹⁰⁵⁴  31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ¹⁰⁵⁵  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ¹⁰⁵⁶  31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice ¹⁰⁵⁷  on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. ¹⁰⁵⁸  They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

31:55 (32:1) ¹⁰⁵⁹  Early in the morning Laban kissed ¹⁰⁶⁰  his grandchildren ¹⁰⁶¹  and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. ¹⁰⁶² 

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ¹⁰⁶³  met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ¹⁰⁶⁴  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ¹⁰⁶⁵ 

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead ¹⁰⁶⁶  to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region ¹⁰⁶⁷  of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ¹⁰⁶⁸  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ¹⁰⁶⁹  this message ¹⁰⁷⁰  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” ¹⁰⁷¹  he thought, ¹⁰⁷²  “then the other camp will be able to escape.” ¹⁰⁷³ 

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ¹⁰⁷⁴  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ¹⁰⁷⁵  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ¹⁰⁷⁶  32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love ¹⁰⁷⁷  you have shown ¹⁰⁷⁸  your servant. With only my walking stick ¹⁰⁷⁹  I crossed the Jordan, ¹⁰⁸⁰  but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, ¹⁰⁸¹  I pray, from the hand ¹⁰⁸²  of my brother Esau, ¹⁰⁸³  for I am afraid he will come ¹⁰⁸⁴  and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. ¹⁰⁸⁵  32:12 But you ¹⁰⁸⁶  said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper ¹⁰⁸⁷  and will make ¹⁰⁸⁸  your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” ¹⁰⁸⁹ 

32:13 Jacob ¹⁰⁹⁰  stayed there that night. Then he sent ¹⁰⁹¹  as a gift ¹⁰⁹²  to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to ¹⁰⁹³  his servants, who divided them into herds. ¹⁰⁹⁴  He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, ¹⁰⁹⁵  “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? ¹⁰⁹⁶  Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ ¹⁰⁹⁷  32:18 then you must say, ¹⁰⁹⁸  ‘They belong ¹⁰⁹⁹  to your servant Jacob. ¹¹⁰⁰  They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. ¹¹⁰¹  In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” ¹¹⁰² 

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ¹¹⁰³  32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ¹¹⁰⁴  Jacob thought, ¹¹⁰⁵  “I will first appease him ¹¹⁰⁶  by sending a gift ahead of me. ¹¹⁰⁷  After that I will meet him. ¹¹⁰⁸  Perhaps he will accept me.” ¹¹⁰⁹  32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ¹¹¹⁰  while he spent that night in the camp. ¹¹¹¹ 

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took ¹¹¹²  his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons ¹¹¹³  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ¹¹¹⁴  32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ¹¹¹⁵  32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man ¹¹¹⁶  wrestled ¹¹¹⁷  with him until daybreak. ¹¹¹⁸  32:25 When the man ¹¹¹⁹  saw that he could not defeat Jacob, ¹¹²⁰  he struck ¹¹²¹  the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man ¹¹²²  said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” ¹¹²³  “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, ¹¹²⁴  “unless you bless me.” ¹¹²⁵  32:27 The man asked him, ¹¹²⁶  “What is your name?” ¹¹²⁷  He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ¹¹²⁸  “but Israel, ¹¹²⁹  because you have fought ¹¹³⁰  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” ¹¹³¹  “Why ¹¹³²  do you ask my name?” the man replied. ¹¹³³  Then he blessed ¹¹³⁴  Jacob ¹¹³⁵  there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, ¹¹³⁶  explaining, ¹¹³⁷  “Certainly ¹¹³⁸  I have seen God face to face ¹¹³⁹  and have survived.” ¹¹⁴⁰ 

32:31 The sun rose ¹¹⁴¹  over him as he crossed over Penuel, ¹¹⁴²  but ¹¹⁴³  he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day ¹¹⁴⁴  the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck ¹¹⁴⁵  the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ¹¹⁴⁶  and saw that Esau was coming ¹¹⁴⁷  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. ¹¹⁴⁸  33:3 But Jacob ¹¹⁴⁹  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached ¹¹⁵⁰  his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau ¹¹⁵¹  looked up ¹¹⁵²  and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob ¹¹⁵³  replied, “The children whom God has graciously given ¹¹⁵⁴  your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. ¹¹⁵⁵  33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.

33:8 Esau ¹¹⁵⁶  then asked, “What did you intend ¹¹⁵⁷  by sending all these herds to meet me?” ¹¹⁵⁸  Jacob ¹¹⁵⁹  replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. ¹¹⁶⁰  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ¹¹⁶¹  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ¹¹⁶²  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ¹¹⁶³  33:11 Please take my present ¹¹⁶⁴  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ¹¹⁶⁵  to me and I have all I need.” ¹¹⁶⁶  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ¹¹⁶⁷ 

33:12 Then Esau ¹¹⁶⁸  said, “Let’s be on our way! ¹¹⁶⁹  I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob ¹¹⁷⁰  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ¹¹⁷¹  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ¹¹⁷²  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ¹¹⁷³  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ¹¹⁷⁴  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ¹¹⁷⁵  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ¹¹⁷⁶ 

33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back ¹¹⁷⁷  to Seir. 33:17 But ¹¹⁷⁸  Jacob traveled to Succoth ¹¹⁷⁹  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ¹¹⁸⁰  Succoth. ¹¹⁸¹ 

33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near ¹¹⁸²  the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it ¹¹⁸³  from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. ¹¹⁸⁴  33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” ¹¹⁸⁵ 

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ¹¹⁸⁶  the young women ¹¹⁸⁷  of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, ¹¹⁸⁸  and sexually assaulted her. ¹¹⁸⁹  34:3 Then he became very attached ¹¹⁹⁰  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ¹¹⁹¹  34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” ¹¹⁹²  34:5 When ¹¹⁹³  Jacob heard that Shechem ¹¹⁹⁴  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ¹¹⁹⁵  until they came in.

34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. ¹¹⁹⁶  34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ¹¹⁹⁷  They ¹¹⁹⁸  were offended ¹¹⁹⁹  and very angry because Shechem ¹²⁰⁰  had disgraced Israel ¹²⁰¹  by sexually assaulting ¹²⁰²  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ¹²⁰³ 

34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. ¹²⁰⁴  Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. ¹²⁰⁵  Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. ¹²⁰⁶  34:10 You may live ¹²⁰⁷  among us, and the land will be open to you. ¹²⁰⁸  Live in it, travel freely in it, ¹²⁰⁹  and acquire property in it.”

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ¹²¹⁰  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ¹²¹¹  I’ll give. ¹²¹²  34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, ¹²¹³  and I’ll give ¹²¹⁴  whatever you ask ¹²¹⁵  of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”

34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem ¹²¹⁶  had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ¹²¹⁷  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ¹²¹⁸  to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become ¹²¹⁹  like us by circumcising ¹²²⁰  all your males. 34:16 Then we will give ¹²²¹  you our daughters to marry, ¹²²²  and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms ¹²²³  by being circumcised, then we will take ¹²²⁴  our sister ¹²²⁵  and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ¹²²⁶  34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ¹²²⁷  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ¹²²⁸  badly. (Now he was more important ¹²²⁹  than anyone in his father’s household.) ¹²³⁰  34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate ¹²³¹  of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough ¹²³²  for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. ¹²³³  34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand ¹²³⁴  that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, ¹²³⁵  won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate ¹²³⁶  agreed with ¹²³⁷  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ¹²³⁸  was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword ¹²³⁹  and went to the unsuspecting city ¹²⁴⁰  and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them ¹²⁴¹  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ¹²⁴²  34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ¹²⁴³  34:29 They captured as plunder ¹²⁴⁴  all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin ¹²⁴⁵  on me by making me a foul odor ¹²⁴⁶  among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I ¹²⁴⁷  am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, ¹²⁴⁸  “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ¹²⁴⁹  to Bethel ¹²⁵⁰  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ¹²⁵¹  35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ¹²⁵²  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ¹²⁵³  35:3 Let us go up at once ¹²⁵⁴  to Bethel. Then I will make ¹²⁵⁵  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ¹²⁵⁶  and has been with me wherever I went.” ¹²⁵⁷ 

35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ¹²⁵⁸  and the rings that were in their ears. ¹²⁵⁹  Jacob buried them ¹²⁶⁰  under the oak ¹²⁶¹  near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. ¹²⁶²  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ¹²⁶³  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) ¹²⁶⁴  in the land of Canaan. ¹²⁶⁵  35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ¹²⁶⁶  because there God had revealed himself ¹²⁶⁷  to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, ¹²⁶⁸  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ¹²⁶⁹  Oak of Weeping.) ¹²⁷⁰ 

35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. ¹²⁷¹  35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ¹²⁷²  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ¹²⁷³  35:12 The land I gave ¹²⁷⁴  to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants ¹²⁷⁵  I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place ¹²⁷⁶  where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. ¹²⁷⁷  He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. ¹²⁷⁸  35:15 Jacob named the place ¹²⁷⁹  where God spoke with him Bethel. ¹²⁸⁰ 

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ¹²⁸¹  Rachel went into labor ¹²⁸²  – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, ¹²⁸³  the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” ¹²⁸⁴  35:18 With her dying breath, ¹²⁸⁵  she named him Ben-Oni. ¹²⁸⁶  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ¹²⁸⁷  35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ¹²⁸⁸  35:20 Jacob set up a marker ¹²⁸⁹  over her grave; it is ¹²⁹⁰  the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ¹²⁹¹  35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ¹²⁹²  Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, ¹²⁹³  to Kiriath Arba ¹²⁹⁴  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ¹²⁹⁵  35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. ¹²⁹⁶  35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. ¹²⁹⁷  He died an old man who had lived a full life. ¹²⁹⁸  His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

The Descendants of Esau

36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). ¹²⁹⁹ 

36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: ¹³⁰⁰  Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ¹³⁰¹  of Zibeon the Hivite, 36:3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from ¹³⁰²  Jacob his brother 36:7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled ¹³⁰³  was not able to support them because of their livestock. 36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. ¹³⁰⁴ 

36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father ¹³⁰⁵  of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

36:10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:

Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were:

Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons ¹³⁰⁶  of Esau’s wife Adah.

36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons ¹³⁰⁷  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ¹³⁰⁸  of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.

36:15 These were the chiefs ¹³⁰⁹  among the descendants ¹³¹⁰  of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 36:16 chief Korah, ¹³¹¹  chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹³¹²  of Adah.

36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹³¹³  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:19 These were the sons of Esau (also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, ¹³¹⁴  who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants ¹³¹⁵  of Seir in the land of Edom.

36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; ¹³¹⁶  Lotan’s sister was Timna.

36:23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, ¹³¹⁷  and Onam.

36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs ¹³¹⁸  in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

36:25 These were the children ¹³¹⁹  of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:26 These were the sons of Dishon: ¹³²⁰  Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

36:28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

36:29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.

36:31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: ¹³²¹ 

36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

36:33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

36:35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.

36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River ¹³²²  reigned in his place.

36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad ¹³²³  reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. ¹³²⁴  His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

36:40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements ¹³²⁵  in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Joseph’s Dreams

37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, ¹³²⁶  in the land of Canaan. ¹³²⁷ 

37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, ¹³²⁸  was taking care of ¹³²⁹  the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster ¹³³⁰  working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. ¹³³¹  Joseph brought back a bad report about them ¹³³²  to their father.

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ¹³³³  because he was a son born to him late in life, ¹³³⁴  and he made a special ¹³³⁵  tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s ¹³³⁶  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ¹³³⁷  they hated Joseph ¹³³⁸  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ¹³³⁹ 

37:5 Joseph ¹³⁴⁰  had a dream, ¹³⁴¹  and when he told his brothers about it, ¹³⁴²  they hated him even more. ¹³⁴³  37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ¹³⁴⁴  37:7 There we were, ¹³⁴⁵  binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down ¹³⁴⁶  to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ¹³⁴⁷  They hated him even more ¹³⁴⁸  because of his dream and because of what he said. ¹³⁴⁹ 

37:9 Then he had another dream, ¹³⁵⁰  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ¹³⁵¹  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ¹³⁵²  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ¹³⁵³  37:11 His brothers were jealous ¹³⁵⁴  of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. ¹³⁵⁵ 

37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ¹³⁵⁶  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ¹³⁵⁷  Joseph replied. ¹³⁵⁸  37:14 So Jacob ¹³⁵⁹  said to him, “Go now and check on ¹³⁶⁰  the welfare ¹³⁶¹  of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob ¹³⁶²  sent him from the valley of Hebron.

37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, ¹³⁶³  a man found him wandering ¹³⁶⁴  in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ¹³⁶⁵  me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, ¹³⁶⁶  for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers ¹³⁶⁷  saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! ¹³⁶⁸  37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ¹³⁶⁹  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ¹³⁷⁰ 

37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph ¹³⁷¹  from their hands, ¹³⁷²  saying, ¹³⁷³  “Let’s not take his life!” ¹³⁷⁴  37:22 Reuben continued, ¹³⁷⁵  “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” ¹³⁷⁶  (Reuben said this ¹³⁷⁷  so he could rescue Joseph ¹³⁷⁸  from them ¹³⁷⁹  and take him back to his father.)

37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him ¹³⁸⁰  of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; ¹³⁸¹  there was no water in it.)

37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up ¹³⁸²  and saw ¹³⁸³  a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. ¹³⁸⁴  37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, ¹³⁸⁵  for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. ¹³⁸⁶  37:28 So when the Midianite ¹³⁸⁷  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ¹³⁸⁸  him ¹³⁸⁹  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ¹³⁹⁰  then took Joseph to Egypt.

37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! ¹³⁹¹  He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, ¹³⁹²  and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father ¹³⁹³  and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! ¹³⁹⁴  Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, ¹³⁹⁵  and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by ¹³⁹⁶  him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” ¹³⁹⁷  So Joseph’s ¹³⁹⁸  father wept for him.

37:36 Now ¹³⁹⁹  in Egypt the Midianites ¹⁴⁰⁰  sold Joseph ¹⁴⁰¹  to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. ¹⁴⁰² 

Judah and Tamar

38:1 At that time Judah left ¹⁴⁰³  his brothers and stayed ¹⁴⁰⁴  with an Adullamite man ¹⁴⁰⁵  named Hirah.

38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man ¹⁴⁰⁶  named Shua. ¹⁴⁰⁷  Judah acquired her as a wife ¹⁴⁰⁸  and had marital relations with her. ¹⁴⁰⁹  38:3 She became pregnant ¹⁴¹⁰  and had a son. Judah named ¹⁴¹¹  him Er. 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. 38:5 Then she had ¹⁴¹²  yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. ¹⁴¹³ 

38:6 Judah acquired ¹⁴¹⁴  a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.

38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with ¹⁴¹⁵  your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise ¹⁴¹⁶  up a descendant for your brother.” ¹⁴¹⁷  38:9 But Onan knew that the child ¹⁴¹⁸  would not be considered his. ¹⁴¹⁹  So whenever ¹⁴²⁰  he had sexual relations with ¹⁴²¹  his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely ¹⁴²²  so as not to give his brother a descendant. 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord ¹⁴²³  killed him too.

38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, ¹⁴²⁴  “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” ¹⁴²⁵  So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

38:12 After some time ¹⁴²⁶  Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with ¹⁴²⁷  his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, ¹⁴²⁸  “Look, your father-in-law is going up ¹⁴²⁹  to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because ¹⁴³⁰  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ¹⁴³¹ 

38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute ¹⁴³²  because she had covered her face. 38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ¹⁴³³  (He did not realize ¹⁴³⁴  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ¹⁴³⁵  38:17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” ¹⁴³⁶  38:18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. ¹⁴³⁷  She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, ¹⁴³⁸  removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.

38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah ¹⁴³⁹  the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, ¹⁴⁴⁰  but Hirah ¹⁴⁴¹  could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, ¹⁴⁴²  “Where is the cult prostitute ¹⁴⁴³  who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 38:22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” 38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things ¹⁴⁴⁴  for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. ¹⁴⁴⁵  I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

38:24 After three months Judah was told, ¹⁴⁴⁶  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ¹⁴⁴⁷  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ¹⁴⁴⁸  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word ¹⁴⁴⁹  to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” ¹⁴⁵⁰  Then she said, “Identify ¹⁴⁵¹  the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ¹⁴⁵²  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ¹⁴⁵³  again.

38:27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 38:28 While she was giving birth, one child ¹⁴⁵⁴  put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. ¹⁴⁵⁵  She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” ¹⁴⁵⁶  So he was named Perez. ¹⁴⁵⁷  38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. ¹⁴⁵⁸ 

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ¹⁴⁵⁹  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ¹⁴⁶⁰  purchased him from ¹⁴⁶¹  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful ¹⁴⁶²  and lived ¹⁴⁶³  in the household of his Egyptian master. 39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. ¹⁴⁶⁴  39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. ¹⁴⁶⁵  Potiphar appointed Joseph ¹⁴⁶⁶  overseer of his household and put him in charge ¹⁴⁶⁷  of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time ¹⁴⁶⁸  Potiphar ¹⁴⁶⁹  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ¹⁴⁷⁰  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ¹⁴⁷¹  in his house and in his fields. ¹⁴⁷²  39:6 So Potiphar ¹⁴⁷³  left ¹⁴⁷⁴  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ¹⁴⁷⁵  he gave no thought ¹⁴⁷⁶  to anything except the food he ate. ¹⁴⁷⁷ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ¹⁴⁷⁸  39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of ¹⁴⁷⁹  Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” ¹⁴⁸⁰  39:8 But he refused, saying ¹⁴⁸¹  to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought ¹⁴⁸²  to his household with me here, ¹⁴⁸³  and everything that he owns he has put into my care. ¹⁴⁸⁴  39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do ¹⁴⁸⁵  such a great evil and sin against God?” 39:10 Even though she continued to speak ¹⁴⁸⁶  to Joseph day after day, he did not respond ¹⁴⁸⁷  to her invitation to have sex with her. ¹⁴⁸⁸ 

39:11 One day ¹⁴⁸⁹  he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants ¹⁴⁹⁰  were there in the house. 39:12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran ¹⁴⁹¹  outside. ¹⁴⁹²  39:13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought ¹⁴⁹³  in a Hebrew man ¹⁴⁹⁴  to us to humiliate us. ¹⁴⁹⁵  He tried to have sex with me, ¹⁴⁹⁶  but I screamed loudly. ¹⁴⁹⁷  39:15 When he heard me raise ¹⁴⁹⁸  my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”

39:16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 39:17 This is what she said to him: ¹⁴⁹⁹  “That Hebrew slave ¹⁵⁰⁰  you brought to us tried to humiliate me, ¹⁵⁰¹  39:18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”

39:19 When his master heard his wife say, ¹⁵⁰²  “This is the way ¹⁵⁰³  your slave treated me,” ¹⁵⁰⁴  he became furious. ¹⁵⁰⁵  39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, ¹⁵⁰⁶  the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. ¹⁵⁰⁷ 

39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. ¹⁵⁰⁸  He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ¹⁵⁰⁹  39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. ¹⁵¹⁰  39:23 The warden did not concern himself ¹⁵¹¹  with anything that was in Joseph’s ¹⁵¹²  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer ¹⁵¹³  to the king of Egypt and the royal baker ¹⁵¹⁴  offended ¹⁵¹⁵  their master, the king of Egypt. 40:2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, ¹⁵¹⁶  the cupbearer and the baker, 40:3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 40:4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. ¹⁵¹⁷ 

They spent some time in custody. ¹⁵¹⁸  40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream ¹⁵¹⁹  the same night. ¹⁵²⁰  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. ¹⁵²¹  40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. ¹⁵²²  40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” ¹⁵²³  40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹⁵²⁴  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ¹⁵²⁵  to me.”

40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: ¹⁵²⁶  “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his ¹⁵²⁷  cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” ¹⁵²⁸ 

40:12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent ¹⁵²⁹  three days. 40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you ¹⁵³⁰  and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before ¹⁵³¹  when you were cupbearer. 40:14 But remember me ¹⁵³²  when it goes well for you, and show ¹⁵³³  me kindness. ¹⁵³⁴  Make mention ¹⁵³⁵  of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, ¹⁵³⁶  40:15 for I really was kidnapped ¹⁵³⁷  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, ¹⁵³⁸  he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread ¹⁵³⁹  on my head. 40:17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”

40:18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent ¹⁵⁴⁰  three days. 40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you ¹⁵⁴¹  and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

40:20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” ¹⁵⁴²  the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position ¹⁵⁴³  so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 40:22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. ¹⁵⁴⁴  40:23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him. ¹⁵⁴⁵ 

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41:1 At the end of two full years ¹⁵⁴⁶  Pharaoh had a dream. ¹⁵⁴⁷  As he was standing by the Nile, 41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, ¹⁵⁴⁸  and they grazed in the reeds. 41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, ¹⁵⁴⁹  and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. ¹⁵⁵⁰  41:4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

41:5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing ¹⁵⁵¹  on one stalk, healthy ¹⁵⁵²  and good. 41:6 Then ¹⁵⁵³  seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. ¹⁵⁵⁴ 

41:8 In the morning he ¹⁵⁵⁵  was troubled, so he called for ¹⁵⁵⁶  all the diviner-priests ¹⁵⁵⁷  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ¹⁵⁵⁸  but no one could interpret ¹⁵⁵⁹  them for him. ¹⁵⁶⁰  41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. ¹⁵⁶¹  41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 41:11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. ¹⁵⁶²  41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant ¹⁵⁶³  of the captain of the guards, ¹⁵⁶⁴  was with us there. We told him our dreams, ¹⁵⁶⁵  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. ¹⁵⁶⁶  41:13 It happened just as he had said ¹⁵⁶⁷  to us – Pharaoh ¹⁵⁶⁸  restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” ¹⁵⁶⁹ 

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned ¹⁵⁷⁰  Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, ¹⁵⁷¹  and there is no one who can interpret ¹⁵⁷²  it. But I have heard about you, that ¹⁵⁷³  you can interpret dreams.” ¹⁵⁷⁴  41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, ¹⁵⁷⁵  but God will speak concerning ¹⁵⁷⁶  the welfare of Pharaoh.” ¹⁵⁷⁷ 

41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing ¹⁵⁷⁸  by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. ¹⁵⁷⁹  41:19 Then ¹⁵⁸⁰  seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows ¹⁵⁸¹  as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven ¹⁵⁸²  fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, ¹⁵⁸³  no one would have known ¹⁵⁸⁴  that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 41:22 I also saw in my dream ¹⁵⁸⁵  seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then ¹⁵⁸⁶  seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this ¹⁵⁸⁷  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ¹⁵⁸⁸ 

41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. ¹⁵⁸⁹  God has revealed ¹⁵⁹⁰  to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ¹⁵⁹¹  41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. ¹⁵⁹²  41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent ¹⁵⁹³  seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told ¹⁵⁹⁴  Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur ¹⁵⁹⁵  after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate ¹⁵⁹⁶  the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered ¹⁵⁹⁷  because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. ¹⁵⁹⁸  41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh ¹⁵⁹⁹  because the matter has been decreed ¹⁶⁰⁰  by God, and God will make it happen soon. ¹⁶⁰¹ 

41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look ¹⁶⁰²  for a wise and discerning man ¹⁶⁰³  and give him authority ¹⁶⁰⁴  over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do ¹⁶⁰⁵  this – he should appoint ¹⁶⁰⁶  officials ¹⁶⁰⁷  throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt ¹⁶⁰⁸  during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 They should gather all the excess food ¹⁶⁰⁹  during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority ¹⁶¹⁰  they should store up grain so the cities will have food, ¹⁶¹¹  and they should preserve it. ¹⁶¹²  41:36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” ¹⁶¹³ 

41:37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. ¹⁶¹⁴  41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, ¹⁶¹⁵  one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” ¹⁶¹⁶  41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning ¹⁶¹⁷  as you are! 41:40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. ¹⁶¹⁸  Only I, the king, will be greater than you. ¹⁶¹⁹ 

41:41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place ¹⁶²⁰  you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁶²¹  41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen ¹⁶²²  clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 Pharaoh ¹⁶²³  had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, ¹⁶²⁴  and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” ¹⁶²⁵  So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission ¹⁶²⁶  no one ¹⁶²⁷  will move his hand or his foot ¹⁶²⁸  in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. ¹⁶²⁹  He also gave him Asenath ¹⁶³⁰  daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, ¹⁶³¹  to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of ¹⁶³²  all the land of Egypt.

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ¹⁶³³  when he began serving ¹⁶³⁴  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ¹⁶³⁵  Pharaoh and was in charge of ¹⁶³⁶  all the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. ¹⁶³⁷  41:48 Joseph ¹⁶³⁸  collected all the excess food ¹⁶³⁹  in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. ¹⁶⁴⁰  In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 41:49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, ¹⁶⁴¹  until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.

41:50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. ¹⁶⁴²  Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. ¹⁶⁴³  41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ¹⁶⁴⁴  saying, ¹⁶⁴⁵  “Certainly ¹⁶⁴⁶  God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 He named the second child Ephraim, ¹⁶⁴⁷  saying, ¹⁶⁴⁸  “Certainly ¹⁶⁴⁹  God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

41:53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 41:54 Then the seven years of famine began, ¹⁶⁵⁰  just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, ¹⁶⁵¹  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

41:56 While the famine was over all the earth, ¹⁶⁵²  Joseph opened the storehouses ¹⁶⁵³  and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 41:57 People from every country ¹⁶⁵⁴  came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42:1 When Jacob heard ¹⁶⁵⁵  there was grain in Egypt, he ¹⁶⁵⁶  said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” ¹⁶⁵⁷  42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ¹⁶⁵⁸  so that we may live ¹⁶⁵⁹  and not die.” ¹⁶⁶⁰ 

42:3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, ¹⁶⁶¹  for he said, ¹⁶⁶²  “What if some accident ¹⁶⁶³  happens ¹⁶⁶⁴  to him?” 42:5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, ¹⁶⁶⁵  for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.

42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. ¹⁶⁶⁶  Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down ¹⁶⁶⁷  before him with ¹⁶⁶⁸  their faces to the ground. 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger ¹⁶⁶⁹  to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, ¹⁶⁷⁰  “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” ¹⁶⁷¹ 

42:8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 42:9 Then Joseph remembered ¹⁶⁷²  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ¹⁶⁷³ 

42:10 But they exclaimed, ¹⁶⁷⁴  “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 42:11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ¹⁶⁷⁵  42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. ¹⁶⁷⁶  We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, ¹⁶⁷⁷  and one is no longer alive.” ¹⁶⁷⁸ 

42:14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: ¹⁶⁷⁹  You are spies! 42:15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, ¹⁶⁸⁰  you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 42:16 One of you must go and get ¹⁶⁸¹  your brother, while ¹⁶⁸²  the rest of you remain in prison. ¹⁶⁸³  In this way your words may be tested to see if ¹⁶⁸⁴  you are telling the truth. ¹⁶⁸⁵  If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 42:17 He imprisoned ¹⁶⁸⁶  them all for three days. 42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say ¹⁶⁸⁷  and you will live, ¹⁶⁸⁸  for I fear God. ¹⁶⁸⁹  42:19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison ¹⁶⁹⁰  while the rest of you go ¹⁶⁹¹  and take grain back for your hungry families. ¹⁶⁹²  42:20 But you must bring ¹⁶⁹³  your youngest brother to me. Then ¹⁶⁹⁴  your words will be verified ¹⁶⁹⁵  and you will not die.” They did as he said. ¹⁶⁹⁶ 

42:21 They said to one other, ¹⁶⁹⁷  “Surely we’re being punished ¹⁶⁹⁸  because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was ¹⁶⁹⁹  when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress ¹⁷⁰⁰  has come on us!” 42:22 Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” ¹⁷⁰¹  42:23 (Now ¹⁷⁰²  they did not know that Joseph could understand them, ¹⁷⁰³  for he was speaking through an interpreter.) ¹⁷⁰⁴  42:24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, ¹⁷⁰⁵  he had Simeon taken ¹⁷⁰⁶  from them and tied up ¹⁷⁰⁷  before their eyes.

42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill ¹⁷⁰⁸  their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. ¹⁷⁰⁹  42:26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. ¹⁷¹⁰ 

42:27 When one of them ¹⁷¹¹  opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, ¹⁷¹²  he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. ¹⁷¹³  42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ¹⁷¹⁴  they turned trembling one to another ¹⁷¹⁵  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ¹⁷¹⁶ 

42:29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying, 42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us ¹⁷¹⁷  as if we were ¹⁷¹⁸  spying on the land. 42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies! 42:32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. ¹⁷¹⁹  One is no longer alive, ¹⁷²⁰  and the youngest is with our father at this time ¹⁷²¹  in the land of Canaan.’

42:33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain ¹⁷²²  for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know ¹⁷²³  that you are honest men and not spies. ¹⁷²⁴  Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” ¹⁷²⁵ 

42:35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. ¹⁷²⁶  Simeon is gone. ¹⁷²⁷  And now you want to take ¹⁷²⁸  Benjamin! Everything is against me.”

42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may ¹⁷²⁹  put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care ¹⁷³⁰  and I will bring him back to you.” 42:38 But Jacob ¹⁷³¹  replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. ¹⁷³²  If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair ¹⁷³³  in sorrow to the grave.” ¹⁷³⁴ 

The Second Journey to Egypt

43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. ¹⁷³⁵  43:2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.”

43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned ¹⁷³⁶  us, ‘You will not see my face ¹⁷³⁷  unless your brother is with you.’ 43:4 If you send ¹⁷³⁸  our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you. 43:5 But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

43:6 Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble ¹⁷³⁹  on me by telling ¹⁷⁴⁰  the man you had one more brother?”

43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us ¹⁷⁴¹  thoroughly ¹⁷⁴²  about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ ¹⁷⁴³  So we answered him in this way. ¹⁷⁴⁴  How could we possibly know ¹⁷⁴⁵  that he would say, ¹⁷⁴⁶  ‘Bring your brother down’?”

43:8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. ¹⁷⁴⁷  Then we will live ¹⁷⁴⁸  and not die – we and you and our little ones. 43:9 I myself pledge security ¹⁷⁴⁹  for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ¹⁷⁵⁰  43:10 But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back ¹⁷⁵¹  twice by now!”

43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 43:12 Take double the money with you; ¹⁷⁵²  you must take back ¹⁷⁵³  the money that was returned in the mouths of your sacks – perhaps it was an oversight. 43:13 Take your brother too, and go right away ¹⁷⁵⁴  to the man. ¹⁷⁵⁵  43:14 May the sovereign God ¹⁷⁵⁶  grant you mercy before the man so that he may release ¹⁷⁵⁷  your other brother ¹⁷⁵⁸  and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” ¹⁷⁵⁹ 

43:15 So the men took these gifts, and they took double the money with them, along with Benjamin. Then they hurried down to Egypt ¹⁷⁶⁰  and stood before Joseph. 43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant who was over his household, “Bring the men to the house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.” 43:17 The man did just as Joseph said; he ¹⁷⁶¹  brought the men into Joseph’s house. ¹⁷⁶² 

43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of ¹⁷⁶³  the money that was returned in our sacks last time. ¹⁷⁶⁴  He wants to capture us, ¹⁷⁶⁵  make us slaves, and take ¹⁷⁶⁶  our donkeys!” 43:19 So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 43:20 They said, “My lord, we did indeed come down ¹⁷⁶⁷  the first time ¹⁷⁶⁸  to buy food. 43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount ¹⁷⁶⁹  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. ¹⁷⁷⁰  43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks!”

43:23 “Everything is fine,” ¹⁷⁷¹  the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. ¹⁷⁷²  I had your money.” ¹⁷⁷³  Then he brought Simeon out to them.

43:24 The servant in charge ¹⁷⁷⁴  brought the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys. 43:25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival ¹⁷⁷⁵  at noon, for they had heard ¹⁷⁷⁶  that they were to have a meal ¹⁷⁷⁷  there.

43:26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, ¹⁷⁷⁸  and they bowed down to the ground before him. 43:27 He asked them how they were doing. ¹⁷⁷⁹  Then he said, “Is your aging father well, the one you spoke about? Is he still alive?” 43:28 “Your servant our father is well,” they replied. “He is still alive.” They bowed down in humility. ¹⁷⁸⁰ 

43:29 When Joseph looked up ¹⁷⁸¹  and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ¹⁷⁸²  43:30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother ¹⁷⁸³  and was at the point of tears. ¹⁷⁸⁴  So he went to his room and wept there.

43:31 Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, ¹⁷⁸⁵  “Set out the food.” 43:32 They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, ¹⁷⁸⁶  and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting ¹⁷⁸⁷  to do so.) ¹⁷⁸⁸  43:33 They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. ¹⁷⁸⁹  The men looked at each other in astonishment. ¹⁷⁹⁰  43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, ¹⁷⁹¹  but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk. ¹⁷⁹² 

The Final Test

44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 44:2 Then put ¹⁷⁹³  my cup – the silver cup – in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed. ¹⁷⁹⁴ 

44:3 When morning came, ¹⁷⁹⁵  the men and their donkeys were sent off. ¹⁷⁹⁶  44:4 They had not gone very far from the city ¹⁷⁹⁷  when Joseph said ¹⁷⁹⁸  to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! ¹⁷⁹⁹  When you overtake ¹⁸⁰⁰  them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup ¹⁸⁰¹  and use it for divination? ¹⁸⁰²  You have done wrong!’” ¹⁸⁰³ 

44:6 When the man ¹⁸⁰⁴  overtook them, he spoke these words to them. 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things? ¹⁸⁰⁵  Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! ¹⁸⁰⁶  44:8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 44:9 If one of us has it, ¹⁸⁰⁷  he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”

44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! ¹⁸⁰⁸  The one who has it will become my slave, ¹⁸⁰⁹  but the rest of ¹⁸¹⁰  you will go free.” ¹⁸¹¹  44:11 So each man quickly lowered ¹⁸¹²  his sack to the ground and opened it. 44:12 Then the man ¹⁸¹³  searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! 44:13 They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

44:14 So Judah and his brothers ¹⁸¹⁴  came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, ¹⁸¹⁵  and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? ¹⁸¹⁶  Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” ¹⁸¹⁷ 

44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say ¹⁸¹⁸  to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? ¹⁸¹⁹  God has exposed the sin of your servants! ¹⁸²⁰  We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”

44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of ¹⁸²¹  you may go back ¹⁸²²  to your father in peace.”

44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. ¹⁸²³  Please do not get angry with your servant, ¹⁸²⁴  for you are just like Pharaoh. ¹⁸²⁵  44:19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. ¹⁸²⁶  The boy’s ¹⁸²⁷  brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, ¹⁸²⁸  and his father loves him.’

44:21 “Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see ¹⁸²⁹  him.’ ¹⁸³⁰  44:22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father ¹⁸³¹  will die.’ ¹⁸³²  44:23 But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 44:24 When we returned to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

44:25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 44:26 But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. ¹⁸³³  If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, ¹⁸³⁴  for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’

44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave me two sons. ¹⁸³⁵  44:28 The first disappeared ¹⁸³⁶  and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” I have not seen him since. 44:29 If you take ¹⁸³⁷  this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair ¹⁸³⁸  in tragedy ¹⁸³⁹  to the grave.’ ¹⁸⁴⁰ 

44:30 “So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us – his very life is bound up in his son’s life. ¹⁸⁴¹  44:31 When he sees the boy is not with us, ¹⁸⁴²  he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave. 44:32 Indeed, ¹⁸⁴³  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.’

44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers. 44:34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see ¹⁸⁴⁴  my father’s pain.” ¹⁸⁴⁵ 

Matthew 7:13-14

The Narrow Gate

7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 7:14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

[18:1]  ¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ² tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ³ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[18:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[18:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.

[18:2]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.

[18:2]  ⁹ tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:2]  ¹⁰ tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).

[18:2]  ¹¹ sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the Lord and two angels (see Gen 19:1). It is not certain how soon Abraham recognized the true identity of the visitors. His actions suggest he suspected this was something out of the ordinary, though it is possible that his lavish treatment of the visitors was done quite unwittingly. Bowing down to the ground would be reserved for obeisance of kings or worship of the Lord. Whether he was aware of it or not, Abraham’s action was most appropriate.

[18:3]  ⁹ tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[18:4]  ¹³ tn The imperative after the jussive indicates purpose here.

[18:4]  ¹⁴ tn The word “all” has been supplied in the translation because the Hebrew verb translated “wash” and the pronominal suffix on the word “feet” are plural, referring to all three of the visitors.

[18:5]  ¹⁷ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.

[18:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[18:6]  ²¹ tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.

[18:6]  ²² sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.

[18:6]  ²³ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[18:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “the young man.”

[18:7]  ²⁶ tn The construction uses the Piel preterite, “he hurried,” followed by the infinitive construct; the two probably form a verbal hendiadys: “he quickly prepared.”

[18:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:8]  ³⁰ tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.

[18:8]  ³¹ tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.

[18:9]  ³³ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.

[18:10]  ³⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ³⁸ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  ³⁹ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ⁴¹ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[18:11]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “days.”

[18:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “it had ceased to be for Sarah [after] a way like women.”

[18:12]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “saying.”

[18:12]  ⁴⁶ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

[18:12]  ⁴⁷ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

[18:13]  ⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

[18:14]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

[18:14]  ⁵⁴ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

[18:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “And he said, ‘No, but you did laugh.’” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:16]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “And the men arose from there.”

[18:16]  ⁶² tn Heb “toward the face of.”

[18:16]  ⁶³ tn The disjunctive parenthetical clause sets the stage for the following speech.

[18:16]  ⁶⁴ tn The Piel of שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to lead out, to send out, to expel”; here it is used in the friendly sense of seeing the visitors on their way.

[18:17]  ⁶⁵ tn The active participle here refers to an action that is imminent.

[18:18]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The disjunctive clause is probably causal, giving a reason why God should not hide his intentions from Abraham. One could translate, “Should I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation?”

[18:18]  ⁷⁰ tn The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the finite verb that follows.

[18:18]  ⁷¹ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings upon”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 18:18 (like 12:2) predicts that Abraham will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[18:19]  ⁷³ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁷⁵ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:20]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “the outcry of Sodom,” which apparently refers to the outcry for divine justice from those (unidentified persons) who observe its sinful ways.

[18:20]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “heavy.”

[18:21]  ⁸¹ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  ⁸² tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁸³ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[18:22]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “And the men turned from there.” The word “two” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied here for clarity. Gen 19:1 mentions only two individuals (described as “angels”), while Abraham had entertained three visitors (18:2). The implication is that the Lord was the third visitor, who remained behind with Abraham here. The words “from there” are not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[18:22]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “went.”

[18:22]  ⁸⁷ tc An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition reads “but the Lord remained standing before Abraham.” This reading is problematic because the phrase “standing before” typically indicates intercession, but the Lord would certainly not be interceding before Abraham.

[18:24]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “lift up,” perhaps in the sense of “bear with” (cf. NRSV “forgive”).

[18:25]  ⁹³ tn Or “ruler.”

[18:25]  ⁹⁴ sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.

[18:27]  ⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[18:27]  ⁹⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

[18:28]  ¹⁰¹ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁחַת (shakhat, “to destroy”) was used earlier to describe the effect of the flood.

[18:28]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “because of five.”

[18:29]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:29]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”

[18:30]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:30]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “let it not be hot to the Lord.” This is an idiom which means “may the Lord not be angry.”

[18:30]  ¹¹¹ tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.

[18:31]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:32]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:33]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “And the Lord went.”

[18:33]  ¹²² tn The infinitive construct (“speaking”) serves as the direct object of the verb “finished.”

[18:33]  ¹²³ tn Heb “to his place.”

[19:1]  ¹²⁵ tn The disjunctive clause is temporal here, indicating what Lot was doing at the time of their arrival.

[19:1]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “sitting in the gate of Sodom.” The phrase “the gate of Sodom” has been translated “the city’s gateway” for stylistic reasons.

[19:2]  ¹²⁹ tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.

[19:2]  ¹³⁰ tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”

[19:2]  ¹³¹ sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.

[19:3]  ¹³³ tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.

[19:4]  ¹³⁷ tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.

[19:4]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.

[19:5]  ¹⁴¹ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:5]  ¹⁴² tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.

[19:7]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “may my brothers not act wickedly.”

[19:8]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[19:8]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”

[19:8]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “shadow.”

[19:8]  ¹⁵² sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.

[19:9]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”

[19:9]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”

[19:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”

[19:9]  ¹⁵⁶ tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.

[19:9]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”

[19:9]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “and they drew near.”

[19:10]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “inside” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[19:10]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text adds “their hand.” These words have not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[19:10]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “to them into the house.”

[19:11]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”

[19:11]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:12]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the men,” referring to the angels inside Lot’s house. The word “visitors” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[19:12]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “Yet who [is there] to you here?”

[19:12]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The words “Do you have” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:12]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “a son-in-law and your sons and your daughters and anyone who (is) to you in the city.”

[19:12]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “the place.” The Hebrew article serves here as a demonstrative.

[19:13]  ¹⁶⁹ tn The Hebrew participle expresses an imminent action here.

[19:13]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “for their outcry.” The words “about this place” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:13]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” The repetition of the divine name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.

[19:14]  ¹⁷³ sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.

[19:14]  ¹⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.

[19:14]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.

[19:15]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “When dawn came up.”

[19:15]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “who are found.” The wording might imply he had other daughters living in the city, but the text does not explicitly state this.

[19:15]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Or “with the iniquity [i.e., punishment] of the city” (cf. NASB, NRSV).

[19:16]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:16]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “in the compassion of the Lord to them.”

[19:16]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).

[19:17]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.

[19:17]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “escape.”

[19:17]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.

[19:17]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:18]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[19:19]  ¹⁹³ tn The second person pronominal suffixes are singular in this verse (note “your eyes,” “you have made great,” and “you have acted”). Verse 18a seems to indicate that Lot is addressing the angels, but the use of the singular and the appearance of the divine title “Lord” (אֲדֹנָי, ’adonay) in v. 18b suggests he is speaking to God.

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “in your eyes.”

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “you made great your kindness.”

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁶ sn The Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed) can refer to “faithful love” or to “kindness,” depending on the context. The precise nuance here is uncertain.

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁷ tn The infinitive construct explains how God has shown Lot kindness.

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “lest.”

[19:19]  ¹⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew verb דָּבַק (davaq) normally means “to stick to, to cleave, to join.” Lot is afraid he cannot outrun the coming calamity.

[19:19]  ²⁰⁰ tn The perfect verb form with vav consecutive carries the nuance of the imperfect verbal form before it.

[19:20]  ¹⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”

[19:20]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”

[19:20]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.

[19:20]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “Is it not little?”

[19:20]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.

[19:21]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “And he said, ‘Look, I will grant.’” The order of the clauses has been rearranged for stylistic reasons. The referent of the speaker (“he”) is somewhat ambiguous: It could be taken as the angel to whom Lot has been speaking (so NLT; note the singular references in vv. 18-19), or it could be that Lot is speaking directly to the Lord here. Most English translations leave the referent of the pronoun unspecified and maintain the ambiguity.

[19:21]  ²⁰² tn Heb “I have lifted up your face [i.e., shown you favor] also concerning this matter.”

[19:21]  ²⁰³ tn The negated infinitive construct indicates either the consequence of God’s granting the request (“I have granted this request, so that I will not”) or the manner in which he will grant it (“I have granted your request by not destroying”).

[19:22]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.

[19:22]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).

[19:23]  ²⁰⁹ sn The sun had just risen. There was very little time for Lot to escape between dawn (v. 15) and sunrise (here).

[19:23]  ²¹⁰ tn The juxtaposition of the two disjunctive clauses indicates synchronic action. The first action (the sun’s rising) occurred as the second (Lot’s entering Zoar) took place. The disjunctive clauses also signal closure for the preceding scene.

[19:24]  ²¹³ tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of the next scene and highlights God’s action.

[19:24]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “burning sulfur” (the traditional “fire and brimstone”).

[19:24]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “from the Lord from the heavens.” The words “It was sent down” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:25]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “and all the plain”; Heb “and all the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:25]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “and the vegetation of the ground.”

[19:26]  ²²¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:26]  ²²² tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).

[19:27]  ²²⁵ tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[19:28]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “upon the face of.”

[19:28]  ²³⁰ tn Or “all the land of the plain”; Heb “and all the face of the land of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:28]  ²³¹ tn Heb “And he saw, and look, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.”

[19:29]  ²³³ tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.

[19:29]  ²³⁴ tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:29]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the Lord not destroy the righteous with the wicked. While the requisite minimum number of righteous people (ten, v. 32) needed for God to spare the cities was not found, God nevertheless rescued the righteous before destroying the wicked.

[19:29]  ²³⁶ sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.

[19:29]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”

[19:31]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”

[19:31]  ²³⁸ tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.

[19:31]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:32]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:32]  ²⁴² tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.

[19:32]  ²⁴³ tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.

[19:32]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:33]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:33]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:33]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:33]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”

[19:34]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:34]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “Look, I lied down with my father. Let’s make him drink wine again tonight.”

[19:34]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “And go, lie down with him and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

[19:35]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[19:37]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:37]  ²⁵⁸ sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.

[19:38]  ²⁶¹ sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.

[20:1]  ²⁶⁵ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[20:3]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “came.”

[20:3]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.

[20:3]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.

[20:4]  ²⁷³ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[20:4]  ²⁷⁴ tn Apparently Abimelech assumes that God’s judgment will fall on his entire nation. Some, finding the reference to a nation problematic, prefer to emend the text and read, “Would you really kill someone who is innocent?” See E. A. Speiser, Genesis (AB), 149.

[20:5]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:5]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “and she, even she.”

[20:5]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”

[20:6]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ²⁸² tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “therefore.”

[20:7]  ²⁸⁵ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ²⁸⁶ sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ²⁸⁷ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ²⁸⁹ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

[20:8]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”

[20:8]  ²⁹⁰ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”

[20:8]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”

[20:8]  ²⁹² tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:9]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.

[20:9]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.

[20:10]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “And Abimelech said to.”

[20:10]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “What did you see that you did this thing?” The question implies that Abraham had some motive for deceiving Abimelech.

[20:11]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “Because I said.”

[20:11]  ³⁰² tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[20:12]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “but also.”

[20:13]  ³⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[20:14]  ³¹³ tn Heb “took and gave.”

[20:15]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “In the [place that is] good in your eyes live!”

[20:16]  ³²¹ sn A thousand pieces [Heb “shekels”] of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 11.5 kilograms, or 400 ounces (about 25 pounds).

[20:16]  ³²² sn To your ‘brother.’ Note the way that the king refers to Abraham. Was he being sarcastic? It was surely a rebuke to Sarah. What is amazing is how patient this king was. It is proof that the fear of God was in that place, contrary to what Abraham believed (see v. 11).

[20:16]  ³²³ tn Heb “Look, it is for you a covering of the eyes, for all who are with you, and with all, and you are set right.” The exact meaning of the statement is unclear. Apparently it means that the gift of money somehow exonerates her in other people’s eyes. They will not look on her as compromised (see G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:74).

[20:18]  ³²⁵ tn In the Hebrew text the clause begins with “because.”

[20:18]  ³²⁶ tn Heb had completely closed up every womb.” In the Hebrew text infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:18]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “because of.” The words “he took” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[21:1]  ³²⁹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “visit” (פָּקַד, paqad ) often describes divine intervention for blessing or cursing; it indicates God’s special attention to an individual or a matter, always with respect to his people’s destiny. He may visit (that is, destroy) the Amalekites; he may visit (that is, deliver) his people in Egypt. Here he visits Sarah, to allow her to have the promised child. One’s destiny is changed when the Lord “visits.” For a more detailed study of the term, see G. André, Determining the Destiny (ConBOT).

[21:1]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “and the Lord did.” The divine name has not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:1]  ³³¹ tn Heb “spoken.”

[21:2]  ³³³ tn Or “she conceived.”

[21:3]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.

[21:4]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “Isaac his son, the son of eight days.” The name “Isaac” is repeated in the translation for clarity.

[21:4]  ³⁴² sn Just as God had commanded him to do. With the birth of the promised child, Abraham obeyed the Lord by both naming (Gen 17:19) and circumcising Isaac (17:12).

[21:5]  ³⁴⁵ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).

[21:6]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “Laughter God has made for me.”

[21:6]  ³⁵⁰ tn The words “about this” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[21:6]  ³⁵¹ sn Sarah’s words play on the name “Isaac” in a final triumphant manner. God prepared “laughter” (צְחֹק, ysÿkhoq ) for her, and everyone who hears about this “will laugh” (יִצְחַק, yitskhaq ) with her. The laughter now signals great joy and fulfillment, not unbelief (cf. Gen 18:12-15).

[21:7]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “said.”

[21:7]  ³⁵⁴ tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.

[21:8]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “made.”

[21:8]  ³⁵⁸ sn Children were weaned closer to the age of two or three in the ancient world, because infant mortality was high. If an infant grew to this stage, it was fairly certain he or she would live. Such an event called for a celebration, especially for parents who had waited so long for a child.

[21:9]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “saw.”

[21:9]  ³⁶² tn The Piel participle used here is from the same root as the name “Isaac.” In the Piel stem the verb means “to jest; to make sport of; to play with,” not simply “to laugh,” which is the meaning of the verb in the Qal stem. What exactly Ishmael was doing is not clear. Interpreters have generally concluded that the boy was either (1) mocking Isaac (cf. NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely playing with Isaac as if on equal footing (cf. NAB, NRSV). In either case Sarah saw it as a threat. The same participial form was used in Gen 19:14 to describe how some in Lot’s family viewed his attempt to warn them of impending doom. It also appears later in Gen 39:14, 17, where Potiphar accuses Joseph of mocking them.

[21:10]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.

[21:11]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “and the word was very wrong in the eyes of Abraham on account of his son.” The verb רָעַע (ra’a’) often refers to what is morally or ethically “evil.” It usage here suggests that Abraham thought Sarah’s demand was ethically (and perhaps legally) wrong.

[21:12]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”

[21:12]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.

[21:12]  ³⁷⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.

[21:12]  ³⁷⁶ tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.

[21:14]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and he took.”

[21:14]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[21:14]  ³⁷⁹ 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.”

[21:14]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “she went and wandered.”

[21:14]  ³⁸¹ 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.

[21:15]  ³⁸¹ tn Heb “threw,” but the child, who was now thirteen years old, would not have been carried, let alone thrown under a bush. The exaggerated language suggests Ishmael is limp from dehydration and is being abandoned to die. See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 2:85.

[21:16]  ³⁸⁵ sn A bowshot would be a distance of about a hundred yards (ninety meters).

[21:16]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “said.”

[21:16]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “I will not look on the death of the child.” The cohortative verbal form (note the negative particle אַל,’al) here expresses her resolve to avoid the stated action.

[21:16]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “and she lifted up her voice and wept” (that is, she wept uncontrollably). The LXX reads “he” (referring to Ishmael) rather than “she” (referring to Hagar), but this is probably an attempt to harmonize this verse with the following one, which refers to the boy’s cries.

[21:17]  ³⁸⁹ sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the Lord are focused on the child’s imminent death.

[21:17]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “What to you?”

[21:17]  ³⁹¹ sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.

[21:19]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:21]  ³⁹⁷ sn The wilderness of Paran is an area in the east central region of the Sinai peninsula, northeast from the traditional site of Mt. Sinai and with the Arabah and the Gulf of Aqaba as its eastern border.

[21:21]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.”

[21:22]  ⁴⁰¹ sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.

[21:23]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”

[21:23]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”

[21:23]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.

[21:23]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.

[21:23]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Or “kindness.”

[21:23]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”

[21:24]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “I swear.” No object is specified in the Hebrew text, but the content of the oath requested by Abimelech is the implied object.

[21:25]  ⁴¹³ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to argue; to dispute”; it can focus on the beginning of the dispute (as here), the dispute itself, or the resolution of a dispute (Isa 1:18). Apparently the complaint was lodged before the actual oath was taken.

[21:25]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “concerning the matter of the well of water.”

[21:25]  ⁴¹⁵ tn The Hebrew verb used here means “to steal; to rob; to take violently.” The statement reflects Abraham’s perspective.

[21:26]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “and also.”

[21:27]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[21:29]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “What are these?”

[21:30]  ⁴²⁹ tn Heb “that it be for me for a witness.”

[21:30]  ⁴³⁰ sn This well. Since the king wanted a treaty to share in Abraham’s good fortune, Abraham used the treaty to secure ownership of and protection for the well he dug. It would be useless to make a treaty to live in this territory if he had no rights to the water. Abraham consented to the treaty, but added his rider to it.

[21:31]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “that is why he called that place.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive, “that is why that place was called.”

[21:31]  ⁴³⁴ 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.

[21:31]  ⁴³⁵ sn The verb forms a wordplay with the name Beer Sheba.

[21:32]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[21:32]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “arose and returned.”

[21:32]  ⁴³⁹ sn The Philistines mentioned here may not be ethnically related to those who lived in Palestine in the time of the judges and the united monarchy. See D. M. Howard, “Philistines,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 238.

[21:33]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:33]  ⁴⁴² 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.

[21:33]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “he called there in the name of the Lord.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116, 281.

[21:34]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “many days.”

[22:1]  ⁴⁴⁹ sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

[22:1]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁴⁵⁴ sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.

[22:2]  ⁴⁵⁵ sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.

[22:2]  ⁴⁵⁶ sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.

[22:2]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “which I will say to.”

[22:3]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”

[22:3]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “he arose and he went.”

[22:4]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”

[22:5]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[22:5]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.

[22:5]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.

[22:5]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”

[22:5]  ⁴⁶⁹ sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.

[22:6]  ⁴⁶⁹ sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.

[22:7]  ⁴⁷³ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[22:7]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).

[22:7]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:8]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”

[22:9]  ⁴⁸¹ sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?

[22:9]  ⁴⁸² sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.

[22:10]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”

[22:11]  ⁴⁸⁹ sn Heb “the messenger of the Lord” (also in v. 15). Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, see the note on the phrase “the Lord’s angel” in Gen 16:7.

[22:12]  ⁴⁹³ tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”

[22:12]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:12]  ⁴⁹⁵ sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).

[22:12]  ⁴⁹⁶ sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.

[22:13]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”

[22:13]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.

[22:13]  ⁴⁹⁹ tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Samaritan Pentateuch read “one” (אֶחָד, ’ekhad) instead of “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar).

[22:13]  ⁵⁰⁰ tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:14]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “the Lord sees” (יְהוָה יִרְאֶה, yÿhvah yir’eh, traditionally transliterated “Jehovah Jireh”; see the note on the word “provide” in v. 8). By so naming the place Abraham preserved in the memory of God’s people the amazing event that took place there.

[22:14]  ⁵⁰² sn On the expression to this day see B. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until this Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[22:14]  ⁵⁰³ sn The saying connected with these events has some ambiguity, which was probably intended. The Niphal verb could be translated (1) “in the mountain of the Lord it will be seen/provided” or (2) “in the mountain the Lord will appear.” If the temple later stood here (see the note on “Moriah” in Gen 22:2), the latter interpretation might find support, for the people went to the temple to appear before the Lord, who “appeared” to them by providing for them his power and blessings. See S. R. Driver, Genesis, 219.

[22:16]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “By myself I swear.”

[22:16]  ⁵⁰⁶ tn Heb “the oracle of the Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.

[22:17]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ⁵¹⁰ tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  ⁵¹¹ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁵¹² tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁵¹³ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[22:18]  ⁵¹³ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

[22:18]  ⁵¹⁴ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[22:19]  ⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”

[22:19]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.

[22:20]  ⁵²¹ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.

[22:21]  ⁵²⁵ sn This parenthetical note about Kemuel’s descendant is probably a later insertion by the author/compiler of Genesis and not part of the original announcement.

[22:23]  ⁵²⁹ tn The disjunctive clause gives information that is important but parenthetical to the narrative. Rebekah would become the wife of Isaac (Gen 24:15).

[23:1]  ⁵³³ tn Heb “And the years of Sarah were one hundred years and twenty years and seven years, the years of the life of Sarah.”

[23:2]  ⁵³⁷ tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.

[23:2]  ⁵³⁸ sn Mourn…weep. The description here is of standard mourning rites (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 149-50). They would have been carried out in the presence of the corpse, probably in Sarah’s tent. So Abraham came in to mourn; then he rose up to go and bury his dead (v. 3).

[23:3]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”

[23:3]  ⁵⁴² tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.

[23:4]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”

[23:4]  ⁵⁴⁶ tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.

[23:4]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Or “possession.”

[23:4]  ⁵⁴⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.

[23:4]  ⁵⁴⁹ tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:5]  ⁵⁴⁹ tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”

[23:6]  ⁵⁵³ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

[23:6]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.

[23:6]  ⁵⁵⁵ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:7]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).

[23:8]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).

[23:8]  ⁵⁶² tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:8]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “hear me.”

[23:8]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn Heb “intercede for me with.”

[23:9]  ⁵⁶⁵ tn Heb “give.” This is used here (also a second time later in this verse) as an idiom for “sell”; see the note on the word “grant” in v. 4.

[23:9]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Heb “in your presence.”

[23:9]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:10]  ⁵⁶⁹ tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.

[23:10]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.

[23:10]  ⁵⁷¹ sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.

[23:11]  ⁵⁷³ tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.

[23:11]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[23:11]  ⁵⁷⁵ tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”

[23:13]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “give.”

[23:13]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:13]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.

[23:15]  ⁵⁸¹ tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:15]  ⁵⁸² sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).

[23:16]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn Heb “silver.”

[23:16]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[23:16]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.

[23:17]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:18]  ⁵⁹³ tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:20]  ⁵⁹⁷ tn Heb “possession of a grave.”

[24:1]  ⁶⁰¹ tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ⁶⁰² tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ⁶⁰⁶ sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

[24:3]  ⁶⁰⁹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

[24:3]  ⁶¹⁰ tn Heb “because you must not take.”

[24:4]  ⁶¹³ tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

[24:4]  ⁶¹⁴ tn Heb “and take.”

[24:5]  ⁶¹⁷ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ⁶¹⁸ tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[24:6]  ⁶²¹ tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ⁶²² tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:7]  ⁶²⁵ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ⁶²⁶ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ⁶²⁷ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ⁶²⁸ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ⁶²⁹ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ⁶³⁰ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

[24:9]  ⁶³³ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[24:10]  ⁶³⁷ tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.

[24:10]  ⁶³⁸ tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ⁶³⁹ tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:11]  ⁶⁴¹ tn Heb “well of water.”

[24:11]  ⁶⁴² tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

[24:12]  ⁶⁴⁵ tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).

[24:12]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

[24:13]  ⁶⁴⁹ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:13]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Heb “the men.”

[24:14]  ⁶⁵³ sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.

[24:14]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”

[24:15]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.

[24:15]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:16]  ⁶⁶¹ tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.

[24:17]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:18]  ⁶⁶⁹ tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”

[24:19]  ⁶⁷³ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:20]  ⁶⁷⁷ tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

[24:21]  ⁶⁸¹ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ⁶⁸² tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).

[24:22]  ⁶⁸⁵ sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).

[24:22]  ⁶⁸⁶ sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).

[24:22]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:23]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:24]  ⁶⁹³ tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:25]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:27]  ⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ⁷⁰² tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ⁷⁰³ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn Heb “brothers.”

[24:28]  ⁷⁰⁵ tn Heb “according to.”

[24:29]  ⁷⁰⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.

[24:30]  ⁷¹³ 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.

[24:30]  ⁷¹⁴ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ⁷¹⁵ 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.

[24:31]  ⁷¹⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ⁷¹⁸ sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

[24:31]  ⁷¹⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[24:32]  ⁷²¹ tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:32]  ⁷²² tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).

[24:32]  ⁷²³ tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

[24:32]  ⁷²⁴ tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

[24:33]  ⁷²⁵ tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

[24:33]  ⁷²⁶ tn Heb “my words.”

[24:33]  ⁷²⁷ tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”

[24:35]  ⁷²⁹ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

[24:35]  ⁷³⁰ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ⁷³³ tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:36]  ⁷³⁴ tn Heb “after her old age.”

[24:36]  ⁷³⁵ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:38]  ⁷³⁷ tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”

[24:39]  ⁷⁴¹ tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

[24:39]  ⁷⁴² tn Heb “after me.”

[24:40]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

[24:41]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).

[24:42]  ⁷⁵³ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[24:43]  ⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:43]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[24:45]  ⁷⁶¹ tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.

[24:45]  ⁷⁶² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

[24:47]  ⁷⁶⁵ tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).

[24:49]  ⁷⁷³ tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.

[24:50]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

[24:50]  ⁷⁷⁸ tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.

[24:51]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:51]  ⁷⁸² tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

[24:53]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:54]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

[24:54]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

[24:55]  ⁷⁹³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:56]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:57]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

[24:58]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[24:60]  ⁸⁰⁹ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ⁸¹⁰ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ⁸¹¹ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

[24:61]  ⁸¹³ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

[24:61]  ⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:62]  ⁸¹⁷ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ⁸¹⁸ tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ⁸¹⁹ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

[24:62]  ⁸²⁰ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ⁸²¹ tn Or “the South [country].”

[24:63]  ⁸²¹ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ⁸²² tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ⁸²³ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ⁸²⁴ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ⁸²⁵ tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

[24:64]  ⁸²⁵ tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

[24:65]  ⁸²⁹ tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ⁸³⁰ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ⁸³¹ tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ⁸³³ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

[24:67]  ⁸³⁴ tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ⁸³⁵ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

[24:67]  ⁸³⁶ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.

[25:1]  ⁸³⁷ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ⁸³⁸ tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[25:3]  ⁸⁴¹ sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.

[25:4]  ⁸⁴⁵ tn Or “sons.”

[25:6]  ⁸⁴⁹ tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”

[25:6]  ⁸⁵⁰ tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”

[25:7]  ⁸⁵³ tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.

[25:8]  ⁸⁵⁷ tn Heb “old and full.”

[25:8]  ⁸⁵⁸ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:9]  ⁸⁶¹ sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).

[25:10]  ⁸⁶⁵ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:11]  ⁸⁶⁹ sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).

[25:11]  ⁸⁷⁰ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ⁸⁷³ sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).

[25:13]  ⁸⁷⁷ tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”

[25:16]  ⁸⁸¹ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

[25:17]  ⁸⁸⁵ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ⁸⁸⁶ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:18]  ⁸⁸⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ⁸⁹⁰ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ⁸⁹¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ⁸⁹² sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ⁸⁹³ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ⁸⁹⁴ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

[25:19]  ⁸⁹³ sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.

[25:20]  ⁸⁹⁷ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

[25:20]  ⁸⁹⁸ sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.

[25:21]  ⁹⁰¹ tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

[25:22]  ⁹⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ⁹⁰⁶ tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.

[25:22]  ⁹⁰⁷ sn Asked the Lord. In other passages (e.g., 1 Sam 9:9) this expression refers to inquiring of a prophet, but no details are provided here.

[25:23]  ⁹⁰⁹ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[25:24]  ⁹¹³ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ⁹¹⁴ tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.

[25:25]  ⁹¹⁷ sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.

[25:25]  ⁹¹⁸ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ⁹¹⁹ sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.

[25:25]  ⁹²⁰ tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.

[25:26]  ⁹²¹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ⁹²² tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  ⁹²³ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:27]  ⁹²⁵ tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ⁹²⁶ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[25:28]  ⁹²⁹ tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.

[25:28]  ⁹³⁰ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.

[25:29]  ⁹³³ sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[25:30]  ⁹³⁷ tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.

[25:30]  ⁹³⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.

[25:30]  ⁹³⁹ sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”

[25:31]  ⁹⁴¹ tn Heb “today.”

[25:32]  ⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”

[25:33]  ⁹⁴⁹ tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ⁹⁵⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ⁹⁵¹ sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.

[25:34]  ⁹⁵³ sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.

[25:34]  ⁹⁵⁴ sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.

[26:1]  ⁹⁵⁷ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ⁹⁵⁸ sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

[26:2]  ⁹⁶¹ sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.

[26:2]  ⁹⁶² tn Heb “say to you.”

[26:3]  ⁹⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.

[26:3]  ⁹⁶⁶ tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ⁹⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[26:3]  ⁹⁶⁸ tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.

[26:3]  ⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[26:4]  ⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ⁹⁷⁰ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[26:5]  ⁹⁷³ tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[26:5]  ⁹⁷⁴ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[26:5]  ⁹⁷⁵ sn My charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. The language of this verse is clearly interpretive, for Abraham did not have all these laws. The terms are legal designations for sections of the Mosaic law and presuppose the existence of the law. Some Rabbinic views actually conclude that Abraham had fulfilled the whole law before it was given (see m. Qiddushin 4:14). Some scholars argue that this story could only have been written after the law was given (C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:424-25). But the simplest explanation is that the narrator (traditionally taken to be Moses the Lawgiver) elaborated on the simple report of Abraham’s obedience by using terms with which the Israelites were familiar. In this way he depicts Abraham as the model of obedience to God’s commands, whose example Israel should follow.

[26:7]  ⁹⁷⁷ sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.

[26:7]  ⁹⁷⁸ tn Heb “lest.” The words “for he thought to himself” are supplied because the next clause is written with a first person pronoun, showing that Isaac was saying or thinking this.

[26:7]  ⁹⁷⁹ tn Heb “kill me on account of.”

[26:8]  ⁹⁸¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:8]  ⁹⁸² tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”

[26:8]  ⁹⁸³ tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.

[26:8]  ⁹⁸⁴ tn Or “fondling.”

[26:9]  ⁹⁸⁵ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ⁹⁸⁶ tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).

[26:10]  ⁹⁸⁹ tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[26:10]  ⁹⁹⁰ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ⁹⁹¹ tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”

[26:11]  ⁹⁹³ tn Heb “strikes.” Here the verb has the nuance “to harm in any way.” It would include assaulting the woman or killing the man.

[26:11]  ⁹⁹⁴ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.

[26:12]  ⁹⁹⁷ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ⁹⁹⁸ tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[26:13]  ¹⁰⁰¹ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.

[26:13]  ¹⁰⁰² tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁵ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁶ tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁷ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁰⁸ tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ¹⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ¹⁰¹³ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ¹⁰¹⁴ sn You have become much more powerful. This explanation for the expulsion of Isaac from Philistine territory foreshadows the words used later by the Egyptians to justify their oppression of Israel (see Exod 1:9).

[26:17]  ¹⁰¹⁷ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:18]  ¹⁰²¹ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ¹⁰²² tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ¹⁰²³ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ¹⁰²⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹⁰²⁵ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹⁰²⁶ tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ¹⁰²⁵ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:20]  ¹⁰²⁹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ¹⁰³⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ¹⁰³¹ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ¹⁰³² sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”

[26:20]  ¹⁰³³ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:21]  ¹⁰³³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹⁰³⁴ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹⁰³⁵ sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.

[26:22]  ¹⁰³⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ¹⁰³⁸ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ¹⁰³⁹ 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.

[26:23]  ¹⁰⁴¹ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:25]  ¹⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “called in the name of.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 4:26; 12:8; 13:4; 21:33). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.

[26:25]  ¹⁰⁴⁶ tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

[26:26]  ¹⁰⁴⁹ tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”

[26:26]  ¹⁰⁵⁰ tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ¹⁰⁵¹ tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.

[26:27]  ¹⁰⁵³ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁵⁷ tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁵⁸ tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁵⁹ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁶⁰ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”

[26:29]  ¹⁰⁶¹ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

[26:29]  ¹⁰⁶² tn Heb “touched.”

[26:29]  ¹⁰⁶³ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

[26:29]  ¹⁰⁶⁴ tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

[26:29]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).

[26:30]  ¹⁰⁶⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:30]  ¹⁰⁶⁶ tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”

[26:31]  ¹⁰⁶⁹ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

[26:31]  ¹⁰⁷⁰ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

[26:32]  ¹⁰⁷³ tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:33]  ¹⁰⁷⁷ sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.

[26:33]  ¹⁰⁷⁸ sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.

[26:34]  ¹⁰⁸¹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.

[26:34]  ¹⁰⁸² tn Heb “the son of forty years.”

[26:34]  ¹⁰⁸³ tn Heb “took as a wife.”

[26:35]  ¹⁰⁸⁵ tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”

[27:1]  ¹⁰⁸⁹ tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.

[27:1]  ¹⁰⁹⁰ tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ¹⁰⁹¹ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ¹⁰⁹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ¹⁰⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁴ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.

[27:2]  ¹⁰⁹⁵ tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”

[27:3]  ¹⁰⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew word is to be spelled either צַיִד (tsayid) following the marginal reading (Qere), or צֵידָה (tsedah) following the consonantal text (Kethib). Either way it is from the same root as the imperative צוּדָה (tsudah, “hunt down”).

[27:4]  ¹¹⁰¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:4]  ¹¹⁰² tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.

[27:5]  ¹¹⁰⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a conjunction with the subject, followed by the predicate) here introduces a new scene in the story.

[27:5]  ¹¹⁰⁶ tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.

[27:7]  ¹¹⁰⁹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:7]  ¹¹¹⁰ tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.

[27:7]  ¹¹¹¹ tn In her report to Jacob, Rebekah plays down Isaac’s strong desire to bless Esau by leaving out נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), but by adding the phrase “in the presence of the Lord,” she stresses how serious this matter is.

[27:8]  ¹¹¹³ tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The Hebrew idiom means “to comply; to obey.”

[27:8]  ¹¹¹⁴ tn Heb “to that which I am commanding you.”

[27:9]  ¹¹¹⁷ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:10]  ¹¹²¹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive. It carries forward the tone of instruction initiated by the command to “go…and get” in the preceding verse.

[27:10]  ¹¹²² tn The form is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; it carries the future nuance of the preceding verbs of instruction, but by switching the subject to Jacob, indicates the expected result of the subterfuge.

[27:10]  ¹¹²³ tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:11]  ¹¹²⁵ tn Heb “And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, but I am a smooth [skinned] man.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:12]  ¹¹²⁹ tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”

[27:13]  ¹¹³³ tn Heb “upon me your curse.”

[27:13]  ¹¹³⁴ tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”

[27:14]  ¹¹³⁷ tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:14]  ¹¹³⁸ tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:16]  ¹¹⁴¹ tn In the Hebrew text the object (“the skins of the young goats”) precedes the verb. The disjunctive clause draws attention to this key element in the subterfuge.

[27:16]  ¹¹⁴² tn The word “hands” probably includes the forearms here. How the skins were attached is not specified in the Hebrew text; cf. NLT “she made him a pair of gloves.”

[27:17]  ¹¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”

[27:18]  ¹¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:18]  ¹¹⁵⁰ sn Which are you, my son? Isaac’s first question shows that the deception is going to require more subterfuge than Rebekah had anticipated. Jacob will have to pull off the deceit.

[27:19]  ¹¹⁵³ 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.

[27:19]  ¹¹⁵⁴ 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.

[27:20]  ¹¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “What is this?” The enclitic pronoun “this” adds emphasis to the question, which is comparable to the English rhetorical question, “How in the world?”

[27:20]  ¹¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.

[27:20]  ¹¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”

[27:20]  ¹¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Because the Lord your God….’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:21]  ¹¹⁶¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:21]  ¹¹⁶² tn Heb “Are you this one, Esau, my son, or not?” On the use of the interrogative particle here, see BDB 210 s.v. הֲ.

[27:23]  ¹¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:24]  ¹¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹¹⁷³ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:25]  ¹¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.

[27:25]  ¹¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “see.”

[27:28]  ¹¹⁸¹ tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”

[27:28]  ¹¹⁸² tn Heb “and from the fatness.”

[27:29]  ¹¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.

[27:29]  ¹¹⁸⁶ tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”

[27:29]  ¹¹⁸⁷ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:30]  ¹¹⁸⁹ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite form of the verb makes the construction emphatic.

[27:30]  ¹¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “the presence of Isaac his father.” The repetition of the proper name (“Isaac”) was

[27:30]  ¹¹⁹¹ tn Heb “and Esau his brother came from his hunt.”

[27:31]  ¹¹⁹³ tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.

[27:31]  ¹¹⁹⁴ tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

[27:31]  ¹¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”

[27:32]  ¹¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[27:32]  ¹¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I [am] your son, your firstborn.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[27:33]  ¹²⁰¹ tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.

[27:33]  ¹²⁰² tn Heb “Who then is he who hunted game and brought [it] to me so that I ate from all before you arrived and blessed him?”

[27:34]  ¹²⁰⁵ tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.

[27:34]  ¹²⁰⁶ tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”

[27:35]  ¹²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ¹²¹⁰ tn Or “took”; “received.”

[27:36]  ¹²¹³ tn Heb “Is he not rightly named Jacob?” The rhetorical question, since it expects a positive reply, has been translated as a declarative statement.

[27:36]  ¹²¹⁴ sn He has tripped me up. When originally given, the name Jacob was a play on the word “heel” (see Gen 25:26). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. Esau gives the name “Jacob” a negative connotation here, the meaning “to trip up; to supplant.”

[27:38]  ¹²¹⁷ tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:38]  ¹²¹⁸ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”

[27:39]  ¹²²¹ tn Heb “look.”

[27:39]  ¹²²² tn Heb “from the fatness.”

[27:40]  ¹²²⁵ sn You will tear off his yoke from your neck. It may be that this prophetic blessing found its fulfillment when Jerusalem fell and Edom got its revenge. The oracle makes Edom subservient to Israel and suggests the Edomites would live away from the best land and be forced to sustain themselves by violent measures.

[27:41]  ¹²²⁹ tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

[27:41]  ¹²³⁰ tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

[27:41]  ¹²³¹ 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.

[27:41]  ¹²³² tn Heb “days.”

[27:41]  ¹²³³ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

[27:42]  ¹²³³ tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”

[27:42]  ¹²³⁴ tn Heb “she sent and called for.”

[27:42]  ¹²³⁵ tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.

[27:43]  ¹²³⁷ tn Heb “listen to my voice.”

[27:43]  ¹²³⁸ tn Heb “arise, flee.”

[27:44]  ¹²⁴¹ tn Heb “a few days.” Rebekah probably downplays the length of time Jacob will be gone, perhaps to encourage him and assure him that things will settle down soon. She probably expects Esau’s anger to die down quickly. However, Jacob ends up being gone twenty years and he never sees Rebekah again.

[27:45]  ¹²⁴⁵ tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:45]  ¹²⁴⁶ tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.

[27:45]  ¹²⁴⁷ tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.

[27:46]  ¹²⁴⁹ tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).

[27:46]  ¹²⁵⁰ tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.

[27:46]  ¹²⁵¹ tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”

[28:1]  ¹²⁵³ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:2]  ¹²⁵⁷ tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.

[28:3]  ¹²⁶¹ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3]  ¹²⁶² tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3]  ¹²⁶³ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3]  ¹²⁶⁴ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:4]  ¹²⁶⁵ tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4]  ¹²⁶⁶ tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ¹²⁶⁷ tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.

[28:6]  ¹²⁶⁹ tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”

[28:6]  ¹²⁷⁰ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.

[28:6]  ¹²⁷¹ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ¹²⁷³ tn Heb “saw.”

[28:8]  ¹²⁷⁴ tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ¹²⁷⁵ tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”

[28:9]  ¹²⁷⁷ tn Heb “took for a wife.”

[28:11]  ¹²⁸¹ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ¹²⁸² tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ¹²⁸³ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ¹²⁸⁴ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ¹²⁸⁵ tn Heb “lay down.”

[28:12]  ¹²⁸⁵ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ¹²⁸⁶ tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the Lord himself” (Narrative Art in Genesis [SSN], 51-52).

[28:12]  ¹²⁸⁷ tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.

[28:13]  ¹²⁸⁹ tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.

[28:13]  ¹²⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.

[28:14]  ¹²⁹³ tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

[28:14]  ¹²⁹⁴ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.

[28:14]  ¹²⁹⁵ tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[28:14]  ¹²⁹⁶ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[28:15]  ¹²⁹⁷ 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).

[28:16]  ¹³⁰¹ tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[28:16]  ¹³⁰² tn Heb “said.”

[28:18]  ¹³⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”

[28:18]  ¹³⁰⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:18]  ¹³⁰⁷ tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.

[28:18]  ¹³⁰⁸ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[28:19]  ¹³⁰⁹ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).

[28:20]  ¹³¹³ tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[28:21]  ¹³¹⁷ tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”

[28:22]  ¹³²¹ tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.

[28:22]  ¹³²² tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.

[28:22]  ¹³²³ tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.

[29:1]  ¹³²⁵ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.

[29:1]  ¹³²⁶ tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”

[29:2]  ¹³²⁹ tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.

[29:2]  ¹³³⁰ tn Heb “and look, there.”

[29:2]  ¹³³¹ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[29:3]  ¹³³³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:5]  ¹³³⁷ tn Heb “son.”

[29:5]  ¹³³⁸ tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.

[29:6]  ¹³⁴¹ tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”

[29:6]  ¹³⁴² tn Heb “peace.”

[29:7]  ¹³⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:7]  ¹³⁴⁶ tn Heb “the day is great.”

[29:7]  ¹³⁴⁷ tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.

[29:8]  ¹³⁴⁹ tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.

[29:9]  ¹³⁵³ tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”

[29:10]  ¹³⁵⁷ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).

[29:10]  ¹³⁵⁸ tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:10]  ¹³⁵⁹ tn Heb “drew near, approached.”

[29:10]  ¹³⁶⁰ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).

[29:11]  ¹³⁶¹ tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.

[29:12]  ¹³⁶⁵ tn Heb “declared.”

[29:12]  ¹³⁶⁶ tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

[29:13]  ¹³⁶⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ¹³⁷⁰ tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).

[29:14]  ¹³⁷³ tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).

[29:14]  ¹³⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:14]  ¹³⁷⁵ tn Heb “a month of days.”

[29:15]  ¹³⁷⁷ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

[29:15]  ¹³⁷⁸ tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.

[29:16]  ¹³⁸¹ tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.

[29:17]  ¹³⁸⁵ tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.

[29:17]  ¹³⁸⁶ tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”

[29:18]  ¹³⁸⁹ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:19]  ¹³⁹³ tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”

[29:20]  ¹³⁹⁷ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ¹³⁹⁸ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ¹³⁹⁹ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:21]  ¹⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “and Jacob said.”

[29:21]  ¹⁴⁰² tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”

[29:21]  ¹⁴⁰³ tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).

[29:22]  ¹⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “men.”

[29:23]  ¹⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”

[29:23]  ¹⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ¹⁴¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ¹⁴¹² tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:24]  ¹⁴¹³ tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.

[29:25]  ¹⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[29:25]  ¹⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ¹⁴¹⁹ tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”

[29:25]  ¹⁴²⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.

[29:26]  ¹⁴²¹ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:26]  ¹⁴²² tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[29:27]  ¹⁴²⁵ tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.

[29:27]  ¹⁴²⁶ tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ¹⁴²⁷ tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”

[29:28]  ¹⁴²⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:28]  ¹⁴³⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:28]  ¹⁴³¹ tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.

[29:28]  ¹⁴³² tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:29]  ¹⁴³³ tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”

[29:30]  ¹⁴³⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹⁴³⁸ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ¹⁴³⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:31]  ¹⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.

[29:31]  ¹⁴⁴² tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[29:32]  ¹⁴⁴⁵ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ¹⁴⁴⁶ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ¹⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[29:33]  ¹⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ¹⁴⁵⁰ 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 Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

[29:34]  ¹⁴⁵³ tn Heb “will be joined to me.”

[29:34]  ¹⁴⁵⁴ sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[29:35]  ¹⁴⁵⁷ sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.

[30:1]  ¹⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:1]  ¹⁴⁶² tn Heb “sons.”

[30:2]  ¹⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ¹⁴⁶⁶ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:3]  ¹⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:3]  ¹⁴⁷⁰ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.

[30:3]  ¹⁴⁷¹ tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:3]  ¹⁴⁷² tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.

[30:3]  ¹⁴⁷³ tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).

[30:4]  ¹⁴⁷³ tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:4]  ¹⁴⁷⁴ tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:5]  ¹⁴⁷⁷ tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).

[30:5]  ¹⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:6]  ¹⁴⁸¹ tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.

[30:6]  ¹⁴⁸² tn Or “therefore.”

[30:6]  ¹⁴⁸³ sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.

[30:7]  ¹⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:8]  ¹⁴⁸⁹ tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.

[30:8]  ¹⁴⁹⁰ sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”

[30:9]  ¹⁴⁹³ tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”

[30:10]  ¹⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:11]  ¹⁵⁰¹ tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”

[30:11]  ¹⁵⁰² sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[30:12]  ¹⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:13]  ¹⁵⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”

[30:13]  ¹⁵¹⁰ tn Heb “daughters.”

[30:13]  ¹⁵¹¹ sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.

[30:14]  ¹⁵¹³ tn Heb “during the days.”

[30:14]  ¹⁵¹⁴ sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.

[30:15]  ¹⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:15]  ¹⁵¹⁸ tn Heb “therefore.”

[30:15]  ¹⁵¹⁹ tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[30:16]  ¹⁵²¹ tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.

[30:16]  ¹⁵²² tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.

[30:16]  ¹⁵²³ tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.

[30:17]  ¹⁵²⁵ tn Heb “listened to.”

[30:17]  ¹⁵²⁶ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).

[30:17]  ¹⁵²⁷ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:18]  ¹⁵²⁹ tn Heb “God has given my reward.”

[30:18]  ¹⁵³⁰ tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).

[30:18]  ¹⁵³¹ sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.

[30:19]  ¹⁵³³ tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:20]  ¹⁵³⁷ sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.

[30:22]  ¹⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “remembered.”

[30:22]  ¹⁵⁴² tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons

[30:23]  ¹⁵⁴⁵ tn Or “conceived.”

[30:23]  ¹⁵⁴⁶ tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.

[30:24]  ¹⁵⁴⁹ sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.

[30:25]  ¹⁵⁵³ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

[30:25]  ¹⁵⁵⁴ tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

[30:25]  ¹⁵⁵⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:25]  ¹⁵⁵⁶ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

[30:26]  ¹⁵⁵⁷ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ¹⁵⁵⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ¹⁵⁵⁹ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[30:27]  ¹⁵⁶¹ tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[30:27]  ¹⁵⁶² tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the Lord has blessed me” (cf. NEB). See J. Finkelstein, “An Old Babylonian Herding Contract and Genesis 31:38f.,” JAOS 88 (1968): 34, n. 19.

[30:28]  ¹⁵⁶⁵ tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”

[30:29]  ¹⁵⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:29]  ¹⁵⁷⁰ tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”

[30:30]  ¹⁵⁷³ tn Or “for.”

[30:30]  ¹⁵⁷⁴ tn Heb “before me.”

[30:30]  ¹⁵⁷⁵ tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”

[30:30]  ¹⁵⁷⁶ tn Heb “at my foot.”

[30:30]  ¹⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”

[30:31]  ¹⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:31]  ¹⁵⁷⁸ tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.

[30:31]  ¹⁵⁷⁹ tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:31]  ¹⁵⁸⁰ tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”

[30:31]  ¹⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”

[30:32]  ¹⁵⁸¹ tn Heb “pass through.”

[30:32]  ¹⁵⁸² tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”

[30:32]  ¹⁵⁸³ tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”

[30:32]  ¹⁵⁸⁴ tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.

[30:33]  ¹⁵⁸⁵ tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵⁸⁶ tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”

[30:33]  ¹⁵⁸⁸ tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”

[30:34]  ¹⁵⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.

[30:35]  ¹⁵⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:35]  ¹⁵⁹⁴ tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”

[30:36]  ¹⁵⁹⁷ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

[30:36]  ¹⁵⁹⁸ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.

[30:38]  ¹⁶⁰¹ sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).

[30:39]  ¹⁶⁰⁵ tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.

[30:39]  ¹⁶⁰⁶ tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:40]  ¹⁶⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

[30:41]  ¹⁶¹³ tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

[30:42]  ¹⁶¹⁷ tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.

[30:42]  ¹⁶¹⁸ tn Heb “were for Laban.”

[30:43]  ¹⁶²¹ tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[30:43]  ¹⁶²² tn Heb “and there were to him.”

[31:1]  ¹⁶²⁵ tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”

[31:1]  ¹⁶²⁶ sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).

[31:1]  ¹⁶²⁷ tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”

[31:2]  ¹⁶²⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.

[31:3]  ¹⁶³³ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ¹⁶³⁴ sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:4]  ¹⁶³⁷ tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.

[31:4]  ¹⁶³⁸ tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ¹⁶³⁹ tn Heb “to his flock.”

[31:5]  ¹⁶⁴¹ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:6]  ¹⁶⁴⁵ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:7]  ¹⁶⁴⁹ tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).

[31:8]  ¹⁶⁵³ tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.

[31:8]  ¹⁶⁵⁴ tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.

[31:10]  ¹⁶⁵⁷ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”

[31:10]  ¹⁶⁵⁸ tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”

[31:10]  ¹⁶⁵⁹ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:12]  ¹⁶⁶¹ tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

[31:12]  ¹⁶⁶² tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:13]  ¹⁶⁶⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[31:13]  ¹⁶⁶⁶ 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 Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

[31:13]  ¹⁶⁶⁷ sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

[31:13]  ¹⁶⁶⁸ tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

[31:14]  ¹⁶⁶⁹ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

[31:15]  ¹⁶⁷³ tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.

[31:15]  ¹⁶⁷⁴ tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.

[31:17]  ¹⁶⁷⁷ tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”

[31:18]  ¹⁶⁸¹ tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.

[31:18]  ¹⁶⁸² tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”

[31:19]  ¹⁶⁸⁵ tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.

[31:19]  ¹⁶⁸⁶ tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.

[31:20]  ¹⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.

[31:20]  ¹⁶⁹⁰ tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:21]  ¹⁶⁹³ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ¹⁶⁹⁴ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ¹⁶⁹⁵ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ¹⁶⁹⁶ tn Heb “he set his face.”

[31:22]  ¹⁶⁹⁷ tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”

[31:23]  ¹⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[31:23]  ¹⁷⁰² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ¹⁷⁰³ tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

[31:23]  ¹⁷⁰⁴ tn Heb “drew close to.”

[31:24]  ¹⁷⁰⁵ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ¹⁷⁰⁶ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ¹⁷⁰⁷ tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

[31:25]  ¹⁷⁰⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.

[31:26]  ¹⁷¹³ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

[31:26]  ¹⁷¹⁴ tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

[31:27]  ¹⁷¹⁷ tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”

[31:27]  ¹⁷¹⁸ tn Heb “and steal me.”

[31:27]  ¹⁷¹⁹ tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”

[31:28]  ¹⁷²¹ tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:29]  ¹⁷²⁵ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

[31:29]  ¹⁷²⁶ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:29]  ¹⁷²⁷ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

[31:30]  ¹⁷²⁹ tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[31:30]  ¹⁷³⁰ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

[31:30]  ¹⁷³¹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

[31:30]  ¹⁷³² sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.

[31:31]  ¹⁷³³ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:31]  ¹⁷³⁴ tn Heb “for I said.”

[31:31]  ¹⁷³⁵ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”

[31:32]  ¹⁷³⁷ tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”

[31:32]  ¹⁷³⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[31:32]  ¹⁷³⁹ tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”

[31:32]  ¹⁷⁴⁰ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

[31:33]  ¹⁷⁴¹ tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:33]  ¹⁷⁴² tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”

[31:34]  ¹⁷⁴⁵ tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”

[31:34]  ¹⁷⁴⁶ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.

[31:34]  ¹⁷⁴⁷ tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:35]  ¹⁷⁴⁹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ¹⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ¹⁷⁵¹ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ¹⁷⁵² tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ¹⁷⁵³ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:36]  ¹⁷⁵³ tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.

[31:36]  ¹⁷⁵⁴ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[31:36]  ¹⁷⁵⁵ tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).

[31:37]  ¹⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”

[31:37]  ¹⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[31:37]  ¹⁷⁵⁹ tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”

[31:39]  ¹⁷⁶¹ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.

[31:39]  ¹⁷⁶² tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁶⁵ tn Or “by drought.”

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁶⁶ tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁶⁷ tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”

[31:41]  ¹⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “this to me.”

[31:41]  ¹⁷⁷⁰ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”

[31:42]  ¹⁷⁷³ tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.

[31:42]  ¹⁷⁷⁴ tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[31:43]  ¹⁷⁷⁷ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[31:43]  ¹⁷⁷⁸ tn Heb “daughters.”

[31:43]  ¹⁷⁷⁹ tn Heb “children.”

[31:43]  ¹⁷⁸⁰ tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”

[31:44]  ¹⁷⁸¹ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ¹⁷⁸² tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ¹⁷⁸³ tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

[31:46]  ¹⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ¹⁷⁸⁶ sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[31:47]  ¹⁷⁸⁹ sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”

[31:47]  ¹⁷⁹⁰ sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.

[31:48]  ¹⁷⁹³ tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”

[31:49]  ¹⁷⁹⁷ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

[31:49]  ¹⁷⁹⁸ sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

[31:49]  ¹⁷⁹⁹ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:49]  ¹⁸⁰⁰ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”

[31:50]  ¹⁸⁰¹ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ¹⁸⁰² tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:51]  ¹⁸⁰⁵ tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:52]  ¹⁸⁰⁹ tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”

[31:53]  ¹⁸¹³ 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.

[31:53]  ¹⁸¹⁴ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

[31:54]  ¹⁸¹⁷ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

[31:54]  ¹⁸¹⁸ tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.

[31:55]  ¹⁸²¹ sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[31:55]  ¹⁸²² tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”

[31:55]  ¹⁸²³ tn Heb “his sons.”

[31:55]  ¹⁸²⁴ tn Heb “to his place.”

[32:1]  ¹⁸²⁵ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[32:2]  ¹⁸²⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ¹⁸³⁰ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:3]  ¹⁸³³ tn Heb “before him.”

[32:3]  ¹⁸³⁴ tn Heb “field.”

[32:4]  ¹⁸³⁷ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

[32:5]  ¹⁸⁴¹ tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ¹⁸⁴² tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ¹⁸⁴⁵ tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”

[32:8]  ¹⁸⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ¹⁸⁴⁷ tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.

[32:9]  ¹⁸⁴⁹ tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ¹⁸⁵⁰ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ¹⁸⁵¹ 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.

[32:10]  ¹⁸⁵³ tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).

[32:10]  ¹⁸⁵⁴ tn Heb “you have done with.”

[32:10]  ¹⁸⁵⁵ tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.

[32:10]  ¹⁸⁵⁶ tn Heb “this Jordan.”

[32:11]  ¹⁸⁵⁷ tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.

[32:11]  ¹⁸⁵⁸ tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”

[32:11]  ¹⁸⁵⁹ tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”

[32:11]  ¹⁸⁶⁰ tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”

[32:11]  ¹⁸⁶¹ sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.

[32:12]  ¹⁸⁶¹ tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[32:12]  ¹⁸⁶² tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.

[32:12]  ¹⁸⁶³ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.

[32:12]  ¹⁸⁶⁴ tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.

[32:13]  ¹⁸⁶⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ¹⁸⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.

[32:13]  ¹⁸⁶⁷ sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).

[32:16]  ¹⁸⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ¹⁸⁷⁰ tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.

[32:17]  ¹⁸⁷³ tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.

[32:17]  ¹⁸⁷⁴ tn Heb “to whom are you?”

[32:17]  ¹⁸⁷⁵ tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”

[32:18]  ¹⁸⁷⁷ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18]  ¹⁸⁷⁸ tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18]  ¹⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18]  ¹⁸⁸⁰ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18]  ¹⁸⁸¹ tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:19]  ¹⁸⁸¹ tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁸⁵ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁸⁶ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁸⁷ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁸⁸ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁸⁹ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ¹⁸⁹⁰ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[32:21]  ¹⁸⁸⁹ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ¹⁸⁹⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:22]  ¹⁸⁹³ tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

[32:22]  ¹⁸⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

[32:22]  ¹⁸⁹⁵ sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

[32:23]  ¹⁸⁹⁷ tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”

[32:24]  ¹⁹⁰¹ sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.

[32:24]  ¹⁹⁰² sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.

[32:24]  ¹⁹⁰³ tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”

[32:25]  ¹⁹⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ¹⁹⁰⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ¹⁹⁰⁷ tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.

[32:26]  ¹⁹⁰⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:26]  ¹⁹¹⁰ tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

[32:26]  ¹⁹¹¹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:26]  ¹⁹¹² sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

[32:27]  ¹⁹¹³ tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:27]  ¹⁹¹⁴ sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.

[32:28]  ¹⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:28]  ¹⁹¹⁸ sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ¹⁹¹⁹ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

[32:29]  ¹⁹²¹ sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.

[32:29]  ¹⁹²² tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.

[32:29]  ¹⁹²³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:29]  ¹⁹²⁴ tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.

[32:29]  ¹⁹²⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ¹⁹²⁵ sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.

[32:30]  ¹⁹²⁶ tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:30]  ¹⁹²⁷ tn Or “because.”

[32:30]  ¹⁹²⁸ sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.

[32:30]  ¹⁹²⁹ tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”

[32:31]  ¹⁹²⁹ tn Heb “shone.”

[32:31]  ¹⁹³⁰ sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).

[32:31]  ¹⁹³¹ tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.

[32:32]  ¹⁹³³ sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[32:32]  ¹⁹³⁴ tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.

[33:1]  ¹⁹³⁷ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

[33:1]  ¹⁹³⁸ tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[33:2]  ¹⁹⁴¹ sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.

[33:3]  ¹⁹⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:3]  ¹⁹⁴⁶ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

[33:5]  ¹⁹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ¹⁹⁵⁰ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[33:5]  ¹⁹⁵¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ¹⁹⁵² tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”

[33:6]  ¹⁹⁵³ tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”

[33:8]  ¹⁹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:8]  ¹⁹⁵⁸ tn Heb “Who to you?”

[33:8]  ¹⁹⁵⁹ tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”

[33:8]  ¹⁹⁶⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ¹⁹⁶¹ tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[33:10]  ¹⁹⁶² tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.

[33:10]  ¹⁹⁶³ tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.

[33:10]  ¹⁹⁶⁴ tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”

[33:11]  ¹⁹⁶⁵ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ¹⁹⁶⁶ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ¹⁹⁶⁷ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ¹⁹⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ¹⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ¹⁹⁷⁰ tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”

[33:13]  ¹⁹⁷³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ¹⁹⁷⁴ tn Heb “weak.”

[33:13]  ¹⁹⁷⁵ tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”

[33:14]  ¹⁹⁷⁷ tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”

[33:15]  ¹⁹⁸¹ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ¹⁹⁸² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ¹⁹⁸³ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[33:16]  ¹⁹⁸⁵ tn Heb “returned on his way.”

[33:17]  ¹⁹⁸⁹ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ¹⁹⁹⁰ sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.

[33:17]  ¹⁹⁹¹ tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.

[33:17]  ¹⁹⁹² sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[33:18]  ¹⁹⁹³ tn Heb “in front of.”

[33:19]  ¹⁹⁹⁷ tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.

[33:19]  ¹⁹⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).

[33:20]  ²⁰⁰¹ tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.

[34:1]  ²⁰⁰⁵ tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.

[34:1]  ²⁰⁰⁶ tn Heb “daughters.”

[34:2]  ²⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.

[34:2]  ²⁰¹⁰ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.

[34:3]  ²⁰¹³ tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

[34:3]  ²⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).

[34:4]  ²⁰¹⁷ tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”

[34:5]  ²⁰²¹ tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ²⁰²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ²⁰²³ sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.

[34:6]  ²⁰²⁵ tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ²⁰²⁹ tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:7]  ²⁰³⁰ tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.

[34:7]  ²⁰³¹ tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.

[34:7]  ²⁰³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ²⁰³³ tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”

[34:7]  ²⁰³⁴ tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.

[34:7]  ²⁰³⁵ tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.

[34:8]  ²⁰³³ tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).

[34:9]  ²⁰³⁷ tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”

[34:9]  ²⁰³⁸ tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.

[34:10]  ²⁰⁴¹ tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[34:10]  ²⁰⁴² tn Heb “before you.”

[34:10]  ²⁰⁴³ tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”

[34:11]  ²⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ²⁰⁴⁶ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ²⁰⁴⁷ tn Or “pay.”

[34:12]  ²⁰⁴⁹ tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.

[34:12]  ²⁰⁵⁰ tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.

[34:12]  ²⁰⁵¹ tn Heb “say.”

[34:13]  ²⁰⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ²⁰⁵⁷ tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.

[34:14]  ²⁰⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.

[34:15]  ²⁰⁶¹ tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15]  ²⁰⁶² tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16]  ²⁰⁶⁵ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ²⁰⁶⁶ tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:17]  ²⁰⁶⁹ tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17]  ²⁰⁷⁰ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17]  ²⁰⁷¹ tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.

[34:18]  ²⁰⁷³ tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19]  ²⁰⁷⁷ tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ²⁰⁷⁸ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ²⁰⁷⁹ tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).

[34:19]  ²⁰⁸⁰ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20]  ²⁰⁸¹ sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21]  ²⁰⁸⁵ tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21]  ²⁰⁸⁶ tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22]  ²⁰⁸⁹ tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23]  ²⁰⁹³ tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[34:24]  ²⁰⁹⁷ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ²⁰⁹⁸ tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ²⁰⁹⁹ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25]  ²¹⁰¹ tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25]  ²¹⁰² tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.

[34:27]  ²¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.

[34:27]  ²¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.

[34:28]  ²¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29]  ²¹¹³ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30]  ²¹¹⁷ tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.

[34:30]  ²¹¹⁸ tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.

[34:30]  ²¹¹⁹ tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31]  ²¹²¹ tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ²¹²⁵ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ²¹²⁶ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ²¹²⁷ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:2]  ²¹²⁹ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ²¹³⁰ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

[35:3]  ²¹³³ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

[35:3]  ²¹³⁴ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

[35:3]  ²¹³⁵ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

[35:3]  ²¹³⁶ tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).

[35:4]  ²¹³⁷ tn Heb “in their hand.”

[35:4]  ²¹³⁸ 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).

[35:4]  ²¹³⁹ 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.

[35:4]  ²¹⁴⁰ tn Or “terebinth.”

[35:5]  ²¹⁴¹ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ²¹⁴² tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).

[35:6]  ²¹⁴⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ²¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”

[35:7]  ²¹⁴⁹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ²¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.

[35:8]  ²¹⁵³ sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.

[35:8]  ²¹⁵⁴ tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ²¹⁵⁵ tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.

[35:10]  ²¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:11]  ²¹⁶¹ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[35:11]  ²¹⁶² tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:12]  ²¹⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the Lord made it certain; but it has the sense “promised to give.”

[35:12]  ²¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”

[35:13]  ²¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”

[35:14]  ²¹⁷³ tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.

[35:14]  ²¹⁷⁴ tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.

[35:15]  ²¹⁷⁷ sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.

[35:15]  ²¹⁷⁸ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:16]  ²¹⁸¹ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ²¹⁸² tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”

[35:17]  ²¹⁸⁵ tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).

[35:17]  ²¹⁸⁶ sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.

[35:18]  ²¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ²¹⁹⁰ sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.

[35:18]  ²¹⁹¹ tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.

[35:19]  ²¹⁹³ sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.

[35:20]  ²¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[35:20]  ²¹⁹⁸ tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).

[35:21]  ²²⁰¹ sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.

[35:22]  ²²⁰⁵ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:27]  ²²⁰⁹ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ²²¹⁰ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ²²¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[35:28]  ²²¹³ tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”

[35:29]  ²²¹⁷ tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[35:29]  ²²¹⁸ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

[36:1]  ²²²¹ sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.

[36:2]  ²²²⁵ tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”

[36:2]  ²²²⁶ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:6]  ²²²⁹ tn Heb “from before.”

[36:7]  ²²³³ tn Heb “land of their settlements.”

[36:8]  ²²³⁷ tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.

[36:9]  ²²⁴¹ sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.

[36:12]  ²²⁴⁵ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:13]  ²²⁴⁹ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:14]  ²²⁵³ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:15]  ²²⁵⁷ tn Or “clan leaders” (so also throughout this chapter).

[36:15]  ²²⁵⁸ tn Or “sons.”

[36:16]  ²²⁶¹ tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).

[36:16]  ²²⁶² tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:17]  ²²⁶⁵ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:20]  ²²⁶⁹ sn The same pattern of sons, grandsons, and chiefs is now listed for Seir the Horite. “Seir” is both the name of the place and the name of the ancestor of these tribes. The name “Horite” is probably not to be identified with “Hurrian.” The clan of Esau settled in this area, intermarried with these Horites and eventually dispossessed them, so that they all became known as Edomites (Deut 2:12 telescopes the whole development).

[36:21]  ²²⁷³ tn Or “sons.”

[36:22]  ²²⁷⁷ tn Heb “Hemam”; this is probably a variant spelling of “Homam” (1 Chr 1:39); cf. NRSV, NLT “Heman.”

[36:23]  ²²⁸¹ tn This name is given as “Shephi” in 1 Chr 1:40.

[36:24]  ²²⁸⁵ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”

[36:25]  ²²⁸⁹ tn Heb “sons,” but since a daughter is included in the list, the word must be translated “children.”

[36:26]  ²²⁹³ tn Heb “Dishan,” but this must be either a scribal error or variant spelling, since “Dishan” is mentioned in v. 28 (see also v. 21).

[36:31]  ²²⁹⁷ tn Or perhaps “before any Israelite king ruled over [them].”

[36:37]  ²³⁰¹ tn Typically the Hebrew expression “the River” refers to the Euphrates River, but it is not certain whether that is the case here. Among the modern English versions which take this as a reference to the Euphrates are NASB, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT. Cf. NAB, TEV “Rehoboth-on-the-River.”

[36:39]  ²³⁰⁵ tc Most mss of the MT read “Hadar” here; “Hadad” is the reading found in some Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac (cf. also 1 Chr 1:50).

[36:39]  ²³⁰⁶ tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.

[36:43]  ²³⁰⁹ tn Or perhaps “territories”; Heb “dwelling places.”

[37:1]  ²³¹³ tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”

[37:1]  ²³¹⁴ sn The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a concluding contrast with Esau and his people. In contrast to all the settled and expanded population of Esau, Jacob was still moving about in the land without a permanent residence and without kings. Even if the Edomite king list was added later (as the reference to kings in Israel suggests), its placement here in contrast to Jacob and his descendants is important. Certainly the text deals with Esau before dealing with Jacob – that is the pattern. But the detail is so great in chap. 36 that the contrast cannot be missed.

[37:2]  ²³¹⁷ tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”

[37:2]  ²³¹⁸ tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”

[37:2]  ²³¹⁹ tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.

[37:2]  ²³²⁰ tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”

[37:2]  ²³²¹ tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.

[37:3]  ²³²¹ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

[37:3]  ²³²² tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

[37:3]  ²³²³ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

[37:4]  ²³²⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ²³²⁶ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

[37:4]  ²³²⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ²³²⁸ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

[37:5]  ²³²⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ²³³⁰ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ²³³¹ sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.

[37:5]  ²³³² tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:6]  ²³³³ tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”

[37:7]  ²³³⁷ tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”

[37:7]  ²³³⁸ tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.

[37:8]  ²³⁴¹ tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”

[37:8]  ²³⁴² tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ²³⁴³ sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.

[37:9]  ²³⁴⁵ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ²³⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.

[37:10]  ²³⁴⁹ sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.

[37:10]  ²³⁵⁰ tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”

[37:11]  ²³⁵³ sn Joseph’s brothers were already jealous of him, but this made it even worse. Such jealousy easily leads to action, as the next episode in the story shows. Yet dreams were considered a form of revelation, and their jealousy was not only of the favoritism of their father, but of the dreams. This is why Jacob kept the matter in mind.

[37:11]  ²³⁵⁴ tn Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the translation for clarity, and the words “in mind” have been supplied for stylistic reasons.

[37:13]  ²³⁵⁷ tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”

[37:13]  ²³⁵⁸ sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.

[37:13]  ²³⁵⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[37:14]  ²³⁶¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:14]  ²³⁶² tn Heb “see.”

[37:14]  ²³⁶³ tn Heb “peace.”

[37:14]  ²³⁶⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ²³⁶⁵ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ²³⁶⁶ tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.

[37:16]  ²³⁶⁹ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[37:17]  ²³⁷³ tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”

[37:18]  ²³⁷⁷ tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ²³⁸¹ tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.

[37:20]  ²³⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

[37:20]  ²³⁸⁶ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”

[37:21]  ²³⁸⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:21]  ²³⁹⁰ sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).

[37:21]  ²³⁹¹ tn Heb “and he said.”

[37:21]  ²³⁹² tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”

[37:22]  ²³⁹³ tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

[37:22]  ²³⁹⁴ sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.

[37:22]  ²³⁹⁵ tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:22]  ²³⁹⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:22]  ²³⁹⁷ tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.

[37:23]  ²³⁹⁷ tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:24]  ²⁴⁰¹ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.

[37:25]  ²⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”

[37:25]  ²⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.

[37:25]  ²⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”

[37:27]  ²⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”

[37:27]  ²⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “listened.”

[37:28]  ²⁴¹³ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ²⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ²⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ²⁴¹⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:29]  ²⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.

[37:31]  ²⁴²¹ sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.

[37:32]  ²⁴²⁵ tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.

[37:33]  ²⁴²⁹ sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.

[37:34]  ²⁴³³ tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”

[37:35]  ²⁴³⁷ tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.

[37:35]  ²⁴³⁸ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Indeed I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol.’” Sheol was viewed as the place where departed spirits went after death.

[37:35]  ²⁴³⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ²⁴⁴¹ tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.

[37:36]  ²⁴⁴² tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”

[37:36]  ²⁴⁴³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ²⁴⁴⁴ sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.

[38:1]  ²⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “went down from.”

[38:1]  ²⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”

[38:1]  ²⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”

[38:2]  ²⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

[38:2]  ²⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

[38:2]  ²⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “and he took her.”

[38:2]  ²⁴⁵² tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:3]  ²⁴⁵³ tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).

[38:3]  ²⁴⁵⁴ tc Some mss read this verb as feminine, “she called,” to match the pattern of the next two verses. But the MT, “he called,” should probably be retained as the more difficult reading.

[38:5]  ²⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.

[38:5]  ²⁴⁵⁸ tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”

[38:6]  ²⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “and Judah took.”

[38:8]  ²⁴⁶⁵ tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:8]  ²⁴⁶⁶ tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.

[38:8]  ²⁴⁶⁷ sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.

[38:9]  ²⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “offspring.”

[38:9]  ²⁴⁷⁰ tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.

[38:9]  ²⁴⁷¹ tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.

[38:9]  ²⁴⁷² tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:9]  ²⁴⁷³ tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.

[38:10]  ²⁴⁷³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:11]  ²⁴⁷⁷ tn Heb “said.”

[38:11]  ²⁴⁷⁸ tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”

[38:12]  ²⁴⁸¹ sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.

[38:12]  ²⁴⁸² tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”

[38:13]  ²⁴⁸⁵ tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”

[38:13]  ²⁴⁸⁶ tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.

[38:14]  ²⁴⁸⁹ tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.

[38:14]  ²⁴⁹⁰ tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”

[38:15]  ²⁴⁹³ tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.

[38:16]  ²⁴⁹⁷ tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:16]  ²⁴⁹⁸ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ²⁴⁹⁹ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:17]  ²⁵⁰¹ tn Heb “until you send.”

[38:18]  ²⁵⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:19]  ²⁵⁰⁹ tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.

[38:20]  ²⁵¹³ tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ²⁵¹⁴ tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

[38:20]  ²⁵¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:21]  ²⁵¹⁷ tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.

[38:21]  ²⁵¹⁸ sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213-23.

[38:23]  ²⁵²¹ tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:23]  ²⁵²² tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.

[38:24]  ²⁵²⁵ tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”

[38:24]  ²⁵²⁶ tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.

[38:24]  ²⁵²⁷ tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”

[38:25]  ²⁵²⁹ 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.

[38:25]  ²⁵³⁰ tn Heb “who these to him.”

[38:25]  ²⁵³¹ tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”

[38:26]  ²⁵³³ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  ²⁵³⁴ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:28]  ²⁵³⁷ tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ²⁵⁴¹ tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ²⁵⁴² tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”

[38:29]  ²⁵⁴³ sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.

[38:30]  ²⁵⁴⁵ sn Perhaps the child was named Zerah because of the scarlet thread. Though the Hebrew word used for “scarlet thread” in v. 28 is not related to the name Zerah, there is a related root in Babylonian and western Aramaic that means “scarlet” or “scarlet thread.” In Hebrew the name appears to be derived from a root meaning “to shine.” The name could have originally meant something like “shining one” or “God has shined.” Zerah became the head of a tribe (Num 26:20) from whom Achan descended (Josh 7:1).

[39:1]  ²⁵⁴⁹ tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.

[39:1]  ²⁵⁵⁰ sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.

[39:1]  ²⁵⁵¹ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

[39:2]  ²⁵⁵³ tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).

[39:2]  ²⁵⁵⁴ tn Heb “and he was.”

[39:3]  ²⁵⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:4]  ²⁵⁶¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.

[39:4]  ²⁵⁶² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:4]  ²⁵⁶³ tn Heb “put into his hand.”

[39:5]  ²⁵⁶⁵ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ²⁵⁶⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ²⁵⁶⁷ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ²⁵⁶⁸ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ²⁵⁶⁹ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.

[39:6]  ²⁵⁶⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ²⁵⁷⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.

[39:6]  ²⁵⁷¹ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ²⁵⁷² tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ²⁵⁷³ sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.

[39:6]  ²⁵⁷⁴ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[39:7]  ²⁵⁷³ tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.

[39:7]  ²⁵⁷⁴ tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:8]  ²⁵⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he said.”

[39:8]  ²⁵⁷⁸ tn Heb “know.”

[39:8]  ²⁵⁷⁹ tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:8]  ²⁵⁸⁰ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:9]  ²⁵⁸¹ tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.

[39:10]  ²⁵⁸⁵ tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.

[39:10]  ²⁵⁸⁶ tn Heb “listen to.”

[39:10]  ²⁵⁸⁷ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:11]  ²⁵⁸⁹ tn Heb “and it was about this day.”

[39:11]  ²⁵⁹⁰ tn Heb “the men of the house.”

[39:12]  ²⁵⁹³ tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.

[39:12]  ²⁵⁹⁴ sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.

[39:14]  ²⁵⁹⁷ tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[39:14]  ²⁵⁹⁸ sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.

[39:14]  ²⁵⁹⁹ tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.

[39:14]  ²⁶⁰⁰ tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:14]  ²⁶⁰¹ tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”

[39:15]  ²⁶⁰¹ tn Heb “that I raised.”

[39:17]  ²⁶⁰⁵ tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”

[39:17]  ²⁶⁰⁶ sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.

[39:17]  ²⁶⁰⁷ tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.

[39:19]  ²⁶⁰⁹ tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”

[39:19]  ²⁶¹⁰ tn Heb “according to these words.”

[39:19]  ²⁶¹¹ tn Heb “did to me.”

[39:19]  ²⁶¹² tn Heb “his anger burned.”

[39:20]  ²⁶¹³ tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.

[39:20]  ²⁶¹⁴ sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.

[39:21]  ²⁶¹⁷ tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”

[39:21]  ²⁶¹⁸ tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).

[39:22]  ²⁶²¹ tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.

[39:23]  ²⁶²⁵ tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”

[39:23]  ²⁶²⁶ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[40:1]  ²⁶²⁹ sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.

[40:1]  ²⁶³⁰ sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.

[40:1]  ²⁶³¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.

[40:2]  ²⁶³³ tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.

[40:4]  ²⁶³⁷ sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.

[40:4]  ²⁶³⁸ tn Heb “they were days in custody.”

[40:5]  ²⁶⁴¹ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[40:5]  ²⁶⁴² tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”

[40:5]  ²⁶⁴³ tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”

[40:6]  ²⁶⁴⁵ tn The verb זָעַף (za’af) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.

[40:7]  ²⁶⁴⁹ tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”

[40:8]  ²⁶⁵³ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ²⁶⁵⁴ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:9]  ²⁶⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.

[40:11]  ²⁶⁶¹ tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:11]  ²⁶⁶² sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.

[40:12]  ²⁶⁶⁵ tn Heb “the three branches [are].”

[40:13]  ²⁶⁶⁹ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”

[40:13]  ²⁶⁷⁰ tn Heb “according to the former custom.”

[40:14]  ²⁶⁷³ tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.

[40:14]  ²⁶⁷⁴ tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.

[40:14]  ²⁶⁷⁵ tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”

[40:14]  ²⁶⁷⁶ tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.

[40:14]  ²⁶⁷⁷ tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.

[40:15]  ²⁶⁷⁷ tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

[40:16]  ²⁶⁸¹ tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[40:16]  ²⁶⁸² tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).

[40:18]  ²⁶⁸⁵ tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”

[40:19]  ²⁶⁸⁹ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.

[40:20]  ²⁶⁹³ tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cup bearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).

[40:21]  ²⁶⁹⁷ tn Heb “his cupbearing.”

[40:22]  ²⁷⁰¹ tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”

[40:23]  ²⁷⁰⁵ tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.

[41:1]  ²⁷⁰⁹ tn Heb “two years, days.”

[41:1]  ²⁷¹⁰ tn Heb “was dreaming.”

[41:2]  ²⁷¹³ tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:3]  ²⁷¹⁷ tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”

[41:3]  ²⁷¹⁸ tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:5]  ²⁷²¹ tn Heb “coming up.”

[41:5]  ²⁷²² tn Heb “fat.”

[41:6]  ²⁷²⁵ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:7]  ²⁷²⁹ tn Heb “And look, a dream.”

[41:8]  ²⁷³³ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[41:8]  ²⁷³⁴ tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.

[41:8]  ²⁷³⁵ tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.

[41:8]  ²⁷³⁶ tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).

[41:8]  ²⁷³⁷ tn “there was no interpreter.”

[41:8]  ²⁷³⁸ tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:9]  ²⁷³⁷ tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).

[41:11]  ²⁷⁴¹ tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”

[41:12]  ²⁷⁴⁵ tn Or “slave.”

[41:12]  ²⁷⁴⁶ tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

[41:12]  ²⁷⁴⁷ tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:12]  ²⁷⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

[41:13]  ²⁷⁴⁹ tn Heb “interpreted.”

[41:13]  ²⁷⁵⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:13]  ²⁷⁵¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:14]  ²⁷⁵³ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

[41:15]  ²⁷⁵⁷ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[41:15]  ²⁷⁵⁸ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

[41:15]  ²⁷⁵⁹ tn Heb “saying.”

[41:15]  ²⁷⁶⁰ tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”

[41:16]  ²⁷⁶¹ tn Heb “not within me.”

[41:16]  ²⁷⁶² tn Heb “God will answer.”

[41:16]  ²⁷⁶³ tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[41:17]  ²⁷⁶⁵ tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:18]  ²⁷⁶⁹ tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”

[41:19]  ²⁷⁷³ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:19]  ²⁷⁷⁴ tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:20]  ²⁷⁷⁷ tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”

[41:21]  ²⁷⁸¹ tn Heb “when they went inside them.”

[41:21]  ²⁷⁸² tn Heb “it was not known.”

[41:22]  ²⁷⁸⁵ tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”

[41:23]  ²⁷⁸⁹ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:24]  ²⁷⁹³ tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ²⁷⁹⁴ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”

[41:25]  ²⁷⁹⁷ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

[41:25]  ²⁷⁹⁸ tn Heb “declared.”

[41:25]  ²⁷⁹⁹ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

[41:26]  ²⁸⁰¹ tn Heb “one dream it is.”

[41:27]  ²⁸⁰⁵ tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”

[41:28]  ²⁸⁰⁹ tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”

[41:30]  ²⁸¹³ tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.

[41:30]  ²⁸¹⁴ tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.

[41:31]  ²⁸¹⁷ tn Heb “known.”

[41:31]  ²⁸¹⁸ tn Or “heavy.”

[41:32]  ²⁸²¹ tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”

[41:32]  ²⁸²² tn Heb “established.”

[41:32]  ²⁸²³ tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.

[41:33]  ²⁸²⁵ tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:33]  ²⁸²⁶ tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:33]  ²⁸²⁷ tn Heb “and let him set him.”

[41:34]  ²⁸²⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”

[41:34]  ²⁸³⁰ tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:34]  ²⁸³¹ tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.

[41:34]  ²⁸³² tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.

[41:35]  ²⁸³³ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:35]  ²⁸³⁴ tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”

[41:35]  ²⁸³⁵ tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.

[41:35]  ²⁸³⁶ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.

[41:36]  ²⁸³⁷ tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”

[41:37]  ²⁸⁴¹ tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”

[41:38]  ²⁸⁴⁵ tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.

[41:38]  ²⁸⁴⁶ tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

[41:39]  ²⁸⁴⁹ tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:40]  ²⁸⁵³ tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions – such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40,” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19.

[41:40]  ²⁸⁵⁴ tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”

[41:41]  ²⁸⁵⁷ tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].”

[41:41]  ²⁸⁵⁸ sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31.

[41:42]  ²⁸⁶¹ tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.

[41:43]  ²⁸⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:43]  ²⁸⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”

[41:43]  ²⁸⁶⁷ tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).

[41:44]  ²⁸⁶⁹ tn Heb “apart from you.”

[41:44]  ²⁸⁷⁰ tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.

[41:44]  ²⁸⁷¹ tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.

[41:45]  ²⁸⁷³ sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 1262).

[41:45]  ²⁸⁷⁴ sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.

[41:45]  ²⁸⁷⁵ sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.

[41:45]  ²⁸⁷⁶ tn Heb “and he passed through.”

[41:46]  ²⁸⁷⁷ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

[41:46]  ²⁸⁷⁸ tn Heb “when he stood before.”

[41:46]  ²⁸⁷⁹ tn Heb “went out from before.”

[41:46]  ²⁸⁸⁰ tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”

[41:47]  ²⁸⁸¹ tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”

[41:48]  ²⁸⁸⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:48]  ²⁸⁸⁶ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:48]  ²⁸⁸⁷ tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”

[41:49]  ²⁸⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.

[41:50]  ²⁸⁹³ tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”

[41:50]  ²⁸⁹⁴ tn Heb “gave birth for him.”

[41:51]  ²⁸⁹⁷ sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.

[41:51]  ²⁸⁹⁸ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ²⁸⁹⁹ tn Or “for.”

[41:52]  ²⁹⁰¹ sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.

[41:52]  ²⁹⁰² tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:52]  ²⁹⁰³ tn Or “for.”

[41:54]  ²⁹⁰⁵ tn Heb “began to arrive.”

[41:55]  ²⁹⁰⁹ tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.

[41:56]  ²⁹¹³ tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.

[41:56]  ²⁹¹⁴ tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.

[41:57]  ²⁹¹⁷ tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.

[42:1]  ²⁹²¹ tn Heb “saw.”

[42:1]  ²⁹²² tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ²⁹²³ sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.

[42:2]  ²⁹²⁵ tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:2]  ²⁹²⁶ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

[42:2]  ²⁹²⁷ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

[42:4]  ²⁹²⁹ tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.

[42:4]  ²⁹³⁰ tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.

[42:4]  ²⁹³¹ tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.

[42:4]  ²⁹³² tn Heb “encounters.”

[42:5]  ²⁹³³ tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”

[42:6]  ²⁹³⁷ tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.

[42:6]  ²⁹³⁸ sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).

[42:6]  ²⁹³⁹ tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.

[42:7]  ²⁹⁴¹ sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.

[42:7]  ²⁹⁴² tn Heb “said.”

[42:7]  ²⁹⁴³ tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.

[42:9]  ²⁹⁴⁵ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

[42:9]  ²⁹⁴⁶ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

[42:10]  ²⁹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.

[42:12]  ²⁹⁵³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.

[42:13]  ²⁹⁵⁷ tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”

[42:13]  ²⁹⁵⁸ tn Heb “today.”

[42:13]  ²⁹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and the one is not.”

[42:14]  ²⁹⁶¹ tn Heb “to you, saying.”

[42:15]  ²⁹⁶⁵ tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”

[42:16]  ²⁹⁶⁹ tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.

[42:16]  ²⁹⁷⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.

[42:16]  ²⁹⁷¹ tn Heb “bound.”

[42:16]  ²⁹⁷² tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:16]  ²⁹⁷³ tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”

[42:17]  ²⁹⁷³ sn The same Hebrew word is used for Joseph’s imprisonment in 40:3, 4, 7. There is some mirroring going on in the narrative. The Hebrew word used here (אָסַף, ’asaf, “to gather”) is not normally used in a context like this (for placing someone in prison), but it forms a wordplay on the name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yosoef) and keeps the comparison working.

[42:18]  ²⁹⁷⁷ tn Heb “Do this.”

[42:18]  ²⁹⁷⁸ tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.

[42:18]  ²⁹⁷⁹ sn For I fear God. Joseph brings God into the picture to awaken his brothers’ consciences. The godly person cares about the welfare of people, whether they live or die. So he will send grain back, but keep one of them in Egypt. This action contrasts with their crime of selling their brother into slavery.

[42:19]  ²⁹⁸¹ tn Heb “bound in the house of your prison.”

[42:19]  ²⁹⁸² tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal.

[42:19]  ²⁹⁸³ tn Heb “[for] the hunger of your households.”

[42:20]  ²⁹⁸⁵ tn The imperfect here has an injunctive force.

[42:20]  ²⁹⁸⁶ tn After the injunctive imperfect, this imperfect with vav indicates purpose or result.

[42:20]  ²⁹⁸⁷ tn The Niphal form of the verb has the sense of “to be faithful; to be sure; to be reliable.” Joseph will test his brothers to see if their words are true.

[42:20]  ²⁹⁸⁸ tn Heb “and they did so.”

[42:21]  ²⁹⁸⁹ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”

[42:21]  ²⁹⁹⁰ tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”

[42:21]  ²⁹⁹¹ tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”

[42:21]  ²⁹⁹² sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.

[42:22]  ²⁹⁹³ tn Heb “and also his blood, look, it is required.” God requires compensation, as it were, from those who shed innocent blood (see Gen 9:6). In other words, God exacts punishment for the crime of murder.

[42:23]  ²⁹⁹⁷ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[42:23]  ²⁹⁹⁸ tn “was listening.” The brothers were not aware that Joseph could understand them as they spoke the preceding words in their native language.

[42:23]  ²⁹⁹⁹ tn Heb “for [there was] an interpreter between them.” On the meaning of the word here translated “interpreter” see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ and M. A. Canney, “The Hebrew melis (Prov IX 12; Gen XLII 2-3),” AJSL 40 (1923/24): 135-37.

[42:24]  ³⁰⁰¹ tn Heb “and he turned to them and spoke to them.”

[42:24]  ³⁰⁰² tn Heb “took Simeon.” This was probably done at Joseph’s command, however; the grand vizier of Egypt would not have personally seized a prisoner.

[42:24]  ³⁰⁰³ tn Heb “and he bound him.” See the note on the preceding verb “taken.”

[42:25]  ³⁰⁰⁵ tn Heb “and they filled.” The clause appears to be elliptical; one expects “Joseph gave orders to fill…and they filled.” See GKC 386 §120.f.

[42:25]  ³⁰⁰⁶ tn Heb “and he did for them so.” Joseph would appear to be the subject of the singular verb. If the text is retained, the statement seems to be a summary of the preceding, more detailed statement. However, some read the verb as plural, “and they did for them so.” In this case the statement indicates that Joseph’s subordinates carried out his orders. Another alternative is to read the singular verb as passive (with unspecified subject), “and this was done for them so” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[42:26]  ³⁰⁰⁹ tn Heb “and they went from there.”

[42:27]  ³⁰¹³ tn Heb “and the one.” The article indicates that the individual is vivid in the mind of the narrator, yet it is not important to identify him by name.

[42:27]  ³⁰¹⁴ tn Heb “at the lodging place.”

[42:27]  ³⁰¹⁵ tn Heb “and look, it [was] in the mouth of his sack.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to look through the eyes of the character and thereby draws attention to the money.

[42:28]  ³⁰¹⁷ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

[42:28]  ³⁰¹⁸ tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

[42:28]  ³⁰¹⁹ tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.

[42:30]  ³⁰²¹ tn Heb “made us.”

[42:30]  ³⁰²² tn The words “if we were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:32]  ³⁰²⁵ tn Heb “twelve [were] we, brothers, sons of our father [are] we.”

[42:32]  ³⁰²⁶ tn Heb “the one is not.”

[42:32]  ³⁰²⁷ tn Heb “today.”

[42:33]  ³⁰²⁹ tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:34]  ³⁰³³ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.

[42:34]  ³⁰³⁴ tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”

[42:34]  ³⁰³⁵ sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.

[42:36]  ³⁰³⁷ tn Heb “is not.”

[42:36]  ³⁰³⁸ tn Heb “is not.”

[42:36]  ³⁰³⁹ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.

[42:37]  ³⁰⁴¹ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is permissive here.

[42:37]  ³⁰⁴² tn Heb “my hand.”

[42:38]  ³⁰⁴⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[42:38]  ³⁰⁴⁶ sn The expression he alone is left meant that (so far as Jacob knew) Benjamin was the only surviving child of his mother Rachel.

[42:38]  ³⁰⁴⁷ sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble.

[42:38]  ³⁰⁴⁸ tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.

[43:1]  ³⁰⁴⁹ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.

[43:3]  ³⁰⁵³ tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.

[43:3]  ³⁰⁵⁴ tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”

[43:4]  ³⁰⁵⁷ tn Heb “if there is you sending,” that is, “if you send.”

[43:6]  ³⁰⁶¹ tn The verb may even have a moral connotation here, “Why did you do evil to me?”

[43:6]  ³⁰⁶² tn The infinitive construct here explains how they brought trouble on Jacob.

[43:7]  ³⁰⁶⁵ tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[43:7]  ³⁰⁶⁶ tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.

[43:7]  ³⁰⁶⁷ sn The report given here concerning Joseph’s interrogation does not exactly match the previous account where they supplied the information to clear themselves (see 42:13). This section may reflect how they remembered the impact of his interrogation, whether he asked the specific questions or not. That may be twisting the truth to protect themselves, not wanting to admit that they volunteered the information. (They admitted as much in 42:31, but now they seem to be qualifying that comment.) On the other hand, when speaking to Joseph later (see 44:19), Judah claims that Joseph asked for the information about their family, making it possible that 42:13 leaves out some of the details of their first encounter.

[43:7]  ³⁰⁶⁸ tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”

[43:7]  ³⁰⁶⁹ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the imperfect verbal form, which here is a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of a past time).

[43:7]  ³⁰⁷⁰ tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).

[43:8]  ³⁰⁶⁹ tn Heb “and we will rise up and we will go.” The first verb is adverbial and gives the expression the sense of “we will go immediately.”

[43:8]  ³⁰⁷⁰ tn After the preceding cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form (either imperfect or cohortative) with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or result.

[43:9]  ³⁰⁷³ tn The pronoun before the first person verbal form draws attention to the subject and emphasizes Judah’s willingness to be personally responsible for the boy.

[43:9]  ³⁰⁷⁴ sn I will bear the blame before you all my life. It is not clear how this would work out if Benjamin did not come back. But Judah is offering his life for Benjamin’s if Benjamin does not return.

[43:10]  ³⁰⁷⁷ tn Heb “we could have returned.”

[43:12]  ³⁰⁸¹ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[43:12]  ³⁰⁸² tn Heb “take back in your hand.” The imperfect verbal form probably has an injunctive or obligatory force here, since Jacob is instructing his sons.

[43:13]  ³⁰⁸⁵ tn Heb “arise, return,” meaning “get up and go back,” or “go back immediately.”

[43:13]  ³⁰⁸⁶ sn The man refers to the Egyptian official, whom the reader or hearer of the narrative knows is Joseph. In this context both the sons and Jacob refer to him simply as “the man” (see vv. 3-7).

[43:14]  ³⁰⁸⁹ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[43:14]  ³⁰⁹⁰ tn Heb “release to you.” After the jussive this perfect verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) probably indicates logical consequence, as well as temporal sequence.

[43:14]  ³⁰⁹¹ sn Several Jewish commentators suggest that the expression your other brother refers to Joseph. This would mean that Jacob prophesied unwittingly. However, it is much more likely that Simeon is the referent of the phrase “your other brother” (see Gen 42:24).

[43:14]  ³⁰⁹² tn Heb “if I am bereaved I am bereaved.” With this fatalistic sounding statement Jacob resolves himself to the possibility of losing both Benjamin and Simeon.

[43:15]  ³⁰⁹³ tn Heb “they arose and went down to Egypt.” The first verb has an adverbial function and emphasizes that they departed right away.

[43:17]  ³⁰⁹⁷ tn Heb “the man.” This has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.

[43:17]  ³⁰⁹⁸ sn This verse is a summary statement. The next verses delineate intermediate steps (see v. 24) in the process.

[43:18]  ³¹⁰¹ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[43:18]  ³¹⁰² tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.

[43:18]  ³¹⁰³ tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.

[43:18]  ³¹⁰⁴ tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[43:20]  ³¹⁰⁵ tn The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the finite verbal form.

[43:20]  ³¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “in the beginning” (see the note on the phrase “last time” in v. 18).

[43:21]  ³¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “in its weight.”

[43:21]  ³¹¹⁰ tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”

[43:23]  ³¹¹³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘peace to you.’” Here the statement has the force of “everything is fine,” or perhaps even “calm down.” The referent of “he” (the man in charge of Joseph’ household) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[43:23]  ³¹¹⁴ sn Your God and the God of your father…This is the first clear reference in the story to the theme of divine providence – that God works through the human actions to do his will.

[43:23]  ³¹¹⁵ tn Heb “your money came to me.”

[43:24]  ³¹¹⁷ tn Heb “the man.”

[43:25]  ³¹²¹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.

[43:25]  ³¹²² tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.

[43:25]  ³¹²³ tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).

[43:26]  ³¹²⁵ tn Heb “into the house.”

[43:27]  ³¹²⁹ tn Heb “concerning peace.”

[43:28]  ³¹³³ tn Heb “and they bowed low and they bowed down.” The use of synonyms here emphasizes the brothers’ humility.

[43:29]  ³¹³⁷ tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ³¹³⁸ sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.

[43:30]  ³¹⁴¹ tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.

[43:30]  ³¹⁴² tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”

[43:31]  ³¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “and he controlled himself and said.”

[43:32]  ³¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:32]  ³¹⁵⁰ tn Or “disgraceful.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 46:34 and Exod 8:22.

[43:32]  ³¹⁵¹ tn Heb “and they set for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for the Egyptians are not able to eat food with the Hebrews, for it is an abomination for the Egyptians.” The imperfect verbal form in the explanatory clause is taken as habitual in force, indicating a practice that was still in effect in the narrator’s time.

[43:33]  ³¹⁵³ tn Heb “the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth.”

[43:33]  ³¹⁵⁴ sn The brothers’ astonishment indicates that Joseph arranged them in this way. They were astonished because there was no way, as far as they were concerned, that Joseph could have known the order of their birth.

[43:34]  ³¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”

[43:34]  ³¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “and they drank and were intoxicated with him” (cf. NIV “drank freely with him”; NEB “grew merry”; NRSV “were merry”). The brothers were apparently relaxed and set at ease, despite Joseph’s obvious favoritism toward Benjamin.

[44:2]  ³¹⁶¹ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.

[44:2]  ³¹⁶² tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”

[44:3]  ³¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “the morning was light.”

[44:3]  ³¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.” This clause, like the preceding one, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

[44:4]  ³¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”

[44:4]  ³¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.

[44:4]  ³¹⁷¹ tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[44:4]  ³¹⁷² tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”

[44:5]  ³¹⁷³ tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[44:5]  ³¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.

[44:5]  ³¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”

[44:6]  ³¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:7]  ³¹⁸¹ tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”

[44:7]  ³¹⁸² tn Heb “according to this thing.”

[44:9]  ³¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.

[44:10]  ³¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.

[44:10]  ³¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”

[44:10]  ³¹⁹¹ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:10]  ³¹⁹² tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.

[44:11]  ³¹⁹³ tn Heb “and they hurried and they lowered.” Their speed in doing this shows their presumption of innocence.

[44:12]  ³¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:14]  ³²⁰¹ sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.

[44:14]  ³²⁰² tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.

[44:15]  ³²⁰⁵ tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”

[44:15]  ³²⁰⁶ tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.

[44:16]  ³²⁰⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.

[44:16]  ³²¹⁰ tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”

[44:16]  ³²¹¹ sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.

[44:17]  ³²¹³ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:17]  ³²¹⁴ tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).

[44:18]  ³²¹⁷ tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”

[44:18]  ³²¹⁸ tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”

[44:18]  ³²¹⁹ sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.

[44:20]  ³²²¹ tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.

[44:20]  ³²²² tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:20]  ³²²³ tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”

[44:21]  ³²²⁵ tn The cohortative after the imperative indicates purpose here.

[44:21]  ³²²⁶ tn Heb “that I may set my eyes upon him.”

[44:22]  ³²²⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the boy’s father, i.e., Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[44:22]  ³²³⁰ tn The last two verbs are perfect tenses with vav consecutive. The first is subordinated to the second as a conditional clause.

[44:26]  ³²³³ tn The direct object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but is implied; “there” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[44:26]  ³²³⁴ tn Heb “go down.”

[44:27]  ³²³⁷ tn Heb “that two sons my wife bore to me.”

[44:28]  ³²⁴¹ tn Heb “went forth from me.”

[44:29]  ³²⁴⁵ tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”

[44:29]  ³²⁴⁶ sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.

[44:29]  ³²⁴⁷ tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).

[44:29]  ³²⁴⁸ tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.

[44:30]  ³²⁴⁹ tn Heb “his life is bound up in his life.”

[44:31]  ³²⁵³ tn Heb “when he sees that there is no boy.”

[44:32]  ³²⁵⁷ tn Or “for.”

[44:34]  ³²⁶¹ tn The Hebrew text has “lest I see,” which expresses a negative purpose – “I cannot go up lest I see.”

[44:34]  ³²⁶² tn Heb “the calamity which would find my father.”