Discovery BoxGenesis 22:1--24:67
Context22:1 Some time after these things God tested 1 Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham 2 replied. 22:2 God 3 said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac 4 – and go to the land of Moriah! 5 Offer him up there as a burnt offering 6 on one of the mountains which I will indicate to 7 you.”
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 8 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 9 for the place God had spoken to him about.
22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of 10 the place in the distance. 22:5 So he 11 said to his servants, “You two stay 12 here with the donkey while 13 the boy and I go up there. We will worship 14 and then return to you.” 15
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, 16 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 17 “My father?” “What is it, 18 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 19 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide 20 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 21 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 22 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 23 his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel 24 called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 25 the angel said. 26 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 27 that you fear 28 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
22:13 Abraham looked up 29 and saw 30 behind him 31 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 32 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.” 33 It is said to this day, 34 “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” 35
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,’ 36 decrees the Lord, 37 ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, 38 and I will greatly multiply 39 your descendants 40 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 41 of the strongholds 42 of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, 43 all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 44 using the name of your descendants.’”
22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together 45 for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. 46
22:20 After these things Abraham was told, “Milcah 47 also has borne children to your brother Nahor – 22:21 Uz the firstborn, his brother Buz, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 48 22:22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 22:23 (Now 49 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.
23:1 Sarah lived 127 years. 50 23:2 Then she 51 died in Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. 52
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 53 and said to the sons of Heth, 54 23:4 “I am a temporary settler 55 among you. Grant 56 me ownership 57 of a burial site among you so that I may 58 bury my dead.” 59
23:5 The sons of Heth answered Abraham, 60 23:6 “Listen, sir, 61 you are a mighty prince 62 among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you 63 from burying your dead.”
23:7 Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, 64 the sons of Heth. 23:8 Then he said to them, “If you agree 65 that I may bury my dead, 66 then hear me out. 67 Ask 68 Ephron the son of Zohar 23:9 if he will sell 69 me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me publicly 70 for the full price, 71 so that I may own it as a burial site.”
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 72 replied to Abraham in the hearing 73 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 74 of his city – 23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 75 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 76 In the presence of my people 77 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 78 to you the price 79 of the field. Take it from me so that I may 80 bury my dead there.”
23:14 Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 23:15 “Hear me, my lord. The land is worth 81 400 pieces of silver, 82 but what is that between me and you? So bury your dead.”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 83 and weighed 84 out for him 85 the price 86 that Ephron had quoted 87 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 88
23:17 So Abraham secured 89 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. 90
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 91 from the sons of Heth.
24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, 92 and the Lord had blessed him 93 in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one 94 in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh 95 24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise 96 by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire 97 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 98 to find 99 a wife for my son Isaac.”
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 100 to this land? Must I then 101 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:6 “Be careful 102 never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. 103 24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, 104 promised me with a solemn oath, 105 ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel 106 before you so that you may find 107 a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, 108 you will be free 109 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. 110
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. 111 He journeyed 112 to the region of Aram Naharaim 113 and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well 114 outside the city. It was evening, 115 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. 116 Be faithful 117 to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, 118 and the daughters of the people 119 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.’ 120 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 121
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 122 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). 123 24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. 124 She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant 125 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 126 her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, 127 she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied 128 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 129 if the Lord had made his journey successful 130 or not.
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 131 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 132 and gave them to her. 133 24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. 134 “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. 135 24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, 136 “and room for you 137 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 138 for my master! The Lord has led me 139 to the house 140 of my master’s relatives!” 141
24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about 142 these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) 143 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 144 and heard his sister Rebekah say, 145 “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing 146 by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, 147 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! 148 Why are you standing out here when I have prepared 149 the house and a place for the camels?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 150 went to the house and unloaded 151 the camels. Straw and feed were given 152 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 153 24:33 When food was served, 154 he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” 155 “Tell us,” Laban said. 156
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. 157 The Lord 158 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 159 when she was old, 160 and my master 161 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 162 a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go 163 with me?’ 164 24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, 165 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 166 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, 167 may events unfold as follows: 168 24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 169 When 170 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, 171 along came Rebekah 172 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.’ 173 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 174 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.” 175
24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. 176 Our wishes are of no concern. 177 24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become 178 the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” 179
24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he 180 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. 181
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 182 24:55 But Rebekah’s 183 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 184 has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return 185 to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” 186 24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want 187 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: 188
“Our sister, may you become the mother 189 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 190 of their enemies.”
24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with 191 the man. So Abraham’s servant 192 took Rebekah and left.
24:62 Now 193 Isaac came from 194 Beer Lahai Roi, 195 for 196 he was living in the Negev. 197 24:63 He 198 went out to relax 199 in the field in the early evening. 200 Then he looked up 201 and saw that 202 there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up 203 and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked 204 Abraham’s servant, 205 “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. 206 So she took her veil and covered herself.
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah 207 into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her 208 as his wife and loved her. 209 So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. 210
Genesis 28:1-22
Context28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 211 28:2 Leave immediately 212 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 213 bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! 214 Then you will become 215 a large nation. 216 28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham 217 so that you may possess the land 218 God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 219 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. 220 As he blessed him, 221 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 222 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 223 that the Canaanite women 224 were displeasing to 225 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 226 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 227 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 228 He took one of the stones 229 and placed it near his head. 230 Then he fell asleep 231 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 232 He saw 233 a stairway 234 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. 235 I will give you and your descendants the ground 236 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 237 and you will spread out 238 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 239 using your name and that of your descendants. 240 28:15 I am with you! 241 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 242 and thought, 243 “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 244 in the morning Jacob 245 took the stone he had placed near his head 246 and set it up as a sacred stone. 247 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 248 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 249 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 250 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 251 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 252 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 253
Numbers 33:2
Context33:2 Moses recorded their departures 254 according to their journeys, by the commandment 255 of the Lord; now these are their journeys according to their departures.
Daniel 9:13
Context9:13 Just as it is written in the law of Moses, so all this calamity has come on us. Still we have not tried to pacify 256 the LORD our God by turning back from our sin and by seeking wisdom 257 from your reliable moral standards. 258
Malachi 4:4
Context4:4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, to whom at Horeb 259 I gave rules and regulations for all Israel to obey. 260
Mark 10:4-5
Context10:4 They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” 261 10:5 But Jesus said to them, “He wrote this commandment for you because of your hard hearts. 262
Mark 12:19
Context12:19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us: ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man 263 must marry 264 the widow and father children 265 for his brother.’ 266
Luke 20:28
Context20:28 They asked him, 267 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies leaving a wife but no children, that man 268 must marry 269 the widow and father children 270 for his brother. 271
John 1:17
Context1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but 272 grace and truth came about through Jesus Christ.
John 1:45
Context1:45 Philip found Nathanael 273 and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also 274 wrote about – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 5:46
Context5:46 If 275 you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me.
[22:1] 1 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] 2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:2] 4 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] 5 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] 6 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] 7 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
[22:3] 8 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
[22:3] 9 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
[22:4] 10 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”
[22:5] 11 tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[22:5] 12 tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.
[22:5] 13 tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.
[22:5] 14 tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”
[22:5] 15 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] 16 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
[22:7] 17 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
[22:7] 18 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
[22:7] 19 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] 20 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
[22:9] 21 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] 22 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] 23 tn Heb “in order to slaughter.”
[22:11] 24 sn Heb “the messenger of the
[22:12] 25 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
[22:12] 26 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] 27 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
[22:12] 28 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
[22:13] 29 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
[22:13] 30 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] 31 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
[22:13] 32 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:14] 33 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] 34 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] 35 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] 36 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
[22:16] 37 tn Heb “the oracle of the
[22:17] 38 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] 39 tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).
[22:17] 40 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] 42 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] 43 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] 44 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] 45 tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”
[22:19] 46 tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.
[22:20] 47 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence begins with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to the statement.
[22:21] 48 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] 49 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] 50 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] 51 tn Heb “Sarah.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“she”) for stylistic reasons.
[23:2] 52 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] 53 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
[23:3] 54 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] 55 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
[23:4] 56 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] 58 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
[23:4] 59 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] 60 tn Heb “answered Abraham saying to him.”
[23:6] 61 tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”
[23:6] 62 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] 63 tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:7] 64 tn Heb “to the people of the land” (also in v. 12).
[23:8] 65 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] 66 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] 68 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
[23:9] 69 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] 70 tn Heb “in your presence.”
[23:10] 72 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
[23:10] 73 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
[23:10] 74 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] 75 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] 76 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] 77 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
[23:13] 80 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose or result.
[23:15] 81 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:15] 82 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] 83 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
[23:16] 84 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
[23:16] 85 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 87 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[23:16] 88 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] 89 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] 90 tn Heb “his city”; the referent (Ephron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[23:20] 91 tn Heb “possession of a grave.”
[24:1] 93 tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.
[24:2] 94 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
[24:2] 95 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] 96 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.
[24:3] 97 tn Heb “because you must not take.”
[24:4] 98 tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”
[24:5] 100 tn Heb “to go after me.”
[24:5] 101 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] 102 tn Heb “guard yourself.”
[24:6] 103 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] 104 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
[24:7] 105 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
[24:7] 106 tn Or “his messenger.”
[24:7] 107 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
[24:8] 108 tn Heb “ to go after you.”
[24:8] 109 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] 110 tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”
[24:10] 111 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] 112 tn Heb “and he arose and went.”
[24:10] 113 tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:11] 114 tn Heb “well of water.”
[24:11] 115 tn Heb “at the time of evening.”
[24:12] 116 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] 117 tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”
[24:13] 118 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:14] 120 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] 121 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] 122 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] 123 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] 124 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] 125 tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:18] 126 tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”
[24:19] 127 tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:20] 128 tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”
[24:21] 130 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] 131 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
[24:22] 132 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] 133 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:23] 134 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] 135 tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:25] 136 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] 137 tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
[24:27] 138 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
[24:27] 139 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
[24:27] 140 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
[24:27] 141 tn Heb “brothers.”
[24:28] 142 tn Heb “according to.”
[24:29] 143 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.
[24:30] 144 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] 145 tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”
[24:30] 146 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] 147 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:31] 148 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
[24:31] 149 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
[24:32] 150 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:32] 151 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] 152 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
[24:32] 153 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
[24:33] 154 tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”
[24:33] 155 tn Heb “my words.”
[24:33] 156 tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”
[24:35] 157 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
[24:35] 158 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
[24:36] 159 tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:36] 160 tn Heb “after her old age.”
[24:36] 161 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:38] 162 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] 163 tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.
[24:39] 164 tn Heb “after me.”
[24:40] 165 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
[24:41] 166 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] 167 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
[24:42] 168 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[24:43] 169 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
[24:43] 170 tn Heb “and it will be.”
[24:45] 171 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] 172 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
[24:47] 173 tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 174 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] 175 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] 176 tn Heb “From the
[24:50] 177 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] 178 tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:51] 179 tn Heb “as the
[24:53] 180 tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:54] 181 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
[24:54] 182 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
[24:55] 183 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:56] 184 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.
[24:56] 185 tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[24:57] 186 tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”
[24:58] 187 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
[24:60] 188 tn Heb “and said to her.”
[24:60] 189 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
[24:60] 190 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] 191 tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”
[24:61] 192 tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:62] 193 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
[24:62] 194 tn Heb “from the way of.”
[24:62] 195 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] 196 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
[24:62] 197 tn Or “the South [country].”
[24:63] 198 tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:63] 199 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).
[24:63] 200 tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”
[24:63] 201 tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.
[24:63] 202 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] 203 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
[24:65] 204 tn Heb “and she said to.”
[24:65] 205 tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[24:65] 206 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] 207 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
[24:67] 208 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[24:67] 209 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
[24:67] 210 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
[28:1] 211 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:2] 212 tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.
[28:3] 213 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[28:3] 214 tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.
[28:3] 215 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”
[28:3] 216 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
[28:4] 217 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] 218 tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[28:4] 219 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] 220 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
[28:6] 221 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
[28:6] 222 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 224 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
[28:8] 225 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
[28:9] 226 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
[28:11] 227 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] 228 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 229 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 230 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] 231 tn Heb “lay down.”
[28:12] 232 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 233 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
[28:12] 234 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] 235 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] 236 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] 237 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 238 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 239 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] 240 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 241 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] 242 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 244 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 245 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 246 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 247 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[28:19] 248 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
[28:20] 249 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 250 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 251 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 252 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 253 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.
[33:2] 254 tn Heb “their goings out.”
[9:13] 256 tn Heb “we have not pacified the face of.”
[9:13] 257 tn Or “by gaining insight.”
[9:13] 258 tn Heb “by your truth.” The Hebrew term does not refer here to abstract truth, however, but to the reliable moral guidance found in the covenant law. See vv 10-11.
[4:4] 259 sn Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai (cf. Exod 3:1).
[4:4] 260 tn Heb “which I commanded him in Horeb concerning all Israel, statutes and ordinances.”
[10:4] 261 tn Grk “to divorce.” The pronoun has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[10:5] 262 tn Grk “heart” (a collective singular).
[12:19] 263 tn Grk “his brother”; but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).
[12:19] 264 tn The use of ἵνα (Jina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).
[12:19] 265 tn Grk “raise up seed” (an idiom for fathering children).
[12:19] 266 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
[20:28] 267 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[20:28] 268 tn Grk “his brother”; but this would be redundant in English with the same phrase “his brother” at the end of the verse, so most modern translations render this phrase “the man” (so NIV, NRSV).
[20:28] 269 tn The use of ἵνα (Jina) with imperatival force is unusual (BDF §470.1).
[20:28] 270 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for procreating children (L&N 23.59).
[20:28] 271 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. Because the OT quotation does not include “a wife” as the object of the verb, it has been left as normal type. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
[1:17] 272 tn “But” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the implied contrast between the Mosaic law and grace through Jesus Christ. John 1:17 seems to indicate clearly that the Old Covenant (Sinai) was being contrasted with the New. In Jewish sources the Law was regarded as a gift from God (Josephus, Ant. 3.8.10 [3.223]; Pirqe Avot 1.1; Sifre Deut 31:4 §305). Further information can be found in T. F. Glasson, Moses in the Fourth Gospel (SBT).
[1:45] 273 sn Nathanael is traditionally identified with Bartholomew (although John never describes him as such). He appears here after Philip, while in all lists of the twelve except in Acts 1:13, Bartholomew follows Philip. Also, the Aramaic Bar-tolmai means “son of Tolmai,” the surname; the man almost certainly had another name.
[1:45] 274 tn “Also” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
