Genesis 22:1--27:46

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 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.

The Death of Sarah

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.

The Wife for Isaac

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 

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ²¹¹  another ²¹²  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. ²¹³  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 ²¹⁴  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 ²¹⁵  and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. ²¹⁶ 

25:7 Abraham lived a total of ²¹⁷  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. ²¹⁸  He joined his ancestors. ²¹⁹  25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ²²⁰  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. ²²¹  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ²²²  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ²²³ 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ²²⁴  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: ²²⁵  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 ²²⁶  according to their clans.

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ²²⁷  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ²²⁸  25:18 His descendants ²²⁹  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ²³⁰  to Egypt all the way ²³¹  to Asshur. ²³²  They settled ²³³  away from all their relatives. ²³⁴ 

Jacob and Esau

25:19 This is the account of Isaac, ²³⁵  the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, ²³⁶  the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ²³⁷ 

25:21 Isaac prayed to ²³⁸  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 ²³⁹  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ²⁴⁰  So she asked the Lord, ²⁴¹  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ²⁴²  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, ²⁴³  there were ²⁴⁴  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ²⁴⁵  all over, ²⁴⁶  like a hairy ²⁴⁷  garment, so they named him Esau. ²⁴⁸  25:26 When his brother came out with ²⁴⁹  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ²⁵⁰  Isaac was sixty years old ²⁵¹  when they were born.

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ²⁵²  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ²⁵³  25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, ²⁵⁴  but Rebekah loved ²⁵⁵  Jacob.

25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, ²⁵⁶  and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed ²⁵⁷  me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called ²⁵⁸  Edom.) ²⁵⁹ 

25:31 But Jacob replied, “First ²⁶⁰  sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” ²⁶¹  25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ²⁶²  So Esau ²⁶³  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ²⁶⁴  to Jacob.

25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. ²⁶⁵  So Esau despised his birthright. ²⁶⁶ 

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ²⁶⁷  in the days of Abraham. ²⁶⁸  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; ²⁶⁹  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ²⁷⁰  26:3 Stay ²⁷¹  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ²⁷²  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ²⁷³  and I will fulfill ²⁷⁴  the solemn promise I made ²⁷⁵  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 ²⁷⁶  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ²⁷⁷  26:5 All this will come to pass ²⁷⁸  because Abraham obeyed me ²⁷⁹  and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ²⁸⁰  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.” ²⁸¹  He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, ²⁸²  “The men of this place will kill me to get ²⁸³  Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”

26:8 After Isaac ²⁸⁴  had been there a long time, ²⁸⁵  Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed ²⁸⁶  Isaac caressing ²⁸⁷  his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ²⁸⁸  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ²⁸⁹ 

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ²⁹⁰  One of the men ²⁹¹  might easily have had sexual relations with ²⁹²  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches ²⁹³  this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ²⁹⁴ 

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ²⁹⁵  because the Lord blessed him. ²⁹⁶  26:13 The man became wealthy. ²⁹⁷  His influence continued to grow ²⁹⁸  until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had ²⁹⁹  so many sheep ³⁰⁰  and cattle ³⁰¹  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ³⁰²  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ³⁰³  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, ³⁰⁴  for you have become much more powerful ³⁰⁵  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ³⁰⁶  26:18 Isaac reopened ³⁰⁷  the wells that had been dug ³⁰⁸  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ³⁰⁹  after Abraham died. Isaac ³¹⁰  gave these wells ³¹¹  the same names his father had given them. ³¹² 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ³¹³  water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ³¹⁴  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ³¹⁵  named the well ³¹⁶  Esek ³¹⁷  because they argued with him about it. ³¹⁸  26:21 His servants ³¹⁹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ³²⁰  Sitnah. ³²¹  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ³²²  named it ³²³  Rehoboth, ³²⁴  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac ³²⁵  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 ³²⁶  the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. ³²⁷ 

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ³²⁸  to him from Gerar along with ³²⁹  Ahuzzah his friend ³³⁰  and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me ³³¹  and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ³³²  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ³³³  a pact between us ³³⁴  – between us ³³⁵  and you. Allow us to make ³³⁶  a treaty with you 26:29 so that ³³⁷  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ³³⁸  you, but have always treated you well ³³⁹  before sending you away ³⁴⁰  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ³⁴¹ 

26:30 So Isaac ³⁴²  held a feast for them and they celebrated. ³⁴³  26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ³⁴⁴  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ³⁴⁵ 

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ³⁴⁶  26:33 So he named it Shibah; ³⁴⁷  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ³⁴⁸  to this day.

26:34 When ³⁴⁹  Esau was forty years old, ³⁵⁰  he married ³⁵¹  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. ³⁵² 

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ³⁵³  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ³⁵⁴  he called his older ³⁵⁵  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ³⁵⁶  replied. 27:2 Isaac ³⁵⁷  said, “Since ³⁵⁸  I am so old, I could die at any time. ³⁵⁹  27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game ³⁶⁰  for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then ³⁶¹  I will eat it so that I may bless you ³⁶²  before I die.”

27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. ³⁶³  When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, ³⁶⁴  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 ³⁶⁵  it and bless you ³⁶⁶  in the presence of the Lord ³⁶⁷  before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do ³⁶⁸  exactly what I tell you! ³⁶⁹  27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare ³⁷⁰  them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take ³⁷¹  it to your father. Thus he will eat it ³⁷²  and ³⁷³  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! ³⁷⁴  27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him ³⁷⁵  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, ³⁷⁶  my son! Just obey me! ³⁷⁷  Go and get them for me!”

27:14 So he went and got the goats ³⁷⁸  and brought them to his mother. She ³⁷⁹  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 ³⁸⁰  on his hands ³⁸¹  and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed ³⁸²  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 ³⁸³  replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” ³⁸⁴  27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ³⁸⁵  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ³⁸⁶  27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world ³⁸⁷  did you find it so quickly, ³⁸⁸  my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” ³⁸⁹  he replied. ³⁹⁰  27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, ³⁹¹  my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” ³⁹²  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. ³⁹³  27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob ³⁹⁴  replied. 27:25 Isaac ³⁹⁵  said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. ³⁹⁶  Then I will bless you.” ³⁹⁷  So Jacob ³⁹⁸  brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac ³⁹⁹  drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob ⁴⁰⁰  went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent ⁴⁰¹  of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,

“Yes, ⁴⁰²  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 ⁴⁰³ 

and the richness ⁴⁰⁴  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 ⁴⁰⁵  lord ⁴⁰⁶  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ⁴⁰⁷ 

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 ⁴⁰⁸  his father’s ⁴⁰⁹  presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. ⁴¹⁰  27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau ⁴¹¹  said to him, “My father, get up ⁴¹²  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” ⁴¹³  27:32 His father Isaac asked, ⁴¹⁴  “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” ⁴¹⁵  he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently ⁴¹⁶  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. ⁴¹⁷  He will indeed be blessed!”

27:34 When Esau heard ⁴¹⁸  his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. ⁴¹⁹  He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac ⁴²⁰  replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away ⁴²¹  your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! ⁴²²  He has tripped me up ⁴²³  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!” ⁴²⁴  Then Esau wept loudly. ⁴²⁵ 

27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,

“Indeed, ⁴²⁶  your home will be

away from the richness ⁴²⁷  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.” ⁴²⁸ 

27:41 So Esau hated ⁴²⁹  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ⁴³⁰  Esau said privately, ⁴³¹  “The time ⁴³²  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁴³³  my brother Jacob!”

27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, ⁴³⁴  she quickly summoned ⁴³⁵  her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. ⁴³⁶  27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. ⁴³⁷  Run away immediately ⁴³⁸  to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while ⁴³⁹  until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there ⁴⁴⁰  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. ⁴⁴¹  Why should I lose both of you in one day?” ⁴⁴² 

27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed ⁴⁴³  because of these daughters of Heth. ⁴⁴⁴  If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” ⁴⁴⁵ 

Numbers 15:32-36

15:32 When the Israelites were ⁴⁴⁶  in the wilderness they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. ⁴⁴⁷  15:33 Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to the whole community. 15:34 They put him in custody, because there was no clear instruction about what should be done to him. 15:35 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; the whole community must stone ⁴⁴⁸  him with stones outside the camp.” 15:36 So the whole community took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, ⁴⁴⁹  just as the Lord commanded Moses.

Nehemiah 13:15-21

13:15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath, bringing in heaps of grain and loading them onto donkeys, along with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, and bringing them to Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day that they sold these provisions. 13:16 The people from Tyre ⁴⁵⁰  who lived there were bringing fish and all kinds of merchandise and were selling it on the Sabbath to the people of Judah – and in Jerusalem, of all places! ⁴⁵¹  13:17 So I registered a complaint with the nobles of Judah, saying to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day? 13:18 Isn’t this the way your ancestors ⁴⁵²  acted, causing our God to bring on them and on this city all this misfortune? And now you are causing even more wrath on Israel, profaning the Sabbath like this!”

13:19 When the evening shadows ⁴⁵³  began to fall on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered ⁴⁵⁴  the doors to be closed. I further directed that they were not to be opened until after the Sabbath. I positioned ⁴⁵⁵  some of my young men at the gates so that no load could enter on the Sabbath day. 13:20 The traders and sellers of all kinds of merchandise spent the night outside Jerusalem once or twice. 13:21 But I warned them and said, ⁴⁵⁶  “Why do you spend the night by the wall? If you repeat this, I will forcibly remove you!” ⁴⁵⁷  From that time on they did not show up on the Sabbath. ⁴⁵⁸ 

John 5:9-12

5:9 Immediately the man was healed, ⁴⁵⁹  and he picked up his mat ⁴⁶⁰  and started walking. (Now that day was a Sabbath.) ⁴⁶¹ 

5:10 So the Jewish leaders ⁴⁶²  said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and you are not permitted to carry your mat.” ⁴⁶³  5:11 But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat ⁴⁶⁴  and walk.’” 5:12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat ⁴⁶⁵  and walk’?” ⁴⁶⁶ 

[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 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]  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 mss, the LXX, Syriac, and Samaritan Pentateuch read “one” (אֶחָד, ’ekhad) instead of “behind him” (אַחַר, ’akhar).

[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 Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.

[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]  ⁴¹ tn Or “inherit.”

[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]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “possession.”

[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]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “hear me.”

[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.”

[23:9]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “silver.”

[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]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “give.”

[23:13]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “silver.”

[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]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “silver.”

[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]  ⁹² tn Heb “days.”

[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.”

[24:4]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and take.”

[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.”

[24:13]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “the men.”

[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]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “to know.”

[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 Lord led me.”

[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 Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

[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 Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[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 Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

[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 Lord the matter has gone out.”

[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 Lord has spoken.”

[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.

[25:1]  ²¹¹ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ²¹² tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[25:3]  ²¹³ 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]  ²¹⁴ tn Or “sons.”

[25:6]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”

[25:6]  ²¹⁶ 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]  ²¹⁷ 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]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “old and full.”

[25:8]  ²¹⁹ 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]  ²²⁰ 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]  ²²¹ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:11]  ²²² 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]  ²²³ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ²²⁴ 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]  ²²⁵ 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]  ²²⁶ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

[25:17]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ²²⁸ 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]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ²³¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ²³² sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ²³³ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ²³⁴ 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]  ²³⁵ 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]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

[25:20]  ²³⁷ 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]  ²³⁸ 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]  ²³⁹ tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ²⁴⁰ 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]  ²⁴¹ 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]  ²⁴² 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]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ²⁴⁴ 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]  ²⁴⁵ 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]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ²⁴⁷ 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]  ²⁴⁸ 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]  ²⁴⁹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ²⁵⁰ 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]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:27]  ²⁵² tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ²⁵³ 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]  ²⁵⁴ 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]  ²⁵⁵ 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]  ²⁵⁶ 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]  ²⁵⁷ 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]  ²⁵⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.

[25:30]  ²⁵⁹ 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]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “today.”

[25:32]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”

[25:33]  ²⁶² tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ²⁶³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ²⁶⁴ 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]  ²⁶⁵ 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]  ²⁶⁶ 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]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ²⁶⁸ 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]  ²⁶⁹ 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]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “say to you.”

[26:3]  ²⁷¹ 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]  ²⁷² tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ²⁷³ 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]  ²⁷⁴ 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]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[26:4]  ²⁷⁶ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ²⁷⁷ 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]  ²⁷⁸ tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[26:5]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[26:5]  ²⁸⁰ 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]  ²⁸¹ sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.

[26:7]  ²⁸² 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]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “kill me on account of.”

[26:8]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:8]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”

[26:8]  ²⁸⁶ 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]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “fondling.”

[26:9]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ²⁸⁹ 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]  ²⁹⁰ 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]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ²⁹² 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]  ²⁹³ 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]  ²⁹⁴ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.

[26:12]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ²⁹⁶ tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[26:13]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.

[26:13]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.

[26:14]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ³⁰² tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ³⁰⁵ 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]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:18]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ³⁰⁸ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ³¹² tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ³¹³ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:20]  ³¹⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ³¹⁷ 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]  ³¹⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:21]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ³²¹ 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]  ³²² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ³²³ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ³²⁴ 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]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:25]  ³²⁶ 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]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

[26:26]  ³²⁸ 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]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ³³⁰ 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]  ³³¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.

[26:28]  ³³² tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ³³³ 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]  ³³⁴ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ³³⁵ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ³³⁶ 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]  ³³⁷ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

[26:29]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “touched.”

[26:29]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

[26:29]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

[26:29]  ³⁴¹ 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]  ³⁴² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:30]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”

[26:31]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

[26:31]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

[26:32]  ³⁴⁶ 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]  ³⁴⁷ 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]  ³⁴⁸ 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]  ³⁴⁹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.

[26:34]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “the son of forty years.”

[26:34]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “took as a wife.”

[26:35]  ³⁵² tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”

[27:1]  ³⁵³ 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]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ³⁵⁸ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.

[27:2]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”

[27:3]  ³⁶⁰ 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]  ³⁶¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:4]  ³⁶² 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]  ³⁶³ 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]  ³⁶⁴ tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.

[27:7]  ³⁶⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:7]  ³⁶⁶ tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.

[27:7]  ³⁶⁷ 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]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The Hebrew idiom means “to comply; to obey.”

[27:8]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “to that which I am commanding you.”

[27:9]  ³⁷⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:10]  ³⁷¹ 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]  ³⁷² 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]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:11]  ³⁷⁴ 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]  ³⁷⁵ 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]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “upon me your curse.”

[27:13]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”

[27:14]  ³⁷⁸ tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:14]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:16]  ³⁸⁰ 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]  ³⁸¹ 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]  ³⁸² tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”

[27:18]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:18]  ³⁸⁴ 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]  ³⁸⁵ 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]  ³⁸⁶ 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]  ³⁸⁷ 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]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.

[27:20]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”

[27:20]  ³⁹⁰ 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]  ³⁹¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:21]  ³⁹² 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]  ³⁹³ 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]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ³⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ³⁹⁶ 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]  ³⁹⁷ 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]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “see.”

[27:28]  ⁴⁰³ tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”

[27:28]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “and from the fatness.”

[27:29]  ⁴⁰⁵ 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]  ⁴⁰⁶ 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]  ⁴⁰⁷ 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]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite form of the verb makes the construction emphatic.

[27:30]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “the presence of Isaac his father.” The repetition of the proper name (“Isaac”) was

[27:30]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “and Esau his brother came from his hunt.”

[27:31]  ⁴¹¹ 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]  ⁴¹² tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

[27:31]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”

[27:32]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “said.”

[27:32]  ⁴¹⁵ 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]  ⁴¹⁶ 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]  ⁴¹⁷ 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]  ⁴¹⁸ tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.

[27:34]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”

[27:35]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ⁴²¹ tn Or “took”; “received.”

[27:36]  ⁴²² 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]  ⁴²³ 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]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:38]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”

[27:39]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “look.”

[27:39]  ⁴²⁷ tn Heb “from the fatness.”

[27:40]  ⁴²⁸ 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]  ⁴²⁹ tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

[27:41]  ⁴³⁰ tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

[27:41]  ⁴³¹ 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]  ⁴³² tn Heb “days.”

[27:41]  ⁴³³ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

[27:42]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”

[27:42]  ⁴³⁵ tn Heb “she sent and called for.”

[27:42]  ⁴³⁶ 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]  ⁴³⁷ tn Heb “listen to my voice.”

[27:43]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “arise, flee.”

[27:44]  ⁴³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:45]  ⁴⁴¹ 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]  ⁴⁴² tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.

[27:46]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).

[27:46]  ⁴⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”

[15:32]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn The preterite of the verb “to be” is here subordinated to the next, parallel verb form, to form a temporal clause.

[15:32]  ⁴⁴⁷ sn For this brief passage, see A. Phillips, “The Case of the Woodgatherer Reconsidered,” VT 19 (1969): 125-28; J. Weingreen, “The Case of the Woodgatherer (Numbers XV 32-36),” VT 16 (1966): 361-64; and B. J. Bamberger, “Revelations of Torah after Sinai,” HUCA 16 (1941): 97-113. Weingreen argues that there is something of the Rabbinic method of setting a fence around the Law here; in other words, if this sin were not punished, the Law would have been violated in greater ways. Gathering of wood, although seemingly harmless, is done with intent to kindle fire, and so reveals a culpable intent.

[15:35]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn The sentence begins with the emphatic use of the infinitive absolute with the verb in the Hophal imperfect: “he shall surely be put to death.” Then, a second infinitive absolute רָגוֹם (ragom) provides the explanatory activity – all the community is to stone him with stones. The punishment is consistent with other decrees from God (see Exod 31:14,15; 35:2). Moses had either forgotten such, or they had simply neglected to (or were hesitant to) enact them.

[15:36]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “stoned him with stones, and he died.”

[13:16]  ⁴⁵⁰ map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[13:16]  ⁴⁵¹ tn The words “of all places” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to indicate the emphasis on Jerusalem.

[13:18]  ⁴⁵² tn Heb “your fathers.”

[13:19]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “the gates of Jerusalem grew dark.”

[13:19]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Heb “said” (so also in v. 22).

[13:19]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “caused to stand.”

[13:21]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew text includes the words “to them,” but they have been excluded from the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:21]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “I will send a hand on you.”

[13:21]  ⁴⁵⁸ sn This statement contains a great deal of restrained humor. The author clearly takes pleasure in the effectiveness of the measures that he had enacted.

[5:9]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “became well.”

[5:9]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in the previous verse.

[5:9]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Grk “Now it was Sabbath on that day.”

[5:10]  ⁴⁶² tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the Jewish authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9).

[5:10]  ⁴⁶³ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.

[5:11]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn Or “pallet,” “mattress,” “cot,” or “stretcher.” See the note on “mat” in v. 8.

[5:12]  ⁴⁶⁵ tc While a number of mss, especially the later ones (A^c C³ D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt sy), include the words τον κραβ(β)ατ(τ)ον σου (ton krab(b)at(t)on sou, “your mat”) here, the earliest and best (Ì^66,75 א B C* L) do not. Nevertheless, in the translation, it is necessary to supply the words due to the demands of English style, which does not typically allow for understood or implied direct objects as Greek does.

[5:12]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Grk “Pick up and walk”; the object (the mat) is implied but not repeated.