Genesis 24:1-67

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ¹  and the Lord had blessed him ²  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ³  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ⁴  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ⁵  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ⁶  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 ⁷  to find ⁸  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ⁹  to this land? Must I then ¹⁰  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ¹¹  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ¹²  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ¹³  promised me with a solemn oath, ¹⁴  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ¹⁵  before you so that you may find ¹⁶  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ¹⁷  you will be free ¹⁸  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. ¹⁹ 

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. ²⁰  He journeyed ²¹  to the region of Aram Naharaim ²²  and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ²³  outside the city. It was evening, ²⁴  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. ²⁵  Be faithful ²⁶  to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, ²⁷  and the daughters of the people ²⁸  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.’ ²⁹  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ³⁰ 

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ³¹  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). ³²  24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ³³  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant ³⁴  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 ³⁵  her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, ³⁶  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied ³⁷  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 ³⁸  if the Lord had made his journey successful ³⁹  or not.

24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka ⁴⁰  and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels ⁴¹  and gave them to her. ⁴²  24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. ⁴³  “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. ⁴⁴  24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, ⁴⁵  “and room for you ⁴⁶  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 ⁴⁷  for my master! The Lord has led me ⁴⁸  to the house ⁴⁹  of my master’s relatives!” ⁵⁰ 

24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about ⁵¹  these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ⁵²  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 ⁵³  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ⁵⁴  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ⁵⁵  by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, ⁵⁶  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ⁵⁷  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ⁵⁸  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ⁵⁹  went to the house and unloaded ⁶⁰  the camels. Straw and feed were given ⁶¹  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ⁶²  24:33 When food was served, ⁶³  he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” ⁶⁴  “Tell us,” Laban said. ⁶⁵ 

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. ⁶⁶  The Lord ⁶⁷  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 ⁶⁸  when she was old, ⁶⁹  and my master ⁷⁰  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 ⁷¹  a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ⁷²  with me?’ ⁷³  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ⁷⁴  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 ⁷⁵  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, ⁷⁶  may events unfold as follows: ⁷⁷  24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. ⁷⁸  When ⁷⁹  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, ⁸⁰  along came Rebekah ⁸¹  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.’ ⁸²  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 ⁸³  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.” ⁸⁴ 

24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. ⁸⁵  Our wishes are of no concern. ⁸⁶  24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ⁸⁷  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ⁸⁸ 

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he ⁸⁹  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. ⁹⁰ 

When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” ⁹¹  24:55 But Rebekah’s ⁹²  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 ⁹³  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ⁹⁴  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ⁹⁵  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ⁹⁶  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: ⁹⁷ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ⁹⁸  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ⁹⁹  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ¹⁰⁰  the man. So Abraham’s servant ¹⁰¹  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ¹⁰²  Isaac came from ¹⁰³  Beer Lahai Roi, ¹⁰⁴  for ¹⁰⁵  he was living in the Negev. ¹⁰⁶  24:63 He ¹⁰⁷  went out to relax ¹⁰⁸  in the field in the early evening. ¹⁰⁹  Then he looked up ¹¹⁰  and saw that ¹¹¹  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ¹¹²  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ¹¹³  Abraham’s servant, ¹¹⁴  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ¹¹⁵  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ¹¹⁶  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ¹¹⁷  as his wife and loved her. ¹¹⁸  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ¹¹⁹ 

Genesis 5:12-17

5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.

5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.

Genesis 6:11-14

6:11 The earth was ruined ¹²⁰  in the sight of ¹²¹  God; the earth was filled with violence. ¹²²  6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed ¹²³  it was ruined, ¹²⁴  for all living creatures ¹²⁵  on the earth were sinful. ¹²⁶  6:13 So God said ¹²⁷  to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, ¹²⁸  for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy ¹²⁹  them and the earth. 6:14 Make ¹³⁰  for yourself an ark of cypress ¹³¹  wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover ¹³²  it with pitch inside and out.

Jeremiah 15:2-4

15:2 If they ask you, ‘Where should we go?’ tell them the Lord says this:

“Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease.

Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war.

Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation.

Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.” ¹³³ 

15:3 “I will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them. I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies. I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses. ¹³⁴  15:4 I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what has happened to them because of what Hezekiah’s son Manasseh, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.” ¹³⁵ 

Jeremiah 42:22

42:22 So now be very sure of this: You will die from war, starvation, or disease in the place where you want to go and live.”

Jeremiah 44:12

44:12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go ¹³⁶  and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle ¹³⁷  or perish from starvation. People of every class ¹³⁸  will die in war or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse. ¹³⁹ 

[24:1]  ¹ tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ² tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ³ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

[24:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “because you must not take.”

[24:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

[24:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “and take.”

[24:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ¹⁵ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[24:10]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ²² tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:11]  ²³ tn Heb “well of water.”

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

[24:12]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

[24:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:13]  ²⁸ tn Heb “the men.”

[24:14]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:18]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”

[24:19]  ³⁶ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:20]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

[24:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).

[24:22]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:23]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:27]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “brothers.”

[24:28]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “according to.”

[24:29]  ⁵² tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.

[24:30]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[24:32]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:32]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

[24:32]  ⁶² tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

[24:33]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

[24:33]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “my words.”

[24:33]  ⁶⁵ tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”

[24:35]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

[24:35]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:36]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “after her old age.”

[24:36]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:38]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

[24:39]  ⁷³ tn Heb “after me.”

[24:40]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ⁷⁷ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[24:43]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:43]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[24:45]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

[24:47]  ⁸² tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

[24:50]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:51]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

[24:53]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:54]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

[24:54]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

[24:55]  ⁹² tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:56]  ⁹³ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ⁹⁴ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:57]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

[24:58]  ⁹⁶ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[24:60]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

[24:61]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:62]  ¹⁰² tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “the South [country].”

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

[24:65]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ¹¹⁵ 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]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

[24:67]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

[24:67]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.

[6:11]  ¹²⁰ tn Apart from Gen 6:11-12, the Niphal form of this verb occurs in Exod 8:20 HT (8:24 ET), where it describes the effect of the swarms of flies on the land of Egypt; Jer 13:7 and 18:4, where it is used of a “ruined” belt and “marred” clay pot, respectively; and Ezek 20:44, where it describes Judah’s morally “corrupt” actions. The sense “morally corrupt” fits well in Gen 6:11 because of the parallelism (note “the earth was filled with violence”). In this case “earth” would stand by metonymy for its sinful inhabitants. However, the translation “ruined” works just as well, if not better. In this case humankind’s sin is viewed has having an adverse effect upon the earth. Note that vv. 12b-13 make a distinction between the earth and the living creatures who live on it.

[6:11]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “before.”

[6:11]  ¹²² tn The Hebrew word translated “violence” refers elsewhere to a broad range of crimes, including unjust treatment (Gen 16:5; Amos 3:10), injurious legal testimony (Deut 19:16), deadly assault (Gen 49:5), murder (Judg 9:24), and rape (Jer 13:22).

[6:12]  ¹²³ tn Or “God saw how corrupt the earth was.”

[6:12]  ¹²⁴ tn The repetition in the text (see v. 11) emphasizes the point.

[6:12]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “flesh.” Since moral corruption is in view here, most modern western interpreters understand the referent to be humankind. However, the phrase “all flesh” is used consistently of humankind and the animals in Gen 6-9 (6:17, 19; 7:15-16, 21; 8:17; 9:11, 15-17), suggesting that the author intends to picture all living creatures, humankind and animals, as guilty of moral failure. This would explain why the animals, not just humankind, are victims of the ensuing divine judgment. The OT sometimes views animals as morally culpable (Gen 9:5; Exod 21:28-29; Jonah 3:7-8). The OT also teaches that a person’s sin can contaminate others (people and animals) in the sinful person’s sphere (see the story of Achan, especially Josh 7:10). So the animals could be viewed here as morally contaminated because of their association with sinful humankind.

[6:12]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “had corrupted its way.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “way” refers to the collective “all flesh.” The construction “corrupt one’s way” occurs only here (though Ezek 16:47 uses the Hiphil in an intransitive sense with the preposition בְּ [bet, “in”] followed by “ways”). The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) means “to ruin, to destroy, to corrupt,” often as here in a moral/ethical sense. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to behavior or moral character, a sense that it frequently carries (see BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a).

[6:13]  ¹²⁷ sn On the divine style utilized here, see R. Lapointe, “The Divine Monologue as a Channel of Revelation,” CBQ 32 (1970): 161-81.

[6:13]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “the end of all flesh is coming [or “has come”] before me.” (The verb form is either a perfect or a participle.) The phrase “end of all flesh” occurs only here. The term “end” refers here to the end of “life,” as v. 3 and the following context (which describes how God destroys all flesh) make clear. The statement “the end has come” occurs in Ezek 7:2, 6, where it is used of divine judgment. The phrase “come before” occurs in Exod 28:30, 35; 34:34; Lev 15:14; Num 27:17; 1 Sam 18:13, 16; 2 Sam 19:8; 20:8; 1 Kgs 1:23, 28, 32; Ezek 46:9; Pss 79:11 (groans come before God); 88:3 (a prayer comes before God); 100:2; 119:170 (prayer comes before God); Lam 1:22 (evil doing comes before God); Esth 1:19; 8:1; 9:25; 1 Chr 16:29. The expression often means “have an audience with” or “appear before.” But when used metaphorically, it can mean “get the attention of” or “prompt a response.” This is probably the sense in Gen 6:13. The necessity of ending the life of all flesh on earth is an issue that has gotten the attention of God. The term “end” may even be a metonymy for that which has prompted it – violence (see the following clause).

[6:13]  ¹²⁹ tn The participle, especially after הִנֵּה (hinneh) has an imminent future nuance. The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) here has the sense “to destroy” (in judgment). Note the wordplay involving this verb in vv. 11-13: The earth is “ruined” because all flesh has acted in a morally “corrupt” manner. Consequently, God will “destroy” all flesh (the referent of the suffix “them”) along with the ruined earth. They had ruined themselves and the earth with violence, and now God would ruin them with judgment. For other cases where “earth” occurs as the object of the Hiphil of שָׁחָת, see 1 Sam 6:5; 1 Chr 20:1; Jer 36:29; 51:25.

[6:14]  ¹³⁰ sn The Hebrew verb is an imperative. A motif of this section is that Noah did as the Lord commanded him – he was obedient. That obedience had to come from faith in the word of the Lord. So the theme of obedience to God’s word is prominent in this prologue to the law.

[6:14]  ¹³¹ tn A transliteration of the Hebrew term yields “gopher (גֹּפֶר, gofer) wood” (so KJV, NAB, NASB). While the exact nature of the wood involved is uncertain (cf. NLT “resinous wood”), many modern translations render the Hebrew term as “cypress” (so NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[6:14]  ¹³² tn The Hebrew term כָּפָר (kafar, “to cover, to smear” [= to caulk]) appears here in the Qal stem with its primary, nonmetaphorical meaning. The Piel form כִּפֶּר (kipper), which has the metaphorical meaning “to atone, to expiate, to pacify,” is used in Levitical texts (see HALOT 493-94 s.v. כפר). Some authorities regard the form in v. 14 as a homonym of the much more common Levitical term (see BDB 498 s.v. כָּפָר).

[15:2]  ¹³³ tn It is difficult to render the rhetorical force of this passage in meaningful English. The text answers the question “Where should we go?” with four brief staccato-like expressions with a play on the preposition “to”: Heb “Who to the death, to the death and who to the sword, to the sword and who to the starvation, to the starvation and who to the captivity, to the captivity.” The word “death” here is commonly understood to be a poetic substitute for “plague” because of the standard trio of sword, famine, and plague (see, e.g., 14:12 and the notes there). This is likely here and in 18:21. For further support see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 1:440. The nuance “starvation” rather than “famine” has been chosen in the translation because the referents here are all things that accompany war.

[15:3]  ¹³⁴ tn The translation attempts to render in understandable English some rather unusual uses of terms here. The verb translated “punish” is often used that way (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.A.3 and compare usage in Jer 11:22, 13:21). However, here it is accompanied by a direct object and a preposition meaning “over” which is usually used in the sense of appointing someone over someone (cf. BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד Qal.B.1 and compare usage in Jer 51:27). Moreover the word translated “different ways” normally refers to “families,” “clans,” or “guilds” (cf. BDB 1046-47 s.v. מִשְׁפָּחָה for usage). Hence the four things mentioned are referred to figuratively as officers or agents into whose power the Lord consigns them. The Hebrew text reads: “I will appoint over them four guilds, the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy.”

[15:4]  ¹³⁵ tn The length of this sentence runs contrary to the normal policy followed in the translation of breaking up long sentences. However, there does not seem any way to break it up here without losing the connections.

[44:12]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “they set their face to go.” Compare 44:11 and 42:14 and see the translator’s note at 42:15.

[44:12]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “fall by the sword.”

[44:12]  ¹³⁸ tn Or “All of them without distinction,” or “All of them from the least important to the most important”; Heb “From the least to the greatest.” See the translator’s note on 42:1 for the meaning of this idiom.

[44:12]  ¹³⁹ tn See the study note on 24:9 and the usage in 29:22 for the meaning and significance of this last phrase.