Genesis 25:1--30:43

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ¹  another ²  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. ³  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 ⁴  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 ⁵  and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. ⁶ 

25:7 Abraham lived a total of ⁷  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. ⁸  He joined his ancestors. ⁹  25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ¹⁰  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. ¹¹  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ¹²  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ¹³ 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ¹⁴  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: ¹⁵  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 ¹⁶  according to their clans.

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ¹⁷  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ¹⁸  25:18 His descendants ¹⁹  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ²⁰  to Egypt all the way ²¹  to Asshur. ²²  They settled ²³  away from all their relatives. ²⁴ 

Jacob and Esau

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

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, ²⁶  the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ²⁷ 

25:21 Isaac prayed to ²⁸  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 ²⁹  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ³⁰  So she asked the Lord, ³¹  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ³²  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, ³³  there were ³⁴  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ³⁵  all over, ³⁶  like a hairy ³⁷  garment, so they named him Esau. ³⁸  25:26 When his brother came out with ³⁹  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ⁴⁰  Isaac was sixty years old ⁴¹  when they were born.

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ⁴²  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ⁴³  25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, ⁴⁴  but Rebekah loved ⁴⁵  Jacob.

25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, ⁴⁶  and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed ⁴⁷  me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called ⁴⁸  Edom.) ⁴⁹ 

25:31 But Jacob replied, “First ⁵⁰  sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” ⁵¹  25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ⁵²  So Esau ⁵³  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ⁵⁴  to Jacob.

25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. ⁵⁵  So Esau despised his birthright. ⁵⁶ 

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ⁵⁷  in the days of Abraham. ⁵⁸  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; ⁵⁹  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ⁶⁰  26:3 Stay ⁶¹  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ⁶²  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ⁶³  and I will fulfill ⁶⁴  the solemn promise I made ⁶⁵  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 ⁶⁶  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ⁶⁷  26:5 All this will come to pass ⁶⁸  because Abraham obeyed me ⁶⁹  and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” ⁷⁰  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.” ⁷¹  He was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” for he thought to himself, ⁷²  “The men of this place will kill me to get ⁷³  Rebekah because she is very beautiful.”

26:8 After Isaac ⁷⁴  had been there a long time, ⁷⁵  Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed ⁷⁶  Isaac caressing ⁷⁷  his wife Rebekah. 26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ⁷⁸  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ⁷⁹ 

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ⁸⁰  One of the men ⁸¹  might easily have had sexual relations with ⁸²  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!” 26:11 So Abimelech commanded all the people, “Whoever touches ⁸³  this man or his wife will surely be put to death.” ⁸⁴ 

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ⁸⁵  because the Lord blessed him. ⁸⁶  26:13 The man became wealthy. ⁸⁷  His influence continued to grow ⁸⁸  until he became very prominent. 26:14 He had ⁸⁹  so many sheep ⁹⁰  and cattle ⁹¹  and such a great household of servants that the Philistines became jealous ⁹²  of him. 26:15 So the Philistines took dirt and filled up ⁹³  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, ⁹⁴  for you have become much more powerful ⁹⁵  than we are.” 26:17 So Isaac left there and settled in the Gerar Valley. ⁹⁶  26:18 Isaac reopened ⁹⁷  the wells that had been dug ⁹⁸  back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up ⁹⁹  after Abraham died. Isaac ¹⁰⁰  gave these wells ¹⁰¹  the same names his father had given them. ¹⁰² 

26:19 When Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well with fresh flowing ¹⁰³  water there, 26:20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled ¹⁰⁴  with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water belongs to us!” So Isaac ¹⁰⁵  named the well ¹⁰⁶  Esek ¹⁰⁷  because they argued with him about it. ¹⁰⁸  26:21 His servants ¹⁰⁹  dug another well, but they quarreled over it too, so Isaac named it ¹¹⁰  Sitnah. ¹¹¹  26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ¹¹²  named it ¹¹³  Rehoboth, ¹¹⁴  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

26:23 From there Isaac ¹¹⁵  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 ¹¹⁶  the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well. ¹¹⁷ 

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ¹¹⁸  to him from Gerar along with ¹¹⁹  Ahuzzah his friend ¹²⁰  and Phicol the commander of his army. 26:27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me? You hate me ¹²¹  and sent me away from you.” 26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ¹²²  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ¹²³  a pact between us ¹²⁴  – between us ¹²⁵  and you. Allow us to make ¹²⁶  a treaty with you 26:29 so that ¹²⁷  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ¹²⁸  you, but have always treated you well ¹²⁹  before sending you away ¹³⁰  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ¹³¹ 

26:30 So Isaac ¹³²  held a feast for them and they celebrated. ¹³³  26:31 Early in the morning the men made a treaty with each other. ¹³⁴  Isaac sent them off; they separated on good terms. ¹³⁵ 

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ¹³⁶  26:33 So he named it Shibah; ¹³⁷  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ¹³⁸  to this day.

26:34 When ¹³⁹  Esau was forty years old, ¹⁴⁰  he married ¹⁴¹  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. ¹⁴² 

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ¹⁴³  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ¹⁴⁴  he called his older ¹⁴⁵  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ¹⁴⁶  replied. 27:2 Isaac ¹⁴⁷  said, “Since ¹⁴⁸  I am so old, I could die at any time. ¹⁴⁹  27:3 Therefore, take your weapons – your quiver and your bow – and go out into the open fields and hunt down some wild game ¹⁵⁰  for me. 27:4 Then prepare for me some tasty food, the kind I love, and bring it to me. Then ¹⁵¹  I will eat it so that I may bless you ¹⁵²  before I die.”

27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. ¹⁵³  When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, ¹⁵⁴  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 ¹⁵⁵  it and bless you ¹⁵⁶  in the presence of the Lord ¹⁵⁷  before I die.’ 27:8 Now then, my son, do ¹⁵⁸  exactly what I tell you! ¹⁵⁹  27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare ¹⁶⁰  them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them. 27:10 Then you will take ¹⁶¹  it to your father. Thus he will eat it ¹⁶²  and ¹⁶³  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! ¹⁶⁴  27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him ¹⁶⁵  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, ¹⁶⁶  my son! Just obey me! ¹⁶⁷  Go and get them for me!”

27:14 So he went and got the goats ¹⁶⁸  and brought them to his mother. She ¹⁶⁹  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 ¹⁷⁰  on his hands ¹⁷¹  and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed ¹⁷²  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 ¹⁷³  replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” ¹⁷⁴  27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ¹⁷⁵  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ¹⁷⁶  27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world ¹⁷⁷  did you find it so quickly, ¹⁷⁸  my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” ¹⁷⁹  he replied. ¹⁸⁰  27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, ¹⁸¹  my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” ¹⁸²  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. ¹⁸³  27:24 Then he asked, “Are you really my son Esau?” “I am,” Jacob ¹⁸⁴  replied. 27:25 Isaac ¹⁸⁵  said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. ¹⁸⁶  Then I will bless you.” ¹⁸⁷  So Jacob ¹⁸⁸  brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac ¹⁸⁹  drank. 27:26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here and kiss me, my son.” 27:27 So Jacob ¹⁹⁰  went over and kissed him. When Isaac caught the scent ¹⁹¹  of his clothing, he blessed him, saying,

“Yes, ¹⁹²  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 ¹⁹³ 

and the richness ¹⁹⁴  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 ¹⁹⁵  lord ¹⁹⁶  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ¹⁹⁷ 

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 ¹⁹⁸  his father’s ¹⁹⁹  presence, when his brother Esau returned from the hunt. ²⁰⁰  27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau ²⁰¹  said to him, “My father, get up ²⁰²  and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” ²⁰³  27:32 His father Isaac asked, ²⁰⁴  “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” ²⁰⁵  he replied, “Esau!” 27:33 Isaac began to shake violently ²⁰⁶  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. ²⁰⁷  He will indeed be blessed!”

27:34 When Esau heard ²⁰⁸  his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. ²⁰⁹  He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!” 27:35 But Isaac ²¹⁰  replied, “Your brother came in here deceitfully and took away ²¹¹  your blessing.” 27:36 Esau exclaimed, “‘Jacob’ is the right name for him! ²¹²  He has tripped me up ²¹³  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!” ²¹⁴  Then Esau wept loudly. ²¹⁵ 

27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,

“Indeed, ²¹⁶  your home will be

away from the richness ²¹⁷  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.” ²¹⁸ 

27:41 So Esau hated ²¹⁹  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ²²⁰  Esau said privately, ²²¹  “The time ²²²  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ²²³  my brother Jacob!”

27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, ²²⁴  she quickly summoned ²²⁵  her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. ²²⁶  27:43 Now then, my son, do what I say. ²²⁷  Run away immediately ²²⁸  to my brother Laban in Haran. 27:44 Live with him for a little while ²²⁹  until your brother’s rage subsides. 27:45 Stay there ²³⁰  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. ²³¹  Why should I lose both of you in one day?” ²³² 

27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed ²³³  because of these daughters of Heth. ²³⁴  If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” ²³⁵ 

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! ²³⁶  28:2 Leave immediately ²³⁷  for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 28:3 May the sovereign God ²³⁸  bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! ²³⁹  Then you will become ²⁴⁰  a large nation. ²⁴¹  28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham ²⁴²  so that you may possess the land ²⁴³  God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” ²⁴⁴  28:5 So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. ²⁴⁵  As he blessed him, ²⁴⁶  Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” ²⁴⁷  28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized ²⁴⁸  that the Canaanite women ²⁴⁹  were displeasing to ²⁵⁰  his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married ²⁵¹  Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place ²⁵²  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ²⁵³  He took one of the stones ²⁵⁴  and placed it near his head. ²⁵⁵  Then he fell asleep ²⁵⁶  in that place 28:12 and had a dream. ²⁵⁷  He saw ²⁵⁸  a stairway ²⁵⁹  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ²⁶⁰  I will give you and your descendants the ground ²⁶¹  you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ²⁶²  and you will spread out ²⁶³  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ²⁶⁴  using your name and that of your descendants. ²⁶⁵  28:15 I am with you! ²⁶⁶  I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

28:16 Then Jacob woke up ²⁶⁷  and thought, ²⁶⁸  “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

28:18 Early ²⁶⁹  in the morning Jacob ²⁷⁰  took the stone he had placed near his head ²⁷¹  and set it up as a sacred stone. ²⁷²  Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, ²⁷³  although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food ²⁷⁴  to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, ²⁷⁵  then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone ²⁷⁶  that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely ²⁷⁷  give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” ²⁷⁸ 

The Marriages of Jacob

29:1 So Jacob moved on ²⁷⁹  and came to the land of the eastern people. ²⁸⁰  29:2 He saw ²⁸¹  in the field a well with ²⁸²  three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now ²⁸³  a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds ²⁸⁴  would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.

29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson ²⁸⁵  of Nahor?” “We know him,” ²⁸⁶  they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” ²⁸⁷  Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. ²⁸⁸  Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob ²⁸⁹  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ²⁹⁰  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ²⁹¹  29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water ²⁹²  the sheep.”

29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. ²⁹³  29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, ²⁹⁴  and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he ²⁹⁵  went over ²⁹⁶  and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. ²⁹⁷  29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. ²⁹⁸  29:12 When Jacob explained ²⁹⁹  to Rachel that he was a relative of her father ³⁰⁰  and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob ³⁰¹  told Laban how he was related to him. ³⁰²  29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ³⁰³  So Jacob ³⁰⁴  stayed with him for a month. ³⁰⁵ 

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ³⁰⁶  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ³⁰⁷  Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; ³⁰⁸  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, ³⁰⁹  but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) ³¹⁰  29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ³¹¹  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. ³¹²  Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ³¹³  But they seemed like only a few days to him ³¹⁴  because his love for her was so great. ³¹⁵ 

29:21 Finally Jacob said ³¹⁶  to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. ³¹⁷  I want to have marital relations with her.” ³¹⁸  29:22 So Laban invited all the people ³¹⁹  of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah ³²⁰  to Jacob, ³²¹  and Jacob ³²²  had marital relations with her. ³²³  29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ³²⁴ 

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ³²⁵  So Jacob ³²⁶  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ³²⁷  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ³²⁸  me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” ³²⁹  Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage ³³⁰  before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ³³¹  Then we will give you the younger one ³³²  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ³³³ 

29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. ³³⁴  When Jacob ³³⁵  completed Leah’s bridal week, ³³⁶  Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ³³⁷  29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ³³⁸  29:30 Jacob ³³⁹  had marital relations ³⁴⁰  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ³⁴¹  for seven more years. ³⁴² 

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ³⁴³  he enabled her to become pregnant ³⁴⁴  while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant ³⁴⁵  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ³⁴⁶  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ³⁴⁷  Surely my husband will love me now.”

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ³⁴⁸  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ³⁴⁹ 

29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, ³⁵⁰  because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. ³⁵¹ 

29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. ³⁵²  Then she stopped having children.

30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she ³⁵³  became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children ³⁵⁴  or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious ³⁵⁵  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ³⁵⁶  30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with ³⁵⁷  her so that she can bear ³⁵⁸  children ³⁵⁹  for me ³⁶⁰  and I can have a family through her.” ³⁶¹ 

30:4 So Rachel ³⁶²  gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with ³⁶³  her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant ³⁶⁴  and gave Jacob a son. ³⁶⁵  30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer ³⁶⁶  and given me a son.” That is why ³⁶⁷  she named him Dan. ³⁶⁸ 

30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. ³⁶⁹  30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ³⁷⁰  So she named him Naphtali. ³⁷¹ 

30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave ³⁷²  her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. ³⁷³  30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” ³⁷⁴  So she named him Gad. ³⁷⁵ 

30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. ³⁷⁶  30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, ³⁷⁷  for women ³⁷⁸  will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. ³⁷⁹ 

30:14 At the time ³⁸⁰  of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants ³⁸¹  in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, ³⁸²  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ³⁸³  Rachel said, “he may sleep ³⁸⁴  with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep ³⁸⁵  with me because I have paid for your services ³⁸⁶  with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations ³⁸⁷  with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention ³⁸⁸  to Leah; she became pregnant ³⁸⁹  and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. ³⁹⁰  30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward ³⁹¹  because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” ³⁹²  So she named him Issachar. ³⁹³ 

30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. ³⁹⁴  30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. ³⁹⁵ 

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

30:22 Then God took note of ³⁹⁶  Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. ³⁹⁷  30:23 She became pregnant ³⁹⁸  and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ³⁹⁹  30:24 She named him Joseph, ⁴⁰⁰  saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

The Flocks of Jacob

30:25 After Rachel had given birth ⁴⁰¹  to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send ⁴⁰²  me on my way so that I can go ⁴⁰³  home to my own country. ⁴⁰⁴  30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ⁴⁰⁵  Then I’ll depart, ⁴⁰⁶  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ⁴⁰⁷ 

30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, ⁴⁰⁸  for I have learned by divination ⁴⁰⁹  that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” ⁴¹⁰ 

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ⁴¹¹  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ⁴¹²  30:30 Indeed, ⁴¹³  you had little before I arrived, ⁴¹⁴  but now your possessions have increased many times over. ⁴¹⁵  The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. ⁴¹⁶  But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” ⁴¹⁷ 

30:31 So Laban asked, ⁴¹⁸  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ⁴¹⁹  Jacob replied, ⁴²⁰  “but if you agree to this one condition, ⁴²¹  I will continue to care for ⁴²²  your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among ⁴²³  all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, ⁴²⁴  and the spotted or speckled goats. ⁴²⁵  These animals will be my wages. ⁴²⁶  30:33 My integrity will testify for me ⁴²⁷  later on. ⁴²⁸  When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, ⁴²⁹  if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” ⁴³⁰  30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” ⁴³¹ 

30:35 So that day Laban ⁴³²  removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care ⁴³³  of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ⁴³⁴  while ⁴³⁵  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. ⁴³⁶  30:39 When the sheep mated ⁴³⁷  in front of the branches, they ⁴³⁸  gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ⁴³⁹  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, ⁴⁴⁰  Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. ⁴⁴¹  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ⁴⁴²  and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob ⁴⁴³  became extremely prosperous. He owned ⁴⁴⁴  large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

[25:1]  ¹ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ² tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[25:3]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Or “sons.”

[25:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”

[25:6]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Heb “old and full.”

[25:8]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:11]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

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

[25:17]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ²⁰ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ²¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ²² sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ²³ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

[25:20]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:27]  ⁴² tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.

[25:30]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “today.”

[25:32]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”

[25:33]  ⁵² tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ⁵³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “say to you.”

[26:3]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ 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]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”

[26:4]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ tn The words “All this will come to pass” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[26:5]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “listened to my voice.”

[26:5]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ sn Rebekah, unlike Sarah, was not actually her husband’s sister.

[26:7]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Heb “kill me on account of.”

[26:8]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:8]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”

[26:8]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “fondling.”

[26:9]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the imperfect makes the construction emphatic.

[26:12]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ⁸⁶ tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[26:13]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Isaac’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are included.

[26:13]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he went, going and becoming great.” The construction stresses that his growth in possessions and power continued steadily.

[26:14]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[26:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”

[26:14]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”

[26:14]  ⁹² tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).

[26:15]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and the Philistines stopped them up and filled them with dirt.”

[26:16]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “Go away from us.”

[26:16]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”

[26:18]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”

[26:18]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.

[26:18]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

[26:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:18]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”

[26:19]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “living.” This expression refers to a well supplied by subterranean streams (see Song 4:15).

[26:20]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.

[26:20]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:20]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”

[26:20]  ¹⁰⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:21]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:21]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ¹¹⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:25]  ¹¹⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and they dug there, the servants of Isaac, a well.”

[26:26]  ¹¹⁸ 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]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ¹²⁰ 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]  ¹²¹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, expressing the reason for his question.

[26:28]  ¹²² tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ¹²³ 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]  ¹²⁴ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ¹²⁵ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

[26:29]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “touched.”

[26:29]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

[26:29]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

[26:29]  ¹³¹ 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]  ¹³² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:30]  ¹³³ tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”

[26:31]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “and they got up early and they swore an oath, a man to his brother.”

[26:31]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “and they went from him in peace.”

[26:32]  ¹³⁶ 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]  ¹³⁷ 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]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making this clause subordinate to the next.

[26:34]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “the son of forty years.”

[26:34]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “took as a wife.”

[26:35]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “And they were [a source of ] bitterness in spirit to Isaac and to Rebekah.”

[27:1]  ¹⁴³ 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]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ¹⁴⁸ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.

[27:2]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”

[27:3]  ¹⁵⁰ 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]  ¹⁵¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:4]  ¹⁵² 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]  ¹⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁴ tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.

[27:7]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:7]  ¹⁵⁶ tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.

[27:7]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “listen to my voice.” The Hebrew idiom means “to comply; to obey.”

[27:8]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “to that which I am commanding you.”

[27:9]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:10]  ¹⁶¹ 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]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “so that.” The conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:11]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ 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]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “upon me your curse.”

[27:13]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”

[27:14]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:14]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:16]  ¹⁷⁰ 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]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”

[27:18]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:18]  ¹⁷⁴ 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]  ¹⁷⁵ 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]  ¹⁷⁶ 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]  ¹⁷⁷ 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]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.

[27:20]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”

[27:20]  ¹⁸⁰ 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]  ¹⁸¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:21]  ¹⁸² 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]  ¹⁸³ 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]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹⁸⁶ 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]  ¹⁸⁷ 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]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:25]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:27]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “see.”

[27:28]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “and from the dew of the sky.”

[27:28]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “and from the fatness.”

[27:29]  ¹⁹⁵ 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]  ¹⁹⁶ 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]  ¹⁹⁷ 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]  ¹⁹⁸ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite form of the verb makes the construction emphatic.

[27:30]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “the presence of Isaac his father.” The repetition of the proper name (“Isaac”) was

[27:30]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “and Esau his brother came from his hunt.”

[27:31]  ²⁰¹ 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]  ²⁰² tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).

[27:31]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”

[27:32]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “said.”

[27:32]  ²⁰⁵ 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]  ²⁰⁶ 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]  ²⁰⁷ 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]  ²⁰⁸ tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.

[27:34]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”

[27:35]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ²¹¹ tn Or “took”; “received.”

[27:36]  ²¹² 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]  ²¹³ 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]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:38]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”

[27:39]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “look.”

[27:39]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “from the fatness.”

[27:40]  ²¹⁸ 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]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

[27:41]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

[27:41]  ²²¹ 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]  ²²² tn Heb “days.”

[27:41]  ²²³ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

[27:42]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”

[27:42]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “she sent and called for.”

[27:42]  ²²⁶ 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]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “listen to my voice.”

[27:43]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “arise, flee.”

[27:44]  ²²⁹ 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]  ²³⁰ tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:45]  ²³¹ 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]  ²³² tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.

[27:46]  ²³³ tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).

[27:46]  ²³⁴ 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]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”

[28:1]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:2]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “Arise! Go!” The first of the two imperatives is adverbial and stresses the immediacy of the departure.

[28:3]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[28:3]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “and make you fruitful and multiply you.” See Gen 17:6, 20 for similar terminology.

[28:3]  ²⁴⁰ tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here indicates consequence. The collocation הָיָה + preposition לְ (hayah + lÿ) means “become.”

[28:3]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”

[28:4]  ²⁴² tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4]  ²⁴³ tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.

[28:6]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”

[28:6]  ²⁴⁶ tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.

[28:6]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “saw.”

[28:8]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”

[28:9]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “took for a wife.”

[28:11]  ²⁵² tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ²⁵⁶ tn Heb “lay down.”

[28:12]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the Lord himself” (Narrative Art in Genesis [SSN], 51-52).

[28:12]  ²⁵⁹ tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.

[28:13]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.

[28:13]  ²⁶¹ tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.

[28:14]  ²⁶² tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

[28:14]  ²⁶³ tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.

[28:14]  ²⁶⁴ tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[28:14]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[28:15]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).

[28:16]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[28:16]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “said.”

[28:18]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”

[28:18]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:18]  ²⁷¹ tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.

[28:18]  ²⁷² tn Heb “standing stone.”

[28:19]  ²⁷³ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).

[28:20]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[28:21]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”

[28:22]  ²⁷⁶ tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.

[28:22]  ²⁷⁷ tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.

[28:22]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.

[29:1]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.

[29:1]  ²⁸⁰ tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”

[29:2]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.

[29:2]  ²⁸² tn Heb “and look, there.”

[29:2]  ²⁸³ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[29:3]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:5]  ²⁸⁵ tn Heb “son.”

[29:5]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.

[29:6]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”

[29:6]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “peace.”

[29:7]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:7]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “the day is great.”

[29:7]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.

[29:8]  ²⁹² tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.

[29:9]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”

[29:10]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).

[29:10]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:10]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “drew near, approached.”

[29:10]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).

[29:11]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.

[29:12]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “declared.”

[29:12]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

[29:13]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ³⁰² tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).

[29:14]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).

[29:14]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:14]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “a month of days.”

[29:15]  ³⁰⁶ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

[29:15]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.

[29:16]  ³⁰⁸ tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.

[29:17]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.

[29:17]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”

[29:18]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:19]  ³¹² tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”

[29:20]  ³¹³ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ³¹⁴ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:21]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob said.”

[29:21]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”

[29:21]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).

[29:22]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “men.”

[29:23]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”

[29:23]  ³²¹ tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ³²² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ³²³ tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:24]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.

[29:25]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[29:25]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ³²⁷ tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”

[29:25]  ³²⁸ sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.

[29:26]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:26]  ³³⁰ tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[29:27]  ³³¹ tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.

[29:27]  ³³² tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ³³³ tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”

[29:28]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:28]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:28]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.

[29:28]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:29]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”

[29:30]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ³⁴² tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:31]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.

[29:31]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[29:32]  ³⁴⁵ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ³⁴⁶ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[29:33]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ³⁴⁹ sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

[29:34]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “will be joined to me.”

[29:34]  ³⁵¹ sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[29:35]  ³⁵² sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.

[30:1]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:1]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “sons.”

[30:2]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:3]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:3]  ³⁵⁸ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.

[30:3]  ³⁵⁹ tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:3]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.

[30:3]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).

[30:4]  ³⁶² tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:4]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:5]  ³⁶⁴ tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).

[30:5]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:6]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.

[30:6]  ³⁶⁷ tn Or “therefore.”

[30:6]  ³⁶⁸ sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.

[30:7]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:8]  ³⁷⁰ tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.

[30:8]  ³⁷¹ sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”

[30:9]  ³⁷² tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”

[30:10]  ³⁷³ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:11]  ³⁷⁴ tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”

[30:11]  ³⁷⁵ sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.

[30:12]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:13]  ³⁷⁷ tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”

[30:13]  ³⁷⁸ tn Heb “daughters.”

[30:13]  ³⁷⁹ sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.

[30:14]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “during the days.”

[30:14]  ³⁸¹ sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.

[30:15]  ³⁸² tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:15]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “therefore.”

[30:15]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[30:16]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.

[30:16]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.

[30:16]  ³⁸⁷ tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.

[30:17]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “listened to.”

[30:17]  ³⁸⁹ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).

[30:17]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:18]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “God has given my reward.”

[30:18]  ³⁹² tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).

[30:18]  ³⁹³ sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.

[30:19]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:20]  ³⁹⁵ sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.

[30:22]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “remembered.”

[30:22]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons

[30:23]  ³⁹⁸ tn Or “conceived.”

[30:23]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.

[30:24]  ⁴⁰⁰ sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.

[30:25]  ⁴⁰¹ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

[30:25]  ⁴⁰² tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

[30:25]  ⁴⁰³ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:25]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

[30:26]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[30:27]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[30:27]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the Lord has blessed me” (cf. NEB). See J. Finkelstein, “An Old Babylonian Herding Contract and Genesis 31:38f.,” JAOS 88 (1968): 34, n. 19.

[30:28]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”

[30:29]  ⁴¹¹ tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:29]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”

[30:30]  ⁴¹³ tn Or “for.”

[30:30]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “before me.”

[30:30]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”

[30:30]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Heb “at my foot.”

[30:30]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”

[30:31]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:31]  ⁴¹⁹ tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.

[30:31]  ⁴²⁰ tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:31]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”

[30:31]  ⁴²² tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”

[30:32]  ⁴²³ tn Heb “pass through.”

[30:32]  ⁴²⁴ tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”

[30:32]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”

[30:32]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.

[30:33]  ⁴²⁷ tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”

[30:33]  ⁴²⁸ tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”

[30:33]  ⁴²⁹ tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”

[30:33]  ⁴³⁰ tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”

[30:34]  ⁴³¹ tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.

[30:35]  ⁴³² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:35]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”

[30:36]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

[30:36]  ⁴³⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.

[30:38]  ⁴³⁶ sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).

[30:39]  ⁴³⁷ tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.

[30:39]  ⁴³⁸ tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:40]  ⁴³⁹ tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

[30:41]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

[30:42]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.

[30:42]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “were for Laban.”

[30:43]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[30:43]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “and there were to him.”