Genesis 29:1-35

The Marriages of Jacob

29:1 So Jacob moved on ¹  and came to the land of the eastern people. ²  29:2 He saw ³  in the field a well with ⁴  three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now ⁵  a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds ⁶  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 ⁷  of Nahor?” “We know him,” ⁸  they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” ⁹  Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. ¹⁰  Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob ¹¹  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ¹²  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ¹³  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 ¹⁴  the sheep.”

29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. ¹⁵  29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, ¹⁶  and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he ¹⁷  went over ¹⁸  and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. ¹⁹  29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. ²⁰  29:12 When Jacob explained ²¹  to Rachel that he was a relative of her father ²²  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 ²³  told Laban how he was related to him. ²⁴  29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ²⁵  So Jacob ²⁶  stayed with him for a month. ²⁷ 

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ²⁸  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ²⁹  Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; ³⁰  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, ³¹  but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) ³²  29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ³³  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. ³⁴  Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ³⁵  But they seemed like only a few days to him ³⁶  because his love for her was so great. ³⁷ 

29:21 Finally Jacob said ³⁸  to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. ³⁹  I want to have marital relations with her.” ⁴⁰  29:22 So Laban invited all the people ⁴¹  of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah ⁴²  to Jacob, ⁴³  and Jacob ⁴⁴  had marital relations with her. ⁴⁵  29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) ⁴⁶ 

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ⁴⁷  So Jacob ⁴⁸  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ⁴⁹  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ⁵⁰  me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” ⁵¹  Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage ⁵²  before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ⁵³  Then we will give you the younger one ⁵⁴  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ⁵⁵ 

29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. ⁵⁶  When Jacob ⁵⁷  completed Leah’s bridal week, ⁵⁸  Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ⁵⁹  29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ⁶⁰  29:30 Jacob ⁶¹  had marital relations ⁶²  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ⁶³  for seven more years. ⁶⁴ 

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ⁶⁵  he enabled her to become pregnant ⁶⁶  while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant ⁶⁷  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ⁶⁸  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ⁶⁹  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, ⁷⁰  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ⁷¹ 

29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, ⁷²  because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. ⁷³ 

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. ⁷⁴  Then she stopped having children.

Genesis 1:29

1:29 Then God said, “I now ⁷⁵  give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ⁷⁶ 

Genesis 3:14-18

3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, ⁷⁷ 

“Because you have done this,

cursed ⁷⁸  are you above all the wild beasts

and all the living creatures of the field!

On your belly you will crawl ⁷⁹ 

and dust you will eat ⁸⁰  all the days of your life.

3:15 And I will put hostility ⁸¹  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; ⁸² 

her offspring will attack ⁸³  your head,

and ⁸⁴  you ⁸⁵  will attack her offspring’s heel.” ⁸⁶ 

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ⁸⁷  your labor pains; ⁸⁸ 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ⁸⁹ 

but he will dominate ⁹⁰  you.”

3:17 But to Adam ⁹¹  he said,

“Because you obeyed ⁹²  your wife

and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,

‘You must not eat from it,’

cursed is the ground ⁹³  thanks to you; ⁹⁴ 

in painful toil you will eat ⁹⁵  of it all the days of your life.

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ⁹⁶  of the field.

Genesis 6:1

God’s Grief over Humankind’s Wickedness

6:1 When humankind ⁹⁷  began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born ⁹⁸  to them, ⁹⁹ 

Genesis 6:1

God’s Grief over Humankind’s Wickedness

6:1 When humankind ¹⁰⁰  began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born ¹⁰¹  to them, ¹⁰² 

Genesis 11:17

11:17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

Isaiah 45:22

45:22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, ¹⁰³ 

all you who live in the earth’s remote regions!

For I am God, and I have no peer.

Isaiah 52:10

52:10 The Lord reveals ¹⁰⁴  his royal power ¹⁰⁵ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ¹⁰⁶  earth sees

our God deliver. ¹⁰⁷ 

Luke 2:10-11

2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ¹⁰⁸  for I proclaim to you good news ¹⁰⁹  that brings great joy to all the people: 2:11 Today ¹¹⁰  your Savior is born in the city ¹¹¹  of David. ¹¹²  He is Christ ¹¹³  the Lord.

Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ¹¹⁴ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ¹¹⁵  to your people Israel.”

Acts 4:12

4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ¹¹⁶  by which we must ¹¹⁷  be saved.”

Romans 10:11-13

10:11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ¹¹⁸  10:12 For there is no distinction between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who richly blesses all who call on him. 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ¹¹⁹ 

Romans 10:2

10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, ¹²⁰  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. ¹²¹ 

Colossians 1:19

1:19 For God ¹²²  was pleased to have all his ¹²³  fullness dwell ¹²⁴  in the Son ¹²⁵ 

Colossians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ¹²⁶  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Colossians 4:14

4:14 Our dear friend Luke the physician and Demas greet you.

[29:1]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”

[29:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “and look, there.”

[29:2]  ⁵ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[29:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “son.”

[29:5]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”

[29:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “peace.”

[29:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:7]  ¹² tn Heb “the day is great.”

[29:7]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.

[29:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”

[29:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).

[29:10]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “drew near, approached.”

[29:10]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “declared.”

[29:12]  ²² tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

[29:13]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:13]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ 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]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “a month of days.”

[29:15]  ²⁸ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

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

[29:16]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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]  ³² tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”

[29:18]  ³³ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:19]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”

[29:20]  ³⁵ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob said.”

[29:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”

[29:21]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “men.”

[29:23]  ⁴² tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”

[29:23]  ⁴³ tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:23]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:28]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”

[29:30]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:31]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[29:32]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ⁶⁸ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[29:33]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² tn Heb “will be joined to me.”

[29:34]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ 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.

[1:29]  ⁷⁵ tn The text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh), often archaically translated “behold.” It is often used to express the dramatic present, the immediacy of an event – “Look, this is what I am doing!”

[1:29]  ⁷⁶ sn G. J. Wenham (Genesis [WBC], 1:34) points out that there is nothing in the passage that prohibits the man and the woman from eating meat. He suggests that eating meat came after the fall. Gen 9:3 may then ratify the postfall practice of eating meat rather than inaugurate the practice, as is often understood.

[3:14]  ⁷⁷ sn Note that God asks no question of the serpent, does not call for confession, as he did to the man and the woman; there is only the announcement of the curse. The order in this section is chiastic: The man is questioned, the woman is questioned, the serpent is cursed, sentence is passed on the woman, sentence is passed on the man.

[3:14]  ⁷⁸ tn The Hebrew word translated “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as comparative, then the idea is “cursed [i.e., punished] are you above [i.e., more than] all the wild beasts.” In this case the comparative preposition reflects the earlier comparison: The serpent was more shrewd than all others, and so more cursed than all others. If the preposition is taken as separative (see the note on the word “ground” in 4:11), then the idea is “cursed and banished from all the wild beasts.” In this case the serpent is condemned to isolation from all the other animals.

[3:14]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “go”; “walk,” but in English “crawl” or “slither” better describes a serpent’s movement.

[3:14]  ⁸⁰ sn Dust you will eat. Being restricted to crawling on the ground would necessarily involve “eating dust,” although that is not the diet of the serpent. The idea of being brought low, of “eating dust” as it were, is a symbol of humiliation.

[3:15]  ⁸¹ tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.

[3:15]  ⁸² sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).

[3:15]  ⁸³ tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.

[3:15]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).

[3:15]  ⁸⁵ sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the Lord says to Jacob, “Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you [second masculine singular] will spread out in all directions.” Jacob will “spread out” in all directions through his offspring, but the text states the matter as if this will happen to him personally.

[3:15]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.

[3:16]  ⁸⁷ tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.

[3:16]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “your pain and your conception,” suggesting to some interpreters that having a lot of children was a result of the judgment (probably to make up for the loss through death). But the next clause shows that the pain is associated with conception and childbirth. The two words form a hendiadys (where two words are joined to express one idea, like “good and angry” in English), the second explaining the first. “Conception,” if the correct meaning of the noun, must be figurative here since there is no pain in conception; it is a synecdoche, representing the entire process of childbirth and child rearing from the very start. However, recent etymological research suggests the noun is derived from a root הרר (hrr), not הרה (hrh), and means “trembling, pain” (see D. Tsumura, “A Note on הרוֹן (Gen 3,16),” Bib 75 [1994]: 398-400). In this case “pain and trembling” refers to the physical effects of childbirth. The word עִצְּבוֹן (’itsÿvon, “pain”), an abstract noun related to the verb (עָצַב, ’atsav), includes more than physical pain. It is emotional distress as well as physical pain. The same word is used in v. 17 for the man’s painful toil in the field.

[3:16]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and toward your husband [will be] your desire.” The nominal sentence does not have a verb; a future verb must be supplied, because the focus of the oracle is on the future struggle. The precise meaning of the noun תְּשׁוּקָה (tÿshuqah, “desire”) is debated. Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.” Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain. (Even in Song of Songs it carries the basic idea of “control,” for it describes the young man’s desire to “have his way sexually” with the young woman.) In Gen 3:16 the Lord announces a struggle, a conflict between the man and the woman. She will desire to control him, but he will dominate her instead. This interpretation also fits the tone of the passage, which is a judgment oracle. See further Susan T. Foh, “What is the Woman’s Desire?” WTJ 37 (1975): 376-83.

[3:16]  ⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew verb מָשַׁל (mashal) means “to rule over,” but in a way that emphasizes powerful control, domination, or mastery. This also is part of the baser human nature. The translation assumes the imperfect verb form has an objective/indicative sense here. Another option is to understand it as having a modal, desiderative nuance, “but he will want to dominate you.” In this case, the Lord simply announces the struggle without indicating who will emerge victorious.

[3:17]  ⁹¹ tn Since there is no article on the word, the personal name is used, rather than the generic “the man” (cf. NRSV).

[3:17]  ⁹² tn The idiom “listen to the voice of” often means “obey.” The man “obeyed” his wife and in the process disobeyed God.

[3:17]  ⁹³ sn For the ground to be cursed means that it will no longer yield its bounty as the blessing from God had promised. The whole creation, Paul writes in Rom 8:22, is still groaning under this curse, waiting for the day of redemption.

[3:17]  ⁹⁴ tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ (ba’avurekha) is more literally translated “on your account” or “because of you.” The idiomatic “thanks to you” in the translation tries to capture the point of this expression.

[3:17]  ⁹⁵ sn In painful toil you will eat. The theme of eating is prominent throughout Gen 3. The prohibition was against eating from the tree of knowledge. The sin was in eating. The interrogation concerned the eating from the tree of knowledge. The serpent is condemned to eat the dust of the ground. The curse focuses on eating in a “measure for measure” justice. Because the man and the woman sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God will forbid the ground to cooperate, and so it will be through painful toil that they will eat.

[3:18]  ⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (’esev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

[6:1]  ⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”

[6:1]  ⁹⁸ tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.

[6:1]  ⁹⁹ tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.

[6:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun. Here the article indicates the generic use of the word אָדָם (’adam): “humankind.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰¹ tn This disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is circumstantial to the initial temporal clause. It could be rendered, “with daughters being born to them.” For another example of such a disjunctive clause following the construction וַיְהִיכִּי (vayÿhiki, “and it came to pass when”), see 2 Sam 7:1.

[6:1]  ¹⁰² tn The pronominal suffix is third masculine plural, indicating that the antecedent “humankind” is collective.

[45:22]  ¹⁰³ tn The Niphal imperative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the preceding imperative. The Niphal probably has a tolerative sense, “allow yourselves to be delivered, accept help.”

[52:10]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

[2:10]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:10]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”

[2:11]  ¹¹⁰ sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).

[2:11]  ¹¹¹ tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ¹¹² tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ¹¹³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:32]  ¹¹⁴ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ¹¹⁵ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[4:12]  ¹¹⁶ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[4:12]  ¹¹⁷ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.

[10:11]  ¹¹⁸ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16.

[10:13]  ¹¹⁹ sn A quotation from Joel 2:32.

[10:2]  ¹²⁰ tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[1:19]  ¹²² tn The noun “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but since God is the one who reconciles the world to himself (cf. 2 Cor 5:19), he is clearly the subject of εὐδόκησεν (eudokhsen).

[1:19]  ¹²³ tn The Greek article τό (to), insofar as it relates to God, may be translated as a possessive pronoun, i.e., “his.” BDAG 404 s.v. εὐδοκέω 1 translates the phrase as “all the fullness willed to dwell in him” thus leaving the referent as impersonal. Insofar as Paul is alluding to the so-called emanations from God this is acceptable. But the fact that “the fullness” dwells in a person (i.e., “in him”) seems to argue for the translation “his fullness” where “his” refers to God.

[1:19]  ¹²⁴ tn The aorist verb κατοικῆσαι (katoikhsai) could be taken as an ingressive, in which case it refers to the incarnation and may be translated as “begin to dwell, to take up residence.” It is perhaps better, though, to take it as a constative aorist and simply a reference to the fact that the fullness of God dwells in Jesus Christ. This is a permanent dwelling, though, not a temporary one, as the present tense in 2:9 makes clear.

[1:19]  ¹²⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the Son; see v. 13) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:1]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.