Genesis 30:1-43

30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she ¹  became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children ²  or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious ³  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ⁴  30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with ⁵  her so that she can bear ⁶  children ⁷  for me ⁸  and I can have a family through her.” ⁹ 

30:4 So Rachel ¹⁰  gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with ¹¹  her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant ¹²  and gave Jacob a son. ¹³  30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer ¹⁴  and given me a son.” That is why ¹⁵  she named him Dan. ¹⁶ 

30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. ¹⁷  30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” ¹⁸  So she named him Naphtali. ¹⁹ 

30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave ²⁰  her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. ²¹  30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” ²²  So she named him Gad. ²³ 

30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. ²⁴  30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, ²⁵  for women ²⁶  will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. ²⁷ 

30:14 At the time ²⁸  of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants ²⁹  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, ³⁰  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ³¹  Rachel said, “he may sleep ³²  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 ³³  with me because I have paid for your services ³⁴  with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations ³⁵  with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention ³⁶  to Leah; she became pregnant ³⁷  and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. ³⁸  30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward ³⁹  because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” ⁴⁰  So she named him Issachar. ⁴¹ 

30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. ⁴²  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. ⁴³ 

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

30:22 Then God took note of ⁴⁴  Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. ⁴⁵  30:23 She became pregnant ⁴⁶  and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” ⁴⁷  30:24 She named him Joseph, ⁴⁸  saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”

The Flocks of Jacob

30:25 After Rachel had given birth ⁴⁹  to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send ⁵⁰  me on my way so that I can go ⁵¹  home to my own country. ⁵²  30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ⁵³  Then I’ll depart, ⁵⁴  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ⁵⁵ 

30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, ⁵⁶  for I have learned by divination ⁵⁷  that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” ⁵⁸ 

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ⁵⁹  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ⁶⁰  30:30 Indeed, ⁶¹  you had little before I arrived, ⁶²  but now your possessions have increased many times over. ⁶³  The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. ⁶⁴  But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” ⁶⁵ 

30:31 So Laban asked, ⁶⁶  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ⁶⁷  Jacob replied, ⁶⁸  “but if you agree to this one condition, ⁶⁹  I will continue to care for ⁷⁰  your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among ⁷¹  all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, ⁷²  and the spotted or speckled goats. ⁷³  These animals will be my wages. ⁷⁴  30:33 My integrity will testify for me ⁷⁵  later on. ⁷⁶  When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, ⁷⁷  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.” ⁷⁸  30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” ⁷⁹ 

30:35 So that day Laban ⁸⁰  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 ⁸¹  of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ⁸²  while ⁸³  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. ⁸⁴  30:39 When the sheep mated ⁸⁵  in front of the branches, they ⁸⁶  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 ⁸⁷  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, ⁸⁸  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. ⁸⁹  So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban ⁹⁰  and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob ⁹¹  became extremely prosperous. He owned ⁹²  large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.

Genesis 14:6

14:6 and the Horites in their hill country of Seir, as far as El Paran, which is near the desert. ⁹³ 

Genesis 14:24

14:24 I will take nothing ⁹⁴  except compensation for what the young men have eaten. ⁹⁵  As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”

Genesis 14:1

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ⁹⁶  Amraphel king of Shinar, ⁹⁷  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ⁹⁸ 

Genesis 14:1

The Blessing of Victory for God’s People

14:1 At that time ⁹⁹  Amraphel king of Shinar, ¹⁰⁰  Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations ¹⁰¹ 

Genesis 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ¹⁰²  in the days of Abraham. ¹⁰³  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Genesis 27:15-23

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 ¹⁰⁴  on his hands ¹⁰⁵  and the smooth part of his neck. 27:17 Then she handed ¹⁰⁶  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 ¹⁰⁷  replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” ¹⁰⁸  27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ¹⁰⁹  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ¹¹⁰  27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world ¹¹¹  did you find it so quickly, ¹¹²  my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” ¹¹³  he replied. ¹¹⁴  27:21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you, ¹¹⁵  my son, and know for certain if you really are my son Esau.” ¹¹⁶  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. ¹¹⁷ 

Genesis 34:19

34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ¹¹⁸  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ¹¹⁹  badly. (Now he was more important ¹²⁰  than anyone in his father’s household.) ¹²¹ 

Deuteronomy 31:7-17

31:7 Then Moses called out to Joshua ¹²²  in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you will accompany these people to the land that the Lord promised to give their ancestors, ¹²³  and you will enable them to inherit it. 31:8 The Lord is indeed going before you – he will be with you; he will not fail you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”

The Deposit of the Covenant Text

31:9 Then Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all Israel’s elders. 31:10 He ¹²⁴  commanded them: “At the end of seven years, at the appointed time of the cancellation of debts, ¹²⁵  at the Feast of Temporary Shelters, ¹²⁶  31:11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God in the place he chooses, you must read this law before them ¹²⁷  within their hearing. 31:12 Gather the people – men, women, and children, as well as the resident foreigners in your villages – so they may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the words of this law. 31:13 Then their children, who have not known this law, ¹²⁸  will also hear about and learn to fear the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

The Commissioning of Joshua

31:14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “The day of your death is near. Summon Joshua and present yourselves in the tent ¹²⁹  of meeting ¹³⁰  so that I can commission him.” ¹³¹  So Moses and Joshua presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 31:15 The Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud that ¹³²  stood above the door of the tent. 31:16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “You are about to die, ¹³³  and then these people will begin to prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land into which they ¹³⁴  are going. They ¹³⁵  will reject ¹³⁶  me and break my covenant that I have made with them. ¹³⁷  31:17 At that time ¹³⁸  my anger will erupt against them ¹³⁹  and I will abandon them and hide my face from them until they are devoured. Many disasters and distresses will overcome ¹⁴⁰  them ¹⁴¹  so that they ¹⁴²  will say at that time, ‘Have not these disasters ¹⁴³  overcome us ¹⁴⁴  because our ¹⁴⁵  God is not among us ¹⁴⁶ ?’

Joshua 14:6-15

14:6 The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea. ¹⁴⁷  14:7 I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord’s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report. ¹⁴⁸  14:8 My countrymen ¹⁴⁹  who accompanied ¹⁵⁰  me frightened the people, ¹⁵¹  but I remained loyal to the Lord my God. ¹⁵²  14:9 That day Moses made this solemn promise: ¹⁵³  ‘Surely the land on which you walked ¹⁵⁴  will belong to you and your descendants permanently, ¹⁵⁵  for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.’ 14:10 So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old. 14:11 Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then. ¹⁵⁶  14:12 Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. ¹⁵⁷  But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer ¹⁵⁸  them, as the Lord promised.” 14:13 Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron. ¹⁵⁹  14:14 So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day ¹⁶⁰  because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. 14:15 (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite. ¹⁶¹ ) Then the land was free of war.

Joshua 15:13-19

15:13 Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) within the tribe of Judah, according to the Lord’s instructions to Joshua. (Arba was the father of Anak.) ¹⁶²  15:14 Caleb drove out ¹⁶³  from there three Anakites – Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. 15:15 From there he attacked the people of Debir. ¹⁶⁴  (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 15:16 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 15:17 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, ¹⁶⁵  captured it, Caleb ¹⁶⁶  gave Acsah his daughter to him as a wife.

15:18 One time Acsah ¹⁶⁷  came and charmed her father ¹⁶⁸  so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 15:19 She answered, “Please give me a special present. ¹⁶⁹  Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water. So he gave her both upper and lower springs.

Luke 1:10-15

1:10 Now ¹⁷⁰  the whole crowd ¹⁷¹  of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹⁷²  1:11 An ¹⁷³  angel of the Lord, ¹⁷⁴  standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared ¹⁷⁵  to him. 1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, ¹⁷⁶  was seized with fear. ¹⁷⁷  1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, ¹⁷⁸  and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you ¹⁷⁹  will name him John. ¹⁸⁰  1:14 Joy and gladness will come ¹⁸¹  to you, and many will rejoice at ¹⁸²  his birth, ¹⁸³  1:15 for he will be great in the sight of ¹⁸⁴  the Lord. He ¹⁸⁵  must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. ¹⁸⁶ 

Luke 1:1

Explanatory Preface

1:1 Now ¹⁸⁷  many have undertaken to compile an account ¹⁸⁸  of the things ¹⁸⁹  that have been fulfilled ¹⁹⁰  among us,

Luke 4:15

4:15 He ¹⁹¹  began to teach ¹⁹²  in their synagogues ¹⁹³  and was praised ¹⁹⁴  by all.

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

[30:1]  ² tn Heb “sons.”

[30:2]  ³ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:3]  ⁶ tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.

[30:3]  ⁷ tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:3]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.

[30:5]  ¹² tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).

[30:5]  ¹³ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:6]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “therefore.”

[30:6]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:8]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”

[30:11]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”

[30:13]  ²⁵ tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”

[30:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “daughters.”

[30:13]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Heb “during the days.”

[30:14]  ²⁹ sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.

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

[30:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “therefore.”

[30:15]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Heb “listened to.”

[30:17]  ³⁷ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).

[30:17]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “God has given my reward.”

[30:18]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).

[30:18]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.

[30:20]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “remembered.”

[30:22]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “conceived.”

[30:23]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

[30:25]  ⁵¹ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:25]  ⁵² tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

[30:26]  ⁵³ 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]  ⁵⁴ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[30:27]  ⁵⁶ tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[30:27]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”

[30:29]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”

[30:30]  ⁶¹ tn Or “for.”

[30:30]  ⁶² tn Heb “before me.”

[30:30]  ⁶³ tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”

[30:30]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “at my foot.”

[30:30]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”

[30:31]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:31]  ⁶⁷ tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.

[30:31]  ⁶⁸ tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:31]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”

[30:31]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”

[30:32]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “pass through.”

[30:32]  ⁷² tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”

[30:32]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”

[30:32]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”

[30:33]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”

[30:33]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”

[30:33]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ 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]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:35]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”

[30:36]  ⁸² tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

[30:36]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:40]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

[30:41]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

[30:42]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “were for Laban.”

[30:43]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[30:43]  ⁹² tn Heb “and there were to him.”

[14:6]  ⁹³ sn The line of attack ran down the eastern side of the Jordan Valley into the desert, and then turned and came up the valley to the cities of the plain.

[14:24]  ⁹⁴ tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:24]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”

[14:1]  ⁹⁶ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ⁹⁷ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

[14:1]  ⁹⁹ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) followed by “in the days of.”

[14:1]  ¹⁰⁰ sn Shinar (also in v. 9) is the region of Babylonia.

[14:1]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “king of Goyim.” The Hebrew term גּוֹיִם (goyim) means “nations,” but a number of modern translations merely transliterate the Hebrew (cf. NEB “Goyim”; NIV, NRSV “Goiim”).

[26:1]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ¹⁰³ 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.

[27:16]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “gave…into the hand of.”

[27:18]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:18]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ 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]  ¹¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹¹ 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]  ¹¹² tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.

[27:20]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”

[27:20]  ¹¹⁴ 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]  ¹¹⁵ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

[27:21]  ¹¹⁶ 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]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ¹²⁰ tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).

[34:19]  ¹²¹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[31:7]  ¹²² tn The Hebrew text includes “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:7]  ¹²³ tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 20).

[31:10]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “Moses.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:10]  ¹²⁵ tn The Hebrew term שְׁמִטָּה (shÿmittah), a derivative of the verb שָׁמַט (shamat, “to release; to relinquish”), refers to the procedure whereby debts of all fellow Israelites were to be canceled. Since the Feast of Tabernacles celebrated God’s own deliverance of and provision for his people, this was an appropriate time for Israelites to release one another. See note on this word at Deut 15:1.

[31:10]  ¹²⁶ tn The Hebrew phrase הַסֻּכּוֹת[חַג] ([khag] hassukot, “[festival of] huts” [or “shelters”]) is traditionally known as the Feast of Tabernacles. See note on the name of the festival in Deut 16:13.

[31:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “before all Israel.”

[31:13]  ¹²⁸ tn The phrase “this law” is not in the Hebrew text, but English style requires an object for the verb here. Other translations also supply the object which is otherwise implicit (cf. NIV “who do not know this law”; TEV “who have never heard the Law of the Lord your God”).

[31:14]  ¹²⁹ tc The LXX reads “by the door of the tent” in line with v. 10 but also, perhaps, as a reflection of its tendency to avoid over-familiarity with Yahweh and his transcendence.

[31:14]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “tent of assembly” (מוֹעֵד אֹהֶל, ’ohel mo’ed); this is not always the same as the tabernacle, which is usually called מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan, “dwelling-place”), a reference to its being invested with God’s presence. The “tent of meeting” was erected earlier than the tabernacle and was the place where Yahweh occasionally appeared, especially to Moses (cf. Exod 18:7-16; 33:7-11; Num 11:16, 24, 26; 12:4).

[31:14]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “I will command him.”

[31:15]  ¹³² tn Heb “and the pillar of cloud.” This phrase was not repeated in the translation; a relative clause was used instead.

[31:16]  ¹³³ tn Heb “lie down with your fathers” (so NASB); NRSV “ancestors.”

[31:16]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style. The third person singular also occurs in the Hebrew text twice more in this verse, three times in v. 17, once in v. 18, five times in v. 20, and four times in v. 21. Each time it is translated as third person plural for stylistic reasons.

[31:16]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:16]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “abandon” (TEV, NLT).

[31:16]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “on that day.” This same expression also appears later in the verse and in v. 18.

[31:17]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “find,” “encounter.”

[31:17]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “him.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “them.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “he.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “they.” See note on the first occurrence of “they” in v. 16.

[31:17]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “evils.”

[31:17]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.

[31:17]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “my.”

[31:17]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “me.” Smr, LXX, and the Targums read the plural “us,” which is necessary in any case in the translation because of contemporary English style.

[14:6]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses, the man of God, because of me and because of you in Kadesh Barnea.”

[14:7]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “and I brought back to him a word just as [was] in my heart.”

[14:8]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[14:8]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “went up with.”

[14:8]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “made the heart[s] of the people melt.”

[14:8]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “I filled up after the Lord my God,” an idiomatic statement meaning that Caleb remained loyal to the Lord.

[14:9]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “swore an oath.”

[14:9]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “on which your foot has walked.”

[14:9]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “will belong to you for an inheritance, and to your sons forever.”

[14:11]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “like my strength then, like my strength now, for battle and for going out and coming in.”

[14:12]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “are there and large, fortified cities.”

[14:12]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Or “will dispossess.”

[14:13]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.”

[14:14]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “Therefore Hebron belongs to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance to this day.”

[14:15]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “And he was the great man among the Anakites.”

[15:13]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “To Caleb son of Jephunneh he gave a portion in the midst of the sons of Judah according to the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord to Joshua, Kiriath Arba (the father of Anak), it is Hebron.”

[15:14]  ¹⁶³ tn Or “dispossessed.”

[15:15]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “he went up against the inhabitants of Debir.”

[15:17]  ¹⁶⁵ tn “Caleb’s brother” may refer either to Othniel or to Kenaz. If Kenaz was the brother of Caleb, Othniel is Caleb’s nephew.

[15:17]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:18]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:18]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “him.” The referent of the pronoun could be Othniel, in which case the translation would be, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 19. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18//Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. This incident is also recorded in Judg 1:14.

[15:19]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Elsewhere this Hebrew word (בְּרָכָה, bÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).

[1:10]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.

[1:10]  ¹⁷¹ tn Grk “all the multitude.” While “assembly” is sometimes used here to translate πλῆθος (plhqo"), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual, especially for the afternoon offering.

[1:10]  ¹⁷² tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.

[1:11]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “And an angel.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[1:11]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[1:11]  ¹⁷⁵ sn This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance (24:34; Acts 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16).

[1:12]  ¹⁷⁶ tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:12]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).

[1:13]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.

[1:13]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:13]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “you will call his name John.” The future tense here functions like a command (see ExSyn 569-70). This same construction occurs in v. 31.

[1:14]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “This will be joy and gladness.”

[1:14]  ¹⁸² tn Or “because of.”

[1:14]  ¹⁸³ tn “At his birth” is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though “at his coming” is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will really bring joy.

[1:15]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Grk “before.”

[1:15]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Grk “and he”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.

[1:15]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “even from his mother’s womb.” While this idiom may be understood to refer to the point of birth (“even from his birth”), Luke 1:41 suggests that here it should be understood to refer to a time before birth.

[1:1]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “Since” or “Because.” This begins a long sentence that extends through v. 4. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, the Greek sentence has been divided up into shorter English sentences in the translation.

[1:1]  ¹⁸⁸ tn This is sometimes translated “narrative,” but the term itself can refer to an oral or written account. It is the verb “undertaken” which suggests a written account, since it literally is “to set one’s hand” to something (BDAG 386 s.v. ἐπιχειρέω). “Narrative” is too specific, denoting a particular genre of work for the accounts that existed in the earlier tradition. Not all of that material would have been narrative.

[1:1]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Or “events.”

[1:1]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Or “have been accomplished.” Given Luke’s emphasis on divine design (e.g., Luke 24:43-47) a stronger sense (“fulfilled”) is better than a mere reference to something having taken place (“accomplished”).

[4:15]  ¹⁹¹ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:15]  ¹⁹² tn The imperfect verb has been translated ingressively.

[4:15]  ¹⁹³ sn The next incident in Luke 4:16-30 is probably to be seen as an example of this ministry of teaching in their synagogues in Galilee. Synagogues were places for Jewish prayer and worship, with recognized leadership (cf. Luke 8:41). Though the origin of the synagogue is not entirely clear, it seems to have arisen in the postexilic community during the intertestamental period. A town could establish a synagogue if there were at least ten men. In normative Judaism of the NT period, the OT scripture was read and discussed in the synagogue by the men who were present (see the Mishnah, m. Megillah 3-4; m. Berakhot 2).

[4:15]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Grk “being glorified.” The participle δοξαζόμενος (doxazomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This is the only place Luke uses the verb δοξάζω (doxazw) of Jesus.