Genesis 30:1--34:31

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.

Jacob’s Flight from Laban

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, ⁹³  “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich ⁹⁴  at our father’s expense!” ⁹⁵  31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ⁹⁶ 

31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers ⁹⁷  and to your relatives. I will be with you.” ⁹⁸  31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah ⁹⁹  to come to the field ¹⁰⁰  where his flocks were. ¹⁰¹  31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ¹⁰²  but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, ¹⁰³  31:7 but your father has humiliated ¹⁰⁴  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, ¹⁰⁵  ‘The speckled animals ¹⁰⁶  will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

31:10 “Once ¹⁰⁷  during breeding season I saw ¹⁰⁸  in a dream that the male goats mating with ¹⁰⁹  the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe ¹¹⁰  that all the male goats mating with ¹¹¹  the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, ¹¹²  where you anointed ¹¹³  the sacred stone and made a vow to me. ¹¹⁴  Now leave this land immediately ¹¹⁵  and return to your native land.’”

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance ¹¹⁶  in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted ¹¹⁷  the money paid for us! ¹¹⁸  31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”

31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. ¹¹⁹  31:18 He took ¹²⁰  away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. ¹²¹ 

31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, ¹²²  Rachel stole the household idols ¹²³  that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived ¹²⁴  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ¹²⁵  31:21 He left ¹²⁶  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ¹²⁷  the Euphrates River ¹²⁸  and headed for ¹²⁹  the hill country of Gilead.

31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. ¹³⁰  31:23 So he took his relatives ¹³¹  with him and pursued Jacob ¹³²  for seven days. ¹³³  He caught up with ¹³⁴  him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ¹³⁵  “Be careful ¹³⁶  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ¹³⁷ 

31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. ¹³⁸  31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me ¹³⁹  and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! ¹⁴⁰  31:27 Why did you run away secretly ¹⁴¹  and deceive me? ¹⁴²  Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? ¹⁴³  31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren ¹⁴⁴  good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have ¹⁴⁵  the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful ¹⁴⁶  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ ¹⁴⁷  31:30 Now I understand that ¹⁴⁸  you have gone away ¹⁴⁹  because you longed desperately ¹⁵⁰  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ¹⁵¹ 

31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” ¹⁵²  Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought ¹⁵³  you might take your daughters away from me by force. ¹⁵⁴  31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! ¹⁵⁵  In the presence of our relatives ¹⁵⁶  identify whatever is yours and take it.” ¹⁵⁷  (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) ¹⁵⁸ 

31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. ¹⁵⁹  Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. ¹⁶⁰  31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle ¹⁶¹  and sat on them.) ¹⁶²  Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. ¹⁶³  31:35 Rachel ¹⁶⁴  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ¹⁶⁵  my lord. I cannot stand up ¹⁶⁶  in your presence because I am having my period.” ¹⁶⁷  So he searched thoroughly, ¹⁶⁸  but did not find the idols.

31:36 Jacob became angry ¹⁶⁹  and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. ¹⁷⁰  “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? ¹⁷¹  31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? ¹⁷²  Set it here before my relatives and yours, ¹⁷³  and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! ¹⁷⁴ 

31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. ¹⁷⁵  You always made me pay for every missing animal, ¹⁷⁶  whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat ¹⁷⁷  during the day and by piercing cold ¹⁷⁸  at night, and I went without sleep. ¹⁷⁹  31:41 This was my lot ¹⁸⁰  for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave ¹⁸¹  for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears ¹⁸²  – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, ¹⁸³  and he rebuked you last night.”

31:43 Laban replied ¹⁸⁴  to Jacob, “These women ¹⁸⁵  are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, ¹⁸⁶  and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today ¹⁸⁷  or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, ¹⁸⁸  you and I, and it will be ¹⁸⁹  proof that we have made peace.” ¹⁹⁰ 

31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he ¹⁹¹  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ¹⁹²  They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, ¹⁹³  but Jacob called it Galeed. ¹⁹⁴ 

31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement ¹⁹⁵  today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah ¹⁹⁶  because he said, “May the Lord watch ¹⁹⁷  between us ¹⁹⁸  when we are out of sight of one another. ¹⁹⁹  31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ²⁰⁰  that God is witness to your actions.” ²⁰¹ 

31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. ²⁰²  31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. ²⁰³  31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ²⁰⁴  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ²⁰⁵  31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice ²⁰⁶  on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. ²⁰⁷  They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

31:55 (32:1) ²⁰⁸  Early in the morning Laban kissed ²⁰⁹  his grandchildren ²¹⁰  and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. ²¹¹ 

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ²¹²  met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ²¹³  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ²¹⁴ 

32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead ²¹⁵  to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region ²¹⁶  of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant ²¹⁷  Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ²¹⁸  this message ²¹⁹  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” ²²⁰  he thought, ²²¹  “then the other camp will be able to escape.” ²²² 

32:9 Then Jacob prayed, ²²³  “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said ²²⁴  to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ ²²⁵  32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love ²²⁶  you have shown ²²⁷  your servant. With only my walking stick ²²⁸  I crossed the Jordan, ²²⁹  but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, ²³⁰  I pray, from the hand ²³¹  of my brother Esau, ²³²  for I am afraid he will come ²³³  and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. ²³⁴  32:12 But you ²³⁵  said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper ²³⁶  and will make ²³⁷  your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” ²³⁸ 

32:13 Jacob ²³⁹  stayed there that night. Then he sent ²⁴⁰  as a gift ²⁴¹  to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to ²⁴²  his servants, who divided them into herds. ²⁴³  He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, ²⁴⁴  “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? ²⁴⁵  Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ ²⁴⁶  32:18 then you must say, ²⁴⁷  ‘They belong ²⁴⁸  to your servant Jacob. ²⁴⁹  They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. ²⁵⁰  In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” ²⁵¹ 

32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁵²  32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ²⁵³  Jacob thought, ²⁵⁴  “I will first appease him ²⁵⁵  by sending a gift ahead of me. ²⁵⁶  After that I will meet him. ²⁵⁷  Perhaps he will accept me.” ²⁵⁸  32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ²⁵⁹  while he spent that night in the camp. ²⁶⁰ 

32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took ²⁶¹  his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons ²⁶²  and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²⁶³  32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. ²⁶⁴  32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man ²⁶⁵  wrestled ²⁶⁶  with him until daybreak. ²⁶⁷  32:25 When the man ²⁶⁸  saw that he could not defeat Jacob, ²⁶⁹  he struck ²⁷⁰  the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.

32:26 Then the man ²⁷¹  said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” ²⁷²  “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, ²⁷³  “unless you bless me.” ²⁷⁴  32:27 The man asked him, ²⁷⁵  “What is your name?” ²⁷⁶  He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ²⁷⁷  “but Israel, ²⁷⁸  because you have fought ²⁷⁹  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” ²⁸⁰  “Why ²⁸¹  do you ask my name?” the man replied. ²⁸²  Then he blessed ²⁸³  Jacob ²⁸⁴  there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, ²⁸⁵  explaining, ²⁸⁶  “Certainly ²⁸⁷  I have seen God face to face ²⁸⁸  and have survived.” ²⁸⁹ 

32:31 The sun rose ²⁹⁰  over him as he crossed over Penuel, ²⁹¹  but ²⁹²  he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day ²⁹³  the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck ²⁹⁴  the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ²⁹⁵  and saw that Esau was coming ²⁹⁶  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. ²⁹⁷  33:3 But Jacob ²⁹⁸  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached ²⁹⁹  his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau ³⁰⁰  looked up ³⁰¹  and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob ³⁰²  replied, “The children whom God has graciously given ³⁰³  your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. ³⁰⁴  33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.

33:8 Esau ³⁰⁵  then asked, “What did you intend ³⁰⁶  by sending all these herds to meet me?” ³⁰⁷  Jacob ³⁰⁸  replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. ³⁰⁹  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ³¹⁰  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ³¹¹  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ³¹²  33:11 Please take my present ³¹³  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ³¹⁴  to me and I have all I need.” ³¹⁵  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ³¹⁶ 

33:12 Then Esau ³¹⁷  said, “Let’s be on our way! ³¹⁸  I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob ³¹⁹  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ³²⁰  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ³²¹  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ³²²  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ³²³  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ³²⁴  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ³²⁵ 

33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back ³²⁶  to Seir. 33:17 But ³²⁷  Jacob traveled to Succoth ³²⁸  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ³²⁹  Succoth. ³³⁰ 

33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near ³³¹  the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it ³³²  from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. ³³³  33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” ³³⁴ 

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ³³⁵  the young women ³³⁶  of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, ³³⁷  and sexually assaulted her. ³³⁸  34:3 Then he became very attached ³³⁹  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ³⁴⁰  34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” ³⁴¹  34:5 When ³⁴²  Jacob heard that Shechem ³⁴³  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ³⁴⁴  until they came in.

34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. ³⁴⁵  34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ³⁴⁶  They ³⁴⁷  were offended ³⁴⁸  and very angry because Shechem ³⁴⁹  had disgraced Israel ³⁵⁰  by sexually assaulting ³⁵¹  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ³⁵² 

34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. ³⁵³  Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. ³⁵⁴  Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. ³⁵⁵  34:10 You may live ³⁵⁶  among us, and the land will be open to you. ³⁵⁷  Live in it, travel freely in it, ³⁵⁸  and acquire property in it.”

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ³⁵⁹  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ³⁶⁰  I’ll give. ³⁶¹  34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, ³⁶²  and I’ll give ³⁶³  whatever you ask ³⁶⁴  of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”

34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem ³⁶⁵  had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ³⁶⁶  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ³⁶⁷  to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become ³⁶⁸  like us by circumcising ³⁶⁹  all your males. 34:16 Then we will give ³⁷⁰  you our daughters to marry, ³⁷¹  and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms ³⁷²  by being circumcised, then we will take ³⁷³  our sister ³⁷⁴  and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ³⁷⁵  34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ³⁷⁶  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ³⁷⁷  badly. (Now he was more important ³⁷⁸  than anyone in his father’s household.) ³⁷⁹  34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate ³⁸⁰  of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough ³⁸¹  for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. ³⁸²  34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand ³⁸³  that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, ³⁸⁴  won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate ³⁸⁵  agreed with ³⁸⁶  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ³⁸⁷  was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword ³⁸⁸  and went to the unsuspecting city ³⁸⁹  and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them ³⁹⁰  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ³⁹¹  34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ³⁹²  34:29 They captured as plunder ³⁹³  all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin ³⁹⁴  on me by making me a foul odor ³⁹⁵  among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I ³⁹⁶  am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, ³⁹⁷  “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

Genesis 25:10

25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. ³⁹⁸  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah.

Genesis 25:14

25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,

Genesis 25:17

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ³⁹⁹  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ⁴⁰⁰ 

Genesis 42:7

42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger ⁴⁰¹  to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, ⁴⁰²  “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” ⁴⁰³ 

Genesis 42:30

42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us ⁴⁰⁴  as if we were ⁴⁰⁵  spying on the land.

Genesis 42:1

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42:1 When Jacob heard ⁴⁰⁶  there was grain in Egypt, he ⁴⁰⁷  said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” ⁴⁰⁸ 

Genesis 12:13

12:13 So tell them ⁴⁰⁹  you are my sister ⁴¹⁰  so that it may go well ⁴¹¹  for me because of you and my life will be spared ⁴¹²  on account of you.”

Proverbs 18:23

18:23 A poor person makes supplications, ⁴¹³ 

but a rich man answers harshly. ⁴¹⁴ 

[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.”

[31:1]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”

[31:1]  ⁹⁴ sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).

[31:1]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”

[31:2]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.

[31:3]  ⁹⁷ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

[31:3]  ⁹⁸ sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

[31:4]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.

[31:4]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.

[31:4]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “to his flock.”

[31:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:6]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:7]  ¹⁰⁴ tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).

[31:8]  ¹⁰⁵ tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.

[31:8]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.

[31:10]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”

[31:10]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”

[31:10]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:12]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

[31:12]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[31:13]  ¹¹² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[31:13]  ¹¹³ sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the Lord as an anointing. Jacob had consecrated the place.

[31:13]  ¹¹⁴ sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the Lord when he anointed the stone (Gen 28:20-22). God is now going to take him back to the land, and so he will have to fulfill his vow.

[31:13]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.

[31:14]  ¹¹⁶ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

[31:15]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.

[31:15]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.

[31:17]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”

[31:18]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.

[31:18]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”

[31:19]  ¹²² tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.

[31:19]  ¹²³ tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.

[31:20]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.

[31:20]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:21]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “he set his face.”

[31:22]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”

[31:23]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “his brothers.”

[31:23]  ¹³² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:23]  ¹³³ tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

[31:23]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “drew close to.”

[31:24]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

[31:25]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.

[31:26]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

[31:26]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

[31:27]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”

[31:27]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “and steal me.”

[31:27]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”

[31:28]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:29]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

[31:29]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:29]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

[31:30]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[31:30]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

[31:30]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

[31:30]  ¹⁵¹ sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.

[31:31]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:31]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “for I said.”

[31:31]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

[31:33]  ¹⁵⁹ tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:33]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”

[31:34]  ¹⁶¹ tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”

[31:34]  ¹⁶² tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.

[31:34]  ¹⁶³ tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[31:35]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ¹⁶⁸ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:36]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.

[31:36]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[31:36]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).

[31:37]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”

[31:37]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.

[31:37]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”

[31:39]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.

[31:39]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Or “by drought.”

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.

[31:40]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”

[31:41]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “this to me.”

[31:41]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”

[31:42]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.

[31:42]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”

[31:43]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[31:43]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “daughters.”

[31:43]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “children.”

[31:43]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”

[31:44]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

[31:44]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

[31:44]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

[31:46]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ¹⁹² sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[31:47]  ¹⁹³ sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”

[31:47]  ¹⁹⁴ sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.

[31:48]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”

[31:49]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “and Mizpah.”

[31:49]  ¹⁹⁷ sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the Lord to keep watch at the border. Jacob did not need this treaty, but Laban, perhaps because he had lost his household gods, felt he did.

[31:49]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:49]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”

[31:50]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[31:51]  ²⁰² tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:52]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”

[31:53]  ²⁰⁴ tn The God of Abraham and the god of Nahor. The Hebrew verb translated “judge” is plural, suggesting that Laban has more than one “god” in mind. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, apparently in an effort to make the statement monotheistic, have a singular verb. In this case one could translate, “May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” However, Laban had a polytheistic world view, as evidenced by his possession of household idols (cf. 31:19). The translation uses “God” when referring to Abraham’s God, for Genesis makes it clear that Abraham worshiped the one true God. It employs “god” when referring to Nahor’s god, for in the Hebrew text Laban refers to a different god here, probably one of the local deities.

[31:53]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

[31:54]  ²⁰⁶ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

[31:54]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.

[31:55]  ²⁰⁸ sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[31:55]  ²⁰⁹ tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”

[31:55]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “his sons.”

[31:55]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “to his place.”

[32:1]  ²¹² sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[32:2]  ²¹³ tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ²¹⁴ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:3]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “before him.”

[32:3]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “field.”

[32:4]  ²¹⁷ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

[32:5]  ²¹⁸ tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ²¹⁹ tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”

[32:8]  ²²¹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:8]  ²²² tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.

[32:9]  ²²³ tn Heb “said.”

[32:9]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “the one who said.”

[32:9]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.

[32:10]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).

[32:10]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “you have done with.”

[32:10]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.

[32:10]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “this Jordan.”

[32:11]  ²³⁰ tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.

[32:11]  ²³¹ tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”

[32:11]  ²³² tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”

[32:11]  ²³³ tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”

[32:11]  ²³⁴ sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.

[32:12]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.

[32:12]  ²³⁶ tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.

[32:12]  ²³⁷ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.

[32:12]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.

[32:13]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.

[32:13]  ²⁴¹ sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).

[32:16]  ²⁴² tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”

[32:16]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.

[32:17]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.

[32:17]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “to whom are you?”

[32:17]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”

[32:18]  ²⁴⁷ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

[32:18]  ²⁴⁸ tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:18]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

[32:18]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

[32:18]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:19]  ²⁵² tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”

[32:20]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ²⁵⁶ tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[32:21]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ²⁶⁰ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:22]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

[32:22]  ²⁶² tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

[32:22]  ²⁶³ sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

[32:23]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”

[32:24]  ²⁶⁵ sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.

[32:24]  ²⁶⁶ sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.

[32:24]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”

[32:25]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:25]  ²⁷⁰ tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.

[32:26]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:26]  ²⁷² tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

[32:26]  ²⁷³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:26]  ²⁷⁴ sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

[32:27]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:27]  ²⁷⁶ sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the Lord obviously knew Jacob’s identity. But since the Lord is going to change Jacob’s name, this question is designed to bring focus Jacob’s attention on all that his name had come to signify.

[32:28]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:28]  ²⁷⁸ sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ²⁷⁹ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

[32:29]  ²⁸⁰ sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.

[32:29]  ²⁸¹ tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.

[32:29]  ²⁸² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:29]  ²⁸³ tn The verb here means that the Lord endowed Jacob with success; he would be successful in everything he did, including meeting Esau.

[32:29]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:30]  ²⁸⁵ sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.

[32:30]  ²⁸⁶ tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:30]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “because.”

[32:30]  ²⁸⁸ sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.

[32:30]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”

[32:31]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “shone.”

[32:31]  ²⁹¹ sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).

[32:31]  ²⁹² tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.

[32:32]  ²⁹³ sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.

[32:32]  ²⁹⁴ tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.

[33:1]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

[33:1]  ²⁹⁶ tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[33:2]  ²⁹⁷ sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.

[33:3]  ²⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:3]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

[33:5]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[33:5]  ³⁰² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ³⁰³ tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”

[33:6]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”

[33:8]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:8]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “Who to you?”

[33:8]  ³⁰⁷ tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”

[33:8]  ³⁰⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ³⁰⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[33:10]  ³¹⁰ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.

[33:10]  ³¹¹ tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.

[33:10]  ³¹² tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”

[33:11]  ³¹³ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ³¹⁴ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ³¹⁵ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”

[33:13]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “weak.”

[33:13]  ³²¹ tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”

[33:14]  ³²² tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”

[33:15]  ³²³ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ³²⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[33:16]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “returned on his way.”

[33:17]  ³²⁷ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ³²⁸ sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.

[33:17]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.

[33:17]  ³³⁰ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[33:18]  ³³¹ tn Heb “in front of.”

[33:19]  ³³² tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.

[33:19]  ³³³ tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).

[33:20]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.

[34:1]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.

[34:1]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “daughters.”

[34:2]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.

[34:2]  ³³⁸ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.

[34:3]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

[34:3]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).

[34:4]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”

[34:5]  ³⁴² tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ³⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ³⁴⁴ sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.

[34:6]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ³⁴⁶ tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:7]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.

[34:7]  ³⁴⁸ tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.

[34:7]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ³⁵⁰ tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”

[34:7]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.

[34:7]  ³⁵² tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.

[34:8]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).

[34:9]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”

[34:9]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.

[34:10]  ³⁵⁶ tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[34:10]  ³⁵⁷ tn Heb “before you.”

[34:10]  ³⁵⁸ tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”

[34:11]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ³⁶¹ tn Or “pay.”

[34:12]  ³⁶² tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.

[34:12]  ³⁶³ tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.

[34:12]  ³⁶⁴ tn Heb “say.”

[34:13]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ³⁶⁶ tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.

[34:14]  ³⁶⁷ tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.

[34:15]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15]  ³⁶⁹ tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16]  ³⁷⁰ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ³⁷¹ tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:17]  ³⁷² tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17]  ³⁷³ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.

[34:18]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ³⁷⁷ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ³⁷⁸ 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]  ³⁷⁹ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20]  ³⁸⁰ sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21]  ³⁸¹ tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21]  ³⁸² tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23]  ³⁸⁴ tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[34:24]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25]  ³⁸⁸ tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.

[34:27]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.

[34:27]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.

[34:28]  ³⁹² tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29]  ³⁹³ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30]  ³⁹⁴ tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.

[34:30]  ³⁹⁵ tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.

[34:30]  ³⁹⁶ tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:10]  ³⁹⁸ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:17]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ⁴⁰⁰ 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.

[42:7]  ⁴⁰¹ sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.

[42:7]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “said.”

[42:7]  ⁴⁰³ tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.

[42:30]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Heb “made us.”

[42:30]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn The words “if we were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “saw.”

[42:1]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.

[12:13]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Heb “say.”

[12:13]  ⁴¹⁰ sn Tell them you are my sister. Abram’s motives may not be as selfish as they appear. He is aware of the danger to the family. His method of dealing with it is deception with a half truth, for Sarai really was his sister – but the Egyptians would not know that. Abram presumably thought that there would be negotiations for a marriage by anyone interested (as Laban does later for his sister Rebekah), giving him time to react. But the plan backfires because Pharaoh does not take the time to negotiate. There is a good deal of literature on the wife-sister issue. See (among others) E. A. Speiser, “The Wife-Sister Motif in the Patriarchal Narratives,” Oriental and Biblical Studies, 62-81; C. J. Mullo-Weir, “The Alleged Hurrian Wife-Sister Motif in Genesis,” GOT 22 (1967-1970): 14-25.

[12:13]  ⁴¹¹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “go well” can encompass a whole range of favorable treatment, but the following clause indicates it means here that Abram’s life will be spared.

[12:13]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “and my life will live.”

[18:23]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “speaks supplications”; NIV “pleads for mercy.” The poor man has to ask for help because he has no choice (cf. CEV). The Hebrew term תַּחֲנוּן (takhanun) is a “supplication for favor” (related to the verb חָנַן [khanan], “to be gracious; to show favor”). So the poor man speaks, but what he speaks is a request for favor.

[18:23]  ⁴¹⁴ sn The rich person responds harshly to the request. He has hardened himself against such appeals because of relentless demands. The proverb is an observation saying; it simply describes the way the world generally works, rather than setting this out as the ideal.