Genesis 27:1

Jacob Cheats Esau out of the Blessing

27:1 When ¹  Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, ²  he called his older ³  son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau ⁴  replied.

Genesis 48:10

48:10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing ⁵  because of his age; he was not able to see well. So Joseph ⁶  brought his sons ⁷  near to him, and his father ⁸  kissed them and embraced them.

Deuteronomy 34:7

34:7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull ⁹  nor had his vitality ¹⁰  departed.

Deuteronomy 34:1

The Death of Moses

34:1 Then Moses ascended from the deserts of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. ¹¹  The Lord showed him the whole land – Gilead to Dan,

Deuteronomy 3:2

3:2 The Lord, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army, ¹²  and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.”

Deuteronomy 4:15

The Nature of Israel’s God

4:15 Be very careful, ¹³  then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.

Psalms 90:10

90:10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, ¹⁴ 

or eighty, if one is especially strong. ¹⁵ 

But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. ¹⁶ 

Yes, ¹⁷  they pass quickly ¹⁸  and we fly away. ¹⁹ 

Ecclesiastes 12:3

12:3 when those who keep watch over the house ²⁰  begin to tremble, ²¹ 

and the virile men begin to stoop over, ²² 

and the grinders ²³  begin to cease because they grow few,

and those who look through the windows grow dim, ²⁴ 

[27:1]  ¹ tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.

[27:1]  ² tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”

[27:1]  ³ tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).

[27:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “heavy.”

[48:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁹ tn Or “dimmed.” The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.

[34:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “sap.” That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.

[34:1]  ¹¹ sn For the geography involved, see note on the term “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17.

[3:2]  ¹² tn Heb “people.”

[4:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”

[90:10]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the days of our years, in them [are] seventy years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “or if [there is] strength, eighty years.”

[90:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and their pride [is] destruction and wickedness.” The Hebrew noun רֹהַב (rohav) occurs only here. BDB 923 s.v. assigns the meaning “pride,” deriving the noun from the verbal root רהב (“to act stormily [boisterously, arrogantly]”). Here the “pride” of one’s days (see v. 9) probably refers to one’s most productive years in the prime of life. The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 10:7. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10. The oppressive and abusive actions of evil men are probably in view (see Job 4:8; 5:6; 15:35; Isa 10:1; 59:4).

[90:10]  ¹⁷ tn or “for.”

[90:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “it passes quickly.” The subject of the verb is probably “their pride” (see the preceding line). The verb גּוּז (guz) means “to pass” here; it occurs only here and in Num 11:31.

[90:10]  ¹⁹ sn We fly away. The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8).

[12:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the watchers of the house.”

[12:3]  ²¹ tn The verb זְוּעַ (zÿua’, “to tremble”) probably does not refer to physical tremors but to trembling in fear (e.g., Esth 5:9; Hab 2:7; Sir 48:12); cf. HALOT 267 s.v. זוע). At the onset of old age, those who had been the most courageous during their youth suddenly become fearful.

[12:3]  ²² tn The verb עָוַת (’avat, “to bend; to stoop”) means “to be stooped” (HALOT 804 s.v. עות) rather than “to bend themselves” (BDB 736 s.v. עות). The perfect tense may be taken in an ingressive sense (“begin to stoop over”).

[12:3]  ²³ tn The term הַטֹּחֲנוֹת (hattokhanot, Qal active participle feminine plural from טָחַן, takhan, “to grind”) is a double entendre. In its literal sense, it refers to female mill-grinders; in its figurative sense, it refers to molar teeth (HALOT 374 s.v. *טֹחֲנָה). The related Hebrew noun טַחֲנָה (takhanah) refers to a “mill,” and the related Arabic noun tahinat means “molar tooth” (HALOT 374 s.v. *טַחֲנָה).

[12:3]  ²⁴ tn The verb חָשַׁךְ (khashakh, “to grow dim”) is used elsewhere in reference to failing eyesight (e.g., Ps 69:24; Lam 5:17); see HALOT 361 s.v. חשׁך 2. Therefore, the phrase “those who look through the windows” is probably a figurative description of the eyes, picturing failing eyesight at the onset of old age.