Genesis 28:20-21

28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food ¹  to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, ²  then the Lord will become my God.

Genesis 28:1

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! ³ 

Genesis 1:11

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: ⁴  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, ⁵  and ⁶  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so.

Genesis 16:2

16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ⁷  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ⁸  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ⁹  Abram did what ¹⁰  Sarai told him.

Psalms 56:12

56:12 I am obligated to fulfill the vows I made to you, O God; ¹¹ 

I will give you the thank-offerings you deserve, ¹² 

Ecclesiastes 5:4

5:4 When you make a vow ¹³  to God, do not delay in paying it. ¹⁴ 

For God ¹⁵  takes no pleasure in fools:

Pay what you vow!

[28:20]  ¹ tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.

[28:21]  ² tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”

[28:1]  ³ tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”

[1:11]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew construction employs a cognate accusative, where the nominal object (“vegetation”) derives from the verbal root employed. It stresses the abundant productivity that God created.

[1:11]  ⁵ sn After their kinds. The Hebrew word translated “kind” (מִין, min) indicates again that God was concerned with defining and dividing time, space, and species. The point is that creation was with order, as opposed to chaos. And what God created and distinguished with boundaries was not to be confused (see Lev 19:19 and Deut 22:9-11).

[1:11]  ⁶ tn The conjunction “and” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the relationship of the clauses.

[16:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[56:12]  ¹¹ tn Heb “upon me, O God, [are] your vows.”

[56:12]  ¹² tn Heb “I will repay thank-offerings to you.”

[5:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “vow a vow.” The phrase תִּדֹּר נֶדֶר (tiddor neder, “to vow a vow”) is a Hebrew idiom in which the root נדר is repeated for emphasis. The construction is a cognate accusative (see IBHS 166-67 §10.2.1f). The verb נָדַר (nadar, “to vow”) refers to the action of making a solemn promise to the Lord to perform an action or offer a sacrifice, e.g., Lev 27:8; Num 6:21; 30:11; Deut 23:23-24; Jonah 2:10; Mal 1:14; Pss 76:12; 132:2; see HALOT 674 s.v. נדר. The noun נֶדֶר (“vow”) was a gift or offering promised to be given to the Lord (Num 30:3; Deut 12:11; 23:19; Isa 19:12; Nah 2:1 [ET 1:15]; Ps 61:6, 9); see HALOT 674–75 s.v. נֵדֶר. It usually was a sacrifice or free-will offering (Deut 12:6; Ps 66:13) that was often promised during times of pressure (Judg 11:30; 1 Sam 1:11; 2 Sam 15:7-8; Pss 22:25; 66:13; 116:14, 18; Jonah 2:9).

[5:4]  ¹⁴ tn The term לְשַׁלְּמוֹ (lÿshallÿmo, preposition + Piel infinitive construct from שָׁלַם, shalam + 3rd person masculine singular suffix) is derived from the root שׁלם which is used in a general sense of paying a debt (2 Kgs 4:7; Ps 37:21; Prov 22:27; Job 41:3), and more specifically of fulfilling a vow to the Lord (Deut 23:22; 2 Sam 15:7; Pss 22:26; 50:14; 61:9; 66:13; 76:12; 116:14, 18; Prov 7:14; Job 22:27; Isa 19:21; Jonah 2:10; Nah 2:1); see HALOT 1535 s.v. שׁלם 3a; BDB 1022 s.v. שָׁלֵם 4. An Israelite was never required to make a vow, but once made, it had to be paid (Lev 22:18-25; 27:1-13; Num 15:2-10; Nah 1:15 [2:1 HT]).

[5:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (“God”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.