Genesis 11:29

11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ¹  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ²  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

Genesis 31:35

31:35 Rachel ³  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ⁴  my lord. I cannot stand up ⁵  in your presence because I am having my period.” ⁶  So he searched thoroughly, ⁷  but did not find the idols.

[11:29]  ¹ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

[11:29]  ² sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

[31:35]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ⁷ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.