Genesis 22:12

22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ¹  the angel said. ²  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ³  that you fear ⁴  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

Genesis 31:53

31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ⁵  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ⁶ 

[22:12]  ¹ tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”

[22:12]  ² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:12]  ³ sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).

[22:12]  ⁴ sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.

[31:53]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.