Genesis 24:62

24:62 Now ¹  Isaac came from ²  Beer Lahai Roi, ³  for ⁴  he was living in the Negev. ⁵ 

Genesis 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ⁶  as he said to himself, ⁷  “Can ⁸  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁹  Can Sarah ¹⁰  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹¹ 

Genesis 25:26

25:26 When his brother came out with ¹²  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ¹³  Isaac was sixty years old ¹⁴  when they were born.

Genesis 35:27

35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, ¹⁵  to Kiriath Arba ¹⁶  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ¹⁷ 

Genesis 48:15-16

48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked –

the God who has been my shepherd ¹⁸ 

all my life long to this day,

48:16 the Angel ¹⁹  who has protected me ²⁰ 

from all harm –

bless these boys.

May my name be named in them, ²¹ 

and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.

May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”

[24:62]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ² tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ³ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

[24:62]  ⁴ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ⁵ tn Or “the South [country].”

[17:17]  ⁶ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁹ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ¹⁰ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[25:26]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ¹² tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  ¹³ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[35:27]  ¹⁶ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ¹⁷ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[48:15]  ²¹ tn Heb “shepherded me.” The verb has been translated as an English noun for stylistic reasons.

[48:16]  ²⁶ sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.

[48:16]  ²⁷ tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).

[48:16]  ²⁸ tn Or “be recalled through them.”