Genesis 25:33

25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ¹  So Esau ²  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ³  to Jacob.

Genesis 47:31

47:31 Jacob ⁴  said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” ⁵  So Joseph ⁶  gave him his word. ⁷  Then Israel bowed down ⁸  at the head of his bed. ⁹ 

Genesis 21:23

21:23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name ¹⁰  that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants. ¹¹  Show me, and the land ¹²  where you are staying, ¹³  the same loyalty ¹⁴  that I have shown you.” ¹⁵ 

Genesis 26:3

26:3 Stay ¹⁶  in this land. Then I will be with you and will bless you, ¹⁷  for I will give all these lands to you and to your descendants, ¹⁸  and I will fulfill ¹⁹  the solemn promise I made ²⁰  to your father Abraham.

[25:33]  ¹ tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ³ sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.

[47:31]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[47:31]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”

[47:31]  ⁸ sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.

[47:31]  ⁹ tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).

[21:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”

[21:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”

[21:23]  ⁹ tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.

[21:23]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.

[21:23]  ¹¹ tn Or “kindness.”

[21:23]  ¹² tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”

[26:3]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.

[26:3]  ¹¹ tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.

[26:3]  ¹² tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[26:3]  ¹³ tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.

[26:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”