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 24:9

24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ¹⁰ 

Genesis 31:53

31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, ¹¹  the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. ¹² 

Genesis 50:25

50:25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

[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).

[24:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[31:53]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.