Discovery BoxGenesis 28:10--35:29
Context28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 1 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 2 He took one of the stones 3 and placed it near his head. 4 Then he fell asleep 5 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 6 He saw 7 a stairway 8 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 9 I will give you and your descendants the ground 10 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 11 and you will spread out 12 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 13 using your name and that of your descendants. 14 28:15 I am with you! 15 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 16 and thought, 17 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 18 in the morning Jacob 19 took the stone he had placed near his head 20 and set it up as a sacred stone. 21 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 22 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 23 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 24 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 25 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 26 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 27
29:1 So Jacob moved on 28 and came to the land of the eastern people. 29 29:2 He saw 30 in the field a well with 31 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 32 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 33 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 34 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 35 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 36 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 37 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 38 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 39 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 40 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 41 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 42 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 43 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 44 went over 45 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 46 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 47 29:12 When Jacob explained 48 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 49 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 50 told Laban how he was related to him. 51 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 52 So Jacob 53 stayed with him for a month. 54
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 55 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 56 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 57 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 58 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 59 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 60 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 61 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 62 But they seemed like only a few days to him 63 because his love for her was so great. 64
29:21 Finally Jacob said 65 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 66 I want to have marital relations with her.” 67 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 68 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 69 to Jacob, 70 and Jacob 71 had marital relations with her. 72 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 73
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 74 So Jacob 75 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 76 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 77 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 78 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 79 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 80 Then we will give you the younger one 81 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 82
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 83 When Jacob 84 completed Leah’s bridal week, 85 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 86 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 87 29:30 Jacob 88 had marital relations 89 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 90 for seven more years. 91
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 92 he enabled her to become pregnant 93 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 94 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 95 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 96 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 97 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 98
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 99 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 100
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 101 Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 102 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 103 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 104 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 105 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 106 her so that she can bear 107 children 108 for me 109 and I can have a family through her.” 110
30:4 So Rachel 111 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 112 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 113 and gave Jacob a son. 114 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 115 and given me a son.” That is why 116 she named him Dan. 117
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 118 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 119 So she named him Naphtali. 120
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 121 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 122 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 123 So she named him Gad. 124
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 125 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 126 for women 127 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 128
30:14 At the time 129 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 130 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, 131 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 132 Rachel said, “he may sleep 133 with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep 134 with me because I have paid for your services 135 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 136 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 137 to Leah; she became pregnant 138 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 139 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 140 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 141 So she named him Issachar. 142
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 143 30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 144
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 145 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 146 30:23 She became pregnant 147 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 148 30:24 She named him Joseph, 149 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 150 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 151 me on my way so that I can go 152 home to my own country. 153 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 154 Then I’ll depart, 155 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 156
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 157 for I have learned by divination 158 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” 159
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 160 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 161 30:30 Indeed, 162 you had little before I arrived, 163 but now your possessions have increased many times over. 164 The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. 165 But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” 166
30:31 So Laban asked, 167 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 168 Jacob replied, 169 “but if you agree to this one condition, 170 I will continue to care for 171 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 172 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 173 and the spotted or speckled goats. 174 These animals will be my wages. 175 30:33 My integrity will testify for me 176 later on. 177 When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, 178 if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” 179 30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” 180
30:35 So that day Laban 181 removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care 182 of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, 183 while 184 Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.
30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 185 30:39 When the sheep mated 186 in front of the branches, they 187 gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face 188 the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, 189 Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. 190 So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban 191 and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob 192 became extremely prosperous. He owned 193 large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
31:1 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were complaining, 194 “Jacob has taken everything that belonged to our father! He has gotten rich 195 at our father’s expense!” 196 31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. 197
31:3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers 198 and to your relatives. I will be with you.” 199 31:4 So Jacob sent a message for Rachel and Leah 200 to come to the field 201 where his flocks were. 202 31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, 203 but the God of my father has been with me. 31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, 204 31:7 but your father has humiliated 205 me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm. 31:8 If he said, 206 ‘The speckled animals 207 will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to speckled offspring. But if he said, ‘The streaked animals will be your wage,’ then the entire flock gave birth to streaked offspring. 31:9 In this way God has snatched away your father’s livestock and given them to me.
31:10 “Once 208 during breeding season I saw 209 in a dream that the male goats mating with 210 the flock were streaked, speckled, and spotted. 31:11 In the dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ ‘Here I am!’ I replied. 31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe 211 that all the male goats mating with 212 the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you. 31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 213 where you anointed 214 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 215 Now leave this land immediately 216 and return to your native land.’”
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 217 in our father’s house? 31:15 Hasn’t he treated us like foreigners? He not only sold us, but completely wasted 218 the money paid for us! 219 31:16 Surely all the wealth that God snatched away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So now do everything God has told you.”
31:17 So Jacob immediately put his children and his wives on the camels. 220 31:18 He took 221 away all the livestock he had acquired in Paddan Aram and all his moveable property that he had accumulated. Then he set out toward the land of Canaan to return to his father Isaac. 222
31:19 While Laban had gone to shear his sheep, 223 Rachel stole the household idols 224 that belonged to her father. 31:20 Jacob also deceived 225 Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. 226 31:21 He left 227 with all he owned. He quickly crossed 228 the Euphrates River 229 and headed for 230 the hill country of Gilead.
31:22 Three days later Laban discovered Jacob had left. 231 31:23 So he took his relatives 232 with him and pursued Jacob 233 for seven days. 234 He caught up with 235 him in the hill country of Gilead. 31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, 236 “Be careful 237 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” 238
31:25 Laban overtook Jacob, and when Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead, Laban and his relatives set up camp there too. 239 31:26 “What have you done?” Laban demanded of Jacob. “You’ve deceived me 240 and carried away my daughters as if they were captives of war! 241 31:27 Why did you run away secretly 242 and deceive me? 243 Why didn’t you tell me so I could send you off with a celebration complete with singing, tambourines, and harps? 244 31:28 You didn’t even allow me to kiss my daughters and my grandchildren 245 good-bye. You have acted foolishly! 31:29 I have 246 the power to do you harm, but the God of your father told me last night, ‘Be careful 247 that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.’ 248 31:30 Now I understand that 249 you have gone away 250 because you longed desperately 251 for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” 252
31:31 “I left secretly because I was afraid!” 253 Jacob replied to Laban. “I thought 254 you might take your daughters away from me by force. 255 31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 256 In the presence of our relatives 257 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 258 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 259
31:33 So Laban entered Jacob’s tent, and Leah’s tent, and the tent of the two female servants, but he did not find the idols. 260 Then he left Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s. 261 31:34 (Now Rachel had taken the idols and put them inside her camel’s saddle 262 and sat on them.) 263 Laban searched the whole tent, but did not find them. 264 31:35 Rachel 265 said to her father, “Don’t be angry, 266 my lord. I cannot stand up 267 in your presence because I am having my period.” 268 So he searched thoroughly, 269 but did not find the idols.
31:36 Jacob became angry 270 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 271 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 272 31:37 When you searched through all my goods, did you find anything that belonged to you? 273 Set it here before my relatives and yours, 274 and let them settle the dispute between the two of us! 275
31:38 “I have been with you for the past twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. 276 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 277 whether it was taken by day or at night. 31:40 I was consumed by scorching heat 278 during the day and by piercing cold 279 at night, and I went without sleep. 280 31:41 This was my lot 281 for twenty years in your house: I worked like a slave 282 for you – fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, but you changed my wages ten times! 31:42 If the God of my father – the God of Abraham, the one whom Isaac fears 283 – had not been with me, you would certainly have sent me away empty-handed! But God saw how I was oppressed and how hard I worked, 284 and he rebuked you last night.”
31:43 Laban replied 285 to Jacob, “These women 286 are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, 287 and these flocks are my flocks. All that you see belongs to me. But how can I harm these daughters of mine today 288 or the children to whom they have given birth? 31:44 So now, come, let’s make a formal agreement, 289 you and I, and it will be 290 proof that we have made peace.” 291
31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial pillar. 31:46 Then he 292 said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. 293 They ate there by the pile of stones. 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, 294 but Jacob called it Galeed. 295
31:48 Laban said, “This pile of stones is a witness of our agreement 296 today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 31:49 It was also called Mizpah 297 because he said, “May the Lord watch 298 between us 299 when we are out of sight of one another. 300 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize 301 that God is witness to your actions.” 302
31:51 “Here is this pile of stones and this pillar I have set up between me and you,” Laban said to Jacob. 303 31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 304 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor, 305 the gods of their father, judge between us.” Jacob took an oath by the God whom his father Isaac feared. 306 31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice 307 on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. 308 They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.
31:55 (32:1) 309 Early in the morning Laban kissed 310 his grandchildren 311 and his daughters goodbye and blessed them. Then Laban left and returned home. 312
32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God 313 met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, 314 “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. 315
32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead 316 to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region 317 of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant 318 Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent 319 this message 320 to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”
32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” 321 he thought, 322 “then the other camp will be able to escape.” 323
32:9 Then Jacob prayed, 324 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said 325 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ 326 32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love 327 you have shown 328 your servant. With only my walking stick 329 I crossed the Jordan, 330 but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, 331 I pray, from the hand 332 of my brother Esau, 333 for I am afraid he will come 334 and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. 335 32:12 But you 336 said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper 337 and will make 338 your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” 339
32:13 Jacob 340 stayed there that night. Then he sent 341 as a gift 342 to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to 343 his servants, who divided them into herds. 344 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, 345 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? 346 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ 347 32:18 then you must say, 348 ‘They belong 349 to your servant Jacob. 350 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 351 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 352
32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 353 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” 354 Jacob thought, 355 “I will first appease him 356 by sending a gift ahead of me. 357 After that I will meet him. 358 Perhaps he will accept me.” 359 32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him 360 while he spent that night in the camp. 361
32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took 362 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons 363 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 364 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. 365 32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man 366 wrestled 367 with him until daybreak. 368 32:25 When the man 369 saw that he could not defeat Jacob, 370 he struck 371 the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
32:26 Then the man 372 said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” 373 “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, 374 “unless you bless me.” 375 32:27 The man asked him, 376 “What is your name?” 377 He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, 378 “but Israel, 379 because you have fought 380 with God and with men and have prevailed.”
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 381 “Why 382 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 383 Then he blessed 384 Jacob 385 there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, 386 explaining, 387 “Certainly 388 I have seen God face to face 389 and have survived.” 390
32:31 The sun rose 391 over him as he crossed over Penuel, 392 but 393 he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day 394 the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck 395 the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.
33:1 Jacob looked up 396 and saw that Esau was coming 397 along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 398 33:3 But Jacob 399 himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 400 his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau 401 looked up 402 and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob 403 replied, “The children whom God has graciously given 404 your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. 405 33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
33:8 Esau 406 then asked, “What did you intend 407 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 408 Jacob 409 replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. 410 “If I have found favor in your sight, accept 411 my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, 412 it is as if I have seen the face of God. 413 33:11 Please take my present 414 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 415 to me and I have all I need.” 416 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 417
33:12 Then Esau 418 said, “Let’s be on our way! 419 I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob 420 said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, 421 and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. 422 If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, 423 until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 424 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 425 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 426
33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back 427 to Seir. 33:17 But 428 Jacob traveled to Succoth 429 where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called 430 Succoth. 431
33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near 432 the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it 433 from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 434 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” 435
34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet 436 the young women 437 of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, 438 and sexually assaulted her. 439 34:3 Then he became very attached 440 to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. 441 34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” 442 34:5 When 443 Jacob heard that Shechem 444 had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent 445 until they came in.
34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. 446 34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 447 They 448 were offended 449 and very angry because Shechem 450 had disgraced Israel 451 by sexually assaulting 452 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 453
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 454 Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. 455 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 456 34:10 You may live 457 among us, and the land will be open to you. 458 Live in it, travel freely in it, 459 and acquire property in it.”
34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s 460 father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me 461 I’ll give. 462 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, 463 and I’ll give 464 whatever you ask 465 of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem 466 had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 467 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 468 to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become 469 like us by circumcising 470 all your males. 34:16 Then we will give 471 you our daughters to marry, 472 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms 473 by being circumcised, then we will take 474 our sister 475 and depart.”
34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 476 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked 477 because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah 478 badly. (Now he was more important 479 than anyone in his father’s household.) 480 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 481 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 482 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 483 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 484 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 485 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 486 agreed with 487 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 488 was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 489 and went to the unsuspecting city 490 and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them 491 and looted the city because their sister had been violated. 492 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. 493 34:29 They captured as plunder 494 all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 495 on me by making me a foul odor 496 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 497 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, 498 “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”
35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 499 to Bethel 500 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 501 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 502 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 503 35:3 Let us go up at once 504 to Bethel. Then I will make 505 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 506 and has been with me wherever I went.” 507
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 508 and the rings that were in their ears. 509 Jacob buried them 510 under the oak 511 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 512 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 513 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 514 in the land of Canaan. 515 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 516 because there God had revealed himself 517 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 518 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 519 Oak of Weeping.) 520
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 521 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 522 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 523 35:12 The land I gave 524 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 525 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 526 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 527 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 528 35:15 Jacob named the place 529 where God spoke with him Bethel. 530
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 531 Rachel went into labor 532 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 533 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 534 35:18 With her dying breath, 535 she named him Ben-Oni. 536 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 537 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 538 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 539 over her grave; it is 540 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 541 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 542 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 543 to Kiriath Arba 544 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 545 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 546 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 547 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 548 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
[28:11] 1 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
[28:11] 2 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
[28:11] 3 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
[28:11] 4 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
[28:12] 1 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
[28:12] 2 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
[28:12] 3 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
[28:13] 1 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
[28:13] 2 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.
[28:14] 1 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
[28:14] 2 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
[28:14] 3 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
[28:14] 4 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
[28:15] 1 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
[28:16] 1 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[28:18] 1 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
[28:18] 2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[28:18] 3 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
[28:18] 4 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[28:19] 1 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
[28:20] 1 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
[28:21] 1 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
[28:22] 1 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
[28:22] 2 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
[28:22] 3 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
[29:1] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
[29:1] 2 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
[29:2] 1 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
[29:2] 2 tn Heb “and look, there.”
[29:2] 3 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
[29:3] 1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:5] 2 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
[29:6] 1 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
[29:7] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:7] 2 tn Heb “the day is great.”
[29:7] 3 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
[29:8] 1 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
[29:9] 1 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
[29:10] 1 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
[29:10] 2 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:10] 3 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
[29:10] 4 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
[29:11] 1 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
[29:12] 2 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
[29:13] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:13] 2 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
[29:14] 1 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
[29:14] 2 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:14] 3 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[29:15] 1 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
[29:15] 2 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
[29:16] 1 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
[29:17] 1 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
[29:17] 2 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
[29:18] 1 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
[29:19] 1 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
[29:20] 1 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
[29:20] 2 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
[29:20] 3 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[29:21] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
[29:21] 2 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
[29:21] 3 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
[29:23] 1 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
[29:23] 2 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 4 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:24] 1 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[29:25] 1 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[29:25] 2 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 3 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
[29:25] 4 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
[29:26] 1 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:26] 2 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[29:27] 1 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
[29:27] 2 tn Heb “this other one.”
[29:27] 3 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
[29:28] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:28] 2 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:28] 3 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
[29:28] 4 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:29] 1 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
[29:30] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 2 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:30] 3 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 4 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
[29:31] 1 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
[29:31] 2 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
[29:32] 1 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
[29:32] 2 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
[29:32] 3 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
[29:33] 1 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
[29:33] 2 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
[29:34] 1 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
[29:34] 2 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[29:35] 1 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
[30:1] 1 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:2] 1 tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
[30:2] 2 tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
[30:3] 1 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:3] 2 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
[30:3] 3 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:3] 4 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
[30:3] 5 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
[30:4] 1 tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:4] 2 tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:5] 1 tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
[30:5] 2 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:6] 1 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
[30:6] 3 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
[30:7] 1 tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:8] 1 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
[30:8] 2 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
[30:9] 1 tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”
[30:10] 1 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:11] 1 tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”
[30:11] 2 sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[30:12] 1 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:13] 1 tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
[30:13] 3 sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.
[30:14] 1 tn Heb “during the days.”
[30:14] 2 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
[30:15] 1 tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:15] 3 tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[30:16] 1 tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
[30:16] 2 tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
[30:16] 3 tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
[30:17] 1 tn Heb “listened to.”
[30:17] 2 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
[30:17] 3 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:18] 1 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
[30:18] 2 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
[30:18] 3 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
[30:19] 1 tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:20] 1 sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
[30:22] 1 tn Heb “remembered.”
[30:22] 2 tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons
[30:23] 2 tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.
[30:24] 1 sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.
[30:25] 1 tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
[30:25] 2 tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.
[30:25] 3 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:25] 4 tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”
[30:26] 1 tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
[30:26] 2 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:26] 3 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
[30:27] 1 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[30:27] 2 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
[30:28] 1 tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”
[30:29] 1 tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:29] 2 tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
[30:30] 3 tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
[30:30] 4 tn Heb “at my foot.”
[30:30] 5 tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
[30:31] 1 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:31] 2 tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
[30:31] 3 tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:31] 4 tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
[30:31] 5 tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
[30:32] 1 tn Heb “pass through.”
[30:32] 2 tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
[30:32] 3 tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
[30:32] 4 tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.
[30:33] 1 tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”
[30:33] 2 tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”
[30:33] 3 tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”
[30:33] 4 tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”
[30:34] 1 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.
[30:35] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:35] 2 tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”
[30:36] 1 tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”
[30:36] 2 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.
[30:38] 1 sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).
[30:39] 1 tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.
[30:39] 2 tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:40] 1 tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”
[30:41] 1 tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”
[30:42] 1 tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.
[30:42] 2 tn Heb “were for Laban.”
[30:43] 1 tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[30:43] 2 tn Heb “and there were to him.”
[31:1] 1 tn Heb “and he heard the words of the sons of Laban, saying.”
[31:1] 2 sn The Hebrew word translated “gotten rich” (כָּבוֹד, cavod) has the basic idea of “weight.” If one is heavy with possessions, then that one is wealthy (13:2). Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph all became wealthy when they left the promised land. Jacob’s wealth foreshadows what will happen to Israel when they leave the land of Egypt (Exod 12:35-38).
[31:1] 3 tn Heb “and from that which belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.”
[31:2] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.
[31:3] 1 tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.
[31:3] 2 sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the
[31:4] 1 tn Heb “sent and called for Rachel and for Leah.” Jacob did not go in person, but probably sent a servant with a message for his wives to meet him in the field.
[31:4] 2 tn Heb “the field.” The word is an adverbial accusative, indicating that this is where Jacob wanted them to meet him. The words “to come to” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
[31:4] 3 tn Heb “to his flock.”
[31:5] 1 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
[31:6] 1 tn Heb “with all my strength.”
[31:7] 1 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
[31:8] 1 tn In the protasis (“if” section) of this conditional clause, the imperfect verbal form has a customary nuance – whatever he would say worked to Jacob’s benefit.
[31:8] 2 tn Heb “speckled” (twice this verse). The word “animals” (after the first occurrence of “speckled”) and “offspring” (after the second) have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The same two terms (“animals” and “offspring”) have been supplied after the two occurrences of “streaked” later in this verse.
[31:10] 1 tn The sentence begins with the temporal indicator, “and it happened at the time of.”
[31:10] 2 tn Heb “in the time of the breeding of the flock I lifted up my eyes and I saw.”
[31:10] 3 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:12] 1 tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”
[31:12] 2 tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.
[31:13] 1 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[31:13] 2 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
[31:13] 3 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
[31:13] 4 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
[31:14] 1 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
[31:15] 1 tn Heb “and he devoured, even devouring.” The infinitive absolute (following the finite verb here) is used for emphasis.
[31:15] 2 tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.
[31:17] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob arose and he lifted up his sons and his wives on to the camels.”
[31:18] 1 tn Heb “drove,” but this is subject to misunderstanding in contemporary English.
[31:18] 2 tn Heb “and he led away all his cattle and all his moveable property which he acquired, the cattle he obtained, which he acquired in Paddan Aram to go to Isaac his father to the land of Canaan.”
[31:19] 1 tn This disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new scene. In the English translation it may be subordinated to the following clause.
[31:19] 2 tn Or “household gods.” Some translations merely transliterate the Hebrew term תְּרָפִים (tÿrafim) as “teraphim,” which apparently refers to household idols. Some contend that possession of these idols guaranteed the right of inheritance, but it is more likely that they were viewed simply as protective deities. See M. Greenberg, “Another Look at Rachel’s Theft of the Teraphim,” JBL 81 (1962): 239-48.
[31:20] 1 tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.
[31:20] 2 tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.
[31:21] 1 tn Heb “and he fled.”
[31:21] 2 tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.
[31:21] 3 tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:21] 4 tn Heb “he set his face.”
[31:22] 1 tn Heb “and it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.”
[31:23] 1 tn Heb “his brothers.”
[31:23] 2 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:23] 3 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”
[31:23] 4 tn Heb “drew close to.”
[31:24] 1 tn Heb “said to him.”
[31:24] 2 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:24] 3 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
[31:25] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban pitched with his brothers in the hill country of Gilead.” The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses (note the pattern conjunction + subject + verb in both clauses) indicates synchronism of action.
[31:26] 1 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
[31:26] 2 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
[31:27] 1 tn Heb “Why did you hide in order to flee?” The verb “hide” and the infinitive “to flee” form a hendiadys, the infinitive becoming the main verb and the other the adverb: “flee secretly.”
[31:27] 2 tn Heb “and steal me.”
[31:27] 3 tn Heb “And [why did] you not tell me so I could send you off with joy and with songs, with a tambourine and with a harp?”
[31:28] 1 tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:29] 1 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
[31:29] 2 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
[31:29] 3 tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
[31:30] 1 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[31:30] 2 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
[31:30] 3 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
[31:30] 4 sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.
[31:31] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:31] 2 tn Heb “for I said.”
[31:31] 3 tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”
[31:32] 1 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
[31:32] 3 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
[31:32] 4 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
[31:33] 1 tn No direct object is specified for the verb “find” in the Hebrew text. The words “the idols” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:33] 2 tn Heb “and he went out from the tent of Leah and went into the tent of Rachel.”
[31:34] 1 tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
[31:34] 2 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
[31:34] 3 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[31:35] 1 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[31:35] 2 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] 3 tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”
[31:35] 4 tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.
[31:35] 5 tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[31:36] 1 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
[31:36] 2 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[31:36] 3 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
[31:37] 1 tn Heb “what did you find from all the goods of your house?”
[31:37] 2 tn Heb “your relatives.” The word “relatives” has not been repeated in the translation here for stylistic reasons.
[31:37] 3 tn Heb “that they may decide between us two.”
[31:39] 1 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
[31:39] 2 tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
[31:40] 2 tn Heb “frost, ice,” though when contrasted with the חֹרֶב (khorev, “drought, parching heat”) of the day, “piercing cold” is more appropriate as a contrast.
[31:40] 3 tn Heb “and my sleep fled from my eyes.”
[31:41] 1 tn Heb “this to me.”
[31:41] 2 tn Heb “served you,” but in this accusatory context the meaning is more “worked like a slave.”
[31:42] 1 tn Heb “the fear of Isaac,” that is, the one whom Isaac feared and respected. For further discussion of this title see M. Malul, “More on pahad yitschaq (Gen. 31:42,53) and the Oath by the Thigh,” VT 35 (1985): 192-200.
[31:42] 2 tn Heb “My oppression and the work of my hands God saw.”
[31:43] 1 tn Heb “answered and said.”
[31:43] 4 tn Heb “but to my daughters what can I do to these today?”
[31:44] 1 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
[31:44] 2 tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”
[31:44] 3 tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”
[31:46] 1 tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:46] 2 sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.
[31:47] 1 sn Jegar Sahadutha. Laban the Aramean gave the place an Aramaic name which means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness.”
[31:47] 2 sn Galeed also means “witness pile” or “the pile is a witness,” but this name is Canaanite or Western Semitic and closer to later Hebrew. Jacob, though certainly capable of speaking Aramaic, here prefers to use the western dialect.
[31:48] 1 tn Heb “a witness between me and you.”
[31:49] 1 tn Heb “and Mizpah.”
[31:49] 2 sn The name Mizpah (מִצְפָּה, mitspah), which means “watchpost,” sounds like the verb translated “may he watch” (יִצֶף, yitsef). Neither Laban nor Jacob felt safe with each other, and so they agreed to go their separate ways, trusting the
[31:49] 3 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:49] 4 tn Heb “for we will be hidden, each man from his neighbor.”
[31:50] 2 tn Heb “between me and you.”
[31:51] 1 tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[31:52] 1 tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”
[31:53] 1 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] 2 tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.
[31:54] 1 tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.
[31:54] 2 tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.
[31:55] 1 sn Beginning with 31:55, the verse numbers in the English Bible through 32:32 differ by one from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 31:55 ET = 32:1 HT, 32:1 ET = 32:2 HT, etc., through 32:32 ET = 32:33 HT. From 33:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
[31:55] 2 tn Heb “and Laban got up early in the morning and he kissed.”
[31:55] 4 tn Heb “to his place.”
[32:1] 1 sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.
[32:2] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”
[32:2] 2 sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.
[32:4] 1 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
[32:5] 1 tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.
[32:5] 2 tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 1 tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”
[32:8] 2 tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 3 tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.
[32:9] 2 tn Heb “the one who said.”
[32:9] 3 tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.
[32:10] 1 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
[32:10] 2 tn Heb “you have done with.”
[32:10] 3 tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
[32:10] 4 tn Heb “this Jordan.”
[32:11] 1 tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
[32:11] 2 tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
[32:11] 3 tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
[32:11] 4 tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
[32:11] 5 sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
[32:12] 1 tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[32:12] 2 tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.
[32:12] 3 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.
[32:12] 4 tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.
[32:13] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:13] 2 tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.
[32:13] 3 sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).
[32:16] 1 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
[32:16] 2 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
[32:17] 1 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
[32:17] 2 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
[32:17] 3 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
[32:18] 1 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
[32:18] 2 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:18] 3 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
[32:18] 4 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
[32:18] 5 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:19] 1 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
[32:20] 1 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
[32:20] 2 tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
[32:20] 3 tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.
[32:20] 4 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
[32:20] 5 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
[32:20] 6 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
[32:21] 1 tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
[32:21] 2 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
[32:22] 1 tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.
[32:22] 2 tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).
[32:22] 3 sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.
[32:23] 1 tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
[32:24] 1 sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.
[32:24] 2 sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.
[32:24] 3 tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
[32:25] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 2 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 3 tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
[32:26] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:26] 2 tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
[32:26] 3 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:26] 4 sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.
[32:27] 1 tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:27] 2 sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the
[32:28] 1 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:28] 2 sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the
[32:28] 3 sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).
[32:29] 1 sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.
[32:29] 2 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
[32:29] 3 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:29] 4 tn The verb here means that the
[32:29] 5 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:30] 1 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
[32:30] 2 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:30] 4 sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
[32:30] 5 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”
[32:31] 2 sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
[32:31] 3 tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.
[32:32] 1 sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[32:32] 2 tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.
[33:1] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”
[33:1] 2 tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[33:2] 1 sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.
[33:3] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:3] 2 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.
[33:5] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 2 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[33:5] 3 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 4 tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”
[33:6] 1 tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”
[33:8] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:8] 3 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
[33:8] 4 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:10] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[33:10] 2 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.
[33:10] 3 tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.
[33:10] 4 tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”
[33:11] 1 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
[33:11] 2 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
[33:11] 4 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 2 tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”
[33:13] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:13] 3 tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”
[33:14] 1 tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”
[33:15] 1 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
[33:15] 2 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[33:15] 3 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[33:16] 1 tn Heb “returned on his way.”
[33:17] 1 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
[33:17] 2 sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.
[33:17] 3 tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.
[33:17] 4 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
[33:18] 1 tn Heb “in front of.”
[33:19] 1 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
[33:19] 2 tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).
[33:20] 1 tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.
[34:1] 1 tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
[34:2] 1 tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.
[34:2] 2 tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
[34:3] 1 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
[34:3] 2 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
[34:4] 1 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
[34:5] 1 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
[34:5] 2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:5] 3 sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.
[34:6] 1 tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 1 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:7] 2 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
[34:7] 3 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
[34:7] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 5 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
[34:7] 6 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
[34:7] 7 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
[34:8] 1 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
[34:9] 1 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
[34:9] 2 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
[34:10] 1 tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[34:10] 2 tn Heb “before you.”
[34:10] 3 tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”
[34:11] 1 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 2 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
[34:12] 1 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
[34:12] 2 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
[34:13] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 1 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
[34:14] 2 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
[34:15] 1 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
[34:15] 2 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
[34:16] 1 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:16] 2 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:17] 1 tn Heb “listen to us.”
[34:17] 2 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:17] 3 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
[34:18] 1 tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
[34:19] 1 tn Heb “doing the thing.”
[34:19] 2 tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:19] 3 tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
[34:19] 4 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).
[34:20] 1 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
[34:21] 1 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
[34:21] 2 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:22] 1 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
[34:23] 1 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[34:24] 1 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:24] 2 tn Heb “listened to.”
[34:24] 3 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:25] 1 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
[34:25] 2 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
[34:27] 1 tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
[34:27] 2 tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
[34:28] 1 tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
[34:29] 1 tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
[34:30] 1 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
[34:30] 2 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
[34:30] 3 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
[34:31] 1 tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:1] 1 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[35:1] 2 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:1] 3 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
[35:2] 1 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
[35:2] 2 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
[35:3] 1 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
[35:3] 2 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
[35:3] 3 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
[35:3] 4 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
[35:4] 1 tn Heb “in their hand.”
[35:4] 2 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
[35:4] 3 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
[35:5] 1 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
[35:5] 2 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
[35:6] 1 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:6] 2 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
[35:7] 1 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
[35:7] 2 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
[35:8] 1 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
[35:8] 2 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
[35:8] 3 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
[35:10] 1 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:11] 1 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[35:11] 2 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
[35:12] 1 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
[35:12] 2 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
[35:13] 1 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
[35:14] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
[35:14] 2 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
[35:15] 1 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
[35:15] 2 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
[35:16] 1 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
[35:16] 2 tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”
[35:17] 1 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
[35:17] 2 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
[35:18] 1 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
[35:18] 2 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
[35:18] 3 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
[35:19] 1 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
[35:20] 1 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[35:20] 2 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
[35:21] 1 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
[35:22] 1 tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
[35:27] 1 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
[35:27] 2 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
[35:27] 3 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
[35:28] 1 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
[35:29] 1 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
