Genesis 35:5

35:5 and they started on their journey. ¹  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ²  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Genesis 35:16

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ³  Rachel went into labor ⁴  – and her labor was hard.

[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”).

[35:16]  ³ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ⁴ 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.”