Genesis 4:2

4:2 Then she gave birth ¹  to his brother Abel. ²  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ 

Genesis 4:12

4:12 When you try to cultivate ⁴  the

ground it will no longer yield ⁵  its best ⁶  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ⁷  on the earth.”

Genesis 15:13

15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ⁸  that your descendants will be strangers ⁹  in a foreign country. ¹⁰  They will be enslaved and oppressed ¹¹  for four hundred years.

Genesis 25:23

25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ¹²  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

Genesis 27:29

27:29 May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

You will be ¹³  lord ¹⁴  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ¹⁵ 

May those who curse you be cursed,

and those who bless you be blessed.”

Genesis 27:40

27:40 You will live by your sword

but you will serve your brother.

When you grow restless,

you will tear off his yoke

from your neck.” ¹⁶ 

Genesis 29:25

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ¹⁷  So Jacob ¹⁸  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ¹⁹  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ²⁰  me?”

Genesis 29:27

29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ²¹  Then we will give you the younger one ²²  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ²³ 

Genesis 29:30

29:30 Jacob ²⁴  had marital relations ²⁵  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ²⁶  for seven more years. ²⁷ 

Genesis 49:15

49:15 When he sees ²⁸  a good resting place,

and the pleasant land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a slave laborer. ²⁹ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  ² sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[4:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “work.”

[4:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.

[4:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “its strength.”

[4:12]  ⁷ tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (na’ vanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).

[15:13]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.

[15:13]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.

[15:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”

[15:13]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.

[25:23]  ¹⁰ sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[27:29]  ¹³ tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.

[27:29]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”

[27:29]  ¹⁵ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:40]  ¹⁶ sn You will tear off his yoke from your neck. It may be that this prophetic blessing found its fulfillment when Jerusalem fell and Edom got its revenge. The oracle makes Edom subservient to Israel and suggests the Edomites would live away from the best land and be forced to sustain themselves by violent measures.

[29:25]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ²¹ 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]  ²² 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.

[29:27]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ²⁴ 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.”

[29:30]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ²⁶ 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]  ²⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[49:15]  ²⁸ tn The verb forms in this verse (“sees,” “will bend,” and “[will] become”) are preterite; they is used in a rhetorical manner, describing the future as if it had already transpired.

[49:15]  ²⁹ sn The oracle shows that the tribe of Issachar will be willing to trade liberty for the material things of life. Issachar would work (become a slave laborer) for the Canaanites, a reversal of the oracle on Canaan. See C. M. Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL 88 (1969): 435-44; and S. Gevirtz, “The Issachar Oracle in the Testament of Jacob,” ErIsr 12 (1975): 104-12.