Genesis 8:16

8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 13:15

13:15 I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants ¹  forever.

Genesis 17:9

17:9 Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep ²  the covenantal requirement ³  I am imposing on you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

Genesis 26:33

26:33 So he named it Shibah; ⁴  that is why the name of the city has been Beer Sheba ⁵  to this day.

Genesis 27:18

27:18 He went to his father and said, “My father!” Isaac ⁶  replied, “Here I am. Which are you, my son?” ⁷ 

Genesis 27:32

27:32 His father Isaac asked, ⁸  “Who are you?” “I am your firstborn son,” ⁹  he replied, “Esau!”

Genesis 29:14-15

29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ¹⁰  So Jacob ¹¹  stayed with him for a month. ¹² 

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ¹³  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ¹⁴  Tell me what your wages should be.”

Genesis 29:20

29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ¹⁵  But they seemed like only a few days to him ¹⁶  because his love for her was so great. ¹⁷ 

Genesis 29:23

29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah ¹⁸  to Jacob, ¹⁹  and Jacob ²⁰  had marital relations with her. ²¹ 

Genesis 30:29

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ²²  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ²³ 

Genesis 38:8

38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with ²⁴  your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise ²⁵  up a descendant for your brother.” ²⁶ 

Genesis 49:3

49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,

my might and the beginning of my strength,

outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.

Genesis 49:8

49:8 Judah, ²⁷  your brothers will praise you.

Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,

your father’s sons will bow down before you.

[13:15]  ¹ tn Heb “for all the land which you see to you I will give it and to your descendants.”

[17:9]  ¹ tn The imperfect tense could be translated “you shall keep” as a binding command; but the obligatory nuance (“must”) captures the binding sense better.

[17:9]  ² tn Heb “my covenant.” The Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) can refer to (1) the agreement itself between two parties (see v. 7), (2) the promise made by one party to another (see vv. 2-3, 7), (3) an obligation placed by one party on another, or (4) a reminder of the agreement. In vv. 9-10 the word refers to a covenantal obligation which God gives to Abraham and his descendants.

[26:33]  ¹ sn The name Shibah (שִׁבְעָה, shiv’ah) means (or at least sounds like) the word meaning “oath.” The name was a reminder of the oath sworn by Isaac and the Philistines to solidify their treaty.

[26:33]  ² sn The name Beer Sheba (בְּאֵר שָׁבַע, bÿ’er shava’) means “well of an oath” or “well of seven.” According to Gen 21:31 Abraham gave Beer Sheba its name when he made a treaty with the Philistines. Because of the parallels between this earlier story and the account in 26:26-33, some scholars see chaps. 21 and 26 as two versions (or doublets) of one original story. However, if one takes the text as it stands, it appears that Isaac made a later treaty agreement with the people of the land that was similar to his father’s. Abraham dug a well at the site and named the place Beer Sheba; Isaac dug another well there and named the well Shibah. Later generations then associated the name Beer Sheba with Isaac, even though Abraham gave the place its name at an earlier time.

[27:18]  ¹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:18]  ² sn Which are you, my son? Isaac’s first question shows that the deception is going to require more subterfuge than Rebekah had anticipated. Jacob will have to pull off the deceit.

[27:32]  ¹ tn Heb “said.”

[27:32]  ² tn Heb “and he said, ‘I [am] your son, your firstborn.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[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.

[29:20]  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.

[29:23]  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.

[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.”

[38:8]  ¹ tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:8]  ² tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.

[38:8]  ³ sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.

[49:8]  ¹ sn There is a wordplay here; the name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (יוֹדוּךָ, yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance.