12:4 So Abram left, 1 just as the Lord had told him to do, 2 and Lot went with him. (Now 3 Abram was 75 years old 4 when he departed from Haran.)
18:29 Abraham 5 spoke to him again, 6 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you 9 in all that you do.
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 17 in our father’s house?
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 21 “Why 22 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 23 Then he blessed 24 Jacob 25 there.
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 26 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 27 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 28
39:11 One day 29 he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants 30 were there in the house.
41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 32 God has revealed 33 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 34
47:31 Jacob 39 said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” 40 So Joseph 41 gave him his word. 42 Then Israel bowed down 43 at the head of his bed. 44
1 sn So Abram left. This is the report of Abram’s obedience to God’s command (see v. 1).
2 tn Heb “just as the
3 tn The disjunctive clause (note the pattern conjunction + subject + implied “to be” verb) is parenthetical, telling the age of Abram when he left Haran.
4 tn Heb “was the son of five years and seventy year[s].”
sn Terah was 70 years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Gen 11:26). Terah was 205 when he died in Haran (11:32). Abram left Haran at the age of 75 after his father died. Abram was born when Terah was 130. Abram was not the firstborn – he is placed first in the list of three because of his importance. The same is true of the list in Gen 10:1 (Shem, Ham and Japheth). Ham was the youngest son (9:24). Japheth was the older brother of Shem (10:21), so the birth order of Noah’s sons was Japheth, Shem, and Ham.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
7 tn Heb “Be quick! Escape to there!” The two imperatives form a verbal hendiadys, the first becoming adverbial.
8 tn Heb “Therefore the name of the city is called Zoar.” The name of the place, צוֹעַר (tso’ar) apparently means “Little Place,” in light of the wordplay with the term “little” (מִצְעָר, mits’ar) used twice by Lot to describe the town (v. 20).
9 sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.
10 tn Heb “and also.”
11 tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.
12 sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.
13 tn Heb “say to you.”
14 tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15 tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”
16 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).
17 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
18 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
19 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
20 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.
21 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.
22 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
23 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.
24 tn The verb here means that the
25 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
27 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.
28 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
29 tn Heb “and it was about this day.”
30 tn Heb “the men of the house.”
31 tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”
32 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
33 tn Heb “declared.”
34 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
35 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
36 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
37 tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.
38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
41 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42 tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”
43 sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.
44 tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).