12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree 1 of Moreh 2 at Shechem. 3 (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) 4
So the relatives separated from each other. 6
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 11 Rachel went into labor 12 – and her labor was hard.
1 tn Or “terebinth.”
2 sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.
3 tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”
4 tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.
5 tn Heb “Lot traveled.” The proper name has not been repeated in the translation at this point for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “a man from upon his brother.”
sn Separated from each other. For a discussion of the significance of this event, see L. R. Helyer, “The Separation of Abram and Lot: Its Significance in the Patriarchal Narratives,” JSOT 26 (1983): 77-88.
7 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
8 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.
9 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.
10 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
11 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
12 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.”