3:20 The man 3 named his wife Eve, 4 because 5 she was the mother of all the living. 6 3:21 The Lord God made garments from skin 7 for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.
18:9 Then they asked him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He replied, “There, 8 in the tent.”
23:3 Then Abraham got up from mourning his dead wife 11 and said to the sons of Heth, 12
38:6 Judah acquired 14 a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar.
46:19 The sons of Rachel the wife of Jacob:
Joseph and Benjamin.
1 tn Heb “And the two of them were naked, the man and his wife.”
sn Naked. The motif of nakedness is introduced here and plays an important role in the next chapter. In the Bible nakedness conveys different things. In this context it signifies either innocence or integrity, depending on how those terms are defined. There is no fear of exploitation, no sense of vulnerability. But after the entrance of sin into the race, nakedness takes on a negative sense. It is then usually connected with the sense of vulnerability, shame, exploitation, and exposure (such as the idea of “uncovering nakedness” either in sexual exploitation or in captivity in war).
2 tn The imperfect verb form here has a customary nuance, indicating a continuing condition in past time. The meaning of the Hebrew term בּוֹשׁ (bosh) is “to be ashamed, to put to shame,” but its meaning is stronger than “to be embarrassed.” The word conveys the fear of exploitation or evil – enemies are put to shame through military victory. It indicates the feeling of shame that approximates a fear of evil.
3 tn Or “Adam”; however, the Hebrew term has the definite article here.
4 sn The name Eve means “Living one” or “Life-giver” in Hebrew.
5 tn The explanatory clause gives the reason for the name. Where the one doing the naming gives the explanation, the text normally uses “saying”; where the narrator explains it, the explanatory clause is typically used.
6 tn The explanation of the name forms a sound play (paronomasia) with the name. “Eve” is חַוָּה (khavvah) and “living” is חַי (khay). The name preserves the archaic form of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) with the middle vav (ו) instead of yod (י). The form חַי (khay) is derived from the normal form חַיָּה (khayyah). Compare the name Yahweh (יְהוָה) explained from הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) rather than from הַוָה (havah). The biblical account stands in contrast to the pagan material that presents a serpent goddess hawwat who is the mother of life. See J. Heller, “Der Name Eva,” ArOr 26 (1958): 636-56; and A. F. Key, “The Giving of Proper Names in the OT,” JBL 83 (1964): 55-59.
7 sn The
8 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) often accompanies a gesture of pointing or a focused gaze.
9 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn The Hebrew verb means “to look intently; to gaze” (see 15:5).
sn Longingly. Lot’s wife apparently identified with the doomed city and thereby showed lack of respect for God’s provision of salvation. She, like her daughters later, had allowed her thinking to be influenced by the culture of Sodom.
11 tn Heb “And Abraham arose from upon the face of his dead.”
12 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (also in vv. 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 20), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
13 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
14 tn Heb “and Judah took.”