Genesis 25:21

25:21 Isaac prayed to 1  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.

Genesis 30:6

30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 2  and given me a son.” That is why 3  she named him Dan. 4 

1 tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

2 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.

3 tn Or “therefore.”

4 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.