27:46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed 1 because of these daughters of Heth. 2 If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” 3
24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened.
25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac.
26:23 From there Isaac 6 went up to Beer Sheba.
26:30 So Isaac 7 held a feast for them and they celebrated. 8
26:8 After Isaac 9 had been there a long time, 10 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 11 Isaac caressing 12 his wife Rebekah.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 13 to Kiriath Arba 14 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 15
24:62 Now 17 Isaac came from 18 Beer Lahai Roi, 19 for 20 he was living in the Negev. 21
1 tn Heb “loathe my life.” The Hebrew verb translated “loathe” refers to strong disgust (see Lev 20:23).
2 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), 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.
3 tn Heb “If Jacob takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the land, why to me life?”
4 tn Heb “the one born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.” The two modifying clauses, the first introduced with an article and the second with the relative pronoun, are placed in the middle of the sentence, before the name Isaac is stated. They are meant to underscore that this was indeed an actual birth to Abraham and Sarah in fulfillment of the promise.
5 tn Heb “and he camped in the valley of Gerar and he lived there.”
sn This valley was actually a wadi (a dry river bed where the water would flow in the rainy season, but this would have been rare in the Negev). The water table under it would have been higher than in the desert because of water soaking in during the torrents, making it easier to find water when digging wells. However, this does not minimize the blessing of the
6 tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “and they ate and drank.”
9 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
11 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
12 tn Or “fondling.”
sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.
13 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
14 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
15 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
16 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause underscores how miraculous this birth was. Abraham was 100 years old. The fact that the genealogies give the ages of the fathers when their first son is born shows that this was considered a major milestone in one’s life (G. J. Wenham, Genesis [WBC], 2:80).
17 tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.
18 tn Heb “from the way of.”
19 sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.
20 tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.
21 tn Or “the South [country].”
sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
22 tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”
23 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
24 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
25 tn Heb “they”; the referent (Isaac’s servants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 sn The name Sitnah (שִׂטְנָה, sitnah) is derived from a Hebrew verbal root meaning “to oppose; to be an adversary” (cf. Job 1:6). The name was a reminder that the digging of this well caused “opposition” from the Philistines.
28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.
29 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.
30 tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”
31 tn Heb “said.”
32 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.
33 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
34 tn Or “took”; “received.”
35 tn Heb “saw.”
36 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
37 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”