¹ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

⁴ tn Or “how.”

⁵ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 30, 31, 32 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

⁶ tn The disjunctive clause is a concessive clause here, drawing out the humility as a contrast to the Lord.

⁷ sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ sn Heb “the messenger of the Lord” (also in v. 15). Some identify the angel of the Lord as the preincarnate Christ because in some texts the angel is identified with the Lord himself. However, see the note on the phrase “the Lord’s angel” in Gen 16:7.

¹⁰ tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² sn Which are you, my son? Isaac’s first question shows that the deception is going to require more subterfuge than Rebekah had anticipated. Jacob will have to pull off the deceit.

¹³ tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “daughters.”

¹⁵ sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.

¹⁶ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.