¹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

² tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

sn The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. It did not have a negative connotation until Esau redefined it. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.

³ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

⁴ tn Heb “knowing.”

⁵ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

⁶ sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.

⁷ sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.

⁸ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.

⁹ tn Heb “Are you this one, Esau, my son, or not?” On the use of the interrogative particle here, see BDB 210 s.v. הֲ.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn Heb “declared.”

¹² tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

¹³ tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).

¹⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁵ tn Heb “a month of days.”

¹⁶ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

¹⁷ tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.

¹⁸ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

²⁰ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

²¹ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

²² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

²⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁵ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

²⁶ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

²⁷ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

²⁸ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

²⁹ tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

sn For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.

³⁰ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

³¹ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

³² tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”

³³ tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.

³⁴ tn Heb “were for Laban.”

³⁵ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

³⁶ sn I will be with you. Though Laban was no longer “with him,” the Lord promised to be.

³⁷ tn Heb “his brothers.”

³⁸ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³⁹ tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “drew close to.”

⁴¹ tn Heb “said to him.”

⁴² tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

⁴³ tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

⁴⁴ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

⁴⁵ tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

⁴⁶ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

⁴⁸ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

⁴⁹ tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘Because I was afraid.’” This statement is a not a response to the question about Laban’s household gods that immediately precedes, but to the earlier question about Jacob’s motivation for leaving so quickly and secretly (see v. 27). For this reason the words “I left secretly” are supplied in the translation to indicate the connection to Laban’s earlier question in v. 27. Additionally the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵⁰ tn Heb “for I said.”

⁵¹ tn Heb “lest you steal your daughters from with me.”

⁵² tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵³ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

⁵⁴ tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.

⁵⁵ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.

⁵⁷ tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).

⁵⁸ sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.

⁵⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶⁰ tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”

⁶¹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶² sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.

⁶³ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁶⁴ sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

⁶⁵ sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).

⁶⁶ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

⁶⁷ tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶⁹ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

⁷⁰ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷¹ tn Heb “Who to you?”

⁷² tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”

⁷³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷⁴ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

⁷⁵ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷⁶ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

⁷⁷ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

⁷⁸ 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.

⁷⁹ 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.

⁸⁰ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

⁸¹ tn Heb “in front of.”

⁸² tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

⁸³ tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).

⁸⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁵ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

⁸⁶ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

⁸⁷ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

⁸⁸ tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).

⁸⁹ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

sn Reuben’s act of having sexual relations with Bilhah probably had other purposes than merely satisfying his sexual desire. By having sex with Bilhah, Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) would have prevented Bilhah from succeeding Rachel as the favorite wife, and by sleeping with his father’s concubine he would also be attempting to take over leadership of the clan – something Absalom foolishly attempted later on in Israel’s history (2 Sam 16:21-22).

⁹⁰ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

⁹¹ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

⁹² tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

⁹³ tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

⁹⁴ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

⁹⁵ tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.

⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.

⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.

⁹⁸ tn Heb “encounters.”

⁹⁹ tn Heb “is not.”

¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “is not.”

¹⁰¹ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.

¹⁰² tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.

¹⁰³ tn Heb “and they took their livestock and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and they went to Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁰⁴ tn The LXX reads “nine sons,” probably counting the grandsons of Joseph born to Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. 1 Chr 7:14-20).

¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two people; all the people belonging to the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.”

sn The number seventy includes Jacob himself and the seventy-one descendants (including Dinah, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim) listed in vv. 8-25, minus Er and Onan (deceased). The LXX gives the number as “seventy-five” (cf. Acts 7:14).

¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”

¹¹⁰ sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.

¹¹¹ tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).

¹¹² tn Heb “and one told and said.” The verbs have no expressed subject and can be translated with the passive voice.

¹¹³ tn Heb “Look, your son Joseph.”

¹¹⁴ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

¹¹⁵ tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.

¹¹⁶ sn Divide…scatter. What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.

¹¹⁷ tn Heb “was gathered.”