Discovery BoxGenesis 27:46 
Context27:46 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
Genesis 34:9
Context34:9 Intermarry with us. 4 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 5
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 “form marriage alliances with us.”
sn Intermarry with us. This includes the idea of becoming allied by marriage. The incident foreshadows the temptations Israel would eventually face when they entered the promised land (see Deut 7:3; Josh 23:12).
5 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
