² tn Or “bribe money.”

³ tn Heb “your money came to me.”

² tn Heb “our money.” The word “money” is used figuratively here; it means the price paid for Leah and Rachel. A literal translation (“our money”) makes it sound as if Laban wasted money that belonged to Rachel and Leah, rather than the money paid for them.

² tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.

⁴ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

¹ tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.

¹ tn Heb “silver.” The term “silver” is a synecdoche of the particular (= silver) for the general (= money).

¹ tn Heb “I weighed out the money [more literally, “silver”] for him, seventeen shekels of silver.”

⁴ tn Or “and [they think that] money is the answer for everything.”

² sn The Hebrew term “silver” (translated “money”) is repeated twice in this line for rhetorical emphasis.

¹ tn Heb “the silver is given to you”; NRSV “the money is given to you”; CEV “You can keep their money.” C. A. Moore (Esther [AB], 40) understands these words somewhat differently, taking them to imply acceptance of the money on Xerxes’ part. He translates, “Well, it’s your money.”

¹ tn Or “I have no money.” L&N 6.69 classifies the expression ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον (argurion kai chrusion) as an idiom that is a generic expression for currency, thus “money.”

² tn Grk “a thief, and having the money box.” Dividing the single Greek sentence improves the English style.

³ tn Grk “the money changers sitting”; the words “at tables” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

¹ sn A creditor was a moneylender, whose business was to lend money to others at a fixed rate of interest.

³ tn The Hebrew text includes “for money.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹ tn Heb “your money” and “your food.” With regard to “interest” and “profit” see the note on v. 36 above.

⁴ tn Heb “Wisdom is a shade, money is a shade.” The repetition of בְּצֵל (b^etsel, “shade; protection”) suggests that the A-line and B-line function as comparisons. Thus the Hebrew phrases “Wisdom is a shade, money is a shade” may be nuanced, “Wisdom [provides] protection [just as] money [provides] protection.” This approach is adopted by several translations: “wisdom is a defense, as money is a defense” (ASV), “wisdom is protection just as money is protection” (NASB), “wisdom like wealth is a defense” (Moffatt), “the protection of wisdom is as the protection of money” (NAB), “the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money” (RSV, NRSV), “wisdom protects as wealth protects” (MLB), and “wisdom is a shelter, as money is a shelter” (NIV). The comparison is missed by KJV “wisdom is a defense, and money is a defense.” Less likely is taking ב (bet) in a locative sense: “to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be in the shelter of money” (NJPS).

¹ tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.

³ sn The belt was a band or sash used to keep money as well as to gird up the tunic (BDAG 431 s.v. ζώνη).