² tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

⁴ sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (m^etsakheq), 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.

² 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.

² tn Heb “by the fear of his father Isaac.” See the note on the word “fears” in v. 42.

¹ tn Or perhaps “ancestors” (so NRSV), although the only “ancestors” Jacob had there were his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac.

² tn Heb “and he smelled the smell”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.

² tn Heb “and he called its name.” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive—it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

¹ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

¹ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

² tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.

¹ tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.

⁵ sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.

² tn Grk “he was offering up.” The tense of this verb indicates the attempt or readiness to sacrifice Isaac without the actual completion of the deed.

¹ tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.