18:30 Then Abraham 1 said, “May the Lord not be angry 2 so that I may speak! 3 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 4 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev 5 region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident 6 in Gerar,
22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, 12 and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, 13 “My father?” “What is it, 14 my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, 15 “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 16 and weighed 17 out for him 18 the price 19 that Ephron had quoted 20 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 21
26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 25 in the days of Abraham. 26 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
3 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”
sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
6 tn Heb “and he sojourned.”
7 tn Heb “drive out.” The language may seem severe, but Sarah’s maternal instincts sensed a real danger in that Ishmael was not treating Isaac with the proper respect.
8 tn Heb “Let it not be evil in your eyes.”
9 tn Heb “listen to her voice.” The idiomatic expression means “obey; comply.” Here her advice, though harsh, is necessary and conforms to the will of God. Later (see Gen 25), when Abraham has other sons, he sends them all away as well.
10 tn The imperfect verbal form here draws attention to an action that is underway.
11 tn Or perhaps “will be named”; Heb “for in Isaac offspring will be called to you.” The exact meaning of the statement is not clear, but it does indicate that God’s covenantal promises to Abraham will be realized through Isaac, not Ishmael.
12 sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.
13 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said.” This is redundant and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
14 tn Heb “Here I am” (cf. Gen 22:1).
15 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here is the fire and the wood.’” The referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here and in the following verse the order of the introductory clauses and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
16 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
17 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
18 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19 tn Heb “silver.”
20 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
22 tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”
23 tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
24 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
25 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
26 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
27 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
28 tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.
29 tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.