28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 1 As he blessed him, 2 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 3 28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 28:8 Then Esau realized 4 that the Canaanite women 5 were displeasing to 6 his father Isaac. 28:9 So Esau went to Ishmael and married 7 Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.
28:10 Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 28:11 He reached a certain place 8 where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. 9 He took one of the stones 10 and placed it near his head. 11 Then he fell asleep 12 in that place 28:12 and had a dream. 13 He saw 14 a stairway 15 erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. 16 I will give you and your descendants the ground 17 you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 18 and you will spread out 19 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 20 using your name and that of your descendants. 21 28:15 I am with you! 22 I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”
28:16 Then Jacob woke up 23 and thought, 24 “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”
28:18 Early 25 in the morning Jacob 26 took the stone he had placed near his head 27 and set it up as a sacred stone. 28 Then he poured oil on top of it. 28:19 He called that place Bethel, 29 although the former name of the town was Luz. 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food 30 to eat and clothing to wear, 28:21 and I return safely to my father’s home, 31 then the Lord will become my God. 28:22 Then this stone 32 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 33 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 34
29:1 So Jacob moved on 35 and came to the land of the eastern people. 36 29:2 He saw 37 in the field a well with 38 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 39 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 40 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 41 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 42 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 43 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 44 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 45 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 46 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 47 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 48 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 49 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 50 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 51 went over 52 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 53 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 54 29:12 When Jacob explained 55 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 56 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 57 told Laban how he was related to him. 58 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 59 So Jacob 60 stayed with him for a month. 61
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 62 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 63 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 64 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 65 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 66 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 67 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 68 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 69 But they seemed like only a few days to him 70 because his love for her was so great. 71
29:21 Finally Jacob said 72 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 73 I want to have marital relations with her.” 74 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 75 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 76 to Jacob, 77 and Jacob 78 had marital relations with her. 79 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 80
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 81 So Jacob 82 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 83 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 84 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 85 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 86 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 87 Then we will give you the younger one 88 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 89
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 90 When Jacob 91 completed Leah’s bridal week, 92 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 93 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 94 29:30 Jacob 95 had marital relations 96 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 97 for seven more years. 98
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 99 he enabled her to become pregnant 100 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 101 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 102 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 103 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 104 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 105
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 106 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 107
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 108 Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 109 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 110 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 111 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 112 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 113 her so that she can bear 114 children 115 for me 116 and I can have a family through her.” 117
30:4 So Rachel 118 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 119 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 120 and gave Jacob a son. 121 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 122 and given me a son.” That is why 123 she named him Dan. 124
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 125 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 126 So she named him Naphtali. 127
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 128 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 129 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 130 So she named him Gad. 131
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 132 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 133 for women 134 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 135
30:14 At the time 136 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 137 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, 138 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 139 Rachel said, “he may sleep 140 with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep 141 with me because I have paid for your services 142 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 143 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 144 to Leah; she became pregnant 145 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 146 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 147 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 148 So she named him Issachar. 149
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 150 30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 151
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 152 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 153 30:23 She became pregnant 154 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 155 30:24 She named him Joseph, 156 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
1 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
2 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
3 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
4 tn Heb “saw.”
5 tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”
6 tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”
7 tn Heb “took for a wife.”
10 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
11 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
12 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
13 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
14 tn Heb “lay down.”
13 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
14 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
15 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
16 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.
17 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.
19 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
20 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
21 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
22 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
22 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
25 tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
26 tn Heb “said.”
28 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
30 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
31 tn Heb “standing stone.”
31 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).
34 tn Heb “bread,” although the term can be used for food in general.
37 tn Heb “and I return in peace to the house of my father.”
40 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
41 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
42 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
43 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
44 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
46 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
47 tn Heb “and look, there.”
48 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
49 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Heb “son.”
53 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
55 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
56 tn Heb “peace.”
58 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “the day is great.”
60 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
61 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
64 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
67 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
68 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
69 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
70 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
70 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
73 tn Heb “declared.”
74 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
76 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
77 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
79 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).
80 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
81 tn Heb “a month of days.”
82 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
83 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
85 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
88 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
89 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
91 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
94 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
97 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
98 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.
99 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
100 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
101 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
102 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
103 tn Heb “men.”
106 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
107 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
108 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
109 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
109 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
112 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
113 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
114 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
115 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
115 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
116 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
118 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
119 tn Heb “this other one.”
120 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
121 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
122 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
123 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
124 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
124 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
127 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
128 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.
129 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
130 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
130 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
131 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
133 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
134 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
135 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
136 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
137 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
139 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
140 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
142 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
145 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
146 tn Heb “sons.”
148 tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
149 tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
151 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
152 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
153 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
154 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
155 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
154 tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
155 tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
157 tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
158 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
160 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
161 tn Or “therefore.”
162 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
163 tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
166 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
167 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
169 tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”
172 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
175 tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”
176 sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.
178 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
181 tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
182 tn Heb “daughters.”
183 sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.
184 tn Heb “during the days.”
185 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
187 tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
188 tn Heb “therefore.”
189 tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
190 tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
191 tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
192 tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
193 tn Heb “listened to.”
194 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
195 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
196 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
197 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
198 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
199 tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
202 sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
205 tn Heb “remembered.”
206 tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons
208 tn Or “conceived.”
209 tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.
211 sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.