translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: GEN

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “days.”


text: Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.


text: The Hebrew term זָקֵן ( zaqen ) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).


text: Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.


text: Heb “because you must not take.”


text: Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”


text: Heb “and take.”


text: Heb “to go after me.”


text: In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.


text: Heb “guard yourself.”


text: The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Or “the land of my birth.”


text: Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”


text: Or “his messenger.”


text: Heb “before you and you will take.”


text: Heb “ to go after you.”


text: Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”


text: Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.


text: Heb “and he arose and went.”


text: The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity. sn Aram Naharaim means in Hebrew “Aram of the Two Rivers,” a region in northern Mesopotamia.


text: Heb “well of water.”


text: Heb “at the time of evening.”


text: Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14 ).


text: Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”


text: Heb “the spring of water.”


text: Heb “the men.”


text: Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”


text: Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.


text: Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” ( בְּתוּלָה , bÿtulah ) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8 , where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.


text: Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”


text: Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”


text: Heb “to know.”


text: The Hebrew term צָלָה ( tsalah ), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56 ).


text: The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.


text: Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.


text: Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”


text: Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”


text: Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.


text: Heb “brothers.”


text: Heb “according to.”


text: The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.


text: Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.


text: Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”


text: Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh ) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.


text: Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.


text: The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.


text: Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).


text: Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.


text: Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”


text: Heb “and food was placed before him.”


text: Heb “my words.”


label: NET textual note

text: Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.” tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.


text: Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “after her old age.”


text: Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”


text: The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.


text: Heb “after me.”


text: The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ ( halakh ), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1 ). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).


text: Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).


text: Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”


text: The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “the spring of water.”


text: Heb “and it will be.”


text: Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם ( terem ) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.


text: Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15 , the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.


text: Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: 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).


text: Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.


text: Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”


text: Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.


text: Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.


text: Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”


text: Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”


text: Heb “Send me away to my master.”


text: Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.


text: After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.


text: Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”


text: The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.


text: Heb “and said to her.”


text: Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.” sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands . The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16 ).


text: Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17 .


text: Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”


text: Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


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


text: Heb “from the way of.”


text: This disjunctive clause is explanatory.


text: Or “the South [country].” sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.


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


text: The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).


text: Heb “at the turning of the evening.”


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


text: Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה ( hinneh , “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.


text: Heb “lifted up her eyes.”


text: Heb “and she said to.”


text: Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”


text: Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.