translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: GEN

label: NET study note

text: 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.


text: 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.


text: The name Reuben ( רְאוּבֵן , rÿ ’ uven ) means “look, a son.”


text: 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 Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.


text: 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.


text: 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.