2tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

3tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

4sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

5tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

6tn Heb “because you must not take.”

7tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

8tn Heb “and take.”

9tn Heb “to go after me.”

10tn 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.

11tn Heb “guard yourself.”

12tn 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.

13tn Or “the land of my birth.”

14tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

15tn Or “his messenger.”

16tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

17tn Heb “ to go after you.”

18sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

19tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

20tn 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.

21tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

22tn 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.

23tn Heb “well of water.”

24tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

25tn 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).

26tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

27tn Heb “the spring of water.”

28tn Heb “the men.”

29sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.

30tn 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.”

31tn 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.

32tn 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.

33tn 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, b˙tulah) 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.

34tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

35tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”

36tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

37tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

38tn Heb “to know.”

39tn 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).

40sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).

41sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).

42tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

43tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

44tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

45tn 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.

46tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

47tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

48tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

49tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

50tn Heb “brothers.”

51tn Heb “according to.”

52tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.

53tn 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.

54tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

55tn 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.

56tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

57sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

58tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

59tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

60tn 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).

61tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

62tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

63tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

64tn Heb “my words.”

65tc 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.

66tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

67tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

68tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

69tn Heb “after her old age.”

70tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

71tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”

72tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

73tn Heb “after me.”

74tn 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”).

75tn 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).

76tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

77tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

78tn Heb “the spring of water.”

79tn Heb “and it will be.”

80tn 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.

81tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

82tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

83tn 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).

84tn 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.

85tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

86tn 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.

87tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

88tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

89tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

90tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

91tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

92tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

93tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

94tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

95tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

96tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

97tn Heb “and said to her.”

98tn 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).

99tn 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.

100tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

101tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

102tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

103tn Heb “from the way of.”

104sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, b˙’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

105tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

106tn Or “the South [country].”

sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

107tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

108tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

109tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

110tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

111tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

112tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

113tn Heb “and she said to.”

114tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

115tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

116tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

117tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

118tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

119tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.