06-00

God Provides for Isaac

This title can also be translated as: “About how God got a wife for Isaac” or “How did God get a wife for Isaac?”

06-01

sent one of his servants back

This could be translated as: “told one of his servants to go back.” The word back means that the servant would be going to the same place where Abraham used to live long ago before he came to Canaan. Make sure the translation of this phrase makes that clear.

to the land

This land was east of where Abraham was now living.

to bring back a wife for his son, Isaac

This could be translated as: “to bring back an unmarried woman for his son, Isaac, to marry.”

06-02

the granddaughter of Abraham’s brother

Specifically, she was the daughter of Abraham’s brother’s son. Her grandfather was Abraham’s brother.

06-03

Rebekah agreed

Even though Rebekah’s parents were arranging her marriage, they did not force her to go marry Isaac.

06-04

God then blessed Abraham’s son, Isaac, because of the covenant he had made with Abraham

The promises of the covenant that God made with Abraham were not for him only, but also for his descendants.

countless

This could also be translated as: “very many.” The word countless means there would be so many descendants that people would not be able to count them.

06-05

in Rebekah’s womb

This could mean inside her.

06-06

God told Rebekah, “You will give birth to two sons. Their descendants will become two different nations. They will struggle with each other. But the nation coming from your older son will have to obey the nation coming from your younger son.”

This is direct quotation. It can also be stated as an indirect quotation: “God told Rebekah that she would give birth to two sons. Their descendants would become two different nations. They would struggle with each other. But the nation coming from her older son would have to obey the nation coming from her younger son.” (See: [[https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ta/src/branch/master/translate/figs-quotations/01.md]])

They will struggle with each other

Both the two sons and the nations that will come from them will continually fight with each other. Compare to 06:05.

your older son

Even though the babies were twins, the baby that came out first would be treated as the older son.

06-07

Rebekah’s babies were born

Some languages have a more indirect way of saying this such as: “when Rebekah saw and took them” or “when Rebekah brought them to light.”

the older son came out…the younger son came out

This could be translated as: “the first son to come out was…the second son to come out was.” Make sure that the way older and younger are translated still communicates that the boys were twins.

red

This may mean that his skin was very red or that the hair on his body was red.

hairy

Esau had a lot of hair on his body. You could say: “the older son’s body was red, with lots of hair.”

A Bible story from

These references may be slightly different in some Bible translations.