Arise: see comments on 27.43. Note that Good News Translation contrasts the negative and positive commands by saying “Go instead….” Another way of making this contrast is to say “It is better that you go….” For Paddan-aram see 25.20.

House of Bethuel your mother’s father: house refers to the home and family of Bethuel. Mother’s father keeps the literal Hebrew expression. Good News Translation and others say “your grandfather Bethuel.” Many languages distinguish between paternal and maternal grandfather. The latter is to be used here.

And take as wife from there is the second part of the instructions given to Jacob; that is, “get a wife from there,” “marry a girl from there.” In some languages other verbs are normally used for this activity; for example, “choose a young woman for yourself from….”

One of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother: in many languages different terms are used to distinguish between mother’s brother and father’s brother. In English we may say “uncle” for both. Jacob is being instructed to marry one of his cousins. If a cousin term is used in translation here, it should refer to “mother’s brother’s daughter.” If required, Laban may need to be indicated as “mother’s older brother.” Since the precise relationship between Jacob and Laban is given in verse 5, some translations prefer to use a more general term here: “… marry a daughter of your relative Laban.”

If cousin marriage of this type is considered taboo in the culture, it may be necessary to add an explanatory note at this point. Such a note may tell readers, for example, that marriage with a cousin was acceptable among the ancient Hebrews and continues to be common among people in the Middle East today.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .