And they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah: they refers to the two Hittite women, and in translation it may be necessary to make this clear. For example, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “These two women….”

Made life bitter is literally “they were bitterness of spirit to…,” where “spirit” refers to the state of mind, inner self. In some languages this expression is best rendered by a figurative phrase; for example, “They made Isaac’s and Rebekah’s heart to boil,” “… caused Isaac’s and Rebekah’s innermost to churn,” “… made the livers of Isaac and Rebekah hot.”

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 .