I am weary of my life: weary translates a verb meaning “disgust,” “loath,” “abhor.” Speiser translates “I am disgusted with life,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “I am tired of life,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “I am sick of living,” and Good News Translation “I am sick and tired.” We may also say, for example, “I can’t stand these … any longer.”

Because of the Hittite women: Hittite women is literally “daughters of Heth.” Rebekah’s disgust, as is evident from 26.35, is due not to Hittite women in general but to the wives Esau has married. Accordingly Good News Translation has translated “Esau’s foreign wives,” Bible en français courant “my Hittite daughters-in-law,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “these Hittites Esau has married.”

If Jacob marries one of … these: note that Good News Translation has supplied “also” in the “if” clause. Such as these means “like the women Esau has married” or “like the two who are here.”

One of the women of the land is literally “from the daughters of the land,” an expression that means “a local girl” or “a native woman.” The term for women should be one that is applicable to young women of marriageable age. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “one of these who live here in Canaan.”

The result clause is formulated as a rhetorical question, what good will my life be to me? which is literally “what is my life to me?” Translators may find this question needs to be answered, “No good at all,” or be expressed as a negative statement; for example, “my life won’t be worth a thing,” “my life will be worthless.” Bible en français courant translates “I will lose my last reason for living.” Note also Good News Translation.

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 .