Genesis 17:13

17:13 They must indeed be circumcised, ¹  whether born in your house or bought with money. The sign of my covenant ²  will be visible in your flesh as a permanent ³  reminder.

Genesis 17:20

17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ⁴  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ⁵  He will become the father of twelve princes; ⁶  I will make him into a great nation.

Genesis 27:33

27:33 Isaac began to shake violently ⁷  and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. ⁸  He will indeed be blessed!”

Genesis 30:30

30:30 Indeed, ⁹  you had little before I arrived, ¹⁰  but now your possessions have increased many times over. ¹¹  The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. ¹²  But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” ¹³ 

Genesis 38:23

38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things ¹⁴  for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. ¹⁵  I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

Genesis 44:32

44:32 Indeed, ¹⁶  your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.’

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¹ tn The emphatic construction employs the Niphal imperfect tense (collective singular) and the Niphal infinitive.

² tn Heb “my covenant.” Here in v. 13 the Hebrew word בְּרִית (bÿrit) refers to the outward, visible sign, or reminder, of the covenant. For the range of meaning of the term, see the note on the word “requirement” in v. 9.

³ tn Or “an eternal.”

⁴ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

⁵ tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

⁶ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

⁷ tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.

⁸ tn Heb “Who then is he who hunted game and brought [it] to me so that I ate from all before you arrived and blessed him?”

⁹ tn Or “for.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “before me.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”

¹² tn Heb “at my foot.”

¹³ tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”

¹⁴ tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁵ tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.

¹⁶ tn Or “for.”