18:30 Then Abraham 1 said, “May the Lord not be angry 2 so that I may speak! 3 What if thirty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
18:31 Abraham 4 said, “Since I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
18:32 Finally Abraham 5 said, “May the Lord not be angry so that I may speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 6 Please do not get angry with your servant, 7 for you are just like Pharaoh. 8
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “let it not be hot to the
3 tn After the jussive, the cohortative indicates purpose/result.
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
7 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
8 sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.