19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 1 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 2 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 3
22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. 4 He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out 5 for the place God had spoken to him about.
37:2 This is the account of Jacob.
Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, 6 was taking care of 7 the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster 8 working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. 9 Joseph brought back a bad report about them 10 to their father.
48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude 16 of nations.”
1 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
2 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
3 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
4 tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”
5 tn Heb “he arose and he went.”
6 tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”
7 tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”
8 tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.
9 tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”
10 tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.
sn Some interpreters portray Joseph as a tattletale for bringing back a bad report about them [i.e., his brothers], but the entire Joseph story has some of the characteristics of wisdom literature. Joseph is presented in a good light – not because he was perfect, but because the narrative is showing how wisdom rules. In light of that, this section portrays Joseph as faithful to his father in little things, even though unpopular – and so he will eventually be given authority over greater things.
11 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).
14 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15 sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.
16 tn Heb “fullness.”