2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed 1 him in the orchard in 2 Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 3
4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” 5 While they were in the field, Cain attacked 6 his brother 7 Abel and killed him.
5:3 When 8 Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.
13:1 So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. 9 He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot. 10
15:7 The Lord said 11 to him, “I am the Lord 12 who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans 13 to give you this land to possess.”
15:9 The Lord 14 said to him, “Take for me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
17:1 When Abram was 99 years old, 15 the Lord appeared to him and said, 16 “I am the sovereign God. 17 Walk 18 before me 19 and be blameless. 20
18:29 Abraham 21 spoke to him again, 22 “What if forty are found there?” He replied, “I will not do it for the sake of the forty.”
20:14 So Abimelech gave 30 sheep, cattle, and male and female servants to Abraham. He also gave his wife Sarah back to him.
26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, 39 because the Lord blessed him. 40
26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. 45
27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, 50 your home will be
away from the richness 51 of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 55 When Jacob 56 completed Leah’s bridal week, 57 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 58
31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 68 in our father’s house?
32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels.
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 75 Please give her to him as his wife.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 82 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned 91 Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh.
41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look 92 for a wise and discerning man 93 and give him authority 94 over all the land of Egypt.
42:29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying,
43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned 99 us, ‘You will not see my face 100 unless your brother is with you.’
44:14 So Judah and his brothers 105 came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, 106 and they threw themselves to the ground before him.
44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers.
46:1 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had. 112 When he came to Beer Sheba 113 he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
46:20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, 114 bore them to him.
47:31 Jacob 117 said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” 118 So Joseph 119 gave him his word. 120 Then Israel bowed down 121 at the head of his bed. 122
48:1 After these things Joseph was told, 123 “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.
1 tn The Hebrew verb נוּחַ (nuakh, translated here as “placed”) is a different verb than the one used in 2:8.
2 tn Traditionally translated “the Garden of Eden,” the context makes it clear that the garden (or orchard) was in Eden (making “Eden” a genitive of location).
3 tn Heb “to work it and to keep it.”
sn Note that man’s task is to care for and maintain the trees of the orchard. Not until after the fall, when he is condemned to cultivate the soil, does this task change.
4 tn The verb is the Piel preterite of שָׁלַח (shalakh), forming a wordplay with the use of the same verb (in the Qal stem) in v. 22: To prevent the man’s “sending out” his hand, the
5 tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.
6 tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).
7 sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).
8 tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.
9 tn Or “the South [country]” (also in v. 3).
sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.
10 tn Heb “And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all which was his, and Lot with him, to the Negev.”
11 tn Heb “And he said.”
12 sn I am the
13 sn The phrase of the Chaldeans is a later editorial clarification for the readers, designating the location of Ur. From all evidence there would have been no Chaldeans in existence at this early date; they are known in the time of the neo-Babylonian empire in the first millennium
14 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the
15 tn Heb “the son of ninety-nine years.”
16 tn Heb “appeared to Abram and said to him.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) and the final phrase “to him” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
17 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain (see discussion below) its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. In Gen 17:1-8 he appeared to Abram, introduced himself as El Shaddai, and announced his intention to make the patriarch fruitful. In the role of El Shaddai God repeated these words (now elevated to the status of a decree) to Jacob (35:11). Earlier Isaac had pronounced a blessing on Jacob in which he asked El Shaddai to make Jacob fruitful (28:3). Jacob later prayed that his sons would be treated with mercy when they returned to Egypt with Benjamin (43:14). The fertility theme is not as apparent here, though one must remember that Jacob viewed Benjamin as the sole remaining son of the favored and once-barren Rachel (see 29:31; 30:22-24; 35:16-18). It is quite natural that he would appeal to El Shaddai to preserve Benjamin’s life, for it was El Shaddai’s miraculous power which made it possible for Rachel to give him sons in the first place. In 48:3 Jacob, prior to blessing Joseph’s sons, told him how El Shaddai appeared to him at Bethel (see Gen 28) and promised to make him fruitful. When blessing Joseph on his deathbed Jacob referred to Shaddai (we should probably read “El Shaddai,” along with a few Hebrew
18 tn Or “Live out your life.” The Hebrew verb translated “walk” is the Hitpael; it means “to walk back and forth; to walk about; to live out one’s life.”
19 tn Or “in my presence.”
20 tn There are two imperatives here: “walk…and be blameless [or “perfect”].” The second imperative may be purely sequential (see the translation) or consequential: “walk before me and then you will be blameless.” How one interprets the sequence depends on the meaning of “walk before”: (1) If it simply refers in a neutral way to serving the
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn The construction is a verbal hendiadys – the preterite (“he added”) is combined with an adverb “yet” and an infinitive “to speak.”
23 tn Heb “drink wine.”
24 tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.
25 tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.
26 tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”
sn For a discussion of the cultural background of the daughters’ desire to preserve our family line see F. C. Fensham, “The Obliteration of the Family as Motif in the Near Eastern Literature,” AION 10 (1969): 191-99.
27 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
28 sn The meaning of the name Moab is not certain. The name sounds like the Hebrew phrase “from our father” (מֵאָבִינוּ, me’avinu) which the daughters used twice (vv. 32, 34). This account is probably included in the narrative in order to portray the Moabites, who later became enemies of God’s people, in a negative light.
29 sn The name Ben-Ammi means “son of my people.” Like the account of Moab’s birth, this story is probably included in the narrative to portray the Ammonites, another perennial enemy of Israel, in a negative light.
30 tn Heb “took and gave.”
31 tn Or “she conceived.”
32 sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).
33 tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.
34 tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.
sn The name Jacob is a play on the Hebrew word for “heel” (עָקֵב, ’aqev). The name (since it is a verb) probably means something like “may he protect,” that is, as a rearguard, dogging the heels. It did not have a negative connotation until Esau redefined it. This name was probably chosen because of the immediate association with the incident of grabbing the heel. After receiving such an oracle, the parents would have preserved in memory almost every detail of the unusual births.
35 tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”
36 tn Heb “Swear to me today.”
37 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.
39 tn Heb “a hundredfold.”
40 tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.
41 tn Heb “and there was to him.”
42 tn Heb “possessions of sheep.”
43 tn Heb “possessions of cattle.”
44 tn The Hebrew verb translated “became jealous” refers here to intense jealousy or envy that leads to hostile action (see v. 15).
45 tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
46 tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”
47 tn Heb “upon me your curse.”
48 tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”
49 tn Heb “and he blessed him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” (Isaac) and “him” (Jacob) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
50 tn Heb “look.”
51 tn Heb “from the fatness.”
52 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
53 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
54 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
55 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
56 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
58 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
60 tn Or “therefore.”
61 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
62 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
63 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
64 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
65 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
sn Leah seems to regard the act of giving her servant Zilpah to her husband as a sacrifice, for which (she believes) God is now rewarding her with the birth of a son.
66 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
67 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
68 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
69 tn Heb “said to him.”
70 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
71 tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.
72 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
73 sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the
74 sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).
75 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
76 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
77 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
78 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
79 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
80 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
81 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
82 sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.
83 sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.
84 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
85 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
86 tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.
87 sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.
88 tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”
89 tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”
90 tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
91 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
92 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
93 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
94 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
95 tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.
96 tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.
97 tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.
98 tn Heb “encounters.”
99 tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.
100 tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”
101 tn Heb “the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth.”
102 sn The brothers’ astonishment indicates that Joseph arranged them in this way. They were astonished because there was no way, as far as they were concerned, that Joseph could have known the order of their birth.
103 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
104 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
105 sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.
106 tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.
107 tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”
108 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.
109 tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).
110 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
111 tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.
112 tn Heb “and Israel journeyed, and all that was his.”
113 sn Beer Sheba. See Gen 21:31; 28:10.
114 sn On is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
115 tn The LXX reads “nine sons,” probably counting the grandsons of Joseph born to Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. 1 Chr 7:14-20).
116 tn Heb “And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two people; all the people belonging to the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.”
sn The number seventy includes Jacob himself and the seventy-one descendants (including Dinah, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim) listed in vv. 8-25, minus Er and Onan (deceased). The LXX gives the number as “seventy-five” (cf. Acts 7:14).
117 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
118 tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
119 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
120 tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”
121 sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.
122 tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).
123 tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.
124 tn Heb “son of a hundred and ten years.”
125 tn Heb “he.”