8:1 But God remembered 5 Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over 6 the earth and the waters receded.
14:17 After Abram 11 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 12 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 13
15:4 But look, 14 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 15 will not be your heir, 16 but instead 17 a son 18 who comes from your own body will be 19 your heir.” 20
“You are now 28 pregnant
and are about to give birth 29 to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael, 30
for the Lord has heard your painful groans. 31
16:12 He will be a wild donkey 32 of a man.
He will be hostile to everyone, 33
and everyone will be hostile to him. 34
He will live away from 35 his brothers.”
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 36 and circumcised them 37 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.
19:3 But he urged 50 them persistently, so they turned aside with him and entered his house. He prepared a feast for them, including bread baked without yeast, and they ate.
19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, 51 and the older daughter 52 came and had sexual relations with her father. 53 But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. 54
20:3 But God appeared 55 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 56 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 57
22:13 Abraham looked up 69 and saw 70 behind him 71 a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he 72 went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 73 and weighed 74 out for him 75 the price 76 that Ephron had quoted 77 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 78
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 79 to this land? Must I then 80 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:32 So Abraham’s servant 84 went to the house and unloaded 85 the camels. Straw and feed were given 86 to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. 87
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 91
27:1 When 97 Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he was almost blind, 98 he called his older 99 son Esau and said to him, “My son!” “Here I am!” Esau 100 replied.
27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, 106 she quickly summoned 107 her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 108
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 112 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 113
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 114 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 115
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 116 Then she stopped having children.
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 117 for I have learned by divination 118 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.”
32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 119
41:8 In the morning he 139 was troubled, so he called for 140 all the diviner-priests 141 of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, 142 but no one could interpret 143 them for him. 144
42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. 154 Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down 155 before him with 156 their faces to the ground.
44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 159 Please do not get angry with your servant, 160 for you are just like Pharaoh. 161
46:5 Then Jacob started out 164 from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him.
46:26 All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.) 165
48:17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. 171 So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 172
until he comes to whom it belongs; 173
the nations will obey him. 174
50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with him – the senior courtiers 175 of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt,
50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay 176 us in full 177 for all the harm 178 we did to him?”
1 tn Here for the first time the Hebrew word אָדָם (’adam) appears without the article, suggesting that it might now be the name “Adam” rather than “[the] man.” Translations of the Bible differ as to where they make the change from “man” to “Adam” (e.g., NASB and NIV translate “Adam” here, while NEB and NRSV continue to use “the man”; the KJV uses “Adam” twice in v. 19).
2 tn Heb “there was not found a companion who corresponded to him.” The subject of the third masculine singular verb form is indefinite. Without a formally expressed subject the verb may be translated as passive: “one did not find = there was not found.”
3 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
4 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
5 tn The Hebrew word translated “remembered” often carries the sense of acting in accordance with what is remembered, i.e., fulfilling covenant promises (see B. S. Childs, Memory and Tradition in Israel [SBT], especially p. 34).
6 tn Heb “to pass over.”
7 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
8 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
9 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
14 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
15 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
16 tn Heb “inherit you.”
17 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
18 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
20 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “in the middle.”
23 tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”
sn For discussion of this ritual see G. F. Hasel, “The Meaning of the Animal Rite in Genesis 15,” JSOT 19 (1981): 61-78.
24 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
25 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
sn The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as “so and so knew his wife.” Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, “The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic,” VT 19 (1969): 312-21.
26 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
27 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
sn Abram did what Sarai told him. This expression was first used in Gen 3:17 of Adam’s obeying his wife. In both cases the text highlights weak faith and how it jeopardized the plan of God.
28 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) focuses on her immediate situation: “Here you are pregnant.”
29 tn The active participle refers here to something that is about to happen.
30 sn The name Ishmael consists of the imperfect or jussive form of the Hebrew verb with the theophoric element added as the subject. It means “God hears” or “may God hear.”
31 tn Heb “affliction,” which must refer here to Hagar’s painful groans of anguish.
sn This clause gives the explanation of the name Ishmael, using a wordplay. Ishmael’s name will be a reminder that “God hears” Hagar’s painful cries.
32 sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.
33 tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.
34 tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”
35 tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).
36 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
37 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
40 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to what he saw. The drawn-out description focuses the reader’s attention on Abraham’s deliberate, fixed gaze and indicates that what he is seeing is significant.
41 tn The Hebrew preposition עַל (’al) indicates the three men were nearby, but not close by, for Abraham had to run to meet them.
42 tn The pronoun “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
43 tn The form וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ (vayyishtakhu, “and bowed low”) is from the verb הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (hishtakhavah, “to worship, bow low to the ground”). It is probably from a root חָוָה (khavah), though some derive it from שָׁחָה (shakhah).
44 sn The reader knows this is a theophany. The three visitors are probably the
45 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
46 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
sn I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?
47 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
48 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
49 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
50 tn The Hebrew verb פָּצַר (patsar, “to press, to insist”) ironically foreshadows the hostile actions of the men of the city (see v. 9, where the verb also appears). The repetition of the word serves to contrast Lot to his world.
51 tn Heb “drink wine.”
52 tn Heb “the firstborn.”
53 tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.
54 tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”
55 tn Heb “came.”
56 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
57 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
58 tn Heb “said.”
59 tn The perfect form of the verb is used here to describe a hypothetical situation.
60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
62 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
63 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
64 tn Heb “which I will say to.”
65 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
66 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
67 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
68 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
69 tn Heb “lifted his eyes.”
70 tn Heb “and saw, and look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) draws attention to what Abraham saw and invites the audience to view the scene through his eyes.
71 tc The translation follows the reading of the MT; a number of Hebrew
72 tn Heb “Abraham”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
73 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
74 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
75 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
76 tn Heb “silver.”
77 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
78 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
79 tn Heb “to go after me.”
80 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
81 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.
82 sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the
83 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.
84 tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
85 tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).
86 tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.
87 tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”
88 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
89 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
90 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
91 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
92 tn The Hebrew verb translated “quarreled” describes a conflict that often has legal ramifications.
93 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
94 tn Heb “and he called the name of the well.”
95 sn The name Esek means “argument” in Hebrew. The following causal clause explains that Isaac gave the well this name as a reminder of the conflict its discovery had created. In the Hebrew text there is a wordplay, for the name is derived from the verb translated “argued.”
96 tn The words “about it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
97 tn The clause begins with the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), making it subordinate to the main clause that follows later in the sentence.
98 tn Heb “and his eyes were weak from seeing.”
99 tn Heb “greater” (in terms of age).
100 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Esau) is specified in the translation for clarity.
101 tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.
102 tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).
103 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”
104 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.
105 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?”
106 tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”
107 tn Heb “she sent and called for.”
108 tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.
109 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
110 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
111 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
sn Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the
112 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
113 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
114 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
115 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
116 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
117 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
118 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
119 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
120 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
121 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
122 tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
123 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
124 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
125 tn Heb “all.”
126 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
127 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 its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
128 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
sn A nation…will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3-4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.
129 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
130 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
131 sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.
132 tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”
133 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
134 tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
135 tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”
136 sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.
137 tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”
138 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
139 tn Heb “his spirit.”
140 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
141 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
142 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
143 tn “there was no interpreter.”
144 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
145 tn Or “slave.”
146 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
147 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
148 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
149 tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.
150 sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262).
151 sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.
152 sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
153 tn Heb “and he passed through.”
154 tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.
155 sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).
156 tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.
157 tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”
158 tn Heb “and they drank and were intoxicated with him” (cf. NIV “drank freely with him”; NEB “grew merry”; NRSV “were merry”). The brothers were apparently relaxed and set at ease, despite Joseph’s obvious favoritism toward Benjamin.
159 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
160 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
161 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.
162 tn Or “for.”
163 tn Heb “hurry and go up.”
164 tn Heb “arose.”
165 tn Heb “All the people who went with Jacob to Egypt, the ones who came out of his body, apart from the wives of the sons of Jacob, all the people were sixty-six.”
sn The number sixty-six includes the seventy-one descendants (including Dinah) listed in vv. 8-25 minus Er and Onan (deceased), and Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim (already in Egypt).
166 tn Heb “and he appeared to him.”
167 tn Heb “heavy.”
sn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story. The weakness of Israel’s sight is one of several connections between this chapter and Gen 27. Here there are two sons, and it appears that the younger is being blessed over the older by a blind old man. While it was by Jacob’s deception in chap. 27, here it is with Jacob’s full knowledge.
168 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
169 tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
170 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
171 tn Heb “it was bad in his eyes.”
172 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
173 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
174 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
175 tn Or “dignitaries”; Heb “elders.”
176 tn The imperfect tense could be a simple future; it could also have a desiderative nuance.
177 tn The infinitive absolute makes the statement emphatic, “repay in full.”
178 tn Or “evil.”