24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 1 to this land? Must I then 2 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
“Our sister, may you become the mother 5 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 6 of their enemies.”
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 7 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 8
44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of 15 you may go back 16 to your father in peace.”
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you 18 and will bring you back to the land of your fathers. 48:22 As one who is above your 19 brothers, I give to you the mountain slope, 20 which I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
1 tn Heb “to go after me.”
2 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.
3 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “and said to her.”
5 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).
6 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
7 tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
9 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
10 tn Heb “there is to my hand.”
11 tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.
12 tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.
13 tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”
14 tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.
15 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
16 tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).
17 tn The verb כּוּל (kul) in the Pilpel stem means “to nourish, to support, to sustain.” As in 1 Kgs 20:27, it here means “to supply with food.”
18 tn The pronouns translated “you,” “you,” and “your” in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text.
19 tn The pronouns translated “your” and “you” in this verse are singular in the Hebrew text.
20 tn The Hebrew word שְׁכֶם (shÿkhem) could be translated either as “mountain slope” or “shoulder, portion,” or even taken as the proper name “Shechem.” Jacob was giving Joseph either (1) one portion above his brothers, or (2) the mountain ridge he took from the Amorites, or (3) Shechem. The ambiguity actually allows for all three to be the referent. He could be referring to the land in Shechem he bought in Gen 33:18-19, but he mentions here that it was acquired by warfare, suggesting that the events of 34:25-29 are in view (even though at the time he denounced it, 34:30). Joseph was later buried in Shechem (Josh 24:32).
21 tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”