Genesis 24:60

24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ¹ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ²  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ³  of their enemies.”

Genesis 31:14

31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance ⁴  in our father’s house?

Genesis 34:14

34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ⁵  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ⁶  to us.

Genesis 42:9

42:9 Then Joseph remembered ⁷  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ⁸ 

Genesis 43:22

43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks!”

Genesis 47:3

47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s ⁹  brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” ¹⁰ 

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¹ tn Heb “and said to her.”

² 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).

³ 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.

⁴ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

⁵ tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.

⁶ tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.

⁷ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

⁸ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”