44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 6 Please do not get angry with your servant, 7 for you are just like Pharaoh. 8
1 tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.
2 tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.
3 tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.
4 tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).
5 tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”
6 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
7 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
8 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.