26:8 After Isaac 1 had been there a long time, 2 Abimelech king of the Philistines happened to look out a window and observed 3 Isaac caressing 4 his wife Rebekah.
40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer 5 to the king of Egypt and the royal baker 6 offended 7 their master, the king 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,
1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “and it happened when the days were long to him there.”
3 tn Heb “look, Isaac.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene through Abimelech’s eyes.
4 tn Or “fondling.”
sn The Hebrew word מְצַחֵק (mÿtsakheq), from the root צָחַק (tsakhaq, “laugh”), forms a sound play with the name “Isaac” right before it. Here it depicts an action, probably caressing or fondling, that indicated immediately that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife, not his sister. Isaac’s deception made a mockery of God’s covenantal promise. Ignoring God’s promise to protect and bless him, Isaac lied to protect himself and acted in bad faith to the men of Gerar.
5 sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.
6 sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.
7 sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.