27:41 So Esau hated 1 Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. 2 Esau said privately, 3 “The time 4 of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill 5 my brother Jacob!”
43:29 When Joseph looked up 14 and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 15
1 tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.
2 tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”
3 tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.
4 tn Heb “days.”
5 tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.
6 tn Heb “offspring.”
7 tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.
8 tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.
sn The text makes it clear that the purpose of the custom was to produce an heir for the deceased brother. Onan had no intention of doing that. But he would have sex with the girl as much as he wished. He was willing to use the law to gratify his desires, but was not willing to do the responsible thing.
9 tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
10 tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.
11 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.
12 tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”
13 sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.
14 tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.