3:1 Now 1 the serpent 2 was more shrewd 3
than any of the wild animals 4 that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that 5 God 6 said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” 7
4:1 Now 8 the man had marital relations with 9 his wife Eve, and she became pregnant 10 and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created 11 a man just as the Lord did!” 12
4:17 Cain had marital relations 13 with his wife, and she became pregnant 14 and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after 15 his son Enoch.
4:25 And Adam had marital relations 16 with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 17 me another child 18 in place of Abel because Cain killed him.”
6:5 But the Lord saw 19 that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination 20 of the thoughts 21 of their minds 22 was only evil 23 all the time. 24
13:3 And he journeyed from place to place 29 from the Negev as far as Bethel. 30 He returned 31 to the place where he had pitched his tent 32 at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 33 and circumcised them 34 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.
19:29 So when God destroyed 45 the cities of the region, 46 God honored 47 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 48 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 49 the cities Lot had lived in.
22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 50 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 51 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.
23:16 So Abraham agreed to Ephron’s price 52 and weighed 53 out for him 54 the price 55 that Ephron had quoted 56 in the hearing of the sons of Heth – 400 pieces of silver, according to the standard measurement at the time. 57
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 58 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 59
24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka 60 and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels 61 and gave them to her. 62
26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? 64 One of the men 65 might easily have had sexual relations with 66 your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!”
27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 67 When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 68
27:41 So Esau hated 69 Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. 70 Esau said privately, 71 “The time 72 of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill 73 my brother Jacob!”
27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, 74 she quickly summoned 75 her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. 76
28:6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. 77 As he blessed him, 78 Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 79
28:18 Early 88 in the morning Jacob 89 took the stone he had placed near his head 90 and set it up as a sacred stone. 91 Then he poured oil on top of it.
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 92 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 93
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 94 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 95
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 96 Then she stopped having children.
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 124
46:5 Then Jacob started out 135 from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him.
47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory 136 in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, 137 just as Pharaoh had commanded.
1 tn The chapter begins with a disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate) that introduces a new character and a new scene in the story.
2 sn Many theologians identify or associate the serpent with Satan. In this view Satan comes in the disguise of a serpent or speaks through a serpent. This explains the serpent’s capacity to speak. While later passages in the Bible may indicate there was a satanic presence behind the serpent (see, for example, Rev 12:9), the immediate context pictures the serpent as simply one of the animals of the field created by God (see vv. 1, 14). An ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent in a literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the orchard. This text (Jub. 3:28) states, “On that day [the day the man and woman were expelled from the orchard] the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from speaking because all of them used to speak to one another with one speech and one language [presumed to be Hebrew, see 12:26].” Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.41) attributes the serpent’s actions to jealousy. He writes that “the serpent, living in the company of Adam and his wife, grew jealous of the blessings which he supposed were destined for them if they obeyed God’s behests, and, believing that disobedience would bring trouble on them, he maliciously persuaded the woman to taste of the tree of wisdom.”
3 tn The Hebrew word עָרוּם (’arum) basically means “clever.” This idea then polarizes into the nuances “cunning” (in a negative sense, see Job 5:12; 15:5), and “prudent” in a positive sense (Prov 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3; 27:12). This same polarization of meaning can be detected in related words derived from the same root (see Exod 21:14; Josh 9:4; 1 Sam 23:22; Job 5:13; Ps 83:3). The negative nuance obviously applies in Gen 3, where the snake attempts to talk the woman into disobeying God by using half-truths and lies.
sn There is a wordplay in Hebrew between the words “naked” (עֲרוּמִּים, ’arummim) in 2:25 and “shrewd” (עָרוּם, ’arum) in 3:1. The point seems to be that the integrity of the man and the woman is the focus of the serpent’s craftiness. At the beginning they are naked and he is shrewd; afterward, they will be covered and he will be cursed.
4 tn Heb “animals of the field.”
5 tn Heb “Indeed that God said.” The beginning of the quotation is elliptical and therefore difficult to translate. One must supply a phrase like “is it true”: “Indeed, [is it true] that God said.”
6 sn God. The serpent does not use the expression “Yahweh God” [
7 tn Heb “you must not eat from all the tree[s] of the orchard.” After the negated prohibitive verb, מִכֹּל (mikkol, “from all”) has the meaning “from any.” Note the construction in Lev 18:26, where the statement “you must not do from all these abominable things” means “you must not do any of these abominable things.” See Lev 22:25 and Deut 28:14 as well.
8 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.
9 tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
10 tn Or “she conceived.”
11 tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.
12 tn Heb “with the
sn Since Exod 6:3 seems to indicate that the name Yahweh (יְהוָה, yÿhvah, translated
13 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
14 tn Or “she conceived.”
15 tn Heb “according to the name of.”
16 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
17 sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).
18 tn Heb “offspring.”
19 sn The Hebrew verb translated “saw” (רָאָה, ra’ah), used here of God’s evaluation of humankind’s evil deeds, contrasts with God’s evaluation of creative work in Gen 1, when he observed that everything was good.
20 tn The noun יֵצֶר (yetser) is related to the verb יָצָר (yatsar, “to form, to fashion [with a design]”). Here it refers to human plans or intentions (see Gen 8:21; 1 Chr 28:9; 29:18). People had taken their God-given capacities and used them to devise evil. The word יֵצֶר (yetser) became a significant theological term in Rabbinic literature for what might be called the sin nature – the evil inclination (see also R. E. Murphy, “Yeser in the Qumran Literature,” Bib 39 [1958]: 334-44).
21 tn The related verb הָשָׁב (hashav) means “to think, to devise, to reckon.” The noun (here) refers to thoughts or considerations.
22 tn Heb “his heart” (referring to collective “humankind”). The Hebrew term לֵב (lev, “heart”) frequently refers to the seat of one’s thoughts (see BDB 524 s.v. לֵב). In contemporary English this is typically referred to as the “mind.”
23 sn Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil. There is hardly a stronger statement of the wickedness of the human race than this. Here is the result of falling into the “knowledge of good and evil”: Evil becomes dominant, and the good is ruined by the evil.
24 tn Heb “all the day.”
sn The author of Genesis goes out of his way to emphasize the depth of human evil at this time. Note the expressions “every inclination,” “only evil,” and “all the time.”
25 tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.
26 tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.
27 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
28 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
29 tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.
30 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
31 tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
32 tn Heb “where his tent had been.”
33 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
34 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
35 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36 tn The words “the food” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the verb has no stated object.
37 tn The disjunctive clause is a temporal circumstantial clause subordinate to the main verb.
38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Lot) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Heb “in the compassion of the
40 tn Heb “brought him out and placed him.” The third masculine singular suffixes refer specifically to Lot, though his wife and daughters accompanied him (see v. 17). For stylistic reasons these have been translated as plural pronouns (“them”).
41 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
42 tn Heb “escape.”
43 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
44 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
45 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
46 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
47 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
sn God showed Abraham special consideration because of the covenantal relationship he had established with the patriarch. Yet the reader knows that God delivered the “righteous” (Lot’s designation in 2 Pet 2:7) before destroying their world – which is what he will do again at the end of the age.
48 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
49 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
50 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
51 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
52 tn Heb “listened to Ephron.”
53 tn Heb “and Abraham weighed out.”
54 tn Heb “to Ephron.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
55 tn Heb “silver.”
56 tn Heb “that he had spoken.” The referent (Ephron) has been specified here in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
57 tn Heb “passing for the merchant.” The final clause affirms that the measurement of silver was according to the standards used by the merchants of the time.
58 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
59 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
60 sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).
61 sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).
62 tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
63 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
64 tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).
65 tn Heb “people.”
66 tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”
67 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a conjunction with the subject, followed by the predicate) here introduces a new scene in the story.
68 tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.
69 tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.
70 tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”
71 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.
72 tn Heb “days.”
73 tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.
74 tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”
75 tn Heb “she sent and called for.”
76 tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.
77 tn Heb “to take for himself from there a wife.”
78 tn The infinitive construct with the preposition and the suffix form a temporal clause.
79 tn Heb “you must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.”
80 tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.
81 tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”
82 tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).
83 tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.
84 tn Heb “lay down.”
85 tn Heb “and dreamed.”
86 tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the
87 tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.
88 tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”
89 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
90 tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.
91 tn Heb “standing stone.”
sn Sacred stone. Such a stone could be used as a boundary marker, a burial stone, or as a shrine. Here the stone is intended to be a reminder of the stairway that was “erected” and on which the
92 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
93 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
94 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
95 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
96 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
97 tn Or “for.”
98 tn Heb “before me.”
99 tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
100 tn Heb “at my foot.”
101 tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
102 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
103 tn Heb “brothers.”
104 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
105 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
106 tn The “camel’s saddle” was probably some sort of basket-saddle, a cushioned saddle with a basket bound on. Cf. NAB “inside a camel cushion.”
107 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides another parenthetical statement necessary to the storyline.
108 tn The word “them” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
109 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
110 tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).
111 sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.
112 tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”
113 tn Heb “offspring.”
114 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.
115 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.
116 tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
117 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.
118 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
119 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
120 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
121 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
122 tn Heb “did not know.”
123 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
124 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
125 tn Heb “And look.”
126 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
127 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
128 tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”
129 tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).
130 tn Heb “began to arrive.”
131 tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”
132 tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
133 tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
134 tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”
135 tn Heb “arose.”
136 tn Heb “a possession,” or “a holding.” Joseph gave them a plot of land with rights of ownership in the land of Goshen.
137 sn The land of Rameses is another designation for the region of Goshen. It is named Rameses because of a city in that region (Exod 1:11; 12:37). The use of this name may represent a modernization of the text for the understanding of the intended readers, substituting a later name for an earlier one. Alternatively, there may have been an earlier Rameses for which the region was named.