4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 1 And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” 2
13:8 Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for we are close relatives. 15
15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 18 what will you give me since 19 I continue to be 20 childless, and my heir 21 is 22 Eliezer of Damascus?” 23
20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, 28 ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of 29 my wife.’
27:34 When Esau heard 53 his father’s words, he wailed loudly and bitterly. 54 He said to his father, “Bless me too, my father!”
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 60 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 61 Tell me what your wages should be.”
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 92 “Why 93 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 94 Then he blessed 95 Jacob 96 there.
33:8 Esau 97 then asked, “What did you intend 98 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 99 Jacob 100 replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.”
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 101 Please give her to him as his wife.
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 102 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned 105 us, ‘You will not see my face 106 unless your brother is with you.’
44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! 110 The one who has it will become my slave, 111 but the rest of 112 you will go free.” 113
44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers.
45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him.
49:4 You are destructive 121 like water and will not excel, 122
for you got on your father’s bed, 123
then you defiled it – he got on my couch! 124
1 sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the
2 tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”
sn Am I my brother’s guardian? Cain lies and then responds with a defiant rhetorical question of his own in which he repudiates any responsibility for his brother. But his question is ironic, for he is responsible for his brother’s fate, especially if he wanted to kill him. See P. A. Riemann, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Int 24 (1970): 482-91.
3 tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the
4 tn Or “forever.”
5 tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).
6 tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).
7 tn Heb “flesh.”
8 tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.
9 tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.
10 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
11 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
12 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Other translation options include “I have placed” (present perfect; cf. NIV, NRSV) and “I place” (instantaneous perfect; cf. NEB).
13 sn The Hebrew word קֶשֶׁת (qeshet) normally refers to a warrior’s bow. Some understand this to mean that God the warrior hangs up his battle bow at the end of the flood, indicating he is now at peace with humankind, but others question the legitimacy of this proposal. See C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:473, and G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:196.
14 tn The perfect verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here has the same aspectual function as the preceding perfect of certitude.
15 tn Heb “men, brothers [are] we.” Here “brothers” describes the closeness of the relationship, but could be misunderstood if taken literally, since Abram was Lot’s uncle.
16 tn Abram takes an oath, raising his hand as a solemn gesture. The translation understands the perfect tense as having an instantaneous nuance: “Here and now I raise my hand.”
17 tn The words “and vow” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
18 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
19 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
20 tn Heb “I am going.”
21 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
sn For the custom of designating a member of the household as heir, see C. H. Gordon, “Biblical Customs and the Nuzu Tablets,” Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2:21-33.
22 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
23 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
24 tn Heb “from the presence of.”
25 tn Heb “saying.”
26 tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.
27 tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
28 tn Heb “Because I said.”
29 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
30 tn Heb “will see for himself.” The construction means “to look out for; to see to it; to provide.”
sn God will provide is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. Note Paul’s allusion to the story in Rom 8:32 (“how shall he not freely give us all things?”) as well as H. J. Schoeps, “The Sacrifice of Isaac in Paul’s Theology,” JBL 65 (1946): 385-92.
31 tn Heb “By myself I swear.”
32 tn Heb “the oracle of the
33 tn Heb “a resident alien and a settler.”
34 tn Heb “give,” which is used here as an idiom for “sell” (see v. 9). The idiom reflects the polite bartering that was done in the culture at the time.
35 tn Or “possession.”
36 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction expresses purpose.
37 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
38 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
39 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
40 tn Or “hear me.”
41 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
42 tn The word “worth” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
43 sn Four hundred pieces of silver. The standards for weighing money varied considerably in the ancient Near East, but the generally accepted weight for the shekel is 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce). This makes the weight of silver here 4.6 kilograms, or 160 ounces (about 10 pounds).
44 tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).
45 sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.
46 tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”
47 tn Heb “upon me your curse.”
48 tn Heb “only listen to my voice.”
49 tn Heb “What is this?” The enclitic pronoun “this” adds emphasis to the question, which is comparable to the English rhetorical question, “How in the world?”
50 tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.
51 tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”
52 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Because the
53 tn The temporal clause is introduced with the temporal indicator and has the infinitive as its verb.
54 tn Heb “and he yelled [with] a great and bitter yell to excess.”
55 tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
56 tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”
57 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
58 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Heb “a month of days.”
60 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
61 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
62 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
sn Bridal week. An ancient Hebrew marriage ceremony included an entire week of festivities (cf. Judg 14:12).
63 tn Heb “this other one.”
64 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
sn In exchange for seven more years of work. See C. H. Gordon, “The Story of Jacob and Laban in the Light of the Nuzi Tablets,” BASOR 66 (1937): 25-27; and J. Van Seters, “Jacob’s Marriages and Ancient Near Eastern Customs: A Reassessment,” HTR 62 (1969): 377-95.
65 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
66 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
67 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
69 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
70 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
71 tn Or “therefore.”
72 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
73 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
74 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
75 sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
76 tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”
77 tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).
78 tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).
79 tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”
80 tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
81 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.
82 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.
83 sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.
84 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
85 tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.
86 tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
87 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
88 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
89 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
90 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
91 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
92 sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.
93 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
94 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
95 tn The verb here means that the
96 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
97 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
98 tn Heb “Who to you?”
99 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
100 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
101 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
102 sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.
103 tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
104 sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.
105 tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.
106 tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”
107 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
108 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
109 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.
110 tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.
111 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”
112 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
113 tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.
sn The rest of you will be free. Joseph’s purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed.
114 tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”
115 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.
116 tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).
117 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
118 tn Heb “And, look, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that my mouth is the one speaking to you.”
119 tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.
120 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
121 tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).
122 tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).
123 sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).
124 tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.