27:5 Now Rebekah had been listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. 9 When Esau went out to the open fields to hunt down some wild game and bring it back, 10
38:24 After three months Judah was told, 27 “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, 28 and as a result she has become pregnant.” 29 Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!”
1 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
2 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
3 tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the a participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”
4 tn Heb “the flood, water.”
5 tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.
6 tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.
7 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
8 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.
9 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by a conjunction with the subject, followed by the predicate) here introduces a new scene in the story.
10 tc The LXX adds here “to his father,” which may have been accidentally omitted in the MT.
11 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
12 tn The cohortative, with the prefixed conjunction, also expresses logical sequence. See vv. 4, 19, 27.
13 tn In her report to Jacob, Rebekah plays down Isaac’s strong desire to bless Esau by leaving out נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), but by adding the phrase “in the presence of the
14 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
16 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.
17 tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Heb “Look, I [am] with you.” The clause is a nominal clause; the verb to be supplied could be present (as in the translation) or future, “Look, I [will be] with you” (cf. NEB).
20 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
21 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
22 tn Heb “say.”
23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “see.”
25 tn Heb “peace.”
26 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”
28 tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.
29 tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”
30 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.
31 tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”
32 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.
33 tn The pronoun before the first person verbal form draws attention to the subject and emphasizes Judah’s willingness to be personally responsible for the boy.
34 sn I will bear the blame before you all my life. It is not clear how this would work out if Benjamin did not come back. But Judah is offering his life for Benjamin’s if Benjamin does not return.
35 tn Heb “when he sees that there is no boy.”
36 tn Or “for.”
37 tn The words “to say” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.