Genesis 6:3

6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in ¹  humankind indefinitely, ²  since ³  they ⁴  are mortal. ⁵  They ⁶  will remain for 120 more years.” ⁷ 

Genesis 20:12

20:12 What’s more, ⁸  she is indeed my sister, my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter. She became my wife.

Genesis 24:20

24:20 She quickly emptied ⁹  her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels.

Genesis 24:55

24:55 But Rebekah’s ¹⁰  brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.”

Genesis 29:27

29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ¹¹  Then we will give you the younger one ¹²  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ¹³ 

Genesis 37:3-4

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ¹⁴  because he was a son born to him late in life, ¹⁵  and he made a special ¹⁶  tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s ¹⁷  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ¹⁸  they hated Joseph ¹⁹  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ²⁰ 

Genesis 40:19

40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you ²¹  and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

Genesis 43:2

43:2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.”

Genesis 45:6

45:6 For these past two years there has been famine in ²²  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

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¹ 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 Lord’s personal Spirit. E. A. Speiser argues that the term is cognate with an Akkadian word meaning “protect” or “shield.” In this case, the Lord’s Spirit will not always protect humankind, for the race will suddenly be destroyed (E. A. Speiser, “YDWN, Gen. 6:3,” JBL 75 [1956]: 126-29).

² tn Or “forever.”

³ 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).

⁴ 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”).

⁵ tn Heb “flesh.”

⁶ tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn Heb “but also.”

⁹ tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ 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).

¹² tn Heb “this other one.”

¹³ 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.

¹⁴ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac – parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.

¹⁵ tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

¹⁶ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

¹⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁸ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

²¹ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.

²² tn Heb “the famine [has been] in the midst of.”