Genesis 7:3

7:3 and also seven 1  of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, 2  to preserve their offspring 3  on the face of the earth.

Genesis 29:18

29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 4  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Genesis 29:20

29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 5  But they seemed like only a few days to him 6  because his love for her was so great. 7 

Genesis 29:27

29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 8  Then we will give you the younger one 9  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 10 

Genesis 29:30

29:30 Jacob 11  had marital relations 12  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 13  for seven more years. 14 

Genesis 31:23

31:23 So he took his relatives 15  with him and pursued Jacob 16  for seven days. 17  He caught up with 18  him in the hill country of Gilead.

Genesis 33:3

33:3 But Jacob 19  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 20  his brother.

Genesis 41:3

41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, 21  and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. 22 

Genesis 41:5

41:5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing 23  on one stalk, healthy 24  and good.

Genesis 41:7

41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 25 

Genesis 41:18

41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 26 

Genesis 41:30

41:30 But seven years of famine will occur 27  after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate 28  the land.

Genesis 46:25

46:25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all.

1 tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).

2 tn Here (and in v. 9) the Hebrew text uses the normal generic terms for “male and female” (זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, zakhar unÿqevah).

3 tn Heb “to keep alive offspring.”

4 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

5 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

6 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

7 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

8 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).

9 tn Heb “this other one.”

10 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.

11 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

12 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

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

14 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

15 tn Heb “his brothers.”

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

17 tn Heb “and he pursued after him a journey of seven days.”

18 tn Heb “drew close to.”

19 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

20 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

21 tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”

22 tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

23 tn Heb “coming up.”

24 tn Heb “fat.”

25 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”

sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines – there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.

26 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”

27 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.

28 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.