Genesis 9:5

9:5 For your lifeblood I will surely exact punishment, from every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person I will exact punishment for the life of the individual since the man was his relative.

Genesis 15:10

15:10 So Abram took all these for him and then cut them in two and placed each half opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds in half.

Genesis 34:25

34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 10  and went to the unsuspecting city 11  and slaughtered every male.

Genesis 40:5

40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream 12  the same night. 13  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. 14 

Genesis 41:12

41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant 15  of the captain of the guards, 16  was with us there. We told him our dreams, 17  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. 18 

Genesis 42:25

42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill 19  their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. 20 

Genesis 42:35

42:35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid.

Genesis 43:21

43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount 21  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. 22 

Genesis 44:1

The Final Test

44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.

Genesis 47:20

47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each 23  of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. 24  So the land became Pharaoh’s.


tn Again the text uses apposition to clarify what kind of blood is being discussed: “your blood, [that is] for your life.” See C. L. Dewar, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 4 (1953): 204-8.

tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification. The verb דָּרָשׁ (darash) means “to require, to seek, to ask for, to exact.” Here it means that God will exact punishment for the taking of a life. See R. Mawdsley, “Capital Punishment in Gen. 9:6,” CentBib 18 (1975): 20-25.

tn Heb “from the hand of,” which means “out of the hand of” or “out of the power of” and is nearly identical in sense to the preposition מִן (min) alone.

tn Heb “and from the hand of the man.” The article has a generic function, indicating the class, i.e., humankind.

tn Heb “of the man.”

tn Heb “from the hand of a man, his brother.” The point is that God will require the blood of someone who kills, since the person killed is a relative (“brother”) of the killer. The language reflects Noah’s situation (after the flood everyone would be part of Noah’s extended family), but also supports the concept of the brotherhood of humankind. According to the Genesis account the entire human race descended from Noah.

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

tn Heb “in the middle.”

tn Heb “to meet its neighbor.”

sn For discussion of this ritual see G. F. Hasel, “The Meaning of the Animal Rite in Genesis 15,” JSOT 19 (1981): 61-78.

10 tn Heb “a man his sword.”

11 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.

12 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

13 tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”

14 tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”

15 tn Or “slave.”

16 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

17 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

18 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

19 tn Heb “and they filled.” The clause appears to be elliptical; one expects “Joseph gave orders to fill…and they filled.” See GKC 386 §120.f.

20 tn Heb “and he did for them so.” Joseph would appear to be the subject of the singular verb. If the text is retained, the statement seems to be a summary of the preceding, more detailed statement. However, some read the verb as plural, “and they did for them so.” In this case the statement indicates that Joseph’s subordinates carried out his orders. Another alternative is to read the singular verb as passive (with unspecified subject), “and this was done for them so” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

21 tn Heb “in its weight.”

22 tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”

23 tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

24 tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.