Discovery BoxGenesis 1:14 
Context1:14 God said, “Let there be lights 1 in the expanse 2 of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs 3 to indicate seasons and days and years,
Genesis 17:12
Context17:12 Throughout your generations every male among you who is eight days old 4 must be circumcised, whether born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not one of your descendants.
Genesis 26:1
Context26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred 5 in the days of Abraham. 6 Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.
Genesis 26:18
Context26:18 Isaac reopened 7 the wells that had been dug 8 back in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up 9 after Abraham died. Isaac 10 gave these wells 11 the same names his father had given them. 12
Genesis 34:25
Context34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 13 and went to the unsuspecting city 14 and slaughtered every male.
Genesis 40:13
Context40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you 15 and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before 16 when you were cupbearer.
1 sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).
2 tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”
3 tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”
sn Let them be for signs. The point is that the sun and the moon were important to fix the days for the seasonal celebrations for the worshiping community.
4 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
5 tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”
6 sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.
7 tn Heb “he returned and dug,” meaning “he dug again” or “he reopened.”
8 tn Heb “that they dug.” Since the subject is indefinite, the verb is translated as passive.
9 tn Heb “and the Philistines had stopped them up.” This clause explains why Isaac had to reopen them.
10 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the wells) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “called names to them according to the names that his father called them.”
13 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
14 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.
15 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”
16 tn Heb “according to the former custom.”
