Discovery BoxGenesis 1:30 
Context1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give 1 every green plant for food.” It was so.
Genesis 3:22
Context3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now 2 that the man has become like one of us, 3 knowing 4 good and evil, he must not be allowed 5 to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Genesis 21:17
Context21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. 6 The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, 7 Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard 8 the boy’s voice right where he is crying.
Genesis 42:21
Context42:21 They said to one other, 9 “Surely we’re being punished 10 because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was 11 when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress 12 has come on us!”
Genesis 43:23
Context43:23 “Everything is fine,” 13 the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. 14 I had your money.” 15 Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Genesis 44:16
Context44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say 16 to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? 17 God has exposed the sin of your servants! 18 We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
1 tn The phrase “I give” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
2 tn The particle הֵן (hen) introduces a foundational clause, usually beginning with “since, because, now.”
3 sn The man has become like one of us. See the notes on Gen 1:26 and 3:5.
4 tn The infinitive explains in what way the man had become like God: “knowing good and evil.”
5 tn Heb “and now, lest he stretch forth.” Following the foundational clause, this clause forms the main point. It is introduced with the particle פֶּן (pen) which normally introduces a negative purpose, “lest….” The construction is elliptical; something must be done lest the man stretch forth his hand. The translation interprets the point intended.
6 sn God heard the boy’s voice. The text has not to this point indicated that Ishmael was crying out, either in pain or in prayer. But the text here makes it clear that God heard him. Ishmael is clearly central to the story. Both the mother and the
7 tn Heb “What to you?”
8 sn Here the verb heard picks up the main motif of the name Ishmael (“God hears”), introduced back in chap. 16.
9 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”
10 tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”
11 tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”
12 sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.
13 tn Heb “and he said, ‘peace to you.’” Here the statement has the force of “everything is fine,” or perhaps even “calm down.” The referent of “he” (the man in charge of Joseph’ household) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
14 sn Your God and the God of your father…This is the first clear reference in the story to the theme of divine providence – that God works through the human actions to do his will.
15 tn Heb “your money came to me.”
16 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
17 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
18 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.
