Discovery BoxGenesis 11:4 
Context11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens 1 so that 2 we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise 3 we will be scattered 4 across the face of the entire earth.”
Genesis 34:21
Context34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 5 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 6
Genesis 43:7
Context43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us 7 thoroughly 8 about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ 9 So we answered him in this way. 10 How could we possibly know 11 that he would say, 12 ‘Bring your brother down’?”
Genesis 44:20
Context44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. 13 The boy’s 14 brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, 15 and his father loves him.’
1 tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.
2 tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.
3 tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”
4 sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.
5 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
6 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
7 tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
8 tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.
9 sn The report given here concerning Joseph’s interrogation does not exactly match the previous account where they supplied the information to clear themselves (see 42:13). This section may reflect how they remembered the impact of his interrogation, whether he asked the specific questions or not. That may be twisting the truth to protect themselves, not wanting to admit that they volunteered the information. (They admitted as much in 42:31, but now they seem to be qualifying that comment.) On the other hand, when speaking to Joseph later (see 44:19), Judah claims that Joseph asked for the information about their family, making it possible that 42:13 leaves out some of the details of their first encounter.
10 tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”
11 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the imperfect verbal form, which here is a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of a past time).
12 tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).
13 tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.
14 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”
