Discovery BoxGenesis 12:7-8 
Context12:7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants 1 I will give this land.” So Abram 2 built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 3 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 4
Genesis 22:9
Context22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there 5 and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up 6 his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood.
Genesis 39:6
Context39:6 So Potiphar 7 left 8 everything he had in Joseph’s care; 9 he gave no thought 10 to anything except the food he ate. 11
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 12
1 tn The same Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
4 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
5 sn Abraham built an altar there. The theme of Abraham’s altar building culminates here. He has been a faithful worshiper. Will he continue to worship when called upon to make such a radical sacrifice?
6 sn Then he tied up. This text has given rise to an important theme in Judaism known as the Aqedah, from the Hebrew word for “binding.” When sacrifices were made in the sanctuary, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. See D. Polish, “The Binding of Isaac,” Jud 6 (1957): 17-21.
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
9 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
10 tn Heb “did not know.”
11 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
12 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
