Discovery BoxGenesis 15:1 
Context15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield 1 and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 2
Genesis 15:4
Context15:4 But look, 3 the word of the Lord came to him: “This man 4 will not be your heir, 5 but instead 6 a son 7 who comes from your own body will be 8 your heir.” 9
Genesis 37:14
Context37:14 So Jacob 10 said to him, “Go now and check on 11 the welfare 12 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 13 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
Genesis 38:25
Context38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word 14 to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” 15 Then she said, “Identify 16 the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.”
Genesis 44:18
Context44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 17 Please do not get angry with your servant, 18 for you are just like Pharaoh. 19
1 sn The noun “shield” recalls the words of Melchizedek in 14:20. If God is the shield, then God will deliver. Abram need not fear reprisals from those he has fought.
2 tn Heb “your reward [in] great abundance.” When the phrase הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ (harbeh mÿod) follows a noun it invariably modifies the noun and carries the nuance “very great” or “in great abundance.” (See its use in Gen 41:49; Deut 3:5; Josh 22:8; 2 Sam 8:8; 12:2; 1 Kgs 4:29; 10:10-11; 2 Chr 14:13; 32:27; Jer 40:12.) Here the noun “reward” is in apposition to “shield” and refers by metonymy to God as the source of the reward. Some translate here “your reward will be very great” (cf. NASB, NRSV), taking the statement as an independent clause and understanding the Hiphil infinitive absolute as a substitute for a finite verb. However, the construction הַרְבּה מְאֹדֵ is never used this way elsewhere, where it either modifies a noun (see the texts listed above) or serves as an adverb in relation to a finite verb (see Josh 13:1; 1 Sam 26:21; 2 Sam 12:30; 2 Kgs 21:16; 1 Chr 20:2; Neh 2:2).
sn Abram has just rejected all the spoils of war, and the
3 tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.
4 tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the
5 tn Heb “inherit you.”
6 tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.
7 tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”
9 tn Heb “will inherit you.”
10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Heb “see.”
12 tn Heb “peace.”
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
15 tn Heb “who these to him.”
16 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
17 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
18 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
19 sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.
