Discovery BoxGenesis 19:14 
Context19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. 1 He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy 2 the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. 3
Genesis 42:7
Context42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger 4 to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, 5 “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” 6
1 sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.
2 tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.
3 tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.
4 sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.
5 tn Heb “said.”
6 tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.
