Discovery BoxGenesis 20:9 
Context20:9 Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? What sin did I commit against you that would cause you to bring such great guilt on me and my kingdom? 1 You have done things to me that should not be done!” 2
Genesis 27:45
Context27:45 Stay there 3 until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. 4 Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 5
Genesis 34:7
Context34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 6 They 7 were offended 8 and very angry because Shechem 9 had disgraced Israel 10 by sexually assaulting 11 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 12
Genesis 47:19
Context47:19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become 13 Pharaoh’s slaves. 14 Give us seed that we may live 15 and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” 16
1 tn Heb “How did I sin against you that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin?” The expression “great sin” refers to adultery. For discussion of the cultural background of the passage, see J. J. Rabinowitz, “The Great Sin in Ancient Egyptian Marriage Contracts,” JNES 18 (1959): 73, and W. L. Moran, “The Scandal of the ‘Great Sin’ at Ugarit,” JNES 18 (1959): 280-81.
2 tn Heb “Deeds which should not be done you have done to me.” The imperfect has an obligatory nuance here.
3 tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.
5 tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.
6 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
8 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
11 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
12 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
13 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.
14 sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.
15 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.
16 tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav [ו] + subject + negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.
