Discovery BoxGenesis 24:60 
Context24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: 1
“Our sister, may you become the mother 2 of thousands of ten thousands!
May your descendants possess the strongholds 3 of their enemies.”
Genesis 31:14
Context31:14 Then Rachel and Leah replied to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance 4 in our father’s house?
Genesis 34:14
Context34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 5 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 6 to us.
Genesis 42:9
Context42:9 Then Joseph remembered 7 the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” 8
Genesis 43:22
Context43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks!”
Genesis 47:3
Context47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s 9 brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” 10
1 tn Heb “and said to her.”
2 tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”
sn May you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands. The blessing expresses their prayer that she produce children and start a family line that will greatly increase (cf. Gen 17:16).
3 tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.
4 tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”
5 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
6 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
7 sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.
8 tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”
9 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”
