¹ tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun is enclitic, serving as an undeclined particle for emphasis. It gives the sense of “What in the world have you done?” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

² sn The Hebrew word order puts the subject (“the serpent”) before the verb here, giving prominence to it.

³ tn This verb (the Hiphil of נָשָׁא, nasha) is used elsewhere of a king or god misleading his people into false confidence (2 Kgs 18:29 = 2 Chr 32:15 = Isa 36:14; 2 Kgs 19:10 = Isa 37:10), of an ally deceiving a partner (Obad 7), of God deceiving his sinful people as a form of judgment (Jer 4:10), of false prophets instilling their audience with false hope (Jer 29:8), and of pride and false confidence producing self-deception (Jer 37:9; 49:16; Obad 3).

⁴ sn What have you done? Again the Lord’s question is rhetorical (see Gen 3:13), condemning Cain for his sin.

⁵ tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.

⁶ tn The demonstrative pronoun translated “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to me?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

⁷ tn Heb “And Abram said.”

⁸ tn The construction uses הֵן (hen) to introduce the foundational clause (“since…”), and וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh) to introduce the main clause (“then look…”).

⁹ tn Heb “is inheriting me.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “from the presence of.”

¹¹ tn Heb “God of my seeing.” The pronominal suffix may be understood either as objective (“who sees me,” as in the translation) or subjective (“whom I see”).

¹² tn Heb “after one who sees me.”

sn For a discussion of Hagar’s exclamation, see T. Booij, “Hagar’s Words in Genesis 16:13b,” VT 30 (1980): 1-7.

¹³ tn Heb “saying.”

¹⁴ tn It has been suggested that this word should be translated “conception,” not “pleasure.” See A. A. McIntosh, “A Third Root ‘adah in Biblical Hebrew,” VT 24 (1974): 454-73.

¹⁵ tn The word “too” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁶ tn Heb “Why, this?” The demonstrative pronoun following the interrogative pronoun is enclitic, emphasizing the Lord’s amazement: “Why on earth did Sarah laugh?”

¹⁷ tn The Hebrew construction uses both הַאַף (ha’af) and אֻמְנָם (’umnam): “Indeed, truly, will I have a child?”

¹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb פָּלָא (pala’) means “to be wonderful, to be extraordinary, to be surpassing, to be amazing.”

¹⁹ sn Sarah will have a son. The passage brings God’s promise into clear focus. As long as it was a promise for the future, it really could be believed without much involvement. But now, when it seemed so impossible from the human standpoint, when the Lord fixed an exact date for the birth of the child, the promise became rather overwhelming to Abraham and Sarah. But then this was the Lord of creation, the one they had come to trust. The point of these narratives is that the creation of Abraham’s offspring, which eventually became Israel, is no less a miraculous work of creation than the creation of the world itself.

²⁰ tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to him.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

²¹ tn The Hebrew verb יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) is used here in the sense of “to lie with” or “to have sex with” (as in Gen 4:1). That this is indeed the meaning is clear from Lot’s warning that they not do so wickedly, and his willingness to give them his daughters instead.

sn The sin of the men of Sodom is debated. The fact that the sin involved a sexual act (see note on the phrase “have sex” in 19:5) precludes an association of the sin with inhospitality as is sometimes asserted (see W. Roth, “What of Sodom and Gomorrah? Homosexual Acts in the Old Testament,” Explor 1 [1974]: 7-14). The text at a minimum condemns forced sexual intercourse, i.e., rape. Other considerations, though, point to a condemnation of homosexual acts more generally. The narrator emphasizes the fact that the men of Sodom wanted to have sex with men: They demand that Lot release the angelic messengers (seen as men) to them for sex, and when Lot offers his daughters as a substitute they refuse them and attempt to take the angelic messengers by force. In addition the wider context of the Pentateuch condemns homosexual acts as sin (see, e.g., Lev 18:22). Thus a reading of this text within its narrative context, both immediate and broad, condemns not only the attempted rape but also the attempted homosexual act.

²² tn Heb “drink wine.”

²³ tn Heb “and we will lie down.” The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive is subordinated to the preceding cohortative and indicates purpose/result.

²⁴ tn Or “that we may preserve.” Here the cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates their ultimate goal.

²⁵ tn Heb “and we will keep alive from our father descendants.”

sn For a discussion of the cultural background of the daughters’ desire to preserve our family line see F. C. Fensham, “The Obliteration of the Family as Motif in the Near Eastern Literature,” AION 10 (1969): 191-99.

²⁶ tn In the Hebrew text this causal clause comes at the end of the sentence. The translation alters the word order for stylistic reasons.

sn Because you have obeyed me. Abraham’s obedience brought God’s ratification of the earlier conditional promise (see Gen 12:2).

²⁷ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 26:4). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

²⁸ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²⁹ tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

³⁰ tn Heb “my words.”

³¹ tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”

tn Heb “and he said, ‘Speak.’” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³² tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³³ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”

³⁴ sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.

³⁵ tn The two nouns may form a hendiadys, meaning “a share in the inheritance” or “a portion to inherit.”

³⁶ tn Heb “and you have stolen my heart.” This expression apparently means “to deceive” (see v. 20).

³⁷ tn Heb “and you have led away my daughters like captives of a sword.”

³⁸ tn Heb “my sons and my daughters.” Here “sons” refers to “grandsons,” and has been translated “grandchildren” since at least one granddaughter, Dinah, was involved. The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³⁹ tn Heb “there is to my hand.”

⁴⁰ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

⁴¹ tn Heb “from speaking with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 24, is uncertain. See the note on the same phrase in v. 24.

⁴² tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

⁴³ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

⁴⁴ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

⁴⁵ sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.

⁴⁶ tn Heb “cut a covenant.”

⁴⁷ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah) followed by the preposition לְ (lÿ) means “become.”

⁴⁸ tn Heb “and it will become a witness between me and you.”

⁴⁹ tn Heb “and Laban said to Jacob, ‘Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between men and you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵⁰ sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.

⁵¹ tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.

⁵² tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵³ tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”

⁵⁴ tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”

⁵⁵ tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵⁶ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

⁵⁷ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

⁵⁸ tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.

⁵⁹ tn Heb “listen to.”

⁶⁰ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

⁶¹ tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.

⁶² sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.

⁶³ tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

⁶⁴ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

⁶⁵ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

⁶⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

⁶⁷ tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”

⁶⁸ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

⁶⁹ tn Heb “declared.”

⁷⁰ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

⁷¹ tn Heb “one dream it is.”

⁷² sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

⁷³ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

⁷⁴ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.

⁷⁵ tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.

⁷⁶ tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).

⁷⁷ tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.

⁷⁸ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”

⁷⁹ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.

sn The rest of you will be free. Joseph’s purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed.

⁸¹ tn The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive here expresses instruction.

⁸² tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive here expresses instruction.

⁸³ tn Heb “and hurry and bring down my father to here.”

⁸⁴ tn Heb “and the sound was heard.”

⁸⁵ tn Heb “was good in the eyes of.”

⁸⁶ tn Heb “after my seeing your face that you are still alive.”

⁸⁷ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.

⁸⁸ tn Heb “weeping.”

⁸⁹ tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”

⁹⁰ tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”