Discovery BoxGenesis 3:22 
Context3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now 1 that the man has become like one of us, 2 knowing 3 good and evil, he must not be allowed 4 to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Genesis 28:14
Context28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, 5 and you will spread out 6 to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another 7 using your name and that of your descendants. 8
Genesis 38:11
Context38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, 9 “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” 10 So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
1 tn The particle הֵן (hen) introduces a foundational clause, usually beginning with “since, because, now.”
2 sn The man has become like one of us. See the notes on Gen 1:26 and 3:5.
3 tn The infinitive explains in what way the man had become like God: “knowing good and evil.”
4 tn Heb “and now, lest he stretch forth.” Following the foundational clause, this clause forms the main point. It is introduced with the particle פֶּן (pen) which normally introduces a negative purpose, “lest….” The construction is elliptical; something must be done lest the man stretch forth his hand. The translation interprets the point intended.
5 tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.
6 tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.
7 tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.
8 tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”
9 tn Heb “said.”
10 tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”
sn I don’t want him to die like his brothers. This clause explains that Judah had no intention of giving Shelah to Tamar for the purpose of the levirate marriage. Judah apparently knew the nature of his sons, and feared that God would be angry with the third son and kill him as well.
