¹ tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.

² tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.

sn For Jacob to ask to leave would mean that seven more years had passed. Thus all Jacob’s children were born within the range of seven years of each other, with Joseph coming right at the end of the seven years.

³ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

⁴ tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”

⁵ sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.

⁶ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac – parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.

⁷ tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

⁸ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

⁹ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.

¹¹ sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.

¹² 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.

¹³ tn Heb “listen to.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

¹⁵ tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”

¹⁶ tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).

¹⁷ sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.

¹⁸ tn Heb “they were days in custody.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

²⁰ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

²¹ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

²² tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

²³ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

²⁴ tn Heb “saying.”

²⁵ 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.”

²⁶ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

²⁷ tn Heb “declared.”

²⁸ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

²⁹ tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.

³⁰ tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

³¹ tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³² tn Heb “apart from you.”

³³ tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.

³⁴ tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.

³⁵ tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.

³⁶ sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.

³⁷ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³⁸ tn Or “for.”

³⁹ tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.

⁴⁰ tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.

⁴¹ tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.

⁴² tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.

⁴³ tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.

⁴⁴ tn Heb “encounters.”

⁴⁵ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

⁴⁶ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

⁴⁷ tn Heb “is not.”

⁴⁸ tn Heb “is not.”

⁴⁹ tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.

⁵⁰ tn Heb “they arose and went down to Egypt.” The first verb has an adverbial function and emphasizes that they departed right away.

⁵¹ tn Heb “the man.”

⁵² tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.

⁵³ tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.

⁵⁴ tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).

⁵⁵ tn Heb “into the house.”

⁵⁶ tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.

⁵⁷ tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”

⁵⁸ sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.

⁵⁹ tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.

⁶⁰ tn Heb “and the sound was heard.”

⁶¹ tn Heb “was good in the eyes of.”

⁶² tn Heb “and the sons of Israel did so.”

⁶³ tn Heb “according to the mouth of Pharaoh.”

⁶⁴ tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.

⁶⁵ tn Heb “and I, I will bring you up, also bringing up.” The independent personal pronoun before the first person imperfect verbal form draws attention to the speaker/subject, while the infinitive absolute after the imperfect strongly emphasizes the statement: “I myself will certainly bring you up.”

⁶⁶ tn Heb “and Joseph will put his hand upon your eyes.” This is a promise of peaceful death in Egypt with Joseph present to close his eyes.

⁶⁷ sn On is another name for the city of Heliopolis.

⁶⁸ tn The LXX reads “nine sons,” probably counting the grandsons of Joseph born to Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. 1 Chr 7:14-20).

⁶⁹ tn Heb “And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two people; all the people belonging to the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.”

sn The number seventy includes Jacob himself and the seventy-one descendants (including Dinah, Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim) listed in vv. 8-25, minus Er and Onan (deceased). The LXX gives the number as “seventy-five” (cf. Acts 7:14).

⁷⁰ tn Heb “after my seeing your face that you are still alive.”

⁷¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷² tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”

⁷³ tn The word “food” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁷⁴ tn On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.

⁷⁵ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.

⁷⁶ tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.

⁷⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷⁹ tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸¹ tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”

⁸² sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.

⁸³ tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).

⁸⁴ tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.

⁸⁵ tn Heb “and one told and said.” The verbs have no expressed subject and can be translated with the passive voice.

⁸⁶ tn Heb “Look, your son Joseph.”

⁸⁷ tn Heb “my.”

⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸⁹ tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the imperative.

⁹⁰ tn On the meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּלַל (palal) here, see E. A. Speiser, “The Stem pll in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6. Speiser argues that this verb means “to estimate” as in Exod 21:22.

⁹¹ tn Heb “your face.”

⁹² tn Heb “offspring.”

⁹³ tn The pronouns translated “you,” “you,” and “your” in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text.

⁹⁴ tn Heb “weeping.”

⁹⁵ tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”

⁹⁶ tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”

⁹⁷ tn Heb “son of a hundred and ten years.”

⁹⁸ tn Heb “he.”