Discovery BoxGenesis 34:30 
Context34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 1 on me by making me a foul odor 2 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 3 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!”
Genesis 43:23
Context43:23 “Everything is fine,” 4 the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. 5 I had your money.” 6 Then he brought Simeon out to them.
1 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
2 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
3 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
4 tn Heb “and he said, ‘peace to you.’” Here the statement has the force of “everything is fine,” or perhaps even “calm down.” The referent of “he” (the man in charge of Joseph’ household) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
5 sn Your God and the God of your father…This is the first clear reference in the story to the theme of divine providence – that God works through the human actions to do his will.
6 tn Heb “your money came to me.”
