Discovery BoxGenesis 37:22 
Context37:22 Reuben continued, 1 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 2 (Reuben said this 3 so he could rescue Joseph 4 from them 5 and take him back to his father.)
Genesis 39:5
Context39:5 From the time 6 Potiphar 7 appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed 8 the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both 9 in his house and in his fields. 10
Genesis 42:7
Context42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger 11 to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, 12 “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” 13
Genesis 43:18
Context43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of 14 the money that was returned in our sacks last time. 15 He wants to capture us, 16 make us slaves, and take 17 our donkeys!”
Genesis 43:23
Context43:23 “Everything is fine,” 18 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. 19 I had your money.” 20 Then he brought Simeon out to them.
Genesis 47:29
Context47:29 The time 21 for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh 22 and show me kindness and faithfulness. 23 Do not bury me in Egypt,
Genesis 49:26
Context49:26 The blessings of your father are greater
than 24 the blessings of the eternal mountains 25
or the desirable things of the age-old hills.
They will be on the head of Joseph
and on the brow of the prince of his brothers. 26
1 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
2 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
3 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
6 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).
9 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
10 sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.
11 sn But pretended to be a stranger. Joseph intends to test his brothers to see if they have changed and have the integrity to be patriarchs of the tribes of Israel. He will do this by putting them in the same situations that they and he were in before. The first test will be to awaken their conscience.
12 tn Heb “said.”
13 tn The verb is denominative, meaning “to buy grain”; the word “food” could simply be the direct object, but may also be an adverbial accusative.
14 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
15 tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.
16 tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.
17 tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
18 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.
19 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.
20 tn Heb “your money came to me.”
21 tn Heb “days.”
22 sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.
23 tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”
24 tn Heb “have prevailed over.”
25 tn One could interpret the phrase הוֹרַי (horay) to mean “my progenitors” (literally, “the ones who conceived me”), but the masculine form argues against this. It is better to emend the text to הַרֲרֵי (harare, “mountains of”) because it forms a better parallel with the next clause. In this case the final yod (י) on the form is a construct plural marker, not a pronominal suffix.
26 tn For further discussion of this passage, see I. Sonne, “Genesis 49:24-26,” JBL 65 (1946): 303-6.
