Discovery BoxGenesis 4:15 
Context4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, 1 if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” 2 Then the Lord put a special mark 3 on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. 4
Genesis 5:29
Context5:29 He named him Noah, 5 saying, “This one will bring us comfort 6 from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.”
Genesis 13:10
Context13:10 Lot looked up and saw 7 the whole region 8 of the Jordan. He noticed 9 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 10 Sodom and Gomorrah) 11 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 12 all the way to Zoar.
Genesis 18:25
Context18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the godly with the wicked, treating the godly and the wicked alike! Far be it from you! Will not the judge 13 of the whole earth do what is right?” 14
Genesis 24:35
Context24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. 15 The Lord 16 has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys.
Genesis 39:5
Context39:5 From the time 17 Potiphar 18 appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed 19 the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both 20 in his house and in his fields. 21
1 tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”
2 sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
3 tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.
4 sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace – Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.
5 sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.
6 tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.
7 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.” The expression draws attention to the act of looking, indicating that Lot took a good look. It also calls attention to the importance of what was seen.
8 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
9 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
10 sn Obliterated. The use of the term “destroy” (שַׁחֵת, shakhet) is reminiscent of the Noahic flood (Gen 6:13). Both at the flood and in Sodom the place was obliterated by catastrophe and only one family survived (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 2:178).
11 tn This short temporal clause (preposition + Piel infinitive construct + subjective genitive + direct object) is strategically placed in the middle of the lavish descriptions to sound an ominous note. The entire clause is parenthetical in nature. Most English translations place the clause at the end of v. 10 for stylistic reasons.
12 sn The narrative places emphasis on what Lot saw so that the reader can appreciate how it aroused his desire for the best land. It makes allusion to the garden of the
13 tn Or “ruler.”
14 sn Will not the judge of the whole earth do what is right? For discussion of this text see J. L. Crenshaw, “Popular Questioning of the Justice of God in Ancient Israel,” ZAW 82 (1970): 380-95, and C. S. Rodd, “Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just?” ExpTim 83 (1972): 137-39.
15 tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.
16 tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the
17 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 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).
20 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 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.
