Discovery BoxGenesis 4:25 
Context4:25 And Adam had marital relations 1 with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given 2 me another child 3 in place of Abel because Cain killed him.”
Genesis 14:24
Context14:24 I will take nothing 4 except compensation for what the young men have eaten. 5 As for the share of the men who went with me – Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre – let them take their share.”
Genesis 16:2
Context16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since 6 the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with 7 my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” 8 Abram did what 9 Sarai told him.
Genesis 17:7
Context17:7 I will confirm 10 my covenant as a perpetual 11 covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 12
Genesis 19:20
Context19:20 Look, this town 13 over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one. 14 Let me go there. 15 It’s just a little place, isn’t it? 16 Then I’ll survive.” 17
Genesis 20:5
Context20:5 Did Abraham 18 not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, 19 ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with a clear conscience 20 and with innocent hands!”
Genesis 22:12
Context22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” 21 the angel said. 22 “Do not do anything to him, for now I know 23 that you fear 24 God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
Genesis 23:11
Context23:11 “No, my lord! Hear me out. I sell 25 you both the field and the cave that is in it. 26 In the presence of my people 27 I sell it to you. Bury your dead.”
Genesis 24:5
Context24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 28 to this land? Must I then 29 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
Genesis 24:27
Context24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love 30 for my master! The Lord has led me 31 to the house 32 of my master’s relatives!” 33
Genesis 24:37
Context24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living,
Genesis 24:43-45
Context24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. 34 When 35 the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 36 along came Rebekah 37 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
Genesis 24:48
Context24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter 38 of my master’s brother for his son.
Genesis 24:54
Context24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. 39
When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” 40
Genesis 25:30
Context25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed 41 me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called 42 Edom.) 43
Genesis 26:9
Context26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really 44 your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” 45
Genesis 27:9
Context27:9 Go to the flock and get me two of the best young goats. I’ll prepare 46 them in a tasty way for your father, just the way he loves them.
Genesis 27:25
Context27:25 Isaac 47 said, “Bring some of the wild game for me to eat, my son. 48 Then I will bless you.” 49 So Jacob 50 brought it to him, and he ate it. He also brought him wine, and Isaac 51 drank.
Genesis 27:31
Context27:31 He also prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Esau 52 said to him, “My father, get up 53 and eat some of your son’s wild game. Then you can bless me.” 54
Genesis 27:33
Context27:33 Isaac began to shake violently 55 and asked, “Then who else hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it just before you arrived, and I blessed him. 56 He will indeed be blessed!”
Genesis 28:22
Context28:22 Then this stone 57 that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely 58 give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” 59
Genesis 29:32-34
Context29:32 So Leah became pregnant 60 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 61 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 62 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 63 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 64
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 65 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 66
Genesis 30:14
Context30:14 At the time 67 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 68 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
Genesis 30:26-27
Context30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 69 Then I’ll depart, 70 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 71
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 72 for I have learned by divination 73 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.”
Genesis 30:31-32
Context30:31 So Laban asked, 74 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 75 Jacob replied, 76 “but if you agree to this one condition, 77 I will continue to care for 78 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 79 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 80 and the spotted or speckled goats. 81 These animals will be my wages. 82
Genesis 31:13
Context31:13 I am the God of Bethel, 83 where you anointed 84 the sacred stone and made a vow to me. 85 Now leave this land immediately 86 and return to your native land.’”
Genesis 31:36
Context31:36 Jacob became angry 87 and argued with Laban. “What did I do wrong?” he demanded of Laban. 88 “What sin of mine prompted you to chase after me in hot pursuit? 89
Genesis 31:39
Context31:39 Animals torn by wild beasts I never brought to you; I always absorbed the loss myself. 90 You always made me pay for every missing animal, 91 whether it was taken by day or at night.
Genesis 31:52
Context31:52 “This pile of stones and the pillar are reminders that I will not pass beyond this pile to come to harm you and that you will not pass beyond this pile and this pillar to come to harm me. 92
Genesis 32:9
Context32:9 Then Jacob prayed, 93 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said 94 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ 95
Genesis 32:16
Context32:16 He entrusted them to 96 his servants, who divided them into herds. 97 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.”
Genesis 33:11
Context33:11 Please take my present 98 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 99 to me and I have all I need.” 100 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 101
Genesis 36:39
Context36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad 102 reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. 103 His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
Genesis 37:9
Context37:9 Then he had another dream, 104 and told it to his brothers. “Look,” 105 he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
Genesis 37:14
Context37:14 So Jacob 106 said to him, “Go now and check on 107 the welfare 108 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 109 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
Genesis 39:8-9
Context39:8 But he refused, saying 110 to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought 111 to his household with me here, 112 and everything that he owns he has put into my care. 113 39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do 114 such a great evil and sin against God?”
Genesis 39:14
Context39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought 115 in a Hebrew man 116 to us to humiliate us. 117 He tried to have sex with me, 118 but I screamed loudly. 119
Genesis 41:24
Context41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this 120 to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” 121
Genesis 42:33-34
Context42:33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain 122 for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know 123 that you are honest men and not spies. 124 Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” 125
Genesis 43:8-9
Context43:8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. 126 Then we will live 127 and not die – we and you and our little ones. 43:9 I myself pledge security 128 for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 129
Genesis 43:14
Context43:14 May the sovereign God 130 grant you mercy before the man so that he may release 131 your other brother 132 and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” 133
Genesis 43:16
Context43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the servant who was over his household, “Bring the men to the house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.”
Genesis 43:29
Context43:29 When Joseph looked up 134 and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 135
Genesis 44:15
Context44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? 136 Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” 137
Genesis 45:18
Context45:18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you 138 the best land in Egypt and you will eat 139 the best 140 of the land.’
Genesis 46:31
Context46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, 141 ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me.
Genesis 48:4
Context48:4 He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful 142 and will multiply you. 143 I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants 144 as an everlasting possession.’ 145
Genesis 48:16
Context48:16 the Angel 146 who has protected me 147
from all harm –
bless these boys.
May my name be named in them, 148
and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac.
May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
Genesis 50:20
Context50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, 149 but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. 150
1 tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.
2 sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).
3 tn Heb “offspring.”
4 tn The words “I will take nothing” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “except only what the young men have eaten.”
6 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.
7 tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).
sn The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as “so and so knew his wife.” Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, “The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic,” VT 19 (1969): 312-21.
8 tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.
9 tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”
sn Abram did what Sarai told him. This expression was first used in Gen 3:17 of Adam’s obeying his wife. In both cases the text highlights weak faith and how it jeopardized the plan of God.
10 tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).
11 tn Or “as an eternal.”
12 tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”
13 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
14 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
15 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
16 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
17 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
18 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn Heb “and she, even she.”
20 tn Heb “with the integrity of my heart.”
21 tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”
22 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
23 sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).
24 sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.
25 tn Heb “give.” The perfect tense has here a present nuance; this is a formal, legally binding declaration. Abraham asked only for a burial site/cave within the field; Ephron agrees to sell him the entire field.
26 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you I give [i.e., sell] it.” This is redundant in English and has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
27 tn Heb “in the presence of the sons of my people.”
28 tn Heb “to go after me.”
29 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
30 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
31 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
32 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
33 tn Heb “brothers.”
34 tn Heb “the spring of water.”
35 tn Heb “and it will be.”
36 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
37 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
38 tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).
39 tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”
40 tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”
41 tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.
42 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.
43 sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”
44 tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.
45 tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).
46 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
47 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Heb “Bring near to me and I will eat of the wild game, my son.” Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
49 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The presence of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as subject emphasizes Isaac’s heartfelt desire to do this. The conjunction indicates that the ritual meal must be first eaten before the formal blessing may be given.
50 tn Heb “and he brought”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
51 tn Heb “and he drank”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Heb “and he said to his father”; the referent of “he” (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity, while the words “his father” have been replaced by the pronoun “him” for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Or “arise” (i.e., sit up).
54 tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.”
55 tn Heb “and Isaac trembled with a great trembling to excess.” The verb “trembled” is joined with a cognate accusative, which is modified by an adjective “great,” and a prepositional phrase “to excess.” All of this is emphatic, showing the violence of Isaac’s reaction to the news.
56 tn Heb “Who then is he who hunted game and brought [it] to me so that I ate from all before you arrived and blessed him?”
57 tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.
58 tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.
59 tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.
60 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
61 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
62 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
sn Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the
63 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
64 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
65 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
66 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
67 tn Heb “during the days.”
68 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
69 tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
70 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
71 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
72 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
73 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
74 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
75 tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
76 tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
77 tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
78 tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
79 tn Heb “pass through.”
80 tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
81 tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
82 tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.
83 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
84 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
85 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
86 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
sn Leave this land immediately. The decision to leave was a wise one in view of the changed attitude in Laban and his sons. But more than that, it was the will of God. Jacob needed to respond to God’s call – the circumstances simply made it easier.
87 tn Heb “it was hot to Jacob.” This idiom refers to anger.
88 tn Heb “and Jacob answered and said to Laban, ‘What is my sin?’” The proper name “Jacob” has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation and the order of the introductory clause and direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
89 tn Heb “What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me.” The Hebrew verb translated “pursue hotly” is used elsewhere of soldiers chasing defeated enemies (1 Sam 17:53).
90 tn The imperfect verbal form indicates that this was a customary or typical action.
91 tn Heb “from my hand you exacted it.” The imperfect verbal form again indicates that this was a customary or typical action. The words “for every missing animal” are supplied in the translation for clarity; the following clause in Hebrew, “stolen by day or stolen by night,” probably means “stolen by wild beasts” and refers to the same animals “torn by wild beasts” in the previous clause, although it may refer to animals stolen by people. The translation used here, “missing,” is ambiguous enough to cover either eventuality.
92 tn Heb “This pile is a witness and the pillar is a witness, if I go past this pile to you and if you go past this pile and this pillar to me for harm.”
93 tn Heb “said.”
94 tn Heb “the one who said.”
95 tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.
96 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
97 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
98 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
99 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
100 tn Heb “all.”
101 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
102 tc Most
103 tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.
104 tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”
105 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.
106 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
107 tn Heb “see.”
108 tn Heb “peace.”
109 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
110 tn Heb “and he said.”
111 tn Heb “know.”
112 tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
113 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
114 tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.
115 tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).
116 sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.
117 tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.
118 tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
119 tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”
120 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
121 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
122 tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
123 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.
124 tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”
125 sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.
126 tn Heb “and we will rise up and we will go.” The first verb is adverbial and gives the expression the sense of “we will go immediately.”
127 tn After the preceding cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form (either imperfect or cohortative) with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or result.
128 tn The pronoun before the first person verbal form draws attention to the subject and emphasizes Judah’s willingness to be personally responsible for the boy.
129 sn I will bear the blame before you all my life. It is not clear how this would work out if Benjamin did not come back. But Judah is offering his life for Benjamin’s if Benjamin does not return.
130 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
131 tn Heb “release to you.” After the jussive this perfect verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) probably indicates logical consequence, as well as temporal sequence.
132 sn Several Jewish commentators suggest that the expression your other brother refers to Joseph. This would mean that Jacob prophesied unwittingly. However, it is much more likely that Simeon is the referent of the phrase “your other brother” (see Gen 42:24).
133 tn Heb “if I am bereaved I am bereaved.” With this fatalistic sounding statement Jacob resolves himself to the possibility of losing both Benjamin and Simeon.
134 tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
135 sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.
136 tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”
137 tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.
138 tn After the imperatives in vv. 17-18a, the cohortative with vav indicates result.
139 tn After the cohortative the imperative with vav states the ultimate goal.
140 tn Heb “fat.”
141 tn Heb “tell Pharaoh and say to him.”
142 tn Heb “Look, I am making you fruitful.” The participle following הִנֵּה (hinneh) has the nuance of a certain and often imminent future.
143 tn The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the certain future idea.
144 tn The Hebrew text adds “after you,” which has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
145 tn The Hebrew word אֲחֻזָּה (’akhuzzah), translated “possession,” describes a permanent holding in the land. It is the noun form of the same verb (אָחַז, ’akhaz) that was used for the land given to them in Goshen (Gen 47:27).
146 sn The Samaritan Pentateuch reads “king” here, but the traditional reading (“angel”) may be maintained. Jacob closely associates God with an angelic protective presence. This does not mean that Jacob viewed his God as a mere angel, but it does suggest that he was aware of an angelic presence sent by God to protect him. Here he so closely associates the two that they become virtually indistinguishable. In this culture messengers typically carried the authority of the one who sent them and could even be addressed as such. Perhaps Jacob thought that the divine blessing would be mediated through this angelic messenger.
147 tn The verb גָּאַל (ga’al) has the basic idea of “protect” as a near relative might do. It is used for buying someone out of bondage, marrying a deceased brother’s widow, paying off debts, avenging the family, and the like. The meanings of “deliver, protect, avenge” are most fitting when God is the subject (see A. R. Johnson, “The Primary Meaning of √גאל,” Congress Volume: Copenhagen, 1953 [VTSup], 67-77).
148 tn Or “be recalled through them.”
149 tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”
150 tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”
