Discovery BoxGenesis 9:23 
Context9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment 1 and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned 2 the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.
Genesis 13:10
Context13:10 Lot looked up and saw 3 the whole region 4 of the Jordan. He noticed 5 that all of it was well-watered (before the Lord obliterated 6 Sodom and Gomorrah) 7 like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, 8 all the way to Zoar.
Genesis 18:5
Context18:5 And let me get 9 a bit of food 10 so that you may refresh yourselves 11 since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” 12 “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
Genesis 18:19
Context18:19 I have chosen him 13 so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep 14 the way of the Lord by doing 15 what is right and just. Then the Lord will give 16 to Abraham what he promised 17 him.”
Genesis 19:2
Context19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 18 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 19 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 20
Genesis 19:9
Context19:9 “Out of our way!” 21 they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, 22 and now he dares to judge us! 23 We’ll do more harm 24 to you than to them!” They kept 25 pressing in on Lot until they were close enough 26 to break down the door.
Genesis 24:14
Context24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ 27 In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” 28
Genesis 38:14
Context38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because 29 she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) 30
Genesis 42:16
Context42:16 One of you must go and get 31 your brother, while 32 the rest of you remain in prison. 33 In this way your words may be tested to see if 34 you are telling the truth. 35 If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
Genesis 43:7
Context43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us 36 thoroughly 37 about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ 38 So we answered him in this way. 39 How could we possibly know 40 that he would say, 41 ‘Bring your brother down’?”
1 tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?
2 tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”
3 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.
4 tn Or “plain”; Heb “circle.”
5 tn The words “he noticed” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
6 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).
7 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.
8 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
9 tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.
10 tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.
11 tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.
12 tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”
13 tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the
14 tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).
15 tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the
16 tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.
17 tn Heb “spoke to.”
18 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
19 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
20 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
21 tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”
22 tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”
23 tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”
24 tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.
25 tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”
26 tn Heb “and they drew near.”
27 sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.
28 tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”
29 tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.
30 tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”
31 tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.
32 tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.
33 tn Heb “bound.”
34 tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
35 tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”
36 tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
37 tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.
38 sn The report given here concerning Joseph’s interrogation does not exactly match the previous account where they supplied the information to clear themselves (see 42:13). This section may reflect how they remembered the impact of his interrogation, whether he asked the specific questions or not. That may be twisting the truth to protect themselves, not wanting to admit that they volunteered the information. (They admitted as much in 42:31, but now they seem to be qualifying that comment.) On the other hand, when speaking to Joseph later (see 44:19), Judah claims that Joseph asked for the information about their family, making it possible that 42:13 leaves out some of the details of their first encounter.
39 tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”
40 tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the imperfect verbal form, which here is a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of a past time).
41 tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).
