Kejadian 37:1-36
Konteks37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, 1 in the land of Canaan. 2
37:2 This is the account of Jacob.
Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, 3 was taking care of 4 the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster 5 working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. 6 Joseph brought back a bad report about them 7 to their father.
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons 8 because he was a son born to him late in life, 9 and he made a special 10 tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s 11 brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, 12 they hated Joseph 13 and were not able to speak to him kindly. 14
37:5 Joseph 15 had a dream, 16 and when he told his brothers about it, 17 they hated him even more. 18 37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 19 37:7 There we were, 20 binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down 21 to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” 22 They hated him even more 23 because of his dream and because of what he said. 24
37:9 Then he had another dream, 25 and told it to his brothers. “Look,” 26 he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? 27 Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” 28 37:11 His brothers were jealous 29 of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. 30
37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers 31 are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” 32 Joseph replied. 33 37:14 So Jacob 34 said to him, “Go now and check on 35 the welfare 36 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 37 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, 38 a man found him wandering 39 in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell 40 me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, 41 for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers 42 saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! 43 37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild 44 animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” 45
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 46 from their hands, 47 saying, 48 “Let’s not take his life!” 49 37:22 Reuben continued, 50 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 51 (Reuben said this 52 so he could rescue Joseph 53 from them 54 and take him back to his father.)
37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him 55 of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 56 there was no water in it.)
37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up 57 and saw 58 a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 59 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, 60 for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. 61 37:28 So when the Midianite 62 merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 63 him 64 out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 65 then took Joseph to Egypt.
37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 66 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, 67 and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father 68 and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 69 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, 70 and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by 71 him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” 72 So Joseph’s 73 father wept for him.
37:36 Now 74 in Egypt the Midianites 75 sold Joseph 76 to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. 77
Kejadian 39:1--45:28
Konteks39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. 78 An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, 79 purchased him from 80 the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful 81 and lived 82 in the household of his Egyptian master. 39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. 83 39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. 84 Potiphar appointed Joseph 85 overseer of his household and put him in charge 86 of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time 87 Potiphar 88 appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed 89 the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both 90 in his house and in his fields. 91 39:6 So Potiphar 92 left 93 everything he had in Joseph’s care; 94 he gave no thought 95 to anything except the food he ate. 96
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 97 39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of 98 Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” 99 39:8 But he refused, saying 100 to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought 101 to his household with me here, 102 and everything that he owns he has put into my care. 103 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 104 such a great evil and sin against God?” 39:10 Even though she continued to speak 105 to Joseph day after day, he did not respond 106 to her invitation to have sex with her. 107
39:11 One day 108 he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants 109 were there in the house. 39:12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran 110 outside. 111 39:13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought 112 in a Hebrew man 113 to us to humiliate us. 114 He tried to have sex with me, 115 but I screamed loudly. 116 39:15 When he heard me raise 117 my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”
39:16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 39:17 This is what she said to him: 118 “That Hebrew slave 119 you brought to us tried to humiliate me, 120 39:18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”
39:19 When his master heard his wife say, 121 “This is the way 122 your slave treated me,” 123 he became furious. 124 39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, 125 the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. 126
39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. 127 He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. 128 39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. 129 39:23 The warden did not concern himself 130 with anything that was in Joseph’s 131 care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.
40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer 132 to the king of Egypt and the royal baker 133 offended 134 their master, the king of Egypt. 40:2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, 135 the cupbearer and the baker, 40:3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 40:4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. 136
They spent some time in custody. 137 40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream 138 the same night. 139 Each man’s dream had its own meaning. 140 40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. 141 40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 142 40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, 143 but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them 144 to me.”
40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: 145 “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his 146 cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 147
40:12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent 148 three days. 40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you 149 and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before 150 when you were cupbearer. 40:14 But remember me 151 when it goes well for you, and show 152 me kindness. 153 Make mention 154 of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, 155 40:15 for I really was kidnapped 156 from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”
40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, 157 he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread 158 on my head. 40:17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”
40:18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent 159 three days. 40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you 160 and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
40:20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” 161 the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position 162 so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 40:22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. 163 40:23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him. 164
41:1 At the end of two full years 165 Pharaoh had a dream. 166 As he was standing by the Nile, 41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, 167 and they grazed in the reeds. 41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, 168 and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. 169 41:4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
41:5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing 170 on one stalk, healthy 171 and good. 41:6 Then 172 seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 173
41:8 In the morning he 174 was troubled, so he called for 175 all the diviner-priests 176 of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, 177 but no one could interpret 178 them for him. 179 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. 180 41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 41:11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. 181 41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant 182 of the captain of the guards, 183 was with us there. We told him our dreams, 184 and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. 185 41:13 It happened just as he had said 186 to us – Pharaoh 187 restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” 188
41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned 189 Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, 190 and there is no one who can interpret 191 it. But I have heard about you, that 192 you can interpret dreams.” 193 41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, 194 but God will speak concerning 195 the welfare of Pharaoh.” 196
41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing 197 by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 198 41:19 Then 199 seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows 200 as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven 201 fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, 202 no one would have known 203 that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 41:22 I also saw in my dream 204 seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then 205 seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this 206 to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” 207
41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 208 God has revealed 209 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 210 41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. 211 41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent 212 seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told 213 Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur 214 after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate 215 the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered 216 because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. 217 41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh 218 because the matter has been decreed 219 by God, and God will make it happen soon. 220
41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look 221 for a wise and discerning man 222 and give him authority 223 over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do 224 this – he should appoint 225 officials 226 throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt 227 during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 They should gather all the excess food 228 during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority 229 they should store up grain so the cities will have food, 230 and they should preserve it. 231 41:36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” 232
41:37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. 233 41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, 234 one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” 235 41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning 236 as you are! 41:40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. 237 Only I, the king, will be greater than you. 238
41:41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place 239 you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” 240 41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen 241 clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 Pharaoh 242 had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, 243 and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” 244 So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission 245 no one 246 will move his hand or his foot 247 in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. 248 He also gave him Asenath 249 daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, 250 to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of 251 all the land of Egypt.
41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old 252 when he began serving 253 Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by 254 Pharaoh and was in charge of 255 all the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. 256 41:48 Joseph 257 collected all the excess food 258 in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. 259 In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 41:49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, 260 until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
41:50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. 261 Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. 262 41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, 263 saying, 264 “Certainly 265 God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 He named the second child Ephraim, 266 saying, 267 “Certainly 268 God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
41:53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 41:54 Then the seven years of famine began, 269 just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, 270 “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
41:56 While the famine was over all the earth, 271 Joseph opened the storehouses 272 and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 41:57 People from every country 273 came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.
42:1 When Jacob heard 274 there was grain in Egypt, he 275 said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” 276 42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us 277 so that we may live 278 and not die.” 279
42:3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, 280 for he said, 281 “What if some accident 282 happens 283 to him?” 42:5 So Israel’s sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, 284 for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan.
42:6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. 285 Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down 286 before him with 287 their faces to the ground. 42:7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger 288 to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, “Where do you come from?” They answered, 289 “From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.” 290
42:8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 42:9 Then Joseph remembered 291 the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” 292
42:10 But they exclaimed, 293 “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 42:11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”
42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” 294 42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. 295 We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, 296 and one is no longer alive.” 297
42:14 But Joseph told them, “It is just as I said to you: 298 You are spies! 42:15 You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, 299 you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 42:16 One of you must go and get 300 your brother, while 301 the rest of you remain in prison. 302 In this way your words may be tested to see if 303 you are telling the truth. 304 If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 42:17 He imprisoned 305 them all for three days. 42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say 306 and you will live, 307 for I fear God. 308 42:19 If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison 309 while the rest of you go 310 and take grain back for your hungry families. 311 42:20 But you must bring 312 your youngest brother to me. Then 313 your words will be verified 314 and you will not die.” They did as he said. 315
42:21 They said to one other, 316 “Surely we’re being punished 317 because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was 318 when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress 319 has come on us!” 42:22 Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I say to you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy,’ but you wouldn’t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!” 320 42:23 (Now 321 they did not know that Joseph could understand them, 322 for he was speaking through an interpreter.) 323 42:24 He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, 324 he had Simeon taken 325 from them and tied up 326 before their eyes.
42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill 327 their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. 328 42:26 So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 329
42:27 When one of them 330 opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, 331 he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 332 42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; 333 they turned trembling one to another 334 and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” 335
42:29 They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying, 42:30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us 336 as if we were 337 spying on the land. 42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies! 42:32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. 338 One is no longer alive, 339 and the youngest is with our father at this time 340 in the land of Canaan.’
42:33 “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 341 for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know 342 that you are honest men and not spies. 343 Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” 344
42:35 When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man’s bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. 42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. 345 Simeon is gone. 346 And now you want to take 347 Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may 348 put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care 349 and I will bring him back to you.” 42:38 But Jacob 350 replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. 351 If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair 352 in sorrow to the grave.” 353
43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. 354 43:2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.”
43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned 355 us, ‘You will not see my face 356 unless your brother is with you.’ 43:4 If you send 357 our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you. 43:5 But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
43:6 Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble 358 on me by telling 359 the man you had one more brother?”
43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us 360 thoroughly 361 about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ 362 So we answered him in this way. 363 How could we possibly know 364 that he would say, 365 ‘Bring your brother down’?”
43:8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. 366 Then we will live 367 and not die – we and you and our little ones. 43:9 I myself pledge security 368 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. 369 43:10 But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back 370 twice by now!”
43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 43:12 Take double the money with you; 371 you must take back 372 the money that was returned in the mouths of your sacks – perhaps it was an oversight. 43:13 Take your brother too, and go right away 373 to the man. 374 43:14 May the sovereign God 375 grant you mercy before the man so that he may release 376 your other brother 377 and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” 378
43:15 So the men took these gifts, and they took double the money with them, along with Benjamin. Then they hurried down to Egypt 379 and stood before Joseph. 43:16 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.” 43:17 The man did just as Joseph said; he 380 brought the men into Joseph’s house. 381
43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of 382 the money that was returned in our sacks last time. 383 He wants to capture us, 384 make us slaves, and take 385 our donkeys!” 43:19 So they approached the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 43:20 They said, “My lord, we did indeed come down 386 the first time 387 to buy food. 43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount 388 – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. 389 43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks!”
43:23 “Everything is fine,” 390 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. 391 I had your money.” 392 Then he brought Simeon out to them.
43:24 The servant in charge 393 brought the men into Joseph’s house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys. 43:25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival 394 at noon, for they had heard 395 that they were to have a meal 396 there.
43:26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, 397 and they bowed down to the ground before him. 43:27 He asked them how they were doing. 398 Then he said, “Is your aging father well, the one you spoke about? Is he still alive?” 43:28 “Your servant our father is well,” they replied. “He is still alive.” They bowed down in humility. 399
43:29 When Joseph looked up 400 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.” 401 43:30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother 402 and was at the point of tears. 403 So he went to his room and wept there.
43:31 Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, 404 “Set out the food.” 43:32 They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, 405 and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting 406 to do so.) 407 43:33 They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. 408 The men looked at each other in astonishment. 409 43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, 410 but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk. 411
44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 44:2 Then put 412 my cup – the silver cup – in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed. 413
44:3 When morning came, 414 the men and their donkeys were sent off. 415 44:4 They had not gone very far from the city 416 when Joseph said 417 to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! 418 When you overtake 419 them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup 420 and use it for divination? 421 You have done wrong!’” 422
44:6 When the man 423 overtook them, he spoke these words to them. 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things? 424 Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 425 44:8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 44:9 If one of us has it, 426 he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”
44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! 427 The one who has it will become my slave, 428 but the rest of 429 you will go free.” 430 44:11 So each man quickly lowered 431 his sack to the ground and opened it. 44:12 Then the man 432 searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! 44:13 They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
44:14 So Judah and his brothers 433 came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, 434 and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? 435 Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” 436
44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say 437 to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? 438 God has exposed the sin of your servants! 439 We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of 440 you may go back 441 to your father in peace.”
44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 442 Please do not get angry with your servant, 443 for you are just like Pharaoh. 444 44:19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. 445 The boy’s 446 brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, 447 and his father loves him.’
44:21 “Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see 448 him.’ 449 44:22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father 450 will die.’ 451 44:23 But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 44:24 When we returned to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
44:25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 44:26 But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. 452 If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, 453 for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’
44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave me two sons. 454 44:28 The first disappeared 455 and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” I have not seen him since. 44:29 If you take 456 this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair 457 in tragedy 458 to the grave.’ 459
44:30 “So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us – his very life is bound up in his son’s life. 460 44:31 When he sees the boy is not with us, 461 he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave. 44:32 Indeed, 462 your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.’
44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers. 44:34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see 463 my father’s pain.” 464
45:1 Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, 465 so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained 466 with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 45:2 He wept loudly; 467 the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 468
45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him. 45:4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 45:5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, 469 for God sent me 470 ahead of you to preserve life! 45:6 For these past two years there has been famine in 471 the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 45:7 God sent me 472 ahead of you to preserve you 473 on the earth and to save your lives 474 by a great deliverance. 45:8 So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser 475 to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 45:9 Now go up to my father quickly 476 and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay! 45:10 You will live 477 in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me – you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. 45:11 I will provide you with food 478 there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor – you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”’ 45:12 You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I really am the one who speaks to you. 479 45:13 So tell 480 my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!” 481
45:14 Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 45:15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him.
45:16 Now it was reported 482 in the household of Pharaoh, “Joseph’s brothers have arrived.” It pleased 483 Pharaoh and his servants. 45:17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go 484 to the land of Canaan! 45:18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you 485 the best land in Egypt and you will eat 486 the best 487 of the land.’ 45:19 You are also commanded to say, 488 ‘Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and come. 45:20 Don’t worry 489 about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’”
45:21 So the sons of Israel did as he said. 490 Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, 491 and he gave them provisions for the journey. 45:22 He gave sets of clothes to each one of them, 492 but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes. 493 45:23 To his father he sent the following: 494 ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey. 45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” 495
45:25 So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 496 45:26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, 497 for he did not believe them. 45:27 But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, 498 and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. 45:28 Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”
Kejadian 47:1-31
Konteks47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of
Canaan. They are now 499 in the land of Goshen.” 47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. 500
47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s 501 brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” 502 47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents 503 in the land. There 504 is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”
47:5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 47:6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men 505 among them, put them in charge 506 of my livestock.”
47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him 507 before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed 508 Pharaoh. 47:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” 509 47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All 510 the years of my travels 511 are 130. All 512 the years of my life have been few and painful; 513 the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” 514 47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 515
47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory 516 in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, 517 just as Pharaoh had commanded. 47:12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
47:13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away 518 because of the famine. 47:14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment 519 for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. 520 47:15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians 521 came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die 522 before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
47:16 Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food 523 in exchange for 524 your livestock.” 47:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. 525 He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.
47:18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our 526 lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land. 47:19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become 527 Pharaoh’s slaves. 528 Give us seed that we may live 529 and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” 530
47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each 531 of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. 532 So the land became Pharaoh’s. 47:21 Joseph 533 made all the people slaves 534 from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 47:22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate 535 the land. 47:24 When you gather in the crop, 536 give 537 one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest 538 will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” 47:25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, 539 and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 540
47:26 So Joseph made it a statute, 541 which is in effect 542 to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
47:27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
47:28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years 543 of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. 47:29 The time 544 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 545 and show me kindness and faithfulness. 546 Do not bury me in Egypt, 47:30 but when I rest 547 with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph 548 said, “I will do as you say.”
47:31 Jacob 549 said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” 550 So Joseph 551 gave him his word. 552 Then Israel bowed down 553 at the head of his bed. 554
Kejadian 49:22-27
Konteks49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, 555
a fruitful bough near a spring
whose branches 556 climb over the wall.
49:23 The archers will attack him, 557
they will shoot at him and oppose him.
49:24 But his bow will remain steady,
and his hands 558 will be skillful;
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of 559 the Shepherd, the Rock 560 of Israel,
49:25 because of the God of your father,
who will help you, 561
because of the sovereign God, 562
who will bless you 563
with blessings from the sky above,
blessings from the deep that lies below,
and blessings of the breasts and womb. 564
49:26 The blessings of your father are greater
than 565 the blessings of the eternal mountains 566
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. 567
49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning devouring the prey,
and in the evening dividing the plunder.”
Kejadian 50:1-14
Konteks50:1 Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. 568 He wept over him and kissed him. 50:2 Joseph instructed the physicians in his service 569 to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. 50:3 They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. 570 The Egyptians mourned 571 for him seventy days. 572
50:4 When the days of mourning 573 had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, 574 “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, 575 50:5 ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, 576 “I am about to die. Bury me 577 in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.’” 50:6 So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father, just as he made you swear to do.” 578
50:7 So Joseph went up to bury his father; all Pharaoh’s officials went with him – the senior courtiers 579 of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt, 50:8 all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen. 50:9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him, so it was a very large entourage. 580
50:10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad 581 on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned there with very great and bitter sorrow. 582 There Joseph observed a seven day period of mourning for his father. 50:11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion 583 for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called 584 Abel Mizraim, 585 which is beyond the Jordan.
50:12 So the sons of Jacob did for him just as he had instructed them. 50:13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. 50:14 After he buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, along with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to bury his father.
Bilangan 1:36-37
Konteks1:36 From the descendants of Benjamin: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 1:37 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Benjamin were 35,400.
Bilangan 26:38-41
Konteks26:38 The Benjaminites by their families: from Bela, the family of the Belaites; from Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; from Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 26:39 from Shupham, 586 the family of the Shuphamites; from Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 26:40 The descendants of Bela were Ard 587 and Naaman. From Ard, 588 the family of the Ardites; from Naaman, the family of the Naamanites. 26:41 These are the Benjaminites, according to their families, and according to those numbered of them, 45,600. 589
Ulangan 33:12-17
Konteks33:12 Of Benjamin he said:
The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him;
he protects him all the time,
and the Lord 590 places him on his chest. 591
33:13 Of Joseph he said:
May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky, 592 by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;
33:14 with the harvest produced by the daylight 593
33:15 with the best 596 of the ancient mountains
and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;
33:16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness
and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush. 597
May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,
and on the top of the head of the one set apart 598 from his brothers.
33:17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor,
and may his horns be those of a wild ox;
with them may he gore all peoples,
all the far reaches of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, 599
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
[37:1] 1 tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”
[37:1] 2 sn The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a concluding contrast with Esau and his people. In contrast to all the settled and expanded population of Esau, Jacob was still moving about in the land without a permanent residence and without kings. Even if the Edomite king list was added later (as the reference to kings in Israel suggests), its placement here in contrast to Jacob and his descendants is important. Certainly the text deals with Esau before dealing with Jacob – that is the pattern. But the detail is so great in chap. 36 that the contrast cannot be missed.
[37:2] 3 tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”
[37:2] 4 tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”
[37:2] 5 tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.
[37:2] 6 tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”
[37:2] 7 tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.
[37:2] sn Some interpreters portray Joseph as a tattletale for bringing back a bad report about them [i.e., his brothers], but the entire Joseph story has some of the characteristics of wisdom literature. Joseph is presented in a good light – not because he was perfect, but because the narrative is showing how wisdom rules. In light of that, this section portrays Joseph as faithful to his father in little things, even though unpopular – and so he will eventually be given authority over greater things.
[37:3] 8 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.
[37:3] sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac – parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.
[37:3] 9 tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”
[37:3] 10 tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.
[37:4] 11 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:4] 12 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
[37:4] 13 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:4] 14 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
[37:5] 15 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:5] 16 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
[37:5] 17 sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.
[37:5] 18 tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.
[37:6] 19 tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”
[37:7] 20 tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”
[37:7] 21 tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.
[37:8] 22 tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”
[37:8] 23 tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.
[37:8] 24 sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.
[37:9] 25 tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”
[37:9] 26 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.
[37:10] 27 sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.
[37:10] 28 tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”
[37:11] 29 sn Joseph’s brothers were already jealous of him, but this made it even worse. Such jealousy easily leads to action, as the next episode in the story shows. Yet dreams were considered a form of revelation, and their jealousy was not only of the favoritism of their father, but of the dreams. This is why Jacob kept the matter in mind.
[37:11] 30 tn Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the translation for clarity, and the words “in mind” have been supplied for stylistic reasons.
[37:13] 31 tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”
[37:13] 32 sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.
[37:13] 33 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) 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.
[37:14] 34 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:14] 37 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:15] 38 tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:15] 39 tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.
[37:16] 40 tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.
[37:17] 41 tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”
[37:18] 42 tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:19] 43 tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.
[37:20] 44 tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.
[37:20] 45 tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”
[37:21] 46 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:21] 47 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
[37:21] 48 tn Heb “and he said.”
[37:21] 49 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
[37:22] 50 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
[37:22] 51 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
[37:22] 52 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:22] 53 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 54 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
[37:23] 55 tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:24] 56 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.
[37:25] 57 tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”
[37:25] 58 tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.
[37:25] 59 tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”
[37:27] 60 tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”
[37:28] 62 sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.
[37:28] 63 tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).
[37:28] 64 tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:28] 65 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:29] 66 tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.
[37:31] 67 sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.
[37:32] 68 tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.
[37:33] 69 sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.
[37:34] 70 tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”
[37:35] 71 tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.
[37:35] 72 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Indeed I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol.’” Sheol was viewed as the place where departed spirits went after death.
[37:35] 73 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:36] 74 tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.
[37:36] 75 tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”
[37:36] 76 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:36] 77 sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.
[39:1] 78 tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.
[39:1] 79 sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.
[39:1] 80 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
[39:2] 81 tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).
[39:2] 82 tn Heb “and he was.”
[39:3] 83 tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 84 sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.
[39:4] 85 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:4] 86 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
[39:5] 87 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
[39:5] 88 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:5] 89 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).
[39:5] 90 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:5] 91 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.
[39:6] 92 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:6] 93 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
[39:6] 94 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
[39:6] 95 tn Heb “did not know.”
[39:6] 96 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
[39:6] 97 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
[39:7] 98 tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.
[39:7] 99 tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:7] sn The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife has long been connected with the wisdom warnings about the strange woman who tries to seduce the young man with her boldness and directness (see Prov 5-7, especially 7:6-27). This is part of the literary background of the story of Joseph that gives it a wisdom flavor. See G. von Rad, God at Work in Israel, 19-35; and G. W. Coats, “The Joseph Story and Ancient Wisdom: A Reappraisal,” CBQ 35 (1973): 285-97.
[39:8] 100 tn Heb “and he said.”
[39:8] 102 tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:8] 103 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
[39:9] 104 tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.
[39:10] 105 tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.
[39:10] 106 tn Heb “listen to.”
[39:10] 107 tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:11] 108 tn Heb “and it was about this day.”
[39:11] 109 tn Heb “the men of the house.”
[39:12] 110 tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.
[39:12] 111 sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.
[39:14] 112 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).
[39:14] 113 sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.
[39:14] 114 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.
[39:14] 115 tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:14] 116 tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”
[39:15] 117 tn Heb “that I raised.”
[39:17] 118 tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”
[39:17] 119 sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.
[39:17] 120 tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.
[39:19] 121 tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”
[39:19] 122 tn Heb “according to these words.”
[39:19] 123 tn Heb “did to me.”
[39:19] 124 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[39:20] 125 tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.
[39:20] 126 sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.
[39:21] 127 tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”
[39:21] 128 tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).
[39:22] 129 tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.
[39:23] 130 tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”
[39:23] 131 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[40:1] 132 sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.
[40:1] 133 sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.
[40:1] 134 sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.
[40:2] 135 tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.
[40:4] 136 sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.
[40:4] 137 tn Heb “they were days in custody.”
[40:5] 138 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
[40:5] 139 tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”
[40:5] 140 tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”
[40:6] 141 tn The verb זָעַף (za’af) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.
[40:7] 142 tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”
[40:8] 143 tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”
[40:8] 144 tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[40:9] 145 tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.
[40:11] 146 tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[40:11] 147 sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.
[40:12] 148 tn Heb “the three branches [are].”
[40:13] 149 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”
[40:13] 150 tn Heb “according to the former custom.”
[40:14] 151 tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.
[40:14] 152 tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.
[40:14] 153 tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”
[40:14] 154 tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.
[40:14] 155 tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.
[40:15] 156 tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.
[40:16] 157 tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[40:16] 158 tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).
[40:18] 159 tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”
[40:19] 160 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.
[40:20] 161 tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cup bearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).
[40:21] 162 tn Heb “his cupbearing.”
[40:22] 163 tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”
[40:22] sn The dreams were fulfilled exactly as Joseph had predicted, down to the very detail. Here was confirmation that Joseph could interpret dreams and that his own dreams were still valid. It would have been a tremendous encouragement to his faith, but it would also have been a great disappointment to spend two more years in jail.
[40:23] 164 tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.
[41:1] 165 tn Heb “two years, days.”
[41:1] 166 tn Heb “was dreaming.”
[41:2] 167 tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.
[41:3] 168 tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”
[41:3] 169 tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:5] 170 tn Heb “coming up.”
[41:7] 173 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”
[41:7] sn Pharaoh’s two dreams, as explained in the following verses, pertained to the economy of Egypt. Because of the Nile River, the land of Egypt weathered all kinds of famines – there was usually grain in Egypt, and if there was grain and water the livestock would flourish. These two dreams, however, indicated that poverty would overtake plenty and that the blessing of the herd and the field would cease.
[41:8] 174 tn Heb “his spirit.”
[41:8] 175 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
[41:8] 176 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
[41:8] 177 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
[41:8] 178 tn “there was no interpreter.”
[41:8] 179 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:9] 180 tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).
[41:11] 181 tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”
[41:12] 183 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
[41:12] 184 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:12] 185 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
[41:13] 186 tn Heb “interpreted.”
[41:13] 187 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[41:13] 188 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[41:14] 189 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
[41:15] 190 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
[41:15] 191 tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”
[41:15] 193 tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”
[41:16] 194 tn Heb “not within me.”
[41:16] 195 tn Heb “God will answer.”
[41:16] 196 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[41:17] 197 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
[41:18] 198 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
[41:19] 199 tn Heb “And look.”
[41:19] 200 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:20] 201 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
[41:21] 202 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
[41:21] 203 tn Heb “it was not known.”
[41:22] 204 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
[41:23] 205 tn Heb “And look.”
[41:24] 206 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:24] 207 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
[41:25] 208 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
[41:25] 209 tn Heb “declared.”
[41:25] 210 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
[41:26] 211 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
[41:27] 212 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
[41:28] 213 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
[41:30] 214 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
[41:30] 215 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
[41:32] 218 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
[41:32] 219 tn Heb “established.”
[41:32] 220 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
[41:33] 221 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
[41:33] 222 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:33] 223 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
[41:34] 224 tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
[41:34] 225 tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
[41:34] 226 tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.
[41:34] 227 tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.
[41:35] 228 tn Heb “all the food.”
[41:35] 229 tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”
[41:35] 230 tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.
[41:35] 231 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.
[41:36] 232 tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
[41:37] 233 tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”
[41:38] 234 tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.
[41:38] 235 tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”
[41:39] 236 tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:40] 237 tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions – such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40,” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19.
[41:40] 238 tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”
[41:41] 239 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].”
[41:41] 240 sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31.
[41:42] 241 tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.
[41:43] 242 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[41:43] 243 tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”
[41:43] 244 tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).
[41:44] 245 tn Heb “apart from you.”
[41:44] 246 tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.
[41:44] 247 tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.
[41:45] 248 sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262).
[41:45] 249 sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.
[41:45] 250 sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
[41:45] 251 tn Heb “and he passed through.”
[41:46] 252 tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”
[41:46] 253 tn Heb “when he stood before.”
[41:46] 254 tn Heb “went out from before.”
[41:46] 255 tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”
[41:47] 256 tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”
[41:48] 257 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[41:48] 258 tn Heb “all the food.”
[41:48] 259 tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”
[41:49] 260 tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.
[41:50] 261 tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”
[41:50] 262 tn Heb “gave birth for him.”
[41:51] 263 sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.
[41:51] 264 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:52] 266 sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.
[41:52] 267 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[41:54] 269 tn Heb “began to arrive.”
[41:55] 270 tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.
[41:56] 271 tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.
[41:56] 272 tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.
[41:57] 273 tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.
[42:1] 275 tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[42:1] 276 sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.
[42:2] 277 tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[42:2] 278 tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.
[42:2] 279 tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.
[42:4] 280 tn Heb “But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jacob did not send with his brothers.” The disjunctive clause highlights the contrast between Benjamin and the other ten.
[42:4] 281 tn The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar, “to say”) could also be translated “thought” (i.e., “he said to himself”) here, giving Jacob’s reasoning rather than spoken words.
[42:4] 282 tn The Hebrew noun אָסוֹן (’ason) is a rare word meaning “accident, harm.” Apart from its use in these passages it occurs in Exodus 21:22-23 of an accident to a pregnant woman. The term is a rather general one, but Jacob was no doubt thinking of his loss of Joseph.
[42:4] 283 tn Heb “encounters.”
[42:5] 284 tn Heb “in the midst of the coming ones.”
[42:6] 285 tn The disjunctive clause either introduces a new episode in the unfolding drama or provides the reader with supplemental information necessary to understanding the story.
[42:6] 286 sn Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him. Here is the beginning of the fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams (see Gen 37). But it is not the complete fulfillment, since all his brothers and his parents must come. The point of the dream, of course, was not simply to get the family to bow to Joseph, but that Joseph would be placed in a position of rule and authority to save the family and the world (41:57).
[42:6] 287 tn The word “faces” is an adverbial accusative, so the preposition has been supplied in the translation.
[42:7] 288 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.
[42:7] 290 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.
[42:9] 291 sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.
[42:9] 292 tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”
[42:10] 293 tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.
[42:12] 294 tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.
[42:13] 295 tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”
[42:13] 297 tn Heb “and the one is not.”
[42:14] 298 tn Heb “to you, saying.”
[42:15] 299 tn Heb “[By] the life of Pharaoh.”
[42:15] sn As surely as Pharaoh lives. Joseph uses an oath formula to let the brothers know the certainty of what he said. There is some discussion in the commentaries on swearing by the life of Pharaoh, but since the formulation here reflects the Hebrew practice, it would be hard to connect the ideas exactly to Egyptian practices. Joseph did this to make the point in a way that his Hebrew brothers would understand. See M. R. Lehmann, “Biblical Oaths,” ZAW 81 (1969): 74-92.
[42:16] 300 tn Heb “send from you one and let him take.” After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose.
[42:16] 301 tn The disjunctive clause is here circumstantial-temporal.
[42:16] 303 tn The words “to see” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[42:16] 304 tn Heb “the truth [is] with you.”
[42:17] 305 sn The same Hebrew word is used for Joseph’s imprisonment in 40:3, 4, 7. There is some mirroring going on in the narrative. The Hebrew word used here (אָסַף, ’asaf, “to gather”) is not normally used in a context like this (for placing someone in prison), but it forms a wordplay on the name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yosoef) and keeps the comparison working.
[42:18] 307 tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.
[42:18] 308 sn For I fear God. Joseph brings God into the picture to awaken his brothers’ consciences. The godly person cares about the welfare of people, whether they live or die. So he will send grain back, but keep one of them in Egypt. This action contrasts with their crime of selling their brother into slavery.
[42:19] 309 tn Heb “bound in the house of your prison.”
[42:19] 310 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal.
[42:19] 311 tn Heb “[for] the hunger of your households.”
[42:20] 312 tn The imperfect here has an injunctive force.
[42:20] 313 tn After the injunctive imperfect, this imperfect with vav indicates purpose or result.
[42:20] 314 tn The Niphal form of the verb has the sense of “to be faithful; to be sure; to be reliable.” Joseph will test his brothers to see if their words are true.
[42:20] 315 tn Heb “and they did so.”
[42:21] 316 tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”
[42:21] 317 tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”
[42:21] 318 tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”
[42:21] 319 sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.
[42:22] 320 tn Heb “and also his blood, look, it is required.” God requires compensation, as it were, from those who shed innocent blood (see Gen 9:6). In other words, God exacts punishment for the crime of murder.
[42:23] 321 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
[42:23] 322 tn “was listening.” The brothers were not aware that Joseph could understand them as they spoke the preceding words in their native language.
[42:23] 323 tn Heb “for [there was] an interpreter between them.” On the meaning of the word here translated “interpreter” see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ and M. A. Canney, “The Hebrew melis (Prov IX 12; Gen XLII 2-3),” AJSL 40 (1923/24): 135-37.
[42:24] 324 tn Heb “and he turned to them and spoke to them.”
[42:24] 325 tn Heb “took Simeon.” This was probably done at Joseph’s command, however; the grand vizier of Egypt would not have personally seized a prisoner.
[42:24] 326 tn Heb “and he bound him.” See the note on the preceding verb “taken.”
[42:25] 327 tn Heb “and they filled.” The clause appears to be elliptical; one expects “Joseph gave orders to fill…and they filled.” See GKC 386 §120.f.
[42:25] 328 tn Heb “and he did for them so.” Joseph would appear to be the subject of the singular verb. If the text is retained, the statement seems to be a summary of the preceding, more detailed statement. However, some read the verb as plural, “and they did for them so.” In this case the statement indicates that Joseph’s subordinates carried out his orders. Another alternative is to read the singular verb as passive (with unspecified subject), “and this was done for them so” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[42:26] 329 tn Heb “and they went from there.”
[42:27] 330 tn Heb “and the one.” The article indicates that the individual is vivid in the mind of the narrator, yet it is not important to identify him by name.
[42:27] 331 tn Heb “at the lodging place.”
[42:27] 332 tn Heb “and look, it [was] in the mouth of his sack.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to look through the eyes of the character and thereby draws attention to the money.
[42:28] 333 tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”
[42:28] 334 tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”
[42:28] 335 tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.
[42:30] 337 tn The words “if we were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[42:32] 338 tn Heb “twelve [were] we, brothers, sons of our father [are] we.”
[42:32] 339 tn Heb “the one is not.”
[42:33] 341 tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[42:34] 342 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.
[42:34] 343 tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”
[42:34] 344 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.
[42:36] 347 tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is desiderative here.
[42:37] 348 tn The nuance of the imperfect verbal form is permissive here.
[42:38] 350 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[42:38] 351 sn The expression he alone is left meant that (so far as Jacob knew) Benjamin was the only surviving child of his mother Rachel.
[42:38] 352 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble.
[42:38] 353 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
[43:1] 354 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.
[43:3] 355 tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.
[43:3] 356 tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”
[43:4] 357 tn Heb “if there is you sending,” that is, “if you send.”
[43:6] 358 tn The verb may even have a moral connotation here, “Why did you do evil to me?”
[43:6] 359 tn The infinitive construct here explains how they brought trouble on Jacob.
[43:7] 360 tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[43:7] 361 tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.
[43:7] 362 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.
[43:7] 363 tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”
[43:7] 364 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).
[43:7] 365 tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).
[43:8] 366 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.”
[43:8] 367 tn After the preceding cohortatives, the prefixed verbal form (either imperfect or cohortative) with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or result.
[43:9] 368 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.
[43:9] 369 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.
[43:10] 370 tn Heb “we could have returned.”
[43:12] 371 tn Heb “in your hand.”
[43:12] 372 tn Heb “take back in your hand.” The imperfect verbal form probably has an injunctive or obligatory force here, since Jacob is instructing his sons.
[43:13] 373 tn Heb “arise, return,” meaning “get up and go back,” or “go back immediately.”
[43:13] 374 sn The man refers to the Egyptian official, whom the reader or hearer of the narrative knows is Joseph. In this context both the sons and Jacob refer to him simply as “the man” (see vv. 3-7).
[43:14] 375 tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
[43:14] 376 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.
[43:14] 377 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).
[43:14] 378 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.
[43:15] 379 tn Heb “they arose and went down to Egypt.” The first verb has an adverbial function and emphasizes that they departed right away.
[43:17] 380 tn Heb “the man.” This has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “he” for stylistic reasons.
[43:17] 381 sn This verse is a summary statement. The next verses delineate intermediate steps (see v. 24) in the process.
[43:18] 382 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
[43:18] 383 tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.
[43:18] 384 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.
[43:18] 385 tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[43:20] 386 tn The infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the finite verbal form.
[43:20] 387 tn Heb “in the beginning” (see the note on the phrase “last time” in v. 18).
[43:21] 388 tn Heb “in its weight.”
[43:21] 389 tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”
[43:23] 390 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.
[43:23] 391 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.
[43:23] 392 tn Heb “your money came to me.”
[43:25] 394 tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.
[43:25] 395 tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.
[43:25] 396 tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).
[43:26] 397 tn Heb “into the house.”
[43:27] 398 tn Heb “concerning peace.”
[43:28] 399 tn Heb “and they bowed low and they bowed down.” The use of synonyms here emphasizes the brothers’ humility.
[43:29] 400 tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[43:29] 401 sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.
[43:30] 402 tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.
[43:30] 403 tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”
[43:31] 404 tn Heb “and he controlled himself and said.”
[43:32] 405 tn Heb “them”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[43:32] 406 tn Or “disgraceful.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 46:34 and Exod 8:22.
[43:32] 407 tn Heb “and they set for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for the Egyptians are not able to eat food with the Hebrews, for it is an abomination for the Egyptians.” The imperfect verbal form in the explanatory clause is taken as habitual in force, indicating a practice that was still in effect in the narrator’s time.
[43:32] sn That the Egyptians found eating with foreigners disgusting is well-attested in extra-biblical literature by writers like Herodotus, Diodorus, and Strabo.
[43:33] 408 tn Heb “the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth.”
[43:33] 409 sn The brothers’ astonishment indicates that Joseph arranged them in this way. They were astonished because there was no way, as far as they were concerned, that Joseph could have known the order of their birth.
[43:34] 410 tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”
[43:34] 411 tn Heb “and they drank and were intoxicated with him” (cf. NIV “drank freely with him”; NEB “grew merry”; NRSV “were merry”). The brothers were apparently relaxed and set at ease, despite Joseph’s obvious favoritism toward Benjamin.
[44:2] 412 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.
[44:2] 413 tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”
[44:3] 414 tn Heb “the morning was light.”
[44:3] 415 tn Heb “and the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.” This clause, like the preceding one, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
[44:4] 416 tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”
[44:4] 417 tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
[44:4] 418 tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[44:4] 419 tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”
[44:5] 420 tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[44:5] 421 tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.
[44:5] 422 tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”
[44:6] 423 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:7] 424 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
[44:7] 425 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
[44:9] 426 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.
[44:10] 427 tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.
[44:10] 428 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”
[44:10] 429 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[44:10] 430 tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.
[44:10] sn The rest of you will be free. Joseph’s purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed.
[44:11] 431 tn Heb “and they hurried and they lowered.” Their speed in doing this shows their presumption of innocence.
[44:12] 432 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:14] 433 sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.
[44:14] 434 tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.
[44:15] 435 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?”
[44:15] 436 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.
[44:16] 437 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
[44:16] 438 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
[44:16] 439 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.
[44:17] 440 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[44:17] 441 tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).
[44:18] 442 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
[44:18] 443 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
[44:18] 444 sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.
[44:20] 445 tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.
[44:20] 446 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:20] 447 tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”
[44:21] 448 tn The cohortative after the imperative indicates purpose here.
[44:21] 449 tn Heb “that I may set my eyes upon him.”
[44:22] 450 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the boy’s father, i.e., Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:22] 451 tn The last two verbs are perfect tenses with vav consecutive. The first is subordinated to the second as a conditional clause.
[44:26] 452 tn The direct object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but is implied; “there” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[44:27] 454 tn Heb “that two sons my wife bore to me.”
[44:28] 455 tn Heb “went forth from me.”
[44:29] 456 tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”
[44:29] 457 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.
[44:29] 458 tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).
[44:29] 459 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
[44:30] 460 tn Heb “his life is bound up in his life.”
[44:31] 461 tn Heb “when he sees that there is no boy.”
[44:34] 463 tn The Hebrew text has “lest I see,” which expresses a negative purpose – “I cannot go up lest I see.”
[44:34] 464 tn Heb “the calamity which would find my father.”
[45:1] 465 tn Heb “all the ones standing beside him.”
[45:2] 467 tn Heb “and he gave his voice in weeping,” meaning that Joseph could not restrain himself and wept out loud.
[45:2] 468 tn Heb “and the Egyptians heard and the household of Pharaoh heard.” Presumably in the latter case this was by means of a report.
[45:5] 469 tn Heb “let there not be anger in your eyes.”
[45:5] 470 sn You sold me here, for God sent me. The tension remains as to how the brothers’ wickedness and God’s intentions work together. Clearly God is able to transform the actions of wickedness to bring about some gracious end. But this is saying more than that; it is saying that from the beginning it was God who sent Joseph here. Although harmonization of these ideas remains humanly impossible, the divine intention is what should be the focus. Only that will enable reconciliation.
[45:6] 471 tn Heb “the famine [has been] in the midst of.”
[45:7] 472 sn God sent me. The repetition of this theme that God sent Joseph is reminiscent of commission narratives in which the leader could announce that God sent him (e.g., Exod 3:15).
[45:7] 473 tn Heb “to make you a remnant.” The verb, followed here by the preposition לְ (lÿ), means “to make.”
[45:7] 474 tn The infinitive gives a second purpose for God’s action.
[45:8] 475 tn Heb “a father.” The term is used here figuratively of one who gives advice, as a father would to his children.
[45:9] 476 tn Heb “hurry and go up.”
[45:10] 477 tn The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive here expresses instruction.
[45:11] 478 tn The verb כּוּל (kul) in the Pilpel stem means “to nourish, to support, to sustain.” As in 1 Kgs 20:27, it here means “to supply with food.”
[45:12] 479 tn Heb “And, look, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that my mouth is the one speaking to you.”
[45:13] 480 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive here expresses instruction.
[45:13] 481 tn Heb “and hurry and bring down my father to here.”
[45:16] 482 tn Heb “and the sound was heard.”
[45:16] 483 tn Heb “was good in the eyes of.”
[45:17] 484 tn Heb “and go! Enter!”
[45:18] 485 tn After the imperatives in vv. 17-18a, the cohortative with vav indicates result.
[45:18] 486 tn After the cohortative the imperative with vav states the ultimate goal.
[45:19] 488 tn The words “to say” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:20] 489 tn Heb “let not your eye regard.”
[45:21] 490 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel did so.”
[45:21] 491 tn Heb “according to the mouth of Pharaoh.”
[45:22] 492 tn Heb “to all of them he gave, to each one, changes of outer garments.”
[45:22] 493 tn Heb “changes of outer garments.”
[45:23] 494 tn Heb “according to this.”
[45:24] 495 tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.
[45:25] 496 tn Heb “and they entered the land of Canaan to their father.”
[45:26] 497 tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.
[45:27] 498 tn Heb “and they spoke to him all the words of Joseph which he had spoke to them.”
[47:1] 499 tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.
[47:2] 500 tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”
[47:3] 501 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:3] 502 tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”
[47:4] 503 tn Heb “to sojourn.”
[47:4] 504 tn Heb “for there.” The Hebrew uses a causal particle to connect what follows with what precedes. The translation divides the statement into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:6] 505 tn Heb “men of skill.”
[47:6] 506 tn Heb “make them rulers.”
[47:6] sn Put them in charge of my livestock. Pharaoh is, in effect, offering Joseph’s brothers jobs as royal keepers of livestock, a position mentioned often in Egyptian inscriptions, because the Pharaohs owned huge herds of cattle.
[47:7] 507 tn Heb “caused him to stand.”
[47:7] 508 sn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “blessed” is difficult in this passage, because the content of Jacob’s blessing is not given. The expression could simply mean that he greeted Pharaoh, but that seems insufficient in this setting. Jacob probably praised Pharaoh, for the verb is used this way for praising God. It is also possible that he pronounced a formal prayer of blessing, asking God to reward Pharaoh for his kindness.
[47:8] 509 tn Heb “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
[47:9] 510 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 511 tn Heb “sojournings.” Jacob uses a term that depicts him as one who has lived an unsettled life, temporarily residing in many different places.
[47:9] 512 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 513 tn The Hebrew word רַע (ra’) can sometimes mean “evil,” but that would give the wrong connotation here, where it refers to pain, difficulty, and sorrow. Jacob is thinking back through all the troubles he had to endure to get to this point.
[47:9] 514 tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”
[47:10] 515 tn Heb “from before Pharaoh.”
[47:11] 516 tn Heb “a possession,” or “a holding.” Joseph gave them a plot of land with rights of ownership in the land of Goshen.
[47:11] 517 sn The land of Rameses is another designation for the region of Goshen. It is named Rameses because of a city in that region (Exod 1:11; 12:37). The use of this name may represent a modernization of the text for the understanding of the intended readers, substituting a later name for an earlier one. Alternatively, there may have been an earlier Rameses for which the region was named.
[47:13] 518 tn The verb לַהַה (lahah, = לָאָה, la’ah) means “to faint, to languish”; it figuratively describes the land as wasting away, drooping, being worn out.
[47:14] 519 tn Or “in exchange.” On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:15] 521 tn Heb “all Egypt.” The expression is a metonymy and refers to all the people of Egypt.
[47:15] 522 tn The imperfect verbal form has a deliberative force here.
[47:16] 523 tn The word “food” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:16] 524 tn On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:17] 525 tn The definite article is translated here as a possessive pronoun.
[47:18] 526 tn Heb “my.” The expression “my lord” occurs twice more in this verse.
[47:19] 527 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.
[47:19] 528 sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.
[47:19] 529 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.
[47:19] 530 tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav [ו] + subject + negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.
[47:20] 531 tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:20] 532 tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:21] 533 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:21] 534 tc The MT reads “and the people he removed to the cities,” which does not make a lot of sense in this context. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX read “he enslaved them as slaves.”
[47:23] 535 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.
[47:24] 536 tn The words “the crop” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:24] 537 tn The perfect form with the vav (ו) consecutive is equivalent to an imperfect of instruction here.
[47:24] 538 tn Heb “four parts.”
[47:25] 539 tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[47:25] 540 sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.
[47:26] 541 tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.
[47:26] 542 tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:28] 543 tn Heb “the days of the years.”
[47:29] 545 sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.
[47:29] 546 tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”
[47:30] 547 tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.
[47:30] 548 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 549 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 550 tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 551 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 552 tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”
[47:31] 553 sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.
[47:31] 554 tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).
[49:22] 555 tn The Hebrew text appears to mean “[is] a son of fruitfulness.” The second word is an active participle, feminine singular, from the verb פָּרָה (parah, “to be fruitful”). The translation “bough” is employed for בֵּן (ben, elsewhere typically “son”) because Joseph is pictured as a healthy and fruitful vine growing by the wall. But there are difficulties with this interpretation. The word “son” nowhere else refers to a plant and the noun translated “branches” (Heb “daughters”) in the third line is a plural form whereas its verb is singular. In the other oracles of Gen 49 an animal is used for comparison and not a plant, leading some to translate the opening phrase בֵּן פָּרָה (ben parah, “fruitful bough”) as “wild donkey” (JPS, NAB). Various other interpretations involving more radical emendation of the text have also been offered.
[49:22] 556 tn Heb “daughters.”
[49:23] 557 tn The verb forms in vv. 23-24 are used in a rhetorical manner, describing future events as if they had already taken place.
[49:24] 558 tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”
[49:24] 559 tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”
[49:25] 561 tn Heb “and he will help you.”
[49:25] 562 tn Heb “Shaddai.” See the note on the title “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1. The preposition אֵת (’et) in the Hebrew text should probably be emended to אֵל (’el, “God”).
[49:25] 563 tn Heb “and he will bless you.”
[49:25] 564 sn Jacob envisions God imparting both agricultural (blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below) and human fertility (blessings of the breasts and womb) to Joseph and his family.
[49:26] 565 tn Heb “have prevailed over.”
[49:26] 566 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.
[49:26] 567 tn For further discussion of this passage, see I. Sonne, “Genesis 49:24-26,” JBL 65 (1946): 303-6.
[50:1] 568 tn Heb “fell on.” The expression describes Joseph’s unrestrained sorrow over Jacob’s death; he probably threw himself across the body and embraced his father.
[50:2] 569 tn Heb “his servants the physicians.”
[50:3] 570 tn Heb “and forty days were fulfilled for him, for thus are fulfilled the days of embalming.”
[50:3] 572 sn Seventy days. This probably refers to a time of national mourning.
[50:4] 574 tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”
[50:4] 575 tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”
[50:5] 577 tn The imperfect verbal form here has the force of a command.
[50:6] 578 tn Heb “he made you swear on oath.”
[50:7] 579 tn Or “dignitaries”; Heb “elders.”
[50:10] 581 sn The location of the threshing floor of Atad is not certain. The expression the other side of the Jordan could refer to the eastern or western bank, depending on one’s perspective. However, it is commonly used in the OT for Transjordan. This would suggest that the entourage came up the Jordan Valley and crossed into the land at Jericho, just as the Israelites would in the time of Joshua.
[50:10] 582 tn Heb “and they mourned there [with] very great and heavy mourning.” The cognate accusative, as well as the two adjectives and the adverb, emphasize the degree of their sorrow.
[50:11] 583 tn Heb “this is heavy mourning for Egypt.”
[50:11] 584 tn The verb has no expressed subject and so it may be translated as passive.
[50:11] 585 sn The name Abel Mizraim means “the mourning of Egypt.”
[26:39] 586 tc With the exception of a few manuscripts the MT has Shephupham. The spelling in the translation above is supported by Smr and the ancient versions.
[26:40] 587 tc The LXX has Adar. Cf. 1 Chr 8:3.
[26:40] 588 tc “From Ard” is not in the Hebrew text.
[26:41] 589 sn The Benjaminites increased from 35,400 to 45,600. The Greek version has here 35,500.
[33:12] 590 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[33:12] 591 tn Heb “between his shoulders.” This suggests the scene in John 13:23 with Jesus and the Beloved Disciple.
[33:13] 592 tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.
[33:14] 593 tn Heb “goings forth of the sun.”
[33:14] 594 tn Heb “and from the harvest of the yield of.” This has been simplified in the translation to avoid redundancy.
[33:14] 595 tn Heb “the moon.” Many English versions regard this as a reference to “months” (“moons”) rather than the moon itself (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[33:15] 596 tn Heb “head” or “top.”
[33:16] 597 tn The expression “him who resided in the bush” is frequently understood as a reference to the appearance of the Lord to Moses at Sinai from a burning bush (so NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT; cf. Exod 2:2-6; 3:2, 4). To make this reference clear the word “burning” is supplied in the translation.
[33:16] 598 sn This apparently refers to Joseph’s special status among his brothers as a result of his being chosen by God to save the family from the famine and to lead Egypt.
[33:17] 599 sn Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who became founders of the two tribes into which Joseph’s descendants were split (Gen 48:19-20). Jacob’s blessing granted favored status to Ephraim; this is probably why Ephraim is viewed here as more numerous than Manasseh.
