Kejadian 1:14

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ¹  in the expanse ²  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ³  to indicate seasons and days and years,

Kejadian 1:25

1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

Kejadian 2:8

2:8 The Lord God planted an orchard ⁴  in the east, ⁵  in Eden; ⁶  and there he placed the man he had formed. ⁷ 

Kejadian 3:8

The Judgment Oracles of God at the Fall

3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about ⁸  in the orchard at the breezy time ⁹  of the day, and they hid ¹⁰  from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard.

Kejadian 3:15-16

3:15 And I will put hostility ¹¹  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; ¹² 

her offspring will attack ¹³  your head,

and ¹⁴  you ¹⁵  will attack her offspring’s heel.” ¹⁶ 

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ¹⁷  your labor pains; ¹⁸ 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ¹⁹ 

but he will dominate ²⁰  you.”

Kejadian 3:19

3:19 By the sweat of your brow ²¹  you will eat food

until you return to the ground, ²² 

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” ²³ 

Kejadian 4:22

4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped ²⁴  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Kejadian 4:25

4:25 And Adam had marital relations ²⁵  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given ²⁶  me another child ²⁷  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.”

Kejadian 5:3

5:3 When ²⁸  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.

Kejadian 6:9

The Judgment of the Flood

6:9 This is the account of Noah. ²⁹ 

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless ³⁰ 

among his contemporaries. ³¹  He ³²  walked with ³³  God.

Kejadian 9:2

9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. ³⁴  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. ³⁵ 

Kejadian 10:32

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ³⁶  over the earth after the flood.

Kejadian 11:9

11:9 That is why its name was called ³⁷  Babel ³⁸  – because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.

Kejadian 11:29

11:29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, ³⁹  and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; ⁴⁰  she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

Kejadian 12:3

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ⁴¹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ⁴²  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ⁴³  by your name.”

Kejadian 12:6

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ⁴⁴  of Moreh ⁴⁵  at Shechem. ⁴⁶  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ⁴⁷ 

Kejadian 12:16

12:16 and he did treat Abram well ⁴⁸  on account of her. Abram received ⁴⁹  sheep and cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

Kejadian 13:7

13:7 So there were quarrels ⁵⁰  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ⁵¹  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ⁵² 

Kejadian 15:2

15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁵³  what will you give me since ⁵⁴  I continue to be ⁵⁵  childless, and my heir ⁵⁶  is ⁵⁷  Eliezer of Damascus?” ⁵⁸ 

Kejadian 16:12

16:12 He will be a wild donkey ⁵⁹  of a man.

He will be hostile to everyone, ⁶⁰ 

and everyone will be hostile to him. ⁶¹ 

He will live away from ⁶²  his brothers.”

Kejadian 17:8

17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁶³  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁶⁴  possession. I will be their God.”

Kejadian 18:21

18:21 that I must go down ⁶⁵  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁶⁶  If not, ⁶⁷  I want to know.”

Kejadian 19:35

19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁶⁸  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁶⁹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁷⁰ 

Kejadian 20:1

Abraham and Abimelech

20:1 Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev ⁷¹  region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident ⁷²  in Gerar,

Kejadian 20:13

20:13 When God made me wander ⁷³  from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is what you can do to show your loyalty to me: ⁷⁴  Every place we go, say about me, “He is my brother.”’”

Kejadian 22:5

22:5 So he ⁷⁵  said to his servants, “You two stay ⁷⁶  here with the donkey while ⁷⁷  the boy and I go up there. We will worship ⁷⁸  and then return to you.” ⁷⁹ 

Kejadian 24:27

24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ⁸⁰  for my master! The Lord has led me ⁸¹  to the house ⁸²  of my master’s relatives!” ⁸³ 

Kejadian 24:30

24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring ⁸⁴  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ⁸⁵  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ⁸⁶  by the camels near the spring.

Kejadian 25:18

25:18 His descendants ⁸⁷  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ⁸⁸  to Egypt all the way ⁸⁹  to Asshur. ⁹⁰  They settled ⁹¹  away from all their relatives. ⁹² 

Kejadian 25:27

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ⁹³  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ⁹⁴ 

Kejadian 26:23

26:23 From there Isaac ⁹⁵  went up to Beer Sheba.

Kejadian 27:19

27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ⁹⁶  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ⁹⁷ 

Kejadian 27:29

27:29 May peoples serve you

and nations bow down to you.

You will be ⁹⁸  lord ⁹⁹  over your brothers,

and the sons of your mother will bow down to you. ¹⁰⁰ 

May those who curse you be cursed,

and those who bless you be blessed.”

Kejadian 27:45

27:45 Stay there ¹⁰¹  until your brother’s anger against you subsides and he forgets what you did to him. Then I’ll send someone to bring you back from there. ¹⁰²  Why should I lose both of you in one day?” ¹⁰³ 

Kejadian 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ¹⁰⁴  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ¹⁰⁵  He took one of the stones ¹⁰⁶  and placed it near his head. ¹⁰⁷  Then he fell asleep ¹⁰⁸  in that place

Kejadian 28:13-14

28:13 and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. ¹⁰⁹  I will give you and your descendants the ground ¹¹⁰  you are lying on. 28:14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, ¹¹¹  and you will spread out ¹¹²  to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another ¹¹³  using your name and that of your descendants. ¹¹⁴ 

Kejadian 29:30

29:30 Jacob ¹¹⁵  had marital relations ¹¹⁶  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ¹¹⁷  for seven more years. ¹¹⁸ 

Kejadian 29:32

29:32 So Leah became pregnant ¹¹⁹  and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, ¹²⁰  for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. ¹²¹  Surely my husband will love me now.”

Kejadian 30:40

30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face ¹²²  the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks.

Kejadian 31:35

31:35 Rachel ¹²³  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ¹²⁴  my lord. I cannot stand up ¹²⁵  in your presence because I am having my period.” ¹²⁶  So he searched thoroughly, ¹²⁷  but did not find the idols.

Kejadian 31:54

31:54 Then Jacob offered a sacrifice ¹²⁸  on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat the meal. ¹²⁹  They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain.

Kejadian 32:5-6

32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent ¹³⁰  this message ¹³¹  to inform my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

32:6 The messengers returned to Jacob and said, “We went to your brother Esau. He is coming to meet you and has four hundred men with him.”

Kejadian 32:13

32:13 Jacob ¹³²  stayed there that night. Then he sent ¹³³  as a gift ¹³⁴  to his brother Esau

Kejadian 33:15

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ¹³⁵  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ¹³⁶  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ¹³⁷ 

Kejadian 33:17

33:17 But ¹³⁸  Jacob traveled to Succoth ¹³⁹  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ¹⁴⁰  Succoth. ¹⁴¹ 

Kejadian 34:5

34:5 When ¹⁴²  Jacob heard that Shechem ¹⁴³  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ¹⁴⁴  until they came in.

Kejadian 34:11

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ¹⁴⁵  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ¹⁴⁶  I’ll give. ¹⁴⁷ 

Kejadian 35:16

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ¹⁴⁸  Rachel went into labor ¹⁴⁹  – and her labor was hard.

Kejadian 35:22

35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ¹⁵⁰  Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

Kejadian 37:13

37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ¹⁵¹  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ¹⁵²  Joseph replied. ¹⁵³ 

Kejadian 38:16

38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ¹⁵⁴  (He did not realize ¹⁵⁵  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ¹⁵⁶ 

Kejadian 38:26

38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ¹⁵⁷  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ¹⁵⁸  again.

Kejadian 39:22

39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. ¹⁵⁹ 

Kejadian 40:8

40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹⁶⁰  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ¹⁶¹  to me.”

Kejadian 41:24

41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this ¹⁶²  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ¹⁶³ 

Kejadian 42:13

42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. ¹⁶⁴  We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, ¹⁶⁵  and one is no longer alive.” ¹⁶⁶ 

Kejadian 42:18

42:18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say ¹⁶⁷  and you will live, ¹⁶⁸  for I fear God. ¹⁶⁹ 

Kejadian 43:14

43:14 May the sovereign God ¹⁷⁰  grant you mercy before the man so that he may release ¹⁷¹  your other brother ¹⁷²  and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” ¹⁷³ 

Kejadian 43:29

43:29 When Joseph looked up ¹⁷⁴  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.” ¹⁷⁵ 

Kejadian 43:34

43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, ¹⁷⁶  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. ¹⁷⁷ 

Kejadian 45:26

45:26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, ¹⁷⁸  for he did not believe them.

Kejadian 46:5

46:5 Then Jacob started out ¹⁷⁹  from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him.

Kejadian 46:8

46:8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt – Jacob and his sons:

Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.

Kejadian 46:12

46:12 The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah

(but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan).

The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

Kejadian 46:15

46:15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters numbered thirty-three in all. ¹⁸⁰ 

Kejadian 47:6

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 ¹⁸¹  among them, put them in charge ¹⁸²  of my livestock.”

Kejadian 49:4

49:4 You are destructive ¹⁸³  like water and will not excel, ¹⁸⁴ 

for you got on your father’s bed, ¹⁸⁵ 

then you defiled it – he got on my couch! ¹⁸⁶ 

Kejadian 49:11

49:11 Binding his foal to the vine,

and his colt to the choicest vine,

he will wash ¹⁸⁷  his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

Kejadian 50:25

50:25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

[1:14]  ¹ sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).

[1:14]  ² tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”

[1:14]  ³ tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”

[1:14]  sn Let them be for signs. The point is that the sun and the moon were important to fix the days for the seasonal celebrations for the worshiping community.

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Traditionally “garden,” but the subsequent description of this “garden” makes it clear that it is an orchard of fruit trees.

[2:8]  sn The Lord God planted an orchard. Nothing is said of how the creation of this orchard took place. A harmonization with chap. 1 might lead to the conclusion that it was by decree, prior to the creation of human life. But the narrative sequence here in chap. 2 suggests the creation of the garden followed the creation of the man. Note also the past perfect use of the perfect in the relative clause in the following verse.

[2:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the east” or “off east.”

[2:8]  sn One would assume this is east from the perspective of the land of Israel, particularly since the rivers in the area are identified as the rivers in those eastern regions.

[2:8]  ⁶ sn The name Eden (עֵדֶן, ’eden) means “pleasure” in Hebrew.

[2:8]  ⁷ tn The perfect verbal form here requires the past perfect translation since it describes an event that preceded the event described in the main clause.

[3:8]  ⁸ tn The Hitpael participle of הָלָךְ (halakh, “to walk, to go”) here has an iterative sense, “moving” or “going about.” While a translation of “walking about” is possible, it assumes a theophany, the presence of the Lord God in a human form. This is more than the text asserts.

[3:8]  ⁹ tn The expression is traditionally rendered “cool of the day,” because the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) can mean “wind.” U. Cassuto (Genesis: From Adam to Noah, 152-54) concludes after lengthy discussion that the expression refers to afternoon when it became hot and the sun was beginning to decline. J. J. Niehaus (God at Sinai [SOTBT], 155-57) offers a different interpretation of the phrase, relating יוֹם (yom, usually understood as “day”) to an Akkadian cognate umu (“storm”) and translates the phrase “in the wind of the storm.” If Niehaus is correct, then God is not pictured as taking an afternoon stroll through the orchard, but as coming in a powerful windstorm to confront the man and woman with their rebellion. In this case קוֹל יְהוָה (qol yÿhvah, “sound of the Lord”) may refer to God’s thunderous roar, which typically accompanies his appearance in the storm to do battle or render judgment (e.g., see Ps 29).

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn The verb used here is the Hitpael, giving the reflexive idea (“they hid themselves”). In v. 10, when Adam answers the Lord, the Niphal form is used with the same sense: “I hid.”

[3:15]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.

[3:15]  ¹² sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).

[3:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.

[3:15]  ¹⁴ tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).

[3:15]  ¹⁵ sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the Lord says to Jacob, “Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you [second masculine singular] will spread out in all directions.” Jacob will “spread out” in all directions through his offspring, but the text states the matter as if this will happen to him personally.

[3:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.

[3:15]  sn The etiological nature of v. 15 is apparent, though its relevance for modern western man is perhaps lost because we rarely come face to face with poisonous snakes. Ancient Israelites, who often encountered snakes in their daily activities (see, for example, Eccl 10:8; Amos 5:19), would find the statement quite meaningful as an explanation for the hostility between snakes and humans. (In the broader ancient Near Eastern context, compare the Mesopotamian serpent omens. See H. W. F. Saggs, The Greatness That Was Babylon, 309.) This ongoing struggle, when interpreted in light of v. 15, is a tangible reminder of the conflict introduced into the world by the first humans’ rebellion against God. Many Christian theologians (going back to Irenaeus) understand v. 15 as the so-called protevangelium, supposedly prophesying Christ’s victory over Satan (see W. Witfall, “Genesis 3:15 – a Protevangelium?” CBQ 36 [1974]: 361-65; and R. A. Martin, “The Earliest Messianic Interpretation of Genesis 3:15,” JBL 84 [1965]: 425-27). In this allegorical approach, the woman’s offspring is initially Cain, then the whole human race, and ultimately Jesus Christ, the offspring (Heb “seed”) of the woman (see Gal 4:4). The offspring of the serpent includes the evil powers and demons of the spirit world, as well as those humans who are in the kingdom of darkness (see John 8:44). According to this view, the passage gives the first hint of the gospel. Satan delivers a crippling blow to the Seed of the woman (Jesus), who in turn delivers a fatal blow to the Serpent (first defeating him through the death and resurrection [1 Cor 15:55-57] and then destroying him in the judgment [Rev 12:7-9; 20:7-10]). However, the grammatical structure of Gen 3:15b does not suggest this view. The repetition of the verb “attack,” as well as the word order, suggests mutual hostility is being depicted, not the defeat of the serpent. If the serpent’s defeat were being portrayed, it is odd that the alleged description of his death comes first in the sentence. If he has already been crushed by the woman’s “Seed,” how can he bruise his heel? To sustain the allegorical view, v. 15b must be translated in one of the following ways: “he will crush your head, even though you attack his heel” (in which case the second clause is concessive) or “he will crush your head as you attack his heel” (the clauses, both of which place the subject before the verb, may indicate synchronic action).

[3:16]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.

[3:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “your pain and your conception,” suggesting to some interpreters that having a lot of children was a result of the judgment (probably to make up for the loss through death). But the next clause shows that the pain is associated with conception and childbirth. The two words form a hendiadys (where two words are joined to express one idea, like “good and angry” in English), the second explaining the first. “Conception,” if the correct meaning of the noun, must be figurative here since there is no pain in conception; it is a synecdoche, representing the entire process of childbirth and child rearing from the very start. However, recent etymological research suggests the noun is derived from a root הרר (hrr), not הרה (hrh), and means “trembling, pain” (see D. Tsumura, “A Note on הרוֹן (Gen 3,16),” Bib 75 [1994]: 398-400). In this case “pain and trembling” refers to the physical effects of childbirth. The word עִצְּבוֹן (’itsÿvon, “pain”), an abstract noun related to the verb (עָצַב, ’atsav), includes more than physical pain. It is emotional distress as well as physical pain. The same word is used in v. 17 for the man’s painful toil in the field.

[3:16]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and toward your husband [will be] your desire.” The nominal sentence does not have a verb; a future verb must be supplied, because the focus of the oracle is on the future struggle. The precise meaning of the noun תְּשׁוּקָה (tÿshuqah, “desire”) is debated. Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.” Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain. (Even in Song of Songs it carries the basic idea of “control,” for it describes the young man’s desire to “have his way sexually” with the young woman.) In Gen 3:16 the Lord announces a struggle, a conflict between the man and the woman. She will desire to control him, but he will dominate her instead. This interpretation also fits the tone of the passage, which is a judgment oracle. See further Susan T. Foh, “What is the Woman’s Desire?” WTJ 37 (1975): 376-83.

[3:16]  ²⁰ tn The Hebrew verb מָשַׁל (mashal) means “to rule over,” but in a way that emphasizes powerful control, domination, or mastery. This also is part of the baser human nature. The translation assumes the imperfect verb form has an objective/indicative sense here. Another option is to understand it as having a modal, desiderative nuance, “but he will want to dominate you.” In this case, the Lord simply announces the struggle without indicating who will emerge victorious.

[3:16]  sn This passage is a judgment oracle. It announces that conflict between man and woman will become the norm in human society. It does not depict the NT ideal, where the husband sacrificially loves his wife, as Christ loved the church, and where the wife recognizes the husband’s loving leadership in the family and voluntarily submits to it. Sin produces a conflict or power struggle between the man and the woman, but in Christ man and woman call a truce and live harmoniously (Eph 5:18-32).

[3:19]  ²¹ tn The expression “the sweat of your brow” is a metonymy, the sweat being the result of painful toil in the fields.

[3:19]  ²² sn Until you return to the ground. The theme of humankind’s mortality is critical here in view of the temptation to be like God. Man will labor painfully to provide food, obviously not enjoying the bounty that creation promised. In place of the abundance of the orchard’s fruit trees, thorns and thistles will grow. Man will have to work the soil so that it will produce the grain to make bread. This will continue until he returns to the soil from which he was taken (recalling the creation in 2:7 with the wordplay on Adam and ground). In spite of the dreams of immortality and divinity, man is but dust (2:7), and will return to dust. So much for his pride.

[3:19]  ²³ sn In general, the themes of the curse oracles are important in the NT teaching that Jesus became the cursed one hanging on the tree. In his suffering and death, all the motifs are drawn together: the tree, the sweat, the thorns, and the dust of death (see Ps 22:15). Jesus experienced it all, to have victory over it through the resurrection.

[4:22]  ²⁴ tn The traditional rendering here, “who forged” (or “a forger of”) is now more commonly associated with counterfeit or fraud (e.g., “forged copies” or “forged checks”) than with the forging of metal. The phrase “heated metal and shaped [it]” has been used in the translation instead.

[4:25]  ²⁵ tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:25]  ²⁶ sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).

[4:25]  ²⁷ tn Heb “offspring.”

[5:3]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.

[6:9]  ²⁹ sn There is a vast body of scholarly literature about the flood story. The following studies are particularly helpful: A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and the Old Testament Parallels; M. Kessler, “Rhetorical Criticism of Genesis 7,” Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg (PTMS), 1-17; I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; A. R. Millard, “A New Babylonian ‘Genesis Story’,” TynBul 18 (1967): 3-18; G. J. Wenham, “The Coherence of the Flood Narrative,” VT 28 (1978): 336-48.

[6:9]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “blameless”) is used of men in Gen 17:1 (associated with the idiom “walk before,” which means “maintain a proper relationship with,” see 24:40); Deut 18:13 (where it means “blameless” in the sense of not guilty of the idolatrous practices listed before this; see Josh 24:14); Pss 18:23, 26 (“blameless” in the sense of not having violated God’s commands); 37:18 (in contrast to the wicked); 101:2, 6 (in contrast to proud, deceitful slanderers; see 15:2); Prov 2:21; 11:5 (in contrast to the wicked); 28:10; Job 12:4.

[6:9]  ³¹ tn Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.

[6:9]  ³² tn Heb “Noah.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:9]  ³³ tn The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”

[9:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “and fear of you and dread of you will be upon every living creature of the earth and upon every bird of the sky.” The suffixes on the nouns “fear” and “dread” are objective genitives. The animals will fear humans from this time forward.

[9:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

[10:32]  ³⁶ tn Or “separated.”

[11:9]  ³⁷ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so can be rendered as a passive in the translation.

[11:9]  ³⁸ sn Babel. Here is the climax of the account, a parody on the pride of Babylon. In the Babylonian literature the name bab-ili meant “the gate of God,” but in Hebrew it sounds like the word for “confusion,” and so retained that connotation. The name “Babel” (בָּבֶל, bavel) and the verb translated “confused” (בָּלַל, balal) form a paronomasia (sound play). For the many wordplays and other rhetorical devices in Genesis, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[11:29]  ³⁹ sn The name Sarai (a variant spelling of “Sarah”) means “princess” (or “lady”). Sharratu was the name of the wife of the moon god Sin. The original name may reflect the culture out of which the patriarch was called, for the family did worship other gods in Mesopotamia.

[11:29]  ⁴⁰ sn The name Milcah means “Queen.” But more to the point here is the fact that Malkatu was a title for Ishtar, the daughter of the moon god. If the women were named after such titles (and there is no evidence that this was the motivation for naming the girls “Princess” or “Queen”), that would not necessarily imply anything about the faith of the two women themselves.

[12:3]  ⁴¹ tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the Lord binds himself to Abram by covenant, those who enrich Abram in any way share in the blessings.

[12:3]  ⁴² tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic mss read the plural. But if it had been plural, there would be no reason to change it to the singular and alter the parallelism. On the other hand, if it was indeed singular, it is easy to see why the versions would change it to match the first participle. The MT preserves the original reading: “the one who treats you lightly.” The point would be a contrast with the lavish way that God desires to bless many. The second change is in the vocabulary. The English usually says, “I will curse those who curse you.” But there are two different words for curse here. The first is קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light” in the Qal, and in the Piel “to treat lightly, to treat with contempt, to curse.” The second verb is אָרַר (’arar), which means “to banish, to remove from the blessing.” The point is simple: Whoever treats Abram and the covenant with contempt as worthless God will banish from the blessing. It is important also to note that the verb is not a cohortative, but a simple imperfect. Since God is binding himself to Abram, this would then be an obligatory imperfect: “but the one who treats you with contempt I must curse.”

[12:3]  ⁴³ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[12:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “terebinth.”

[12:6]  ⁴⁵ sn The Hebrew word Moreh (מוֹרֶה, moreh) means “teacher.” It may well be that the place of this great oak tree was a Canaanite shrine where instruction took place.

[12:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”

[12:6]  ⁴⁷ tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.

[12:16]  ⁴⁸ sn He did treat Abram well. The construction of the parenthetical disjunctive clause, beginning with the conjunction on the prepositional phrase, draws attention to the irony of the story. Abram wanted Sarai to lie “so that it would go well” with him. Though he lost Sarai to Pharaoh, it did go well for him – he received a lavish bride price. See also G. W. Coats, “Despoiling the Egyptians,” VT 18 (1968): 450-57.

[12:16]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “and there was to him.”

[13:7]  ⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew term רִיב (riv) means “strife, conflict, quarreling.” In later texts it has the meaning of “legal controversy, dispute.” See B. Gemser, “The rîb – or Controversy – Pattern in Hebrew Mentality,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 120-37.

[13:7]  ⁵¹ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ⁵² tn This parenthetical clause, introduced with the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), again provides critical information. It tells in part why the land cannot sustain these two bedouins, and it also hints of the danger of weakening the family by inner strife.

[15:2]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master, Lord”). Since the tetragrammaton (YHWH) usually is pointed with the vowels for the Hebrew word אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “master”) to avoid pronouncing the divine name, that would lead in this place to a repetition of אֲדֹנָי. So the tetragrammaton is here pointed with the vowels for the word אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) instead. That would produce the reading of the Hebrew as “Master, God” in the Jewish textual tradition. But the presence of “Master” before the holy name is rather compelling evidence that the original would have been “Master, Lord,” which is rendered here “sovereign Lord.”

[15:2]  ⁵⁴ tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.

[15:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “I am going.”

[15:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”

[15:2]  sn For the custom of designating a member of the household as heir, see C. H. Gordon, “Biblical Customs and the Nuzu Tablets,” Biblical Archaeologist Reader, 2:21-33.

[15:2]  ⁵⁷ tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).

[15:2]  ⁵⁸ sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.

[16:12]  ⁵⁹ sn A wild donkey of a man. The prophecy is not an insult. The wild donkey lived a solitary existence in the desert away from society. Ishmael would be free-roaming, strong, and like a bedouin; he would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.

[16:12]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “His hand will be against everyone.” The “hand” by metonymy represents strength. His free-roaming life style would put him in conflict with those who follow social conventions. There would not be open warfare, only friction because of his antagonism to their way of life.

[16:12]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “And the hand of everyone will be against him.”

[16:12]  ⁶² tn Heb “opposite, across from.” Ishmael would live on the edge of society (cf. NASB “to the east of”). Some take this as an idiom meaning “be at odds with” (cf. NRSV, NLT) or “live in hostility toward” (cf. NIV).

[17:8]  ⁶³ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[18:21]  ⁶⁵ tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  sn I must go down. The descent to “see” Sodom is a bold anthropomorphism, stressing the careful judgment of God. The language is reminiscent of the Lord going down to see the Tower of Babel in Gen 11:1-9.

[18:21]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁶⁷ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[19:35]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[20:1]  ⁷¹ tn Or “the South [country]”; Heb “the land of the Negev.”

[20:1]  sn Negev is the name for the southern desert region in the land of Canaan.

[20:1]  ⁷² tn Heb “and he sojourned.”

[20:13]  ⁷³ tn The Hebrew verb is plural. This may be a case of grammatical agreement with the name for God, which is plural in form. However, when this plural name refers to the one true God, accompanying predicates are usually singular in form. Perhaps Abraham is accommodating his speech to Abimelech’s polytheistic perspective. (See GKC 463 §145.i.) If so, one should translate, “when the gods made me wander.”

[20:13]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “This is your loyal deed which you can do for me.”

[22:5]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “And Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[22:5]  ⁷⁶ tn The Hebrew verb is masculine plural, referring to the two young servants who accompanied Abraham and Isaac on the journey.

[22:5]  ⁷⁷ tn The disjunctive clause (with the compound subject preceding the verb) may be circumstantial and temporal.

[22:5]  ⁷⁸ tn This Hebrew word literally means “to bow oneself close to the ground.” It often means “to worship.”

[22:5]  ⁷⁹ sn It is impossible to know what Abraham was thinking when he said, “we will…return to you.” When he went he knew (1) that he was to sacrifice Isaac, and (2) that God intended to fulfill his earlier promises through Isaac. How he reconciled those facts is not clear in the text. Heb 11:17-19 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection.

[24:27]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ⁸² tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ⁸³ tn Heb “brothers.”

[24:30]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[24:30]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.

[25:18]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ⁹⁰ sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ⁹² tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

[25:27]  ⁹³ tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ⁹⁴ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[26:23]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and he went up from there”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:19]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.

[27:19]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.

[27:29]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and be.” The verb is an imperative, which is used rhetorically in this oracle of blessing. It is an invitation to exercise authority his brothers and indicates that he is granted such authority by the patriarch of the family. Furthermore, the blessing enables the recipient to accomplish this.

[27:29]  ⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew word is גְבִיר (gevir, “lord, mighty one”). The one being blessed will be stronger and therefore more powerful than his brother. See Gen 25:23. The feminine form of this rare noun means “mistress” or “queen-mother.”

[27:29]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (which is either an imperfect or a jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[27:45]  ¹⁰¹ tn The words “stay there” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:45]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and I will send and I will take you from there.” The verb “send” has no object in the Hebrew text; one must be supplied in the translation. Either “someone” or “a message” could be supplied, but since in those times a message would require a messenger, “someone” has been used.

[27:45]  ¹⁰³ tn If Jacob stayed, he would be killed and Esau would be forced to run away.

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “lay down.”

[28:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.” The Hebrew word for “father” can typically be used in a broader sense than the English word, in this case referring to Abraham (who was Jacob’s grandfather). For stylistic reasons and for clarity, the words “your father” are supplied with “Isaac” in the translation.

[28:13]  ¹¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term אֶרֶץ (’erets) can mean “[the] earth,” “land,” “region,” “piece of ground,” or “ground” depending on the context. Here the term specifically refers to the plot of ground on which Jacob was lying, but at the same time this stands by metonymy for the entire land of Canaan.

[28:14]  ¹¹¹ tn This is the same Hebrew word translated “ground” in the preceding verse.

[28:14]  ¹¹² tn The verb is singular in the Hebrew; Jacob is addressed as the representative of his descendants.

[28:14]  ¹¹³ tn Theoretically the Niphal stem can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Jacob were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in other formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless (i.e., pronounce blessings upon) themselves/one another.” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 28:14 predicts that Jacob will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae (see Gen 12:2 and 18:18 as well, where Abram/Abraham receives this promise). For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[28:14]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and they will pronounce blessings by you, all the families of the earth, and by your offspring.”

[29:30]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[29:32]  ¹¹⁹ tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).

[29:32]  ¹²⁰ sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”

[29:32]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”

[29:32]  sn Leah’s explanation of the name Reuben reflects a popular etymology, not an exact one. The name means literally “look, a son.” Playing on the Hebrew verb “look,” she observes that the Lord has “looked” with pity on her oppressed condition. See further S. R. Driver, Genesis, 273.

[30:40]  ¹²² tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”

[31:35]  ¹²³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ¹²⁷ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:54]  ¹²⁸ tn The construction is a cognate accusative with the verb, expressing a specific sacrifice.

[31:54]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “bread, food.” Presumably this was a type of peace offering, where the person bringing the offering ate the animal being sacrificed.

[32:5]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “I am sending.” The form is a preterite with the vav consecutive; it could be rendered as an English present tense – as the Hebrew perfect/preterite allows – much like an epistolary aorist in Greek. The form assumes the temporal perspective of the one who reads the message.

[32:5]  ¹³¹ tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:13]  ¹³² tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:13]  ¹³³ tn Heb “and he took from that which was going into his hand,” meaning that he took some of what belonged to him.

[32:13]  ¹³⁴ sn The Hebrew noun translated gift can in some contexts refer to the tribute paid by a subject to his lord. Such a nuance is possible here, because Jacob refers to Esau as his lord and to himself as Esau’s servant (v. 4).

[33:15]  ¹³⁵ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[33:17]  ¹³⁸ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ¹³⁹ sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.

[33:17]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.

[33:17]  ¹⁴¹ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[34:5]  ¹⁴² tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ¹⁴⁴ sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.

[34:11]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “pay.”

[35:16]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”

[35:22]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:22]  sn Reuben’s act of having sexual relations with Bilhah probably had other purposes than merely satisfying his sexual desire. By having sex with Bilhah, Reuben (Leah’s oldest son) would have prevented Bilhah from succeeding Rachel as the favorite wife, and by sleeping with his father’s concubine he would also be attempting to take over leadership of the clan – something Absalom foolishly attempted later on in Israel’s history (2 Sam 16:21-22).

[37:13]  ¹⁵¹ tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”

[37:13]  ¹⁵² sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.

[37:13]  ¹⁵³ 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.

[38:16]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:16]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:26]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  sn She is more upright than I. Judah had been irresponsible and unfaithful to his duty to see that the family line continued through the levirate marriage of his son Shelah. Tamar fought for her right to be the mother of Judah’s line. When she was not given Shelah and Judah’s wife died, she took action on her own to ensure that the line did not die out. Though deceptive, it was a desperate and courageous act. For Tamar it was within her rights; she did nothing that the law did not entitle her to do. But for Judah it was wrong because he thought he was going to a prostitute. See also Susan Niditch, “The Wronged Woman Righted: An Analysis of Genesis 38,” HTR 72 (1979): 143-48.

[38:26]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:22]  ¹⁵⁹ 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.

[40:8]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ¹⁶¹ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ¹⁶² tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”

[42:13]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”

[42:13]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “today.”

[42:13]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and the one is not.”

[42:18]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “Do this.”

[42:18]  ¹⁶⁸ tn After the preceding imperative, the imperative with vav (ו) can, as here, indicate logical sequence.

[42:18]  ¹⁶⁹ 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.

[43:14]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[43:14]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² 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]  ¹⁷³ 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.

[43:29]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ¹⁷⁵ sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.

[43:34]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”

[43:34]  ¹⁷⁷ 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.

[45:26]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.

[46:5]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “arose.”

[46:15]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “all the lives of his sons and his daughters, thirty-three.”

[47:6]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “men of skill.”

[47:6]  ¹⁸² 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.

[49:4]  ¹⁸³ tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).

[49:4]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).

[49:4]  ¹⁸⁵ sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).

[49:4]  ¹⁸⁶ tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.

[49:11]  ¹⁸⁷ tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, describing coming events as though they have already taken place.