Kejadian 1:9

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place ¹  and let dry ground appear.” ²  It was so.

Kejadian 1:14

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ³  in the expanse ⁴  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ⁵  to indicate seasons and days and years,

Kejadian 1:24

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” ⁶  It was so.

Kejadian 1:30

1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give ⁷  every green plant for food.” It was so.

Kejadian 2:21

2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ⁸  and while he was asleep, ⁹  he took part of the man’s side ¹⁰  and closed up the place with flesh. ¹¹ 

Kejadian 3:16

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ¹²  your labor pains; ¹³ 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ¹⁴ 

but he will dominate ¹⁵  you.”

Kejadian 3:19

3:19 By the sweat of your brow ¹⁶  you will eat food

until you return to the ground, ¹⁷ 

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” ¹⁸ 

Kejadian 4:22

4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped ¹⁹  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

Kejadian 5:3

5:3 When ²⁰  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.

Kejadian 6:3

6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in ²¹  humankind indefinitely, ²²  since ²³  they ²⁴  are mortal. ²⁵  They ²⁶  will remain for 120 more years.” ²⁷ 

Kejadian 7:2

7:2 You must take with you seven ²⁸  of every kind of clean animal, ²⁹  the male and its mate, ³⁰  two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate,

Kejadian 11:4

11:4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens ³¹  so that ³²  we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise ³³  we will be scattered ³⁴  across the face of the entire earth.”

Kejadian 12:6

12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the oak tree ³⁵  of Moreh ³⁶  at Shechem. ³⁷  (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ³⁸ 

Kejadian 12:10

The Promised Blessing Jeopardized

12:10 There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt ³⁹  to stay for a while ⁴⁰  because the famine was severe. ⁴¹ 

Kejadian 13:3

13:3 And he journeyed from place to place ⁴²  from the Negev as far as Bethel. ⁴³  He returned ⁴⁴  to the place where he had pitched his tent ⁴⁵  at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai.

Kejadian 13:7

13:7 So there were quarrels ⁴⁶  between Abram’s herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen. ⁴⁷  (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.) ⁴⁸ 

Kejadian 18:1

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁴⁹  by the oaks ⁵⁰  of Mamre while ⁵¹  he was sitting at the entrance ⁵²  to his tent during the hottest time of the day.

Kejadian 19:17

19:17 When they had brought them outside, they ⁵³  said, “Run ⁵⁴  for your lives! Don’t look ⁵⁵  behind you or stop anywhere in the valley! ⁵⁶  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!”

Kejadian 19:31

19:31 Later the older daughter said ⁵⁷  to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man anywhere nearby ⁵⁸  to have sexual relations with us, ⁵⁹  according to the way of all the world.

Kejadian 22:17

22:17 I will indeed bless you, ⁶⁰  and I will greatly multiply ⁶¹  your descendants ⁶²  so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession ⁶³  of the strongholds ⁶⁴  of their enemies.

Kejadian 24:30

24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring ⁶⁵  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ⁶⁶  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ⁶⁷  by the camels near the spring.

Kejadian 26:1

Isaac and Abimelech

26:1 There was a famine in the land, subsequent to the earlier famine that occurred ⁶⁸  in the days of Abraham. ⁶⁹  Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Kejadian 27:38

27:38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only that one blessing, my father? Bless me too!” ⁷⁰  Then Esau wept loudly. ⁷¹ 

Kejadian 31:12

31:12 Then he said, ‘Observe ⁷²  that all the male goats mating with ⁷³  the flock are streaked, speckled, or spotted, for I have observed all that Laban has done to you.

Kejadian 32:6

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 33:14

33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ⁷⁴  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

Kejadian 35:11

35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ⁷⁵  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ⁷⁶ 

Kejadian 37:8

37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ⁷⁷  They hated him even more ⁷⁸  because of his dream and because of what he said. ⁷⁹ 

Kejadian 37:35

37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by ⁸⁰  him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” ⁸¹  So Joseph’s ⁸²  father wept for him.

Kejadian 38:20

38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah ⁸³  the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, ⁸⁴  but Hirah ⁸⁵  could not find her.

Kejadian 39:6

39:6 So Potiphar ⁸⁶  left ⁸⁷  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ⁸⁸  he gave no thought ⁸⁹  to anything except the food he ate. ⁹⁰ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ⁹¹ 

Kejadian 42:32

42:32 We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. ⁹²  One is no longer alive, ⁹³  and the youngest is with our father at this time ⁹⁴  in the land of Canaan.’

Kejadian 43:15

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 ⁹⁵  and stood before Joseph.

Kejadian 43:29

43:29 When Joseph looked up ⁹⁶  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.” ⁹⁷ 

Kejadian 44:2

44:2 Then put ⁹⁸  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. ⁹⁹ 

Kejadian 44:18

44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. ¹⁰⁰  Please do not get angry with your servant, ¹⁰¹  for you are just like Pharaoh. ¹⁰² 

Kejadian 45:9

45:9 Now go up to my father quickly ¹⁰³  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!

Kejadian 45:27

45:27 But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, ¹⁰⁴  and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived.

Kejadian 47:9

47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All ¹⁰⁵  the years of my travels ¹⁰⁶  are 130. All ¹⁰⁷  the years of my life have been few and painful; ¹⁰⁸  the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” ¹⁰⁹ 

Kejadian 47:24

47:24 When you gather in the crop, ¹¹⁰  give ¹¹¹  one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest ¹¹²  will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.”

Kejadian 48:6

48:6 Any children that you father ¹¹³  after them will be yours; they will be listed ¹¹⁴  under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. ¹¹⁵ 

Kejadian 48:20

48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you ¹¹⁶  will Israel bless, ¹¹⁷  saying,

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ¹¹⁸ 

Kejadian 50:8

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.

[1:9]  ¹ sn Let the water…be gathered to one place. In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns.

[1:9]  ² tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water.

[1:14]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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.

[1:24]  ⁶ tn There are three groups of land animals here: the cattle or livestock (mostly domesticated), things that creep or move close to the ground (such as reptiles or rodents), and the wild animals (all animals of the field). The three terms are general classifications without specific details.

[1:30]  ⁷ tn The phrase “I give” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[2:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man.”

[2:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he slept.” In the sequence the verb may be subordinated to the following verb to indicate a temporal clause (“while…”).

[2:21]  ¹⁰ tn Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone.

[2:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “closed up the flesh under it.”

[3:16]  ¹² tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.

[3:16]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn The expression “the sweat of your brow” is a metonymy, the sweat being the result of painful toil in the fields.

[3:19]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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.

[5:3]  ²⁰ 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.

[6:3]  ²¹ tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the Lord’s personal Spirit. E. A. Speiser argues that the term is cognate with an Akkadian word meaning “protect” or “shield.” In this case, the Lord’s Spirit will not always protect humankind, for the race will suddenly be destroyed (E. A. Speiser, “YDWN, Gen. 6:3,” JBL 75 [1956]: 126-29).

[6:3]  ²² tn Or “forever.”

[6:3]  ²³ tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).

[6:3]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).

[6:3]  ²⁵ tn Heb “flesh.”

[6:3]  ²⁶ tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.

[6:3]  ²⁷ tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.

[7:2]  ²⁸ tn Or “seven pairs” (cf. NRSV).

[7:2]  ²⁹ sn For a study of the Levitical terminology of “clean” and “unclean,” see L. E. Toombs, IDB 1:643.

[7:2]  ³⁰ tn Heb “a male and his female” (also a second time at the end of this verse). The terms used here for male and female animals (אִישׁ, ’ish) and אִשָּׁה, ’ishah) normally refer to humans.

[11:4]  ³¹ tn A translation of “heavens” for שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) fits this context because the Babylonian ziggurats had temples at the top, suggesting they reached to the heavens, the dwelling place of the gods.

[11:4]  ³² tn The form וְנַעֲשֶׂה (vÿna’aseh, from the verb עשׂה, “do, make”) could be either the imperfect or the cohortative with a vav (ו) conjunction (“and let us make…”). Coming after the previous cohortative, this form expresses purpose.

[11:4]  ³³ tn The Hebrew particle פֶּן (pen) expresses a negative purpose; it means “that we be not scattered.”

[11:4]  ³⁴ sn The Hebrew verb פָּוָץ (pavats, translated “scatter”) is a key term in this passage. The focal point of the account is the dispersion (“scattering”) of the nations rather than the Tower of Babel. But the passage also forms a polemic against Babylon, the pride of the east and a cosmopolitan center with a huge ziggurat. To the Hebrews it was a monument to the judgment of God on pride.

[12:6]  ³⁵ tn Or “terebinth.”

[12:6]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Heb “as far as the place of Shechem, as far as the oak of Moreh.”

[12:6]  ³⁸ tn The disjunctive clause gives important information parenthetical in nature – the promised land was occupied by Canaanites.

[12:10]  ³⁹ sn Abram went down to Egypt. The Abrahamic narrative foreshadows some of the events in the life of the nation of Israel. This sojourn in Egypt is typological of Israel’s bondage there. In both stories there is a famine that forces the family to Egypt, death is a danger to the males while the females are preserved alive, great plagues bring about their departure, there is a summons to stand before Pharaoh, and there is a return to the land of Canaan with great wealth.

[12:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” means “to stay for a while.” The “stranger” (traditionally “sojourner”) is one who is a temporary resident, a visitor, one who is passing through. Abram had no intention of settling down in Egypt or owning property. He was only there to wait out the famine.

[12:10]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “heavy in the land.” The words “in the land,” which also occur at the beginning of the verse in the Hebrew text, have not been repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “on his journeys”; the verb and noun combination means to pick up the tents and move from camp to camp.

[13:3]  ⁴³ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[13:3]  ⁴⁴ tn The words “he returned” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[13:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “where his tent had been.”

[13:7]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ sn Since the quarreling was between the herdsmen, the dispute was no doubt over water and vegetation for the animals.

[13:7]  ⁴⁸ 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.

[18:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ⁵¹ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ⁵² tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[19:17]  ⁵³ tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.

[19:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “escape.”

[19:17]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.

[19:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.

[19:31]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “and the firstborn said.”

[19:31]  ⁵⁸ tn Or perhaps “on earth,” in which case the statement would be hyperbolic; presumably there had been some men living in the town of Zoar to which Lot and his daughters had initially fled.

[19:31]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “to enter upon us.” This is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[22:17]  ⁶⁰ tn The use of the infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form (either an imperfect or cohortative) emphasizes the certainty of the blessing.

[22:17]  ⁶¹ tn Here too the infinitive absolute is used for emphasis before the following finite verb (either an imperfect or cohortative).

[22:17]  sn I will greatly multiply. The Lord here ratifies his earlier promise to give Abram a multitude of descendants. For further discussion see R. B. Chisholm, “Evidence from Genesis,” A Case for Premillennialism, 35-54.

[22:17]  ⁶² tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.

[22:17]  ⁶³ tn Or “inherit.”

[22:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. To break through the gate complex would be to conquer the city, for the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”).

[24:30]  ⁶⁵ 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]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ⁶⁷ 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.

[26:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “in addition to the first famine which was.”

[26:1]  ⁶⁹ sn This account is parallel to two similar stories about Abraham (see Gen 12:10-20; 20:1-18). Many scholars do not believe there were three similar incidents, only one that got borrowed and duplicated. Many regard the account about Isaac as the original, which then was attached to the more important person, Abraham, with supernatural elements being added. For a critique of such an approach, see R. Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative, 47-62. It is more likely that the story illustrates the proverb “like father, like son” (see T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 53). In typical human fashion the son follows his father’s example of lying to avoid problems. The appearance of similar events reported in a similar way underscores the fact that the blessing has now passed to Isaac, even if he fails as his father did.

[27:38]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “Bless me, me also, my father.” The words “my father” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:38]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “and Esau lifted his voice and wept.”

[31:12]  ⁷² tn Heb “lift up (now) your eyes and see.”

[31:12]  ⁷³ tn Heb “going up on,” that is, mounting for intercourse.

[33:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”

[35:11]  ⁷⁵ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[35:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:11]  sn A nation…will descend from you. The promise is rooted in the Abrahamic promise (see Gen 17). God confirms what Isaac told Jacob (see Gen 28:3-4). Here, though, for the first time Jacob is promised kings as descendants.

[37:8]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ⁷⁹ 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.

[37:35]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.

[37:35]  ⁸¹ 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]  ⁸² tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ⁸³ tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

[38:20]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ⁹⁰ 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]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[42:32]  ⁹² tn Heb “twelve [were] we, brothers, sons of our father [are] we.”

[42:32]  ⁹³ tn Heb “the one is not.”

[42:32]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “today.”

[43:15]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “they arose and went down to Egypt.” The first verb has an adverbial function and emphasizes that they departed right away.

[43:29]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ⁹⁷ sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.

[44:2]  ⁹⁸ tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.

[44:2]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”

[44:18]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”

[44:18]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”

[44:18]  ¹⁰² 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.

[45:9]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “hurry and go up.”

[45:27]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “and they spoke to him all the words of Joseph which he had spoke to them.”

[47:9]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “the days of.”

[47:9]  ¹⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “the days of.”

[47:9]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”

[47:24]  ¹¹⁰ tn The words “the crop” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[47:24]  ¹¹¹ tn The perfect form with the vav (ו) consecutive is equivalent to an imperfect of instruction here.

[47:24]  ¹¹² tn Heb “four parts.”

[48:6]  ¹¹³ tn Or “you fathered.”

[48:6]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “called” or “named.”

[48:6]  ¹¹⁵ sn Listed under the names of their brothers in their inheritance. This means that any subsequent children of Joseph will be incorporated into the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

[48:20]  ¹¹⁶ tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.

[48:20]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”

[48:20]  ¹¹⁸ sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.