5:3 When 1 Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.
19:29 So when God destroyed 14 the cities of the region, 15 God honored 16 Abraham’s request. He removed Lot 17 from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed 18 the cities Lot had lived in.
20:3 But God appeared 19 to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead 20 because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” 21
23:10 (Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite 26 replied to Abraham in the hearing 27 of the sons of Heth – before all who entered the gate 28 of his city –
23:17 So Abraham secured 29 Ephron’s field in Machpelah, next to Mamre, including the field, the cave that was in it, and all the trees that were in the field and all around its border,
25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. 33 So Esau despised his birthright. 34
27:39 So his father Isaac said to him,
“Indeed, 35 your home will be
away from the richness 36 of the earth,
and away from the dew of the sky above.
32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took 44 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons 45 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 46
38:12 After some time 61 Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with 62 his friend Hirah the Adullamite.
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 71 and stood before Joseph.
49:4 You are destructive 79 like water and will not excel, 80
for you got on your father’s bed, 81
then you defiled it – he got on my couch! 82
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
1 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.
2 tn The Hebrew verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is the Hiphil perfect with a vav (ו) consecutive (picking up the future sense from the participles) from קוּם (qum, “to rise up”). This may refer to the confirmation or fulfillment of an earlier promise, but it is more likely that it anticipates the unconditional promise made to humankind following the flood (see Gen 9:9, 11, 17).
3 tn The perfect verb form with vav (ו) consecutive is best understood as specific future, continuing God’s description of what will happen (see vv. 17-18a).
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the
5 tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.
sn I will surely return. If Abraham had not yet figured out who this was, this interchange would have made it clear. Otherwise, how would a return visit from this man mean Sarah would have a son?
6 tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.
7 tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”
8 tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).
9 tn The Hebrew word עִיר (’ir) can refer to either a city or a town, depending on the size of the place. Given that this place was described by Lot later in this verse as a “little place,” the translation uses “town.”
10 tn Heb “Look, this town is near to flee to there. And it is little.”
11 tn Heb “Let me escape to there.” The cohortative here expresses Lot’s request.
12 tn Heb “Is it not little?”
13 tn Heb “my soul will live.” After the cohortative the jussive with vav conjunctive here indicates purpose/result.
14 tn The construction is a temporal clause comprised of the temporal indicator, an infinitive construct with a preposition, and the subjective genitive.
15 tn Or “of the plain”; Heb “of the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
16 tn Heb “remembered,” but this means more than mental recollection here. Abraham’s request (Gen 18:23-32) was that the
sn God showed Abraham special consideration because of the covenantal relationship he had established with the patriarch. Yet the reader knows that God delivered the “righteous” (Lot’s designation in 2 Pet 2:7) before destroying their world – which is what he will do again at the end of the age.
17 sn God’s removal of Lot before the judgment is paradigmatic. He typically delivers the godly before destroying their world.
18 tn Heb “the overthrow when [he] overthrew.”
19 tn Heb “came.”
20 tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.
21 tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.
22 tn Heb “If it is with your purpose.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here has the nuance “purpose” or perhaps “desire” (see BDB 661 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ).
23 tn Heb “bury my dead out of my sight.” The last phrase “out of my sight” has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
24 tn Or “hear me.”
25 tn Heb “intercede for me with.”
26 tn Or perhaps “Hittite,” but see the note on the name “Heth” in v. 3.
27 tn Heb “ears.” By metonymy the “ears” stand for the presence or proximity (i.e., within earshot) of the persons named.
28 sn On the expression all who entered the gate see E. A. Speiser, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate,” BASOR 144 (1956): 20-23; and G. Evans, “‘Coming’ and ‘Going’ at the City Gate: A Discussion of Professor Speiser’s Paper,” BASOR 150 (1958): 28-33.
29 tn Heb “And it was conveyed.” The recipient, Abraham (mentioned in the Hebrew text at the beginning of v. 18) has been placed here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
30 tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.
31 tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.
32 sn Asked the
33 sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.
34 sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.
35 tn Heb “look.”
36 tn Heb “from the fatness.”
37 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
38 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
39 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
40 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
41 tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
42 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
43 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
44 tn Heb “and he arose in that night and he took.” The first verb is adverbial, indicating that he carried out the crossing right away.
45 tn The Hebrew term used here is יֶלֶד (yeled) which typically describes male offspring. Some translations render the term “children” but this is a problem because by this time Jacob had twelve children in all, including one daughter, Dinah, born to Leah (Gen 30:21). Benjamin, his twelfth son and thirteenth child, was not born until later (Gen 35:16-19).
46 sn Hebrew narrative style often includes a summary statement of the whole passage followed by a more detailed report of the event. Here v. 22 is the summary statement, while v. 23 begins the detailed account.
47 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
48 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
49 tn Or “injured”; traditionally “touched.” The Hebrew verb translated “struck” has the primary meanings “to touch; to reach; to strike.” It can, however, carry the connotation “to harm; to molest; to injure.” God’s “touch” cripples Jacob – it would be comparable to a devastating blow.
50 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
51 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 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.
53 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
sn Intermarry with us. This includes the idea of becoming allied by marriage. The incident foreshadows the temptations Israel would eventually face when they entered the promised land (see Deut 7:3; Josh 23:12).
54 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
55 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
56 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
59 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
60 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
61 sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.
62 tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”
63 tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
64 tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”
65 sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.
66 tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.
67 sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.
68 tn Heb “and he turned to them and spoke to them.”
69 tn Heb “took Simeon.” This was probably done at Joseph’s command, however; the grand vizier of Egypt would not have personally seized a prisoner.
70 tn Heb “and he bound him.” See the note on the preceding verb “taken.”
71 tn Heb “they arose and went down to Egypt.” The first verb has an adverbial function and emphasizes that they departed right away.
72 tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.
73 tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.
74 tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).
75 tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”
76 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.
77 tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).
78 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
79 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).
80 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).
81 sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).
82 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.