Ester 1:1-22
Konteks1:1 1 The following events happened 2 in the days of Ahasuerus. 3 (I am referring to 4 that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces 5 extending all the way from India to Ethiopia. 6 ) 1:2 In those days, as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa 7 the citadel, 8 1:3 in the third 9 year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and his servants. The army 10 of Persia and Media 11 was present, 12 as well as the nobles and the officials of the provinces.
1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time 13 – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! 14 1:5 When those days 15 were completed, the king then provided a seven-day 16 banquet for all the people who were present 17 in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. 18 It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace. 1:6 The furnishings included linen and purple curtains hung by cords of the finest linen 19 and purple wool on silver rings, alabaster columns, gold and silver couches 20 displayed on a floor made of valuable stones of alabaster, mother-of-pearl, and mineral stone. 1:7 Drinks 21 were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king’s expense. 1:8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, 22 for the king had instructed all of his supervisors 23 that they should do as everyone so desired. 24 1:9 Queen Vashti 25 also gave a banquet for the women in King Ahasuerus’ royal palace.
1:10 On the seventh day, as King Ahasuerus was feeling the effects of the wine, 26 he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, 27 1:11 to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high turban. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was very attractive. 28 1:12 But Queen Vashti refused 29 to come at the king’s bidding 30 conveyed through the eunuchs. Then the king became extremely angry, and his rage consumed 31 him.
1:13 The king then inquired of the wise men who were discerners of the times – for it was the royal custom to confer with all those who were proficient in laws and legalities. 32 1:14 Those who were closest to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. These men were the seven officials of Persia and Media who saw the king on a regular basis 33 and had the most prominent offices 34 in the kingdom. 1:15 The king asked, 35 “By law, 36 what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs?”
1:16 Memucan then replied to the king and the officials, “The wrong of Queen Vashti is not against the king alone, but against all the officials and all the people who are throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 1:17 For the matter concerning the queen will spread to all the women, leading them to treat their husbands with contempt, saying, ‘When King Ahasuerus gave orders to bring Queen Vashti into his presence, she would not come.’ 1:18 And this very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard the matter concerning the queen will respond in the same way to all the royal officials, and there will be more than enough contempt and anger! 1:19 If the king is so inclined, 37 let a royal edict go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media that cannot be repealed, 38 that Vashti 39 may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king convey her royalty to another 40 who is more deserving than she. 41 1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated 42 throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. 43 Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”
1:21 The matter seemed appropriate to the king and the officials. So the king acted on the advice of Memucan. 1:22 He sent letters throughout all the royal provinces, to each province according to its own script and to each people according to its own language, 44 that every man should be ruling his family 45 and should be speaking the language of his own people. 46
Hakim-hakim 10:1-18
Konteks10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 47 Tola son of Puah, grandson 48 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 49 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 50 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 51 – they are in the land of Gilead. 52 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 53 They worshiped 54 the Baals and the Ashtars, 55 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 56 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 57 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 58 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 59 and turned them over to 60 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 61 the Israelites that eighteenth year 62 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 63 Israel suffered greatly. 64
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 65 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 66 when they oppressed you? 67 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 68 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 69 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 70 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 71 but deliver us today!” 72 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 73 and worshiped 74 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 75
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 76 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders 77 of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge 78 against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
Kisah Para Rasul 7:1-21
Konteks7:1 Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” 79 7:2 So he replied, 80 “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our forefather 81 Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran, 7:3 and said to him, ‘Go out from your country and from your relatives, and come to the land I will show you.’ 82 7:4 Then he went out from the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God 83 made him move 84 to this country where you now live. 7:5 He 85 did not give any of it to him for an inheritance, 86 not even a foot of ground, 87 yet God 88 promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, 89 even though Abraham 90 as yet had no child. 7:6 But God spoke as follows: ‘Your 91 descendants will be foreigners 92 in a foreign country, whose citizens will enslave them and mistreat them for four hundred years. 93 7:7 But I will punish 94 the nation they serve as slaves,’ said God, ‘and after these things they will come out of there 95 and worship 96 me in this place.’ 97 7:8 Then God 98 gave Abraham 99 the covenant 100 of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, 101 and Isaac became the father of 102 Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 103 7:9 The 104 patriarchs, because they were jealous of Joseph, sold 105 him into Egypt. But 106 God was with him, 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles, and granted him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made 107 him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 7:11 Then a famine occurred throughout 108 Egypt and Canaan, causing 109 great suffering, and our 110 ancestors 111 could not find food. 7:12 So when Jacob heard that there was grain 112 in Egypt, he sent our ancestors 113 there 114 the first time. 7:13 On their second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers again, and Joseph’s family 115 became known to Pharaoh. 7:14 So Joseph sent a message 116 and invited 117 his father Jacob and all his relatives to come, seventy-five people 118 in all. 7:15 So Jacob went down to Egypt and died there, 119 along with our ancestors, 120 7:16 and their bones 121 were later moved to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a certain sum of money 122 from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
7:17 “But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham, 123 the people increased greatly in number 124 in Egypt, 7:18 until another king who did not know about 125 Joseph ruled 126 over Egypt. 127 7:19 This was the one who exploited 128 our people 129 and was cruel to our ancestors, 130 forcing them to abandon 131 their infants so they would die. 132 7:20 At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful 133 to God. For 134 three months he was brought up in his father’s house, 7:21 and when he had been abandoned, 135 Pharaoh’s daughter adopted 136 him and brought him up 137 as her own son.
[1:1] 1 sn In the English Bible Esther appears adjacent to Ezra-Nehemiah and with the historical books, but in the Hebrew Bible it is one of five short books (the so-called Megillot) that appear toward the end of the biblical writings. The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. It is one of five OT books that were at one time regarded as antilegomena (i.e., books “spoken against”). The problem with Esther was the absence of any direct mention of God. Some questioned whether a book that did not mention God could be considered sacred scripture. Attempts to resolve this by discovering the tetragrammaton (
[1:1] 2 tn Heb “it came about”; KJV, ASV “Now it came to pass.”
[1:1] 3 tn Where the Hebrew text has “Ahasuerus” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV) in this book the LXX has “Artaxerxes.” The ruler mentioned in the Hebrew text is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465
[1:1] 4 tn Heb “in the days of Ahasuerus, that Ahasuerus who used to rule…” The phrase “I am referring to” has been supplied to clarify the force of the third person masculine singular pronoun, which is functioning like a demonstrative pronoun.
[1:1] 5 sn The geographical extent of the Persian empire was vast. The division of Xerxes’ empire into 127 smaller provinces was apparently done for purposes of administrative efficiency.
[1:1] 6 tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV, NCV; KJV “Ethiopia”) referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. India and Cush (i.e., Ethiopia) are both mentioned in a tablet taken from the foundation of Xerxes’ palace in Persepolis that describes the extent of this empire. See ANET 316-17.
[1:2] 7 tn Heb “Shushan” (so KJV, ASV). Most recent English versions render this as “Susa.”
[1:2] sn The city of Susa served as one of several capitals of Persia during this time; the other locations were Ecbatana, Babylon, and Persepolis. Partly due to the extreme heat of its summers, Susa was a place where Persian kings stayed mainly in the winter months. Strabo indicates that reptiles attempting to cross roads at midday died from the extreme heat (Geography 15.3.10-11).
[1:2] 8 tn The Hebrew word בִּירָה (birah) can refer to a castle or palace or temple. Here it seems to have in mind that fortified part of the city that might be called an acropolis or citadel. Cf. KJV “palace”; NAB “stronghold”; NASB “capital”; NLT “fortress.”
[1:3] 9 sn The third year of Xerxes’ reign would be ca. 483
[1:3] 10 tc Due to the large numbers of people implied, some scholars suggest that the original text may have read “leaders of the army” (cf. NAB “Persian and Median aristocracy”; NASB “the army officers”; NIV “the military leaders”). However, there is no textual evidence for this emendation, and the large numbers are not necessarily improbable.
[1:3] 11 sn Unlike the Book of Daniel, the usual order for this expression in Esther is “Persia and Media” (cf. vv. 14, 18, 19). In Daniel the order is “Media and Persia,” indicating a time in their history when Media was in the ascendancy.
[1:3] 12 sn The size of the banquet described here, the number of its invited guests, and the length of its duration, although certainly immense by any standard, are not without precedent in the ancient world. C. A. Moore documents a Persian banquet for 15,000 people and an Assyrian celebration with 69,574 guests (Esther [AB], 6).
[1:4] 13 tn Heb “many days” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “for many days.”
[1:4] 14 tn The words “to be exact!” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to bring out the clarifying nuance of the time period mentioned. Cf. KJV “even an hundred and fourscore days.”
[1:5] 15 tc The Hebrew text of Esther does not indicate why this elaborate show of wealth and power was undertaken. According to the LXX these were “the days of the wedding” (αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ γάμου, Jai Jhmerai tou gamou), presumably the king’s wedding. However, a number of scholars have called attention to the fact that this celebration takes place just shortly before Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. It is possible that the banquet was a rallying for the up-coming military effort. See Herodotus, Histories 7.8. There is no reason to adopt the longer reading of the LXX here.
[1:5] 16 tc The LXX has ἕξ ({ex, “six”) instead of “seven.” Virtually all English versions follow the reading of the MT here, “seven.”
[1:5] 18 tn Heb “from the great and unto the small.”
[1:6] 19 sn The finest linen was byssus, a fine, costly, white fabric made in Egypt, Palestine, and Edom, and imported into Persia (BDB 101 s.v. בּוּץ; HALOT 115-16 s.v. בּוּץ).
[1:6] 20 tn The Hebrew noun מִטָּה (mittah) refers to a reclining couch (cf. KJV “beds”) spread with covers, cloth and pillow for feasting and carousing (Ezek 23:41; Amos 3:12; 6:4; Esth 1:6; 7:8). See BDB 641-42 s.v.; HALOT 573 s.v.
[1:7] 21 tn Heb “to cause to drink” (Hiphil infinitive construct of שָׁקָה, shaqah). As the etymology of the Hebrew word for “banquet” (מִשְׁתֶּה, mishteh, from שָׁתָה, shatah, “to drink”) hints, drinking was a prominent feature of ancient Near Eastern banquets.
[1:8] 22 tn Heb “the drinking was according to law; there was no one compelling.”
[1:8] 23 tn Heb “every chief of his house”; KJV “all the officers of his house”; NLT “his staff.”
[1:8] 24 tn Heb “according to the desire of man and man.”
[1:9] 25 sn Vashti is the name of Xerxes’ queen according to the Book of Esther. But in the Greek histories of this period the queen’s name is given as Amestris (e.g., Herodotus, Histories 9.108-13). The name Vashti does not seem to occur in the nonbiblical records from this period. Apparently the two women are not to be confused, but not enough is known about this period to reconcile completely the biblical and extrabiblical accounts.
[1:10] 26 tn Heb “as the heart of the king was good with the wine.” Here the proper name (King Ahasuerus) has been substituted for the title in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:10] 27 tn Heb “King Ahasuerus”; here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons. Cf. similarly NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT “King Xerxes.”
[1:11] 28 tn Heb “was good of appearance”; KJV “was fair to look on”; NAB “was lovely to behold.”
[1:12] 29 sn Refusal to obey the king was risky even for a queen in the ancient world. It is not clear why Vashti behaved so rashly and put herself in such danger. Apparently she anticipated humiliation of some kind and was unwilling to subject herself to it, in spite of the obvious dangers. There is no justification in the biblical text for an ancient Jewish targumic tradition that the king told her to appear before his guests dressed in nothing but her royal high turban, that is, essentially naked.
[1:12] 30 tn Heb “at the word of the king”; NASB “at the king’s command.”
[1:12] 31 tn Heb “burned in him” (so KJV).
[1:13] 32 tn Heb “judgment” (so KJV); NASB, NIV “justice”; NRSV “custom.”
[1:14] 33 tn Heb “seers of the face of the king”; NASB “who had access to the king’s presence.”
[1:14] 34 tn Heb “were sitting first”; NAB “held first rank in the realm.”
[1:15] 35 tn These words are not present in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT, all of which supply similar phrases).
[1:15] 36 tc The location of the prepositional phrase “according to law” is somewhat unusual in the Hebrew text, but not so much so as to require emendation. Some scholars suggest deleting the phrase as an instance of dittography from the final part of the immediately preceding word in v. 14. Others suggest taking the phrase with the end of v. 14 rather than with v. 15. Both proposals, however, lack adequate justification.
[1:19] 37 sn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.” Deferential language was common in ancient Near Eastern court language addressing a despot; it occurs often in Esther.
[1:19] 38 sn Laws…that cannot be repealed. On the permanence of the laws of Media and Persia see also Esth 8:8 and Dan 6:8, 12, 15.
[1:19] 39 sn Previously in this chapter the word “queen” accompanies Vashti’s name (cf. vv. 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 17). But here, in anticipation of her demotion, the title is dropped.
[1:19] 40 tn Heb “her neighbor”; NIV “someone else.”
[1:19] 41 tn Heb “who is better than she.” The reference is apparently to worthiness of the royal position as demonstrated by compliance with the king’s wishes, although the word טוֹב (tob, “good”) can also be used of physical beauty. Cf. NAB, NASB, NLT “more worthy than she.”
[1:20] 42 tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”
[1:20] 43 tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.
[1:22] 44 sn For purposes of diplomacy and governmental communication throughout the far-flung regions of the Persian empire the Aramaic language was normally used. Educated people throughout the kingdom could be expected to have competence in this language. But in the situation described in v. 22 a variety of local languages are to be used, and not just Aramaic, so as to make the king’s edict understandable to the largest possible number of people.
[1:22] 45 tn Heb “in his house”; NIV “over his own household.”
[1:22] 46 tc The final prepositional phrase is not included in the LXX, and this shorter reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT). Some scholars suggest the phrase may be the result of dittography from the earlier phrase “to each people according to its language,” but this is not a necessary conclusion. The edict was apparently intended to reassert male prerogative with regard to two things (and not just one): sovereign and unquestioned leadership within the family unit, and the right of deciding which language was to be used in the home when a bilingual situation existed.
[10:1] 47 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
[10:1] 49 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
[10:2] 50 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
[10:4] 51 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
[10:4] 52 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day – which are in the land of Gilead.”
[10:6] 53 tn Heb “in the eyes of the
[10:6] 54 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
[10:6] 55 sn The Ashtars were local manifestations of the goddess Ashtar (i.e., Astarte).
[10:6] 56 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[10:6] 57 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
[10:6] 58 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
[10:7] 59 tn Or “the
[10:7] 60 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
[10:8] 61 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [ra’ats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
[10:8] 62 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ’esreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
[10:9] 63 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
[10:9] 64 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
[10:10] 65 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:12] 66 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
[10:12] 67 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the
[10:13] 69 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:14] 70 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
[10:15] 71 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
[10:15] 72 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
[10:16] 73 tn Heb “from their midst.”
[10:16] 74 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
[10:16] 75 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
[10:17] 76 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
[10:18] 77 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
[10:18] 78 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
[7:1] 79 tn Grk “If it is so concerning these things” (see BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a for this use).
[7:2] 81 tn Or “ancestor”; Grk “father.”
[7:3] 82 sn A quotation from Gen 12:1.
[7:4] 83 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:4] 84 tn The translation “made him move” for the verb μετοικίζω (metoikizw) is given by L&N 85.83. The verb has the idea of “resettling” someone (BDAG 643 s.v.); see v. 43, where it reappears.
[7:5] 85 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
[7:5] 86 tn Grk “He did not give him an inheritance in it.” This could be understood to mean that God did not give something else to Abraham as an inheritance while he was living there. The point of the text is that God did not give any of the land to him as an inheritance, and the translation makes this clear.
[7:5] 87 tn Grk “a step of a foot” (cf. Deut 2:5).
[7:5] 88 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:5] 89 sn An allusion to Gen 12:7; 13:15; 15:2, 18; 17:8; 24:7; 48:4. On the theological importance of the promise and to his descendants after him, see Rom 4 and Gal 3.
[7:5] 90 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:6] 91 tn Grk “that his”; the discourse switches from indirect to direct with the following verbs. For consistency the entire quotation is treated as second person direct discourse in the translation.
[7:6] 92 tn Or “will be strangers,” that is, one who lives as a noncitizen of a foreign country.
[7:6] 93 sn A quotation from Gen 15:13. Exod 12:40 specifies the sojourn as 430 years.
[7:7] 94 tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α states, “Oft. the emphasis is unmistakably laid upon that which follows the Divine Judge’s verdict, upon the condemnation or punishment: condemn, punish …Ac 7:7 (Gen 15:14).”
[7:7] 95 tn The words “of there” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[7:7] sn A quotation from Gen 15:14.
[7:7] 96 tn Or “and serve,” but with religious/cultic overtones (BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω).
[7:7] 97 sn An allusion to Exod 3:12.
[7:8] 98 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:8] 99 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:8] 100 sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.
[7:8] 101 tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.
[7:8] 102 tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.
[7:8] 103 sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).
[7:9] 104 tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
[7:9] 105 tn The meaning “sell” for the middle voice of ἀποδίδωμι (apodidwmi) is given by BDAG 110 s.v. 5.a. See Gen 37:12-36, esp. v. 28.
[7:9] 106 tn Though the Greek term here is καί (kai), in context this remark is clearly contrastive: Despite the malicious act, God was present and protected Joseph.
[7:10] 107 tn Or “appointed.” See Gen 41:41-43.
[7:11] 108 tn Grk “came upon all Egypt.”
[7:11] 109 tn Grk “and,” but logically causal.
[7:11] 110 sn Our. Stephen spoke of “our” ancestors (Grk “fathers”) in an inclusive sense throughout the speech until his rebuke in v. 51, where the nation does what “your” ancestors did, at which point an exclusive pronoun is used. This serves to emphasize the rebuke.
[7:11] 111 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:12] 112 tn Or possibly “food,” since in a number of extrabiblical contexts the phrase σιτία καὶ ποτά (sitia kai pota) means “food and drink,” where solid food is contrasted with liquid nourishment (L&N 3.42).
[7:12] 113 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:12] 114 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
[7:13] 115 tn BDAG 194 s.v. γένος 2. gives “family, relatives” here; another alternative is “race” (see v. 19).
[7:14] 116 tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[7:14] 117 tn Or “Joseph had his father summoned” (BDAG 121 s.v. ἀποστέλλω 2.b).
[7:14] 118 tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).
[7:15] 119 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
[7:15] 120 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:16] 122 sn See Gen 49:29-32.
[7:17] 123 tn Grk “But as the time for the fulfillment of the promise drew near that God had declared to Abraham.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to improve English style. See vv. 6-7 above.
[7:17] 124 tn Grk “the people increased and multiplied.”
[7:18] 125 tn Or simply “did not know.” However, in this context the point is that the new king knew nothing about Joseph, not whether he had known him personally (which is the way “did not know Joseph” could be understood).
[7:18] 126 tn Grk “arose,” but in this context it clearly refers to a king assuming power.
[7:18] 127 sn A quotation from Exod 1:8.
[7:19] 128 tn According to L&N 88.147 it is also possible to translate κατασοφισάμενος (katasofisameno") as “took advantage by clever words” or “persuaded by sweet talk.”
[7:19] 130 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
[7:19] 131 tn Or “expose” (BDAG 303 s.v. ἔκθετος).
[7:19] 132 tn Grk “so that they could not be kept alive,” but in this context the phrase may be translated either “so that they would not continue to live,” or “so that they would die” (L&N 23.89).
[7:20] 133 tn Or “was well-formed before God,” or “was well-pleasing to God” (BDAG 145 s.v. ἀστεῖος suggests the meaning is more like “well-bred” as far as God was concerned; see Exod 2:2).
[7:20] 134 tn Grk “who was brought up for three months.” The continuation of the sentence as a relative clause is awkward in English, so a new sentence was started in the translation by changing the relative pronoun to a regular pronoun (“he”).
[7:21] 135 tn Or “exposed” (see v. 19).
[7:21] 136 tn Grk “Pharaoh’s daughter took him up for herself.” According to BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω, “The pap. exx. involve exposed children taken up and reared as slaves…The rendering ‘adopt’ lacks philological precision and can be used only in a loose sense (as NRSV), esp. when Gr-Rom. terminology relating to adoption procedures is taken into account.” In this instance both the immediate context and the OT account (Exod 2:3-10) do support the normal sense of the English word “adopt,” although it should not be understood to refer to a technical, legal event.
[7:21] 137 tn Or “and reared him” (BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b).
