Kejadian 4:2

4:2 Then she gave birth ¹  to his brother Abel. ²  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ 

Kejadian 41:12

41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant ⁴  of the captain of the guards, ⁵  was with us there. We told him our dreams, ⁶  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. ⁷ 

Kejadian 44:10

44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! ⁸  The one who has it will become my slave, ⁹  but the rest of ¹⁰  you will go free.” ¹¹ 

Kejadian 49:15

49:15 When he sees ¹²  a good resting place,

and the pleasant land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

and become a slave laborer. ¹³ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  ² sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[41:12]  ⁴ tn Or “slave.”

[41:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

[41:12]  ⁶ tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

[44:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.

[44:10]  ⁹ tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”

[44:10]  ¹⁰ tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[44:10]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.

[44:10]  sn The rest of you will be free. Joseph’s purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed.

[49:15]  ¹² tn The verb forms in this verse (“sees,” “will bend,” and “[will] become”) are preterite; they is used in a rhetorical manner, describing the future as if it had already transpired.

[49:15]  ¹³ sn The oracle shows that the tribe of Issachar will be willing to trade liberty for the material things of life. Issachar would work (become a slave laborer) for the Canaanites, a reversal of the oracle on Canaan. See C. M. Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL 88 (1969): 435-44; and S. Gevirtz, “The Issachar Oracle in the Testament of Jacob,” ErIsr 12 (1975): 104-12.