Kejadian 32:1--40:23
Konteks32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God 1 met him. 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, 2 “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. 3
32:3 Jacob sent messengers on ahead 4 to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the region 5 of Edom. 32:4 He commanded them, “This is what you must say to my lord Esau: ‘This is what your servant 6 Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now. 32:5 I have oxen, donkeys, sheep, and male and female servants. I have sent 7 this message 8 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.” 32:7 Jacob was very afraid and upset. So he divided the people who were with him into two camps, as well as the flocks, herds, and camels. 32:8 “If Esau attacks one camp,” 9 he thought, 10 “then the other camp will be able to escape.” 11
32:9 Then Jacob prayed, 12 “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O Lord, you said 13 to me, ‘Return to your land and to your relatives and I will make you prosper.’ 14 32:10 I am not worthy of all the faithful love 15 you have shown 16 your servant. With only my walking stick 17 I crossed the Jordan, 18 but now I have become two camps. 32:11 Rescue me, 19 I pray, from the hand 20 of my brother Esau, 21 for I am afraid he will come 22 and attack me, as well as the mothers with their children. 23 32:12 But you 24 said, ‘I will certainly make you prosper 25 and will make 26 your descendants like the sand on the seashore, too numerous to count.’” 27
32:13 Jacob 28 stayed there that night. Then he sent 29 as a gift 30 to his brother Esau 32:14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 32:15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 32:16 He entrusted them to 31 his servants, who divided them into herds. 32 He told his servants, “Pass over before me, and keep some distance between one herd and the next.” 32:17 He instructed the servant leading the first herd, 33 “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong? 34 Where are you going? Whose herds are you driving?’ 35 32:18 then you must say, 36 ‘They belong 37 to your servant Jacob. 38 They have been sent as a gift to my lord Esau. 39 In fact Jacob himself is behind us.’” 40
32:19 He also gave these instructions to the second and third servants, as well as all those who were following the herds, saying, “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 41 32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” 42 Jacob thought, 43 “I will first appease him 44 by sending a gift ahead of me. 45 After that I will meet him. 46 Perhaps he will accept me.” 47 32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him 48 while he spent that night in the camp. 49
32:22 During the night Jacob quickly took 50 his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons 51 and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 52 32:23 He took them and sent them across the stream along with all his possessions. 53 32:24 So Jacob was left alone. Then a man 54 wrestled 55 with him until daybreak. 56 32:25 When the man 57 saw that he could not defeat Jacob, 58 he struck 59 the socket of his hip so the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him.
32:26 Then the man 60 said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” 61 “I will not let you go,” Jacob replied, 62 “unless you bless me.” 63 32:27 The man asked him, 64 “What is your name?” 65 He answered, “Jacob.” 32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, 66 “but Israel, 67 because you have fought 68 with God and with men and have prevailed.”
32:29 Then Jacob asked, “Please tell me your name.” 69 “Why 70 do you ask my name?” the man replied. 71 Then he blessed 72 Jacob 73 there. 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, 74 explaining, 75 “Certainly 76 I have seen God face to face 77 and have survived.” 78
32:31 The sun rose 79 over him as he crossed over Penuel, 80 but 81 he was limping because of his hip. 32:32 That is why to this day 82 the Israelites do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the hip, because he struck 83 the socket of Jacob’s hip near the attached sinew.
33:1 Jacob looked up 84 and saw that Esau was coming 85 along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 86 33:3 But Jacob 87 himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 88 his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau 89 looked up 90 and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob 91 replied, “The children whom God has graciously given 92 your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. 93 33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
33:8 Esau 94 then asked, “What did you intend 95 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 96 Jacob 97 replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. 98 “If I have found favor in your sight, accept 99 my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, 100 it is as if I have seen the face of God. 101 33:11 Please take my present 102 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 103 to me and I have all I need.” 104 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 105
33:12 Then Esau 106 said, “Let’s be on our way! 107 I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob 108 said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, 109 and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. 110 If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 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, 111 until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 112 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 113 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 114
33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back 115 to Seir. 33:17 But 116 Jacob traveled to Succoth 117 where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called 118 Succoth. 119
33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near 120 the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it 121 from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 122 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” 123
34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet 124 the young women 125 of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, 126 and sexually assaulted her. 127 34:3 Then he became very attached 128 to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. 129 34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” 130 34:5 When 131 Jacob heard that Shechem 132 had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent 133 until they came in.
34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. 134 34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 135 They 136 were offended 137 and very angry because Shechem 138 had disgraced Israel 139 by sexually assaulting 140 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 141
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 142 Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. 143 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 144 34:10 You may live 145 among us, and the land will be open to you. 146 Live in it, travel freely in it, 147 and acquire property in it.”
34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s 148 father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me 149 I’ll give. 150 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, 151 and I’ll give 152 whatever you ask 153 of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem 154 had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 155 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 156 to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become 157 like us by circumcising 158 all your males. 34:16 Then we will give 159 you our daughters to marry, 160 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms 161 by being circumcised, then we will take 162 our sister 163 and depart.”
34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 164 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked 165 because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah 166 badly. (Now he was more important 167 than anyone in his father’s household.) 168 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 169 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 170 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 171 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 172 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 173 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 174 agreed with 175 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 176 was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 177 and went to the unsuspecting city 178 and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them 179 and looted the city because their sister had been violated. 180 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. 181 34:29 They captured as plunder 182 all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 183 on me by making me a foul odor 184 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 185 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, 186 “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”
35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 187 to Bethel 188 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 189 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 190 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 191 35:3 Let us go up at once 192 to Bethel. Then I will make 193 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 194 and has been with me wherever I went.” 195
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 196 and the rings that were in their ears. 197 Jacob buried them 198 under the oak 199 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 200 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 201 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 202 in the land of Canaan. 203 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 204 because there God had revealed himself 205 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 206 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 207 Oak of Weeping.) 208
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 209 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 210 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 211 35:12 The land I gave 212 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 213 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 214 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 215 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 216 35:15 Jacob named the place 217 where God spoke with him Bethel. 218
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 219 Rachel went into labor 220 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 221 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 222 35:18 With her dying breath, 223 she named him Ben-Oni. 224 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 225 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 226 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 227 over her grave; it is 228 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 229 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 230 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 231 to Kiriath Arba 232 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 233 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 234 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 235 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 236 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). 237
36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: 238 Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter 239 of Zibeon the Hivite, 36:3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.
36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.
36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from 240 Jacob his brother 36:7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled 241 was not able to support them because of their livestock. 36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. 242
36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father 243 of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.
36:10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were:
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons 244 of Esau’s wife Adah.
36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons 245 of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter 246 of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.
36:15 These were the chiefs 247 among the descendants 248 of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 36:16 chief Korah, 249 chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons 250 of Adah.
36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons 251 of Esau’s wife Basemath.
36:18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
36:19 These were the sons of Esau (also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.
36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, 252 who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants 253 of Seir in the land of Edom.
36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; 254 Lotan’s sister was Timna.
36:23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, 255 and Onam.
36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs 256 in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).
36:25 These were the children 257 of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.
36:26 These were the sons of Dishon: 258 Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
36:28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
36:29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.
36:31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: 259
36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
36:33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
36:35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.
36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River 260 reigned in his place.
36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.
36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad 261 reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. 262 His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
36:40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements 263 in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.
37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, 264 in the land of Canaan. 265
37:2 This is the account of Jacob.
Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, 266 was taking care of 267 the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster 268 working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. 269 Joseph brought back a bad report about them 270 to their father.
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons 271 because he was a son born to him late in life, 272 and he made a special 273 tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s 274 brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, 275 they hated Joseph 276 and were not able to speak to him kindly. 277
37:5 Joseph 278 had a dream, 279 and when he told his brothers about it, 280 they hated him even more. 281 37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 282 37:7 There we were, 283 binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down 284 to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” 285 They hated him even more 286 because of his dream and because of what he said. 287
37:9 Then he had another dream, 288 and told it to his brothers. “Look,” 289 he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? 290 Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” 291 37:11 His brothers were jealous 292 of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. 293
37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers 294 are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” 295 Joseph replied. 296 37:14 So Jacob 297 said to him, “Go now and check on 298 the welfare 299 of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob 300 sent him from the valley of Hebron.
37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, 301 a man found him wandering 302 in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell 303 me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, 304 for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers 305 saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! 306 37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild 307 animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” 308
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph 309 from their hands, 310 saying, 311 “Let’s not take his life!” 312 37:22 Reuben continued, 313 “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” 314 (Reuben said this 315 so he could rescue Joseph 316 from them 317 and take him back to his father.)
37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him 318 of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; 319 there was no water in it.)
37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up 320 and saw 321 a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. 322 37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, 323 for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. 324 37:28 So when the Midianite 325 merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled 326 him 327 out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites 328 then took Joseph to Egypt.
37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! 329 He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, 330 and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father 331 and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”
37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! 332 Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, 333 and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by 334 him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” 335 So Joseph’s 336 father wept for him.
37:36 Now 337 in Egypt the Midianites 338 sold Joseph 339 to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. 340
38:1 At that time Judah left 341 his brothers and stayed 342 with an Adullamite man 343 named Hirah.
38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man 344 named Shua. 345 Judah acquired her as a wife 346 and had marital relations with her. 347 38:3 She became pregnant 348 and had a son. Judah named 349 him Er. 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. 38:5 Then she had 350 yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. 351
38:6 Judah acquired 352 a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.
38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with 353 your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise 354 up a descendant for your brother.” 355 38:9 But Onan knew that the child 356 would not be considered his. 357 So whenever 358 he had sexual relations with 359 his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely 360 so as not to give his brother a descendant. 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord 361 killed him too.
38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, 362 “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” 363 So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.
38:12 After some time 364 Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with 365 his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, 366 “Look, your father-in-law is going up 367 to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because 368 she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) 369
38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute 370 because she had covered her face. 38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” 371 (He did not realize 372 it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 373 38:17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 374 38:18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. 375 She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, 376 removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.
38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah 377 the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, 378 but Hirah 379 could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, 380 “Where is the cult prostitute 381 who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 38:22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” 38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things 382 for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. 383 I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”
38:24 After three months Judah was told, 384 “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, 385 and as a result she has become pregnant.” 386 Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word 387 to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” 388 Then she said, “Identify 389 the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright 390 than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her 391 again.
38:27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 38:28 While she was giving birth, one child 392 put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. 393 She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” 394 So he was named Perez. 395 38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. 396
39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. 397 An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, 398 purchased him from 399 the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful 400 and lived 401 in the household of his Egyptian master. 39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. 402 39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. 403 Potiphar appointed Joseph 404 overseer of his household and put him in charge 405 of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time 406 Potiphar 407 appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed 408 the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both 409 in his house and in his fields. 410 39:6 So Potiphar 411 left 412 everything he had in Joseph’s care; 413 he gave no thought 414 to anything except the food he ate. 415
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 416 39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of 417 Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” 418 39:8 But he refused, saying 419 to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought 420 to his household with me here, 421 and everything that he owns he has put into my care. 422 39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do 423 such a great evil and sin against God?” 39:10 Even though she continued to speak 424 to Joseph day after day, he did not respond 425 to her invitation to have sex with her. 426
39:11 One day 427 he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants 428 were there in the house. 39:12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran 429 outside. 430 39:13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought 431 in a Hebrew man 432 to us to humiliate us. 433 He tried to have sex with me, 434 but I screamed loudly. 435 39:15 When he heard me raise 436 my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”
39:16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 39:17 This is what she said to him: 437 “That Hebrew slave 438 you brought to us tried to humiliate me, 439 39:18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”
39:19 When his master heard his wife say, 440 “This is the way 441 your slave treated me,” 442 he became furious. 443 39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, 444 the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. 445
39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. 446 He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. 447 39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. 448 39:23 The warden did not concern himself 449 with anything that was in Joseph’s 450 care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.
40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer 451 to the king of Egypt and the royal baker 452 offended 453 their master, the king of Egypt. 40:2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, 454 the cupbearer and the baker, 40:3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 40:4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. 455
They spent some time in custody. 456 40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream 457 the same night. 458 Each man’s dream had its own meaning. 459 40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. 460 40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 461 40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, 462 but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them 463 to me.”
40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: 464 “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his 465 cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 466
40:12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent 467 three days. 40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you 468 and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before 469 when you were cupbearer. 40:14 But remember me 470 when it goes well for you, and show 471 me kindness. 472 Make mention 473 of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, 474 40:15 for I really was kidnapped 475 from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”
40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, 476 he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread 477 on my head. 40:17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”
40:18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent 478 three days. 40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you 479 and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”
40:20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” 480 the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position 481 so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 40:22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. 482 40:23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him. 483
[32:1] 1 sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.
[32:2] 2 tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”
[32:2] 3 sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.
[32:4] 6 sn Your servant. The narrative recounts Jacob’s groveling in fear before Esau as he calls his brother his “lord,” as if to minimize what had been done twenty years ago.
[32:5] 7 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] 8 tn The words “this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 9 tn Heb “If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.”
[32:8] 10 tn Heb “and he said, ‘If Esau comes to one camp and attacks it.” The Hebrew verb אָמַר (’amar) here represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “he thought.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:8] 11 tn Heb “the surviving camp will be for escape.” The word “escape” is a feminine noun. The term most often refers to refugees from war.
[32:9] 13 tn Heb “the one who said.”
[32:9] 14 tn Heb “I will cause good” or “I will treat well [or “favorably”].” The idea includes more than prosperity, though that is its essential meaning. Here the form is subordinated to the preceding imperative and indicates purpose or result. Jacob is reminding God of his promise in the hope that God will honor his word.
[32:10] 15 tn Heb “the loving deeds and faithfulness” (see 24:27, 49).
[32:10] 16 tn Heb “you have done with.”
[32:10] 17 tn Heb “for with my staff.” The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally translated “staff,” has been rendered as “walking stick” because a “staff” in contemporary English refers typically to the support personnel in an organization.
[32:10] 18 tn Heb “this Jordan.”
[32:11] 19 tn The imperative has the force of a prayer here, not a command.
[32:11] 20 tn The “hand” here is a metonymy for “power.”
[32:11] 21 tn Heb “from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau.”
[32:11] 22 tn Heb “for I am afraid of him, lest he come.”
[32:11] 23 sn Heb “me, [the] mother upon [the] sons.” The first person pronoun “me” probably means here “me and mine,” as the following clause suggests.
[32:12] 24 tn Heb “But you, you said.” One of the occurrences of the pronoun “you” has been left untranslated for stylistic reasons.
[32:12] sn Some commentators have thought this final verse of the prayer redundant, but it actually follows the predominant form of a lament in which God is motivated to act. The primary motivation Jacob can offer to God is God’s promise, and so he falls back on that at the end of the prayer.
[32:12] 25 tn Or “will certainly deal well with you.” The infinitive absolute appears before the imperfect, underscoring God’s promise to bless. The statement is more emphatic than in v. 9.
[32:12] 26 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, carrying the nuance of the preceding verb forward.
[32:12] 27 tn Heb “which cannot be counted because of abundance.” The imperfect verbal form indicates potential here.
[32:13] 28 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:13] 29 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] 30 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).
[32:16] 31 tn Heb “and he put them in the hand of.”
[32:16] 32 tn Heb “a herd, a herd, by itself,” or “each herd by itself.” The distributive sense is expressed by repetition.
[32:17] 33 tn Heb “the first”; this has been specified as “the servant leading the first herd” in the translation for clarity.
[32:17] 34 tn Heb “to whom are you?”
[32:17] 35 tn Heb “and to whom are these before you?”
[32:18] 36 tn The form is the perfect tense with the vav (ו) consecutive; it has the nuance of an imperfect of instruction.
[32:18] 37 tn The words “they belong” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:18] 38 tn Heb “to your servant, to Jacob.”
[32:18] 39 tn Heb “to my lord, to Esau.”
[32:18] 40 tn Heb “and look, also he [is] behind us.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:19] 41 tn Heb “And he commanded also the second, also the third, also all the ones going after the herds, saying: ‘According to this word you will speak when you find him.’”
[32:20] 42 tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”
[32:20] 43 tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”
[32:20] 44 tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.
[32:20] 45 tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”
[32:20] 46 tn Heb “I will see his face.”
[32:20] 47 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.
[32:21] 48 tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”
[32:21] 49 tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.
[32:22] 50 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.
[32:22] 51 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).
[32:22] 52 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.
[32:23] 53 tn Heb “and he sent across what he had.”
[32:24] 54 sn Reflecting Jacob’s perspective at the beginning of the encounter, the narrator calls the opponent simply “a man.” Not until later in the struggle does Jacob realize his true identity.
[32:24] 55 sn The verb translated “wrestled” (וַיֵּאָבֵק, vayye’aveq) sounds in Hebrew like the names “Jacob” (יַעֲקֹב, ya’aqov) and “Jabbok” (יַבֹּק, yabboq). In this way the narrator links the setting, the main action, and the main participant together in the mind of the reader or hearer.
[32:24] 56 tn Heb “until the rising of the dawn.”
[32:25] 57 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 58 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:25] 59 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.
[32:26] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:26] 61 tn Heb “dawn has arisen.”
[32:26] 62 tn Heb “and he said, ‘I will not let you go.’” 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.
[32:26] 63 sn Jacob wrestled with a man thinking him to be a mere man, and on that basis was equal to the task. But when it had gone on long enough, the night visitor touched Jacob and crippled him. Jacob’s request for a blessing can only mean that he now knew that his opponent was supernatural. Contrary to many allegorical interpretations of the passage that make fighting equivalent to prayer, this passage shows that Jacob stopped fighting, and then asked for a blessing.
[32:27] 64 tn Heb “and he said to him.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:27] 65 sn What is your name? The question is rhetorical, since the
[32:28] 66 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with 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.
[32:28] 67 sn The name Israel is a common construction, using a verb with a theophoric element (אֵל, ’el) that usually indicates the subject of the verb. Here it means “God fights.” This name will replace the name Jacob; it will be both a promise and a call for faith. In essence, the
[32:28] 68 sn You have fought. The explanation of the name Israel includes a sound play. In Hebrew the verb translated “you have fought” (שָׂרִיתָ, sarita) sounds like the name “Israel” (יִשְׂרָאֵל, yisra’el ), meaning “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). The name would evoke the memory of the fight and what it meant. A. Dillmann says that ever after this the name would tell the Israelites that, when Jacob contended successfully with God, he won the battle with man (Genesis, 2:279). To be successful with God meant that he had to be crippled in his own self-sufficiency (A. P. Ross, “Jacob at the Jabboq, Israel at Peniel,” BSac 142 [1985]: 51-62).
[32:29] 69 sn Tell me your name. In primitive thought to know the name of a deity or supernatural being would enable one to use it for magical manipulation or power (A. S. Herbert, Genesis 12-50 [TBC], 108). For a thorough structural analysis of the passage discussing the plays on the names and the request of Jacob, see R. Barthes, “The Struggle with the Angel: Textual Analysis of Genesis 32:23-33,” Structural Analysis and Biblical Exegesis (PTMS), 21-33.
[32:29] 70 tn The question uses the enclitic pronoun “this” to emphasize the import of the question.
[32:29] 71 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (the man who wrestled with 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.
[32:29] 72 tn The verb here means that the
[32:29] 73 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[32:30] 74 sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.
[32:30] 75 tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[32:30] 77 sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.
[32:30] 78 tn Heb “and my soul [= life] has been preserved.”
[32:30] sn I have survived. It was commonly understood that no one could see God and live (Gen 48:16; Exod 19:21, 24:10; and Judg 6:11, 22). On the surface Jacob seems to be saying that he saw God and survived. But the statement may have a double meaning, in light of his prayer for deliverance in v. 11. Jacob recognizes that he has survived his encounter with God and that his safety has now been guaranteed.
[32:31] 80 sn The name is spelled Penuel here, apparently a variant spelling of Peniel (see v. 30).
[32:31] 81 tn The disjunctive clause draws attention to an important fact: He may have crossed the stream, but he was limping.
[32:32] 82 sn On the use of the expression to this day, see B. S. Childs, “A Study of the Formula ‘Until This Day’,” JBL 82 (1963): 279-92.
[32:32] 83 tn Or “because the socket of Jacob’s hip was struck.” Some translations render this as an impersonal passive. On the translation of the word “struck” see the note on this term in v. 25.
[33:1] 84 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”
[33:1] 85 tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[33:2] 86 sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.
[33:3] 87 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:3] 88 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.
[33:5] 89 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 90 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
[33:5] 91 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:5] 92 tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”
[33:6] 93 tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”
[33:8] 94 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:8] 95 tn Heb “Who to you?”
[33:8] 96 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
[33:8] 97 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:10] 98 tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
[33:10] 99 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.
[33:10] 100 tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.
[33:10] 101 tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”
[33:10] sn This is an allusion to the preceding episode (32:22-31) in which Jacob saw the face of God and realized his prayer was answered.
[33:11] 102 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
[33:11] 103 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
[33:11] 105 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 106 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:12] 107 tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”
[33:13] 108 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[33:13] 110 tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”
[33:14] 111 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.”
[33:15] 112 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
[33:15] 113 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] 114 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[33:16] 115 tn Heb “returned on his way.”
[33:17] 116 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
[33:17] 117 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] 118 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] 119 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
[33:18] 120 tn Heb “in front of.”
[33:19] 121 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
[33:19] 122 tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).
[33:20] 123 tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.
[34:1] 124 tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
[34:1] 125 tn Heb “daughters.”
[34:2] 126 tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.
[34:2] 127 tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
[34:3] 128 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
[34:3] 129 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
[34:4] 130 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
[34:5] 131 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
[34:5] 132 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:5] 133 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.
[34:6] 134 tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 135 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[34:7] 136 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
[34:7] 137 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
[34:7] 138 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:7] 139 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
[34:7] 140 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
[34:7] 141 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
[34:8] 142 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
[34:9] 143 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
[34:9] 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).
[34:9] 144 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.
[34:10] 145 tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[34:10] 146 tn Heb “before you.”
[34:10] 147 tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”
[34:11] 148 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:11] 149 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
[34:12] 151 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
[34:12] 152 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
[34:13] 154 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 155 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
[34:14] 156 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
[34:15] 157 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
[34:15] 158 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
[34:16] 159 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:16] 160 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.
[34:17] 161 tn Heb “listen to us.”
[34:17] 162 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
[34:17] 163 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
[34:18] 164 tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
[34:19] 165 tn Heb “doing the thing.”
[34:19] 166 tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:19] 167 tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
[34:19] 168 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).
[34:20] 169 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
[34:21] 170 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
[34:21] 171 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:22] 172 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
[34:23] 173 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[34:24] 174 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:24] 175 tn Heb “listened to.”
[34:24] 176 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
[34:25] 177 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
[34:25] 178 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
[34:27] 179 tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
[34:27] 180 tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
[34:28] 181 tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
[34:29] 182 tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
[34:30] 183 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
[34:30] 184 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
[34:30] 185 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
[34:31] 186 tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:1] 187 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[35:1] 188 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:1] 189 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
[35:2] 190 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
[35:2] 191 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
[35:3] 192 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
[35:3] 193 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
[35:3] 194 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
[35:3] 195 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
[35:4] 196 tn Heb “in their hand.”
[35:4] 197 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
[35:4] 198 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
[35:5] 200 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
[35:5] 201 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
[35:6] 202 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:6] 203 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
[35:7] 204 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
[35:7] 205 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
[35:8] 206 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
[35:8] 207 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
[35:8] 208 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
[35:10] 209 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:10] sn The name Israel means “God fights” (although some interpret the meaning as “he fights [with] God”). See Gen 32:28.
[35:11] 210 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] 211 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.
[35:12] 212 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
[35:12] 213 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
[35:13] 214 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
[35:14] 215 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
[35:14] 216 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
[35:15] 217 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
[35:15] 218 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
[35:15] map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[35:16] 219 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
[35:16] 220 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.”
[35:17] 221 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
[35:17] 222 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
[35:18] 223 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
[35:18] 224 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
[35:18] 225 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
[35:18] sn His father called him Benjamin. There was a preference for giving children good or positive names in the ancient world, and “son of my suffering” would not do (see the incident in 1 Chr 4:9-10), because it would be a reminder of the death of Rachel (in this connection, see also D. Daube, “The Night of Death,” HTR 61 [1968]: 629-32). So Jacob named him Benjamin, which means “son of the [or “my”] right hand.” The name Benjamin appears in the Mari texts. There have been attempts to connect this name to the resident tribe listed at Mari, “sons of the south” (since the term “right hand” can also mean “south” in Hebrew), but this assumes a different reading of the story. See J. Muilenburg, “The Birth of Benjamin,” JBL 75 (1956): 194-201.
[35:19] 226 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
[35:19] map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[35:20] 227 tn Heb “standing stone.”
[35:20] 228 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
[35:21] 229 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
[35:22] 230 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).
[35:27] 231 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
[35:27] 232 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
[35:27] 233 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
[35:28] 234 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
[35:29] 235 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
[35:29] 236 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
[36:1] 237 sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.
[36:2] 238 tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”
[36:2] 239 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
[36:6] 240 tn Heb “from before.”
[36:7] 241 tn Heb “land of their settlements.”
[36:8] 242 tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.
[36:9] 243 sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.
[36:12] 244 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
[36:13] 245 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
[36:14] 246 tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.
[36:15] 247 tn Or “clan leaders” (so also throughout this chapter).
[36:16] 249 tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).
[36:16] 250 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
[36:17] 251 tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).
[36:20] 252 sn The same pattern of sons, grandsons, and chiefs is now listed for Seir the Horite. “Seir” is both the name of the place and the name of the ancestor of these tribes. The name “Horite” is probably not to be identified with “Hurrian.” The clan of Esau settled in this area, intermarried with these Horites and eventually dispossessed them, so that they all became known as Edomites (Deut 2:12 telescopes the whole development).
[36:22] 254 tn Heb “Hemam”; this is probably a variant spelling of “Homam” (1 Chr 1:39); cf. NRSV, NLT “Heman.”
[36:23] 255 tn This name is given as “Shephi” in 1 Chr 1:40.
[36:24] 256 tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”
[36:25] 257 tn Heb “sons,” but since a daughter is included in the list, the word must be translated “children.”
[36:26] 258 tn Heb “Dishan,” but this must be either a scribal error or variant spelling, since “Dishan” is mentioned in v. 28 (see also v. 21).
[36:31] 259 tn Or perhaps “before any Israelite king ruled over [them].”
[36:37] 260 tn Typically the Hebrew expression “the River” refers to the Euphrates River, but it is not certain whether that is the case here. Among the modern English versions which take this as a reference to the Euphrates are NASB, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT. Cf. NAB, TEV “Rehoboth-on-the-River.”
[36:39] 261 tc Most
[36:39] 262 tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.
[36:43] 263 tn Or perhaps “territories”; Heb “dwelling places.”
[37:1] 264 tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”
[37:1] 265 sn The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a concluding contrast with Esau and his people. In contrast to all the settled and expanded population of Esau, Jacob was still moving about in the land without a permanent residence and without kings. Even if the Edomite king list was added later (as the reference to kings in Israel suggests), its placement here in contrast to Jacob and his descendants is important. Certainly the text deals with Esau before dealing with Jacob – that is the pattern. But the detail is so great in chap. 36 that the contrast cannot be missed.
[37:2] 266 tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”
[37:2] 267 tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”
[37:2] 268 tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.
[37:2] 269 tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”
[37:2] 270 tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.
[37:2] sn Some interpreters portray Joseph as a tattletale for bringing back a bad report about them [i.e., his brothers], but the entire Joseph story has some of the characteristics of wisdom literature. Joseph is presented in a good light – not because he was perfect, but because the narrative is showing how wisdom rules. In light of that, this section portrays Joseph as faithful to his father in little things, even though unpopular – and so he will eventually be given authority over greater things.
[37:3] 271 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.
[37:3] sn The statement Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons brings forward a motif that played an important role in the family of Isaac – parental favoritism. Jacob surely knew what that had done to him and his brother Esau, and to his own family. But now he showers affection on Rachel’s son Joseph.
[37:3] 272 tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”
[37:3] 273 tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.
[37:4] 274 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:4] 275 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
[37:4] 276 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:4] 277 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
[37:5] 278 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:5] 279 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
[37:5] 280 sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.
[37:5] 281 tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.
[37:6] 282 tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”
[37:7] 283 tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”
[37:7] 284 tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.
[37:8] 285 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] 286 tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.
[37:8] 287 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.
[37:9] 288 tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”
[37:9] 289 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.
[37:10] 290 sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.
[37:10] 291 tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”
[37:11] 292 sn Joseph’s brothers were already jealous of him, but this made it even worse. Such jealousy easily leads to action, as the next episode in the story shows. Yet dreams were considered a form of revelation, and their jealousy was not only of the favoritism of their father, but of the dreams. This is why Jacob kept the matter in mind.
[37:11] 293 tn Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the translation for clarity, and the words “in mind” have been supplied for stylistic reasons.
[37:13] 294 tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”
[37:13] 295 sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.
[37:13] 296 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.
[37:14] 297 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:14] 300 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:15] 301 tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:15] 302 tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.
[37:16] 303 tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.
[37:17] 304 tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”
[37:18] 305 tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:19] 306 tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.
[37:20] 307 tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.
[37:20] 308 tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”
[37:21] 309 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:21] 310 sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).
[37:21] 311 tn Heb “and he said.”
[37:21] 312 tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”
[37:22] 313 tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”
[37:22] 314 sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.
[37:22] 315 tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:22] 316 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:22] 317 tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.
[37:23] 318 tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:24] 319 tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.
[37:25] 320 tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”
[37:25] 321 tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.
[37:25] 322 tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”
[37:27] 323 tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”
[37:27] 324 tn Heb “listened.”
[37:28] 325 sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.
[37:28] 326 tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).
[37:28] 327 tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[37:28] 328 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:29] 329 tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.
[37:31] 330 sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.
[37:32] 331 tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.
[37:33] 332 sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.
[37:34] 333 tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”
[37:35] 334 tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.
[37:35] 335 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] 336 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:36] 337 tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.
[37:36] 338 tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”
[37:36] 339 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[37:36] 340 sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.
[38:1] 341 tn Heb “went down from.”
[38:1] 342 tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”
[38:1] 343 tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”
[38:2] 344 tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”
[38:2] 345 tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”
[38:2] 346 tn Heb “and he took her.”
[38:2] 347 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:3] 348 tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).
[38:3] 349 tc Some
[38:3] tn Heb “and he called his name.” The referent (Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[38:5] 350 tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.
[38:5] 351 tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”
[38:6] 352 tn Heb “and Judah took.”
[38:8] 353 tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:8] 354 tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.
[38:8] 355 sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.
[38:9] 356 tn Heb “offspring.”
[38:9] 357 tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.
[38:9] 358 tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.
[38:9] sn The text makes it clear that the purpose of the custom was to produce an heir for the deceased brother. Onan had no intention of doing that. But he would have sex with the girl as much as he wished. He was willing to use the law to gratify his desires, but was not willing to do the responsible thing.
[38:9] 359 tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:9] 360 tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.
[38:10] 361 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[38:11] 363 tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”
[38:11] sn I don’t want him to die like his brothers. This clause explains that Judah had no intention of giving Shelah to Tamar for the purpose of the levirate marriage. Judah apparently knew the nature of his sons, and feared that God would be angry with the third son and kill him as well.
[38:12] 364 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.
[38:12] 365 tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”
[38:13] 366 tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”
[38:13] 367 tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.
[38:14] 368 tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.
[38:14] 369 tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”
[38:15] 370 tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.
[38:16] 371 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] 372 tn Heb “for he did not know that.”
[38:16] 373 tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:17] 374 tn Heb “until you send.”
[38:18] 375 tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:19] 376 tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.
[38:20] 377 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] 378 tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”
[38:20] 379 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[38:21] 380 tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.
[38:21] 381 sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213-23.
[38:23] 382 tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[38:23] 383 tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.
[38:24] 384 tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”
[38:24] 385 tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.
[38:24] 386 tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”
[38:25] 387 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
[38:25] 388 tn Heb “who these to him.”
[38:25] 389 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
[38:26] 390 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] 391 tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:28] 392 tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[38:29] 393 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.
[38:29] 394 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.”
[38:29] 395 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.
[38:30] 396 sn Perhaps the child was named Zerah because of the scarlet thread. Though the Hebrew word used for “scarlet thread” in v. 28 is not related to the name Zerah, there is a related root in Babylonian and western Aramaic that means “scarlet” or “scarlet thread.” In Hebrew the name appears to be derived from a root meaning “to shine.” The name could have originally meant something like “shining one” or “God has shined.” Zerah became the head of a tribe (Num 26:20) from whom Achan descended (Josh 7:1).
[39:1] 397 tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.
[39:1] 398 sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.
[39:1] 399 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
[39:2] 400 tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).
[39:2] 401 tn Heb “and he was.”
[39:3] 402 tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:4] 403 sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.
[39:4] 404 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:4] 405 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
[39:5] 406 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
[39:5] 407 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:5] 408 sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).
[39:5] 409 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:5] 410 sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.
[39:6] 411 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:6] 412 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] 413 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
[39:6] 414 tn Heb “did not know.”
[39:6] 415 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] 416 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
[39:7] 417 tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.
[39:7] 418 tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:7] sn The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife has long been connected with the wisdom warnings about the strange woman who tries to seduce the young man with her boldness and directness (see Prov 5-7, especially 7:6-27). This is part of the literary background of the story of Joseph that gives it a wisdom flavor. See G. von Rad, God at Work in Israel, 19-35; and G. W. Coats, “The Joseph Story and Ancient Wisdom: A Reappraisal,” CBQ 35 (1973): 285-97.
[39:8] 419 tn Heb “and he said.”
[39:8] 421 tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[39:8] 422 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
[39:9] 423 tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.
[39:10] 424 tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.
[39:10] 425 tn Heb “listen to.”
[39:10] 426 tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:11] 427 tn Heb “and it was about this day.”
[39:11] 428 tn Heb “the men of the house.”
[39:12] 429 tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.
[39:12] 430 sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.
[39:14] 431 tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).
[39:14] 432 sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.
[39:14] 433 tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.
[39:14] 434 tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:14] 435 tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”
[39:15] 436 tn Heb “that I raised.”
[39:17] 437 tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”
[39:17] 438 sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.
[39:17] 439 tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.
[39:19] 440 tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”
[39:19] 441 tn Heb “according to these words.”
[39:19] 442 tn Heb “did to me.”
[39:19] 443 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
[39:20] 444 tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.
[39:20] 445 sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.
[39:21] 446 tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”
[39:21] 447 tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).
[39:22] 448 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.
[39:23] 449 tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”
[39:23] 450 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[40:1] 451 sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.
[40:1] 452 sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.
[40:1] 453 sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.
[40:2] 454 tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.
[40:4] 455 sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.
[40:4] 456 tn Heb “they were days in custody.”
[40:5] 457 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
[40:5] 458 tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”
[40:5] 459 tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”
[40:6] 460 tn The verb זָעַף (za’af) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.
[40:7] 461 tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”
[40:8] 462 tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”
[40:8] 463 tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[40:9] 464 tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.
[40:11] 465 tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[40:11] 466 sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.
[40:12] 467 tn Heb “the three branches [are].”
[40:13] 468 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”
[40:13] 469 tn Heb “according to the former custom.”
[40:14] 470 tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.
[40:14] 471 tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.
[40:14] 472 tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”
[40:14] 473 tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.
[40:14] 474 tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.
[40:15] 475 tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.
[40:16] 476 tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[40:16] 477 tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).
[40:18] 478 tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”
[40:19] 479 tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.
[40:20] 480 tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cup bearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).
[40:21] 481 tn Heb “his cupbearing.”
[40:22] 482 tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”
[40:22] sn The dreams were fulfilled exactly as Joseph had predicted, down to the very detail. Here was confirmation that Joseph could interpret dreams and that his own dreams were still valid. It would have been a tremendous encouragement to his faith, but it would also have been a great disappointment to spend two more years in jail.
[40:23] 483 tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.
