Kejadian 2:9

2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, ¹  every tree that was pleasing to look at ²  and good for food. (Now ³  the tree of life ⁴  and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ⁵  were in the middle of the orchard.)

Kejadian 2:16-17

2:16 Then the Lord God commanded ⁶  the man, “You may freely eat ⁷  fruit ⁸  from every tree of the orchard, 2:17 but ⁹  you must not eat ¹⁰  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when ¹¹  you eat from it you will surely die.” ¹² 

Kejadian 3:5

3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open ¹³  and you will be like divine beings who know ¹⁴  good and evil.” ¹⁵ 

Kejadian 3:7

3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Kejadian 3:11

3:11 And the Lord God ¹⁶  said, “Who told you that you were naked? ¹⁷  Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹⁸ 

Kejadian 3:22

3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now ¹⁹  that the man has become like one of us, ²⁰  knowing ²¹  good and evil, he must not be allowed ²²  to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Kejadian 4:9

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ²³  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ²⁴ 

Kejadian 8:8

8:8 Then Noah ²⁵  sent out a dove ²⁶  to see if the waters had receded ²⁷  from the surface of the ground.

Kejadian 8:11

8:11 When ²⁸  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ²⁹  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

Kejadian 8:21

8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ³⁰  and said ³¹  to himself, ³²  “I will never again curse ³³  the ground because of humankind, even though ³⁴  the inclination of their minds ³⁵  is evil from childhood on. ³⁶  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

Kejadian 9:24

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ³⁷  he learned ³⁸  what his youngest son had done ³⁹  to him.

Kejadian 12:11

12:11 As he approached ⁴⁰  Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, ⁴¹  I know that you are a beautiful woman. ⁴² 

Kejadian 14:14

14:14 When Abram heard that his nephew ⁴³  had been taken captive, he mobilized ⁴⁴  his 318 trained men who had been born in his household, and he pursued the invaders ⁴⁵  as far as Dan. ⁴⁶ 

Kejadian 15:8

15:8 But ⁴⁷  Abram ⁴⁸  said, “O sovereign Lord, ⁴⁹  by what ⁵⁰  can I know that I am to possess it?”

Kejadian 15:13

15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain ⁵¹  that your descendants will be strangers ⁵²  in a foreign country. ⁵³  They will be enslaved and oppressed ⁵⁴  for four hundred years.

Kejadian 16:2

16:2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ⁵⁵  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ⁵⁶  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ⁵⁷  Abram did what ⁵⁸  Sarai told him.

Kejadian 16:4-5

16:4 He had sexual relations with ⁵⁹  Hagar, and she became pregnant. ⁶⁰  Once Hagar realized she was pregnant, she despised Sarai. ⁶¹  16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You have brought this wrong on me! ⁶²  I allowed my servant to have sexual relations with you, ⁶³  but when she realized ⁶⁴  that she was pregnant, she despised me. ⁶⁵  May the Lord judge between you and me!” ⁶⁶ 

Kejadian 18:19

18:19 I have chosen him ⁶⁷  so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep ⁶⁸  the way of the Lord by doing ⁶⁹  what is right and just. Then the Lord will give ⁷⁰  to Abraham what he promised ⁷¹  him.”

Kejadian 18:21

18:21 that I must go down ⁷²  and see if they are as wicked as the outcry suggests. ⁷³  If not, ⁷⁴  I want to know.”

Kejadian 19:8

19:8 Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with ⁷⁵  a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. ⁷⁶  Only don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection ⁷⁷  of my roof.” ⁷⁸ 

Kejadian 19:33

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ⁷⁹  and the older daughter ⁸⁰  came and had sexual relations with her father. ⁸¹  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁸² 

Kejadian 19:35

19:35 So they made their father drunk ⁸³  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ⁸⁴  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ⁸⁵ 

Kejadian 20:6-8

20:6 Then in the dream God replied to him, “Yes, I know that you have done this with a clear conscience. ⁸⁶  That is why I have kept you ⁸⁷  from sinning against me and why ⁸⁸  I did not allow you to touch her. 20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ⁸⁹  he is a prophet ⁹⁰  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ⁹¹  But if you don’t give her back, ⁹²  know that you will surely die ⁹³  along with all who belong to you.”

20:8 Early in the morning ⁹⁴  Abimelech summoned ⁹⁵  all his servants. When he told them about all these things, ⁹⁶  they ⁹⁷  were terrified.

Kejadian 21:26

21:26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover, ⁹⁸  you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”

Kejadian 22:12

22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” ⁹⁹  the angel said. ¹⁰⁰  “Do not do anything to him, for now I know ¹⁰¹  that you fear ¹⁰²  God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

Kejadian 24:14

24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ ¹⁰³  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ¹⁰⁴ 

Kejadian 24:16

24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ¹⁰⁵  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up.

Kejadian 24:21

24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine ¹⁰⁶  if the Lord had made his journey successful ¹⁰⁷  or not.

Kejadian 24:49

24:49 Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.” ¹⁰⁸ 

Kejadian 26:28

26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ¹⁰⁹  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ¹¹⁰  a pact between us ¹¹¹  – between us ¹¹²  and you. Allow us to make ¹¹³  a treaty with you

Kejadian 26:32

26:32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. “We’ve found water,” they reported. ¹¹⁴ 

Kejadian 27:2

27:2 Isaac ¹¹⁵  said, “Since ¹¹⁶  I am so old, I could die at any time. ¹¹⁷ 

Kejadian 27:6

27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father tell your brother Esau,

Kejadian 27:12

27:12 My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him ¹¹⁸  and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”

Kejadian 27:42

27:42 When Rebekah heard what her older son Esau had said, ¹¹⁹  she quickly summoned ¹²⁰  her younger son Jacob and told him, “Look, your brother Esau is planning to get revenge by killing you. ¹²¹ 

Kejadian 28:7

28:7 Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram.

Kejadian 28:16

28:16 Then Jacob woke up ¹²²  and thought, ¹²³  “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!”

Kejadian 29:12

29:12 When Jacob explained ¹²⁴  to Rachel that he was a relative of her father ¹²⁵  and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father.

Kejadian 29:25

29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! ¹²⁶  So Jacob ¹²⁷  said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! ¹²⁸  Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked ¹²⁹  me?”

Kejadian 30:9

30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave ¹³⁰  her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

Kejadian 30:26

30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ¹³¹  Then I’ll depart, ¹³²  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ¹³³ 

Kejadian 30:29

30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, ¹³⁴  “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. ¹³⁵ 

Kejadian 30:33

30:33 My integrity will testify for me ¹³⁶  later on. ¹³⁷  When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, ¹³⁸  if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” ¹³⁹ 

Kejadian 31:6

31:6 You know that I’ve worked for your father as hard as I could, ¹⁴⁰ 

Kejadian 31:20

31:20 Jacob also deceived ¹⁴¹  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ¹⁴² 

Kejadian 31:30

31:30 Now I understand that ¹⁴³  you have gone away ¹⁴⁴  because you longed desperately ¹⁴⁵  for your father’s house. Yet why did you steal my gods?” ¹⁴⁶ 

Kejadian 31:32

31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! ¹⁴⁷  In the presence of our relatives ¹⁴⁸  identify whatever is yours and take it.” ¹⁴⁹  (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) ¹⁵⁰ 

Kejadian 31:50

31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no one else is with us, realize ¹⁵¹  that God is witness to your actions.” ¹⁵² 

Kejadian 33:13

33:13 But Jacob ¹⁵³  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ¹⁵⁴  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ¹⁵⁵  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die.

Kejadian 37:16

37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ¹⁵⁶  me where they are grazing their flocks.”

Kejadian 38:9

38:9 But Onan knew that the child ¹⁵⁷  would not be considered his. ¹⁵⁸  So whenever ¹⁵⁹  he had sexual relations with ¹⁶⁰  his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely ¹⁶¹  so as not to give his brother a descendant.

Kejadian 38:14

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 ¹⁶²  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ¹⁶³ 

Kejadian 38:16

38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ¹⁶⁴  (He did not realize ¹⁶⁵  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ¹⁶⁶ 

Kejadian 39:6

39:6 So Potiphar ¹⁶⁷  left ¹⁶⁸  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ¹⁶⁹  he gave no thought ¹⁷⁰  to anything except the food he ate. ¹⁷¹ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ¹⁷² 

Kejadian 39:8

39:8 But he refused, saying ¹⁷³  to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought ¹⁷⁴  to his household with me here, ¹⁷⁵  and everything that he owns he has put into my care. ¹⁷⁶ 

Kejadian 40:8

40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹⁷⁷  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ¹⁷⁸  to me.”

Kejadian 40:16

40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, ¹⁷⁹  he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread ¹⁸⁰  on my head.

Kejadian 41:8

41:8 In the morning he ¹⁸¹  was troubled, so he called for ¹⁸²  all the diviner-priests ¹⁸³  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ¹⁸⁴  but no one could interpret ¹⁸⁵  them for him. ¹⁸⁶ 

Kejadian 41:21

41:21 When they had eaten them, ¹⁸⁷  no one would have known ¹⁸⁸  that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up.

Kejadian 41:24-25

41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this ¹⁸⁹  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ¹⁹⁰ 

41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. ¹⁹¹  God has revealed ¹⁹²  to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ¹⁹³ 

Kejadian 41:29

41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt.

Kejadian 41:31

41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered ¹⁹⁴  because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. ¹⁹⁵ 

Kejadian 41:44

41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission ¹⁹⁶  no one ¹⁹⁷  will move his hand or his foot ¹⁹⁸  in all the land of Egypt.”

Kejadian 42:12

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ¹⁹⁹ 

Kejadian 42:23

42:23 (Now ²⁰⁰  they did not know that Joseph could understand them, ²⁰¹  for he was speaking through an interpreter.) ²⁰² 

Kejadian 42:33-34

42:33 “Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain ²⁰³  for your hungry households and go. 42:34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know ²⁰⁴  that you are honest men and not spies. ²⁰⁵  Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.’” ²⁰⁶ 

Kejadian 43:7

43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us ²⁰⁷  thoroughly ²⁰⁸  about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ ²⁰⁹  So we answered him in this way. ²¹⁰  How could we possibly know ²¹¹  that he would say, ²¹²  ‘Bring your brother down’?”

Kejadian 43:18

43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of ²¹³  the money that was returned in our sacks last time. ²¹⁴  He wants to capture us, ²¹⁵  make us slaves, and take ²¹⁶  our donkeys!”

Kejadian 43:21-22

43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount ²¹⁷  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. ²¹⁸  43:22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the money in our sacks!”

Kejadian 44:5

44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup ²¹⁹  and use it for divination? ²²⁰  You have done wrong!’” ²²¹ 

Kejadian 44:8

44:8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

Kejadian 44:15

44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? ²²²  Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” ²²³ 

Kejadian 44:18

44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. ²²⁴  Please do not get angry with your servant, ²²⁵  for you are just like Pharaoh. ²²⁶ 

Kejadian 44:27

44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave me two sons. ²²⁷ 

Kejadian 45:6

45:6 For these past two years there has been famine in ²²⁸  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

Kejadian 45:13

45:13 So tell ²²⁹  my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!” ²³⁰ 

Kejadian 46:30

46:30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” ²³¹ 

Kejadian 47:6

47:6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men ²³²  among them, put them in charge ²³³  of my livestock.”

Kejadian 48:1

Manasseh and Ephraim

48:1 After these things Joseph was told, ²³⁴  “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

Kejadian 48:19

48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude ²³⁵  of nations.”

Kejadian 50:5

50:5 ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, ²³⁶  “I am about to die. Bury me ²³⁷  in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.’”

[2:9]  ¹ tn Heb “ground,” referring to the fertile soil.

[2:9]  ² tn Heb “desirable of sight [or “appearance”].” The phrase describes the kinds of trees that are visually pleasing and yield fruit that is desirable to the appetite.

[2:9]  ³ tn The verse ends with a disjunctive clause providing a parenthetical bit of information about the existence of two special trees in the garden.

[2:9]  ⁴ tn In light of Gen 3:22, the construction “tree of life” should be interpreted to mean a tree that produces life-giving fruit (objective genitive) rather than a living tree (attributive genitive). See E. O. James, The Tree of Life (SHR); and R. Marcus, “The Tree of Life in Proverbs,” JBL 62 (1943): 117-20.

[2:9]  ⁵ tn The expression “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” must be interpreted to mean that the tree would produce fruit which, when eaten, gives special knowledge of “good and evil.” Scholars debate what this phrase means here. For a survey of opinions, see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:62-64. One view is that “good” refers to that which enhances, promotes, and produces life, while “evil” refers to anything that hinders, interrupts or destroys life. So eating from this tree would change human nature – people would be able to alter life for better (in their thinking) or for worse. See D. J. A. Clines, “The Tree of Knowledge and the Law of Yahweh,” VT 24 (1974): 8-14; and I. Engnell, “‘Knowledge’ and ‘Life’ in the Creation Story,” Wisdom in Israel and in the Ancient Near East [VTSup], 103-19. Another view understands the “knowledge of good and evil” as the capacity to discern between moral good and evil. The following context suggests the tree’s fruit gives one wisdom (see the phrase “capable of making one wise” in 3:6, as well as the note there on the word “wise”), which certainly includes the capacity to discern between good and evil. Such wisdom is characteristic of divine beings, as the serpent’s promise implies (3:5) and as 3:22 makes clear. (Note, however, that this capacity does not include the ability to do what is right.) God prohibits man from eating of the tree. The prohibition becomes a test to see if man will be satisfied with his role and place, or if he will try to ascend to the divine level. There will be a time for man to possess moral discernment/wisdom, as God reveals and imparts it to him, but it is not something to be grasped at in an effort to become “a god.” In fact, the command to be obedient was the first lesson in moral discernment/wisdom. God was essentially saying: “Here is lesson one – respect my authority and commands. Disobey me and you will die.” When man disobeys, he decides he does not want to acquire moral wisdom God’s way, but instead tries to rise immediately to the divine level. Once man has acquired such divine wisdom by eating the tree’s fruit (3:22), he must be banned from the garden so that he will not be able to achieve his goal of being godlike and thus live forever, a divine characteristic (3:24). Ironically, man now has the capacity to discern good from evil (3:22), but he is morally corrupted and rebellious and will not consistently choose what is right.

[2:16]  ⁶ sn This is the first time in the Bible that the verb tsavah (צָוָה, “to command”) appears. Whatever the man had to do in the garden, the main focus of the narrative is on keeping God’s commandments. God created humans with the capacity to obey him and then tested them with commands.

[2:16]  ⁷ tn The imperfect verb form probably carries the nuance of permission (“you may eat”) since the man is not being commanded to eat from every tree. The accompanying infinitive absolute adds emphasis: “you may freely eat,” or “you may eat to your heart’s content.”

[2:16]  ⁸ tn The word “fruit” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied as the direct object of the verb “eat.” Presumably the only part of the tree the man would eat would be its fruit (cf. 3:2).

[2:17]  ⁹ tn The disjunctive clause here indicates contrast: “but from the tree of the knowledge….”

[2:17]  ¹⁰ tn The negated imperfect verb form indicates prohibition, “you must not eat.”

[2:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “in the very day, as soon as.” If one understands the expression to have this more precise meaning, then the following narrative presents a problem, for the man does not die physically as soon as he eats from the tree. In this case one may argue that spiritual death is in view. If physical death is in view here, there are two options to explain the following narrative: (1) The following phrase “You will surely die” concerns mortality which ultimately results in death (a natural paraphrase would be, “You will become mortal”), or (2) God mercifully gave man a reprieve, allowing him to live longer than he deserved.

[2:17]  ¹² tn Heb “dying you will die.” The imperfect verb form here has the nuance of the specific future because it is introduced with the temporal clause, “when you eat…you will die.” That certainty is underscored with the infinitive absolute, “you will surely die.”

[2:17]  sn The Hebrew text (“dying you will die”) does not refer to two aspects of death (“dying spiritually, you will then die physically”). The construction simply emphasizes the certainty of death, however it is defined. Death is essentially separation. To die physically means separation from the land of the living, but not extinction. To die spiritually means to be separated from God. Both occur with sin, although the physical alienation is more gradual than instant, and the spiritual is immediate, although the effects of it continue the separation.

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Or “you will have understanding.” This obviously refers to the acquisition of the “knowledge of good and evil,” as the next statement makes clear.

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps “like God, knowing.” It is unclear how the plural participle translated “knowing” is functioning. On the one hand, יֹדְעֵי (yodÿ’e) could be taken as a substantival participle functioning as a predicative adjective in the sentence. In this case one might translate: “You will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil.” On the other hand, it could be taken as an attributive adjective modifying אֱלֹהִים (’elohim). In this case אֱלֹהִים has to be taken as a numerical plural referring to “gods,” “divine beings,” for if the one true God were the intended referent, a singular form of the participle would almost certainly appear as a modifier. Following this line of interpretation, one could translate, “You will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” The following context may favor this translation, for in 3:22 God says to an unidentified group, “Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” It is probable that God is addressing his heavenly court (see the note on the word “make” in 1:26), the members of which can be called “gods” or “divine beings” from the ancient Israelite perspective. (We know some of these beings as messengers or “angels.”) An examination of parallel constructions shows that a predicative understanding (“you will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil,” cf. NIV, NRSV) is possible, but rare (see Gen 27:23, where “hairy” is predicative, complementing the verb “to be”). The statistical evidence strongly suggests that the participle is attributive, modifying “divine beings” (see Ps 31:12; Isa 1:30; 13:14; 16:2; 29:5; 58:11; Jer 14:9; 20:9; 23:9; 31:12; 48:41; 49:22; Hos 7:11; Amos 4:11). In all of these texts, where a comparative clause and accompanying adjective/participle follow a copulative (“to be”) verb, the adjective/participle is attributive after the noun in the comparative clause.

[3:5]  ¹⁵ sn You will be like divine beings who know good and evil. The serpent raises doubts about the integrity of God. He implies that the only reason for the prohibition was that God was protecting the divine domain. If the man and woman were to eat, they would enter into that domain. The temptation is to overstep divinely established boundaries. (See D. E. Gowan, When Man Becomes God [PTMS], 25.)

[3:11]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (the Lord God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ¹⁷ sn Who told you that you were naked? This is another rhetorical question, asking more than what it appears to ask. The second question in the verse reveals the Lord God’s real concern.

[3:11]  ¹⁸ sn The Hebrew word order (“Did you from the tree – which I commanded you not to eat from it – eat?”) is arranged to emphasize that the man’s and the woman’s eating of the fruit was an act of disobedience. The relative clause inserted immediately after the reference to the tree brings out this point very well.

[3:22]  ¹⁹ tn The particle הֵן (hen) introduces a foundational clause, usually beginning with “since, because, now.”

[3:22]  ²⁰ sn The man has become like one of us. See the notes on Gen 1:26 and 3:5.

[3:22]  ²¹ tn The infinitive explains in what way the man had become like God: “knowing good and evil.”

[3:22]  ²² tn Heb “and now, lest he stretch forth.” Following the foundational clause, this clause forms the main point. It is introduced with the particle פֶּן (pen) which normally introduces a negative purpose, “lest….” The construction is elliptical; something must be done lest the man stretch forth his hand. The translation interprets the point intended.

[4:9]  ²³ sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.

[4:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”

[4:9]  sn Am I my brother’s guardian? Cain lies and then responds with a defiant rhetorical question of his own in which he repudiates any responsibility for his brother. But his question is ironic, for he is responsible for his brother’s fate, especially if he wanted to kill him. See P. A. Riemann, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” Int 24 (1970): 482-91.

[8:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Noah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:8]  ²⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds “from him.” This has not been translated for stylistic reasons, because it is redundant in English.

[8:8]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew verb קָלָל (qalal) normally means “to be light, to be slight”; it refers here to the waters receding.

[8:11]  ²⁸ tn The clause introduced by vav (ו) consecutive is translated as a temporal clause subordinated to the following clause.

[8:11]  ²⁹ tn The deictic particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) draws attention to the olive leaf. It invites readers to enter into the story, as it were, and look at the olive leaf with their own eyes.

[8:21]  ³⁰ tn The Lord “smelled” (וַיָּרַח, vayyarakh) a “soothing smell” (רֵיחַ הַנִּיהֹחַ, reakh hannihoakh). The object forms a cognate accusative with the verb. The language is anthropomorphic. The offering had a sweet aroma that pleased or soothed. The expression in Lev 1 signifies that God accepts the offering with pleasure, and in accepting the offering he accepts the worshiper.

[8:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “and the Lord said.”

[8:21]  ³² tn Heb “in his heart.”

[8:21]  ³³ tn Here the Hebrew word translated “curse” is קָלָל (qalal), used in the Piel verbal stem.

[8:21]  ³⁴ tn The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) can be used in a concessive sense (see BDB 473 s.v. כִּי), which makes good sense in this context. Its normal causal sense (“for”) does not fit the context here very well.

[8:21]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the inclination of the heart of humankind.”

[8:21]  ³⁶ tn Heb “from his youth.”

[9:24]  ³⁷ tn Heb “his wine,” used here by metonymy for the drunken stupor it produced.

[9:24]  ³⁸ tn Heb “he knew.”

[9:24]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) carries too general a sense to draw the conclusion that Ham had to have done more than look on his father’s nakedness and tell his brothers.

[12:11]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “drew near to enter.”

[12:11]  ⁴¹ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is deictic here; it draws attention to the following fact.

[12:11]  ⁴² tn Heb “a woman beautiful of appearance are you.”

[14:14]  ⁴³ tn Heb “his brother,” by extension, “relative.” Here and in v. 16 the more specific term “nephew” has been used in the translation for clarity. Lot was the son of Haran, Abram’s brother (Gen 11:27).

[14:14]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb וַיָּרֶק (vayyareq) is a rare form, probably related to the word רֵיק (req, “to be empty”). If so, it would be a very figurative use: “he emptied out” (or perhaps “unsheathed”) his men. The LXX has “mustered” (cf. NEB). E. A. Speiser (Genesis [AB], 103-4) suggests reading with the Samaritan Pentateuch a verb diq, cognate with Akkadian deku, “to mobilize” troops. If this view is accepted, one must assume that a confusion of the Hebrew letters ד (dalet) and ר (resh) led to the error in the traditional Hebrew text. These two letters are easily confused in all phases of ancient Hebrew script development. The present translation is based on this view.

[14:14]  ⁴⁵ tn The words “the invaders” have been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[14:14]  ⁴⁶ sn The use of the name Dan reflects a later perspective. The Danites did not migrate to this northern territory until centuries later (see Judg 18:29). Furthermore Dan was not even born until much later. By inserting this name a scribe has clarified the location of the region.

[15:8]  ⁴⁷ tn Here the vav carries adversative force and is translated “but.”

[15:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:8]  ⁴⁹ tn See note on the phrase “sovereign Lord” in 15:2.

[15:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “how.”

[15:13]  ⁵¹ tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, with the Qal infinitive absolute followed by the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “know”). The imperfect here has an obligatory or imperatival force.

[15:13]  ⁵² tn The Hebrew word גֵּר (ger, “sojourner, stranger”) is related to the verb גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to stay for awhile”). Abram’s descendants will stay in a land as resident aliens without rights of citizenship.

[15:13]  ⁵³ tn Heb “in a land not theirs.”

[15:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “and they will serve them and they will oppress them.” The verb עִנּוּ, (’innu, a Piel form from עָנָה, ’anah, “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly”), is used in Exod 1:11 to describe the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt.

[16:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) introduces the foundational clause for the imperative to follow.

[16:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “enter to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual relations (also in v. 4).

[16:2]  sn The Hebrew expression translated have sexual relations with does not convey the intimacy of other expressions, such as “so and so knew his wife.” Sarai simply sees this as the social custom of having a child through a surrogate. For further discussion see C. F. Fensham, “The Son of a Handmaid in Northwest Semitic,” VT 19 (1969): 312-21.

[16:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “perhaps I will be built from her.” Sarai hopes to have a family established through this surrogate mother.

[16:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “listened to the voice of,” which is an idiom meaning “obeyed.”

[16:2]  sn Abram did what Sarai told him. This expression was first used in Gen 3:17 of Adam’s obeying his wife. In both cases the text highlights weak faith and how it jeopardized the plan of God.

[16:4]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “entered to.” See the note on the same expression in v. 2.

[16:4]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 5)

[16:4]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and she saw that she was pregnant and her mistress was despised in her eyes.” The Hebrew verb קָלַל (qalal) means “to despise, to treat lightly, to treat with contempt.” In Hagar’s opinion Sarai had been demoted.

[16:5]  ⁶² tn Heb “my wrong is because of you.”

[16:5]  ⁶³ tn Heb “I placed my female servant in your bosom.”

[16:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “saw.”

[16:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “I was despised in her eyes.” The passive verb has been translated as active for stylistic reasons. Sarai was made to feel supplanted and worthless by Hagar the servant girl.

[16:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “me and you.”

[16:5]  sn May the Lord judge between you and me. Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar’s attitude, not the pregnancy. Here she expects to be vindicated by the Lord who will prove Abram responsible. A colloquial rendering might be, “God will get you for this.” It may mean that she thought Abram had encouraged the servant girl in her elevated status.

[18:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “For I have known him.” The verb יָדַע (yada’) here means “to recognize and treat in a special manner, to choose” (see Amos 3:2). It indicates that Abraham stood in a special covenantal relationship with the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and they will keep.” The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive carries on the subjective nuance of the preceding imperfect verbal form (translated “so that he may command”).

[18:19]  ⁶⁹ tn The infinitive construct here indicates manner, explaining how Abraham’s children and his household will keep the way of the Lord.

[18:19]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “bring on.” The infinitive after לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) indicates result here.

[18:19]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “spoke to.”

[18:21]  ⁷² tn The cohortative indicates the Lord’s resolve.

[18:21]  sn I must go down. The descent to “see” Sodom is a bold anthropomorphism, stressing the careful judgment of God. The language is reminiscent of the Lord going down to see the Tower of Babel in Gen 11:1-9.

[18:21]  ⁷³ tn Heb “[if] according to the outcry that has come to me they have done completely.” Even the Lord, who is well aware of the human capacity to sin, finds it hard to believe that anyone could be as bad as the “outcry” against Sodom and Gomorrah suggests.

[18:21]  ⁷⁴ sn The short phrase if not provides a ray of hope and inspires Abraham’s intercession.

[19:8]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[19:8]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”

[19:8]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “shadow.”

[19:8]  ⁷⁸ sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.

[19:33]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:33]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:33]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:33]  ⁸² tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”

[19:35]  ⁸³ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[20:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “with the integrity of your heart.”

[20:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and I, even I, kept you.”

[20:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “therefore.”

[20:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ⁹⁰ sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ⁹¹ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  sn He will pray for you that you may live. Abraham was known as a man of God whose prayer would be effectual. Ironically and sadly, he was also known as a liar.

[20:7]  ⁹² tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ⁹³ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

[20:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “And Abimelech rose early in the morning and he summoned.”

[20:8]  ⁹⁵ tn The verb קָרָא (qara’) followed by the preposition לְ (lamed) means “to summon.”

[20:8]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “And he spoke all these things in their ears.”

[20:8]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “the men.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “they” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[21:26]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and also.”

[22:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “Do not extend your hand toward the boy.”

[22:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Do not extend…’”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the context for clarity. The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:12]  ¹⁰¹ sn For now I know. The test was designed to see if Abraham would be obedient (see v. 1).

[22:12]  ¹⁰² sn In this context fear refers by metonymy to obedience that grows from faith.

[24:14]  ¹⁰³ sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.

[24:14]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”

[24:16]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.

[24:21]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).

[24:49]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “and I will turn to the right or to the left.” The expression apparently means that Abraham’s servant will know where he should go if there is no further business here.

[26:28]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

[26:28]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[26:28]  ¹¹¹ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

[26:28]  ¹¹² tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

[26:28]  ¹¹³ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”

[26:32]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and they said to him, ‘We have found water.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[27:2]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Isaac) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:2]  ¹¹⁶ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here introduces a logically foundational statement, upon which the coming instruction will be based.

[27:2]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “I do not know the day of my death.”

[27:12]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “Perhaps my father will feel me and I will be in his eyes like a mocker.” The Hebrew expression “I will be in his eyes like” means “I would appear to him as.”

[27:42]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “and the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah.”

[27:42]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “she sent and called for.”

[27:42]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “is consoling himself with respect to you to kill you.” The only way Esau had of dealing with his anger at the moment was to plan to kill his brother after the death of Isaac.

[28:16]  ¹²² tn Heb “woke up from his sleep.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[28:16]  ¹²³ tn Heb “said.”

[29:12]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “declared.”

[29:12]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”

[29:25]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[29:25]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:25]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”

[29:25]  ¹²⁹ sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.

[30:9]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”

[30:26]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ¹³² tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ¹³³ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[30:29]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:29]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”

[30:33]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”

[30:33]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”

[30:33]  ¹³⁸ tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”

[30:33]  sn Only the wage we agreed on. Jacob would have to be considered completely honest here, for he would have no control over the kind of animals born; and there could be no disagreement over which animals were his wages.

[30:33]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”

[31:6]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “with all my strength.”

[31:20]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “stole the heart of,” an expression which apparently means “to deceive.” The repetition of the verb “to steal” shows that Jacob and Rachel are kindred spirits. Any thought that Laban would have resigned himself to their departure was now out of the question.

[31:20]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “fleeing,” which reflects Jacob’s viewpoint.

[31:30]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “and now.” The words “I understand that” have been supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[31:30]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the certainty of the action.

[31:30]  ¹⁴⁵ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the perfect verbal form to emphasize the degree of emotion involved.

[31:30]  ¹⁴⁶ sn Yet why did you steal my gods? This last sentence is dropped into the speech rather suddenly. See C. Mabee, “Jacob and Laban: The Structure of Judicial Proceedings,” VT 30 (1980): 192-207, and G. W. Coats, “Self-Abasement and Insult Formulas,” JBL 91 (1972): 90-92.

[31:32]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”

[31:32]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “brothers.”

[31:32]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”

[31:32]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.

[31:50]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “between me and you.”

[33:13]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “weak.”

[33:13]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”

[37:16]  ¹⁵⁶ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[38:9]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “offspring.”

[38:9]  ¹⁵⁸ 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]  ¹⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:9]  ¹⁶¹ 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.

[38:14]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”

[38:16]  ¹⁶⁴ 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]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:6]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ¹⁶⁸ 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]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ¹⁷¹ 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]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[39:8]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “and he said.”

[39:8]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “know.”

[39:8]  ¹⁷⁵ tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:8]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[40:8]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ¹⁷⁸ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:16]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[40:16]  ¹⁸⁰ 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).

[41:8]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[41:8]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.

[41:8]  ¹⁸³ tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.

[41:8]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).

[41:8]  ¹⁸⁵ tn “there was no interpreter.”

[41:8]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:21]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “when they went inside them.”

[41:21]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “it was not known.”

[41:24]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “declared.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹³ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

[41:31]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “known.”

[41:31]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Or “heavy.”

[41:44]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “apart from you.”

[41:44]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.

[41:44]  ¹⁹⁸ tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.

[42:12]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.

[42:23]  ²⁰⁰ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information that is important to the story.

[42:23]  ²⁰¹ tn “was listening.” The brothers were not aware that Joseph could understand them as they spoke the preceding words in their native language.

[42:23]  ²⁰² tn Heb “for [there was] an interpreter between them.” On the meaning of the word here translated “interpreter” see HALOT 590 s.v. מֵלִיץ and M. A. Canney, “The Hebrew melis (Prov IX 12; Gen XLII 2-3),” AJSL 40 (1923/24): 135-37.

[42:33]  ²⁰³ tn The word “grain” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:34]  ²⁰⁴ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav indicates purpose/result.

[42:34]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “that you are not spies, that you are honest men.”

[42:34]  ²⁰⁶ sn Joseph’s brothers soften the news considerably, making it sound like Simeon was a guest of Joseph (Leave one of your brothers with me) instead of being bound in prison. They do not mention the threat of death and do not at this time speak of the money in the one sack.

[43:7]  ²⁰⁷ tn The word “us” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[43:7]  ²⁰⁸ tn The infinitive absolute with the perfect verbal form emphasizes that Joseph questioned them thoroughly.

[43:7]  ²⁰⁹ sn The report given here concerning Joseph’s interrogation does not exactly match the previous account where they supplied the information to clear themselves (see 42:13). This section may reflect how they remembered the impact of his interrogation, whether he asked the specific questions or not. That may be twisting the truth to protect themselves, not wanting to admit that they volunteered the information. (They admitted as much in 42:31, but now they seem to be qualifying that comment.) On the other hand, when speaking to Joseph later (see 44:19), Judah claims that Joseph asked for the information about their family, making it possible that 42:13 leaves out some of the details of their first encounter.

[43:7]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “and we told to him according to these words.”

[43:7]  ²¹¹ tn The infinitive absolute emphasizes the imperfect verbal form, which here is a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of a past time).

[43:7]  ²¹² tn Once again the imperfect verbal form is used as a historic future (that is, future from the perspective of past time).

[43:18]  ²¹³ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[43:18]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.

[43:18]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.

[43:18]  ²¹⁶ tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[43:21]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “in its weight.”

[43:21]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”

[44:5]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[44:5]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.

[44:5]  ²²¹ tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”

[44:15]  ²²² tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”

[44:15]  ²²³ tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.

[44:18]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”

[44:18]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”

[44:18]  ²²⁶ sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.

[44:27]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “that two sons my wife bore to me.”

[45:6]  ²²⁸ tn Heb “the famine [has been] in the midst of.”

[45:13]  ²²⁹ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive here expresses instruction.

[45:13]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “and hurry and bring down my father to here.”

[46:30]  ²³¹ tn Heb “after my seeing your face that you are still alive.”

[47:6]  ²³² tn Heb “men of skill.”

[47:6]  ²³³ tn Heb “make them rulers.”

[47:6]  sn Put them in charge of my livestock. Pharaoh is, in effect, offering Joseph’s brothers jobs as royal keepers of livestock, a position mentioned often in Egyptian inscriptions, because the Pharaohs owned huge herds of cattle.

[48:1]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “and one said.” With no expressed subject in the Hebrew text, the verb can be translated with the passive voice.

[48:19]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “fullness.”

[50:5]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “saying.”

[50:5]  ²³⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here has the force of a command.