Kejadian 1:2

1:2 Now ¹  the earth ²  was without shape and empty, ³  and darkness ⁴  was over the surface of the watery deep, ⁵  but the Spirit of God ⁶  was moving ⁷  over the surface ⁸  of the water. ⁹ 

Kejadian 1:5

1:5 God called ¹⁰  the light “day” and the darkness ¹¹  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ¹² 

Kejadian 1:7

1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ¹³  It was so. ¹⁴ 

Kejadian 1:9

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place ¹⁵  and let dry ground appear.” ¹⁶  It was so.

Kejadian 1:12

1:12 The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

Kejadian 1:14

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ¹⁷  in the expanse ¹⁸  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ¹⁹  to indicate seasons and days and years,

Kejadian 1:16

1:16 God made two great lights ²⁰  – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. ²¹ 

Kejadian 1:20

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms ²²  of living creatures and let birds fly ²³  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

Kejadian 1:22

1:22 God blessed them ²⁴  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ²⁵ 

Kejadian 1:24

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” ²⁶  It was so.

Kejadian 1:31

1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! ²⁷  There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Kejadian 2:2

2:2 By ²⁸  the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, ²⁹  and he ceased ³⁰  on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing.

Kejadian 2:7

2:7 The Lord God formed ³¹  the man from the soil of the ground ³²  and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, ³³  and the man became a living being. ³⁴ 

Kejadian 2:21-22

2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ³⁵  and while he was asleep, ³⁶  he took part of the man’s side ³⁷  and closed up the place with flesh. ³⁸  2:22 Then the Lord God made ³⁹  a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Kejadian 3:3

3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, ⁴⁰  or else you will die.’” ⁴¹ 

Kejadian 5:22

5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God ⁴²  for 300 years, ⁴³  and he had other ⁴⁴  sons and daughters.

Kejadian 6:2

6:2 the sons of God ⁴⁵  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.

Kejadian 6:9

The Judgment of the Flood

6:9 This is the account of Noah. ⁴⁶ 

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless ⁴⁷ 

among his contemporaries. ⁴⁸  He ⁴⁹  walked with ⁵⁰  God.

Kejadian 6:12-13

6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed ⁵¹  it was ruined, ⁵²  for all living creatures ⁵³  on the earth were sinful. ⁵⁴  6:13 So God said ⁵⁵  to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, ⁵⁶  for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy ⁵⁷  them and the earth.

Kejadian 7:9

7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, ⁵⁸  just as God had commanded him. ⁵⁹ 

Kejadian 7:16

7:16 Those that entered were male and female, ⁶⁰  just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

Kejadian 9:1

God’s Covenant with Humankind through Noah

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Kejadian 9:12

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ⁶¹  of the covenant I am making ⁶²  with you ⁶³  and every living creature with you, a covenant ⁶⁴  for all subsequent ⁶⁵  generations:

Kejadian 9:16-17

9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ⁶⁶  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things ⁶⁷  that are on the earth.”

Kejadian 17:7-8

17:7 I will confirm ⁶⁸  my covenant as a perpetual ⁶⁹  covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you throughout their generations. I will be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁷⁰  17:8 I will give the whole land of Canaan – the land where you are now residing ⁷¹  – to you and your descendants after you as a permanent ⁷²  possession. I will be their God.”

Kejadian 17:15

17:15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for your wife, you must no longer call her Sarai; ⁷³  Sarah ⁷⁴  will be her name.

Kejadian 20:3

20:3 But God appeared ⁷⁵  to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “You are as good as dead ⁷⁶  because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else’s wife.” ⁷⁷ 

Kejadian 20:11

20:11 Abraham replied, “Because I thought, ⁷⁸  ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of ⁷⁹  my wife.’

Kejadian 21:19

21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. ⁸⁰  She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.

Kejadian 21:22

21:22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you ⁸¹  in all that you do.

Kejadian 22:1

The Sacrifice of Isaac

22:1 Some time after these things God tested ⁸²  Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham ⁸³  replied.

Kejadian 24:12

24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. ⁸⁴  Be faithful ⁸⁵  to my master Abraham.

Kejadian 24:42

24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, ⁸⁶  may events unfold as follows: ⁸⁷ 

Kejadian 25:11

25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ⁸⁸  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ⁸⁹ 

Kejadian 27:20

27:20 But Isaac asked his son, “How in the world ⁹⁰  did you find it so quickly, ⁹¹  my son?” “Because the Lord your God brought it to me,” ⁹²  he replied. ⁹³ 

Kejadian 28:4

28:4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham ⁹⁴  so that you may possess the land ⁹⁵  God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” ⁹⁶ 

Kejadian 28:12

28:12 and had a dream. ⁹⁷  He saw ⁹⁸  a stairway ⁹⁹  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it

Kejadian 28:17

28:17 He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

Kejadian 28:22

28:22 Then this stone ¹⁰⁰  that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely ¹⁰¹  give you back a tenth of everything you give me.” ¹⁰² 

Kejadian 30:2

30:2 Jacob became furious ¹⁰³  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ¹⁰⁴ 

Kejadian 30:6

30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer ¹⁰⁵  and given me a son.” That is why ¹⁰⁶  she named him Dan. ¹⁰⁷ 

Kejadian 31:5

31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ¹⁰⁸  but the God of my father has been with me.

Kejadian 31:7

31:7 but your father has humiliated ¹⁰⁹  me and changed my wages ten times. But God has not permitted him to do me any harm.

Kejadian 31:24

31:24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and warned him, ¹¹⁰  “Be careful ¹¹¹  that you neither bless nor curse Jacob.” ¹¹² 

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 ¹¹³  that God is witness to your actions.” ¹¹⁴ 

Kejadian 32:2

32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ¹¹⁵  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ¹¹⁶ 

Kejadian 32:28

32:28 “No longer will your name be Jacob,” the man told him, ¹¹⁷  “but Israel, ¹¹⁸  because you have fought ¹¹⁹  with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Kejadian 32:30

32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, ¹²⁰  explaining, ¹²¹  “Certainly ¹²²  I have seen God face to face ¹²³  and have survived.” ¹²⁴ 

Kejadian 33:11

33:11 Please take my present ¹²⁵  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ¹²⁶  to me and I have all I need.” ¹²⁷  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ¹²⁸ 

Kejadian 35:2

35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ¹²⁹  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ¹³⁰ 

Kejadian 35:5

35:5 and they started on their journey. ¹³¹  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ¹³²  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Kejadian 35:7

35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ¹³³  because there God had revealed himself ¹³⁴  to him when he was fleeing from his brother.

Kejadian 35:11

35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ¹³⁵  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ¹³⁶ 

Kejadian 40:8

40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ¹³⁷  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ¹³⁸  to me.”

Kejadian 41:25

41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. ¹³⁹  God has revealed ¹⁴⁰  to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ¹⁴¹ 

Kejadian 41:39

41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning ¹⁴²  as you are!

Kejadian 41:51

41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ¹⁴³  saying, ¹⁴⁴  “Certainly ¹⁴⁵  God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.”

Kejadian 45:5

45:5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, ¹⁴⁶  for God sent me ¹⁴⁷  ahead of you to preserve life!

Kejadian 45:8

45:8 So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser ¹⁴⁸  to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Kejadian 46:1

The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

46:1 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had. ¹⁴⁹  When he came to Beer Sheba ¹⁵⁰  he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

Kejadian 46:3

46:3 He said, “I am God, ¹⁵¹  the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

Kejadian 48:9

48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the ¹⁵²  sons God has given me in this place.” His father ¹⁵³  said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.” ¹⁵⁴ 

Kejadian 48:11

48:11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected ¹⁵⁵  to see you ¹⁵⁶  again, but now God has allowed me to see your children ¹⁵⁷  too.”

Kejadian 48:20-21

48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you ¹⁵⁸  will Israel bless, ¹⁵⁹  saying,

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ¹⁶⁰ 

48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you ¹⁶¹  and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Kejadian 50:20

50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, ¹⁶²  but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. ¹⁶³ 

Kejadian 50:25

50:25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

[1:2]  ¹ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) at the beginning of v. 2 gives background information for the following narrative, explaining the state of things when “God said…” (v. 3). Verse one is a title to the chapter, v. 2 provides information about the state of things when God spoke, and v. 3 begins the narrative per se with the typical narrative construction (vav [ו] consecutive followed by the prefixed verbal form). (This literary structure is paralleled in the second portion of the book: Gen 2:4 provides the title or summary of what follows, 2:5-6 use disjunctive clause structures to give background information for the following narrative, and 2:7 begins the narrative with the vav consecutive attached to a prefixed verbal form.) Some translate 1:2a “and the earth became,” arguing that v. 1 describes the original creation of the earth, while v. 2 refers to a judgment that reduced it to a chaotic condition. Verses 3ff. then describe the re-creation of the earth. However, the disjunctive clause at the beginning of v. 2 cannot be translated as if it were relating the next event in a sequence. If v. 2 were sequential to v. 1, the author would have used the vav consecutive followed by a prefixed verbal form and the subject.

[1:2]  ² tn That is, what we now call “the earth.” The creation of the earth as we know it is described in vv. 9-10. Prior to this the substance which became the earth (= dry land) lay dormant under the water.

[1:2]  ³ tn Traditional translations have followed a more literal rendering of “waste and void.” The words describe a condition that is without form and empty. What we now know as “the earth” was actually an unfilled mass covered by water and darkness. Later תֹהוּ (tohu) and בֹּהוּ (bohu), when used in proximity, describe a situation resulting from judgment (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). Both prophets may be picturing judgment as the reversal of creation in which God’s judgment causes the world to revert to its primordial condition. This later use of the terms has led some to conclude that Gen 1:2 presupposes the judgment of a prior world, but it is unsound method to read the later application of the imagery (in a context of judgment) back into Gen 1:2.

[1:2]  ⁴ sn Darkness. The Hebrew word simply means “darkness,” but in the Bible it has come to symbolize what opposes God, such as judgment (Exod 10:21), death (Ps 88:13), oppression (Isa 9:1), the wicked (1 Sam 2:9) and in general, sin. In Isa 45:7 it parallels “evil.” It is a fitting cover for the primeval waste, but it prepares the reader for the fact that God is about to reveal himself through his works.

[1:2]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 7:11).

[1:2]  sn The watery deep. In the Babylonian account of creation Marduk killed the goddess Tiamat (the salty sea) and used her carcass to create heaven and earth. The form of the Hebrew word for “deep” is distinct enough from the name “Tiamat” to deny direct borrowing; however, it is possible that there is a polemical stress here. Ancient Israel does not see the ocean as a powerful deity to be destroyed in creation, only a force of nature that can be controlled by God.

[1:2]  ⁶ tn The traditional rendering “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind from/breath of God” (cf. NRSV) or “mighty wind” (cf. NEB), taking the word “God” to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Gen 41:38; Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 24:2; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezek 11:24; 2 Chr 15:1; 24:20).

[1:2]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew verb has been translated “hovering” or “moving” (as a bird over her young, see Deut 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means “to brood over; to incubate.” How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads “mighty wind” (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in vv. 9-10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah’s day. See Gen 8:1.)

[1:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “face.”

[1:2]  ⁹ sn The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life-giving water and not the chaotic abyss-like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness – in short, that which is not good for life.

[1:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  sn God called. Seven times in this chapter naming or blessing follows some act of creation. There is clearly a point being made beyond the obvious idea of naming. In the Babylonian creation story Enuma Elish, naming is equal to creating. In the Bible the act of naming, like creating, can be an indication of sovereignty (see 2 Kgs 23:34). In this verse God is sovereign even over the darkness.

[1:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ¹² tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”

[1:5]  sn The first day. The exegetical evidence suggests the word “day” in this chapter refers to a literal twenty-four hour day. It is true that the word can refer to a longer period of time (see Isa 61:2, or the idiom in 2:4, “in the day,” that is, “when”). But this chapter uses “day,” “night,” “morning,” “evening,” “years,” and “seasons.” Consistency would require sorting out how all these terms could be used to express ages. Also, when the Hebrew word יוֹם (yom) is used with a numerical adjective, it refers to a literal day. Furthermore, the commandment to keep the sabbath clearly favors this interpretation. One is to work for six days and then rest on the seventh, just as God did when he worked at creation.

[1:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “the expanse.”

[1:7]  ¹⁴ tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

[1:9]  ¹⁵ sn Let the water…be gathered to one place. In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns.

[1:9]  ¹⁶ tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water.

[1:14]  ¹⁷ sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).

[1:14]  ¹⁸ tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”

[1:14]  ¹⁹ tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”

[1:14]  sn Let them be for signs. The point is that the sun and the moon were important to fix the days for the seasonal celebrations for the worshiping community.

[1:16]  ²⁰ sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.

[1:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.

[1:20]  ²² tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.

[1:20]  ²³ tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.

[1:22]  ²⁴ tn While the translation “blessed” has been retained here for the sake of simplicity, it would be most helpful to paraphrase it as “God endowed them with fruitfulness” or something similar, for here it refers to God’s giving the animals the capacity to reproduce. The expression “blessed” needs clarification in its different contexts, for it is one of the unifying themes of the Book of Genesis. The divine blessing occurs after works of creation and is intended to continue that work – the word of blessing guarantees success. The word means “to enrich; to endow,” and the most visible evidence of that enrichment is productivity or fruitfulness. See C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).

[1:22]  ²⁵ sn The instruction God gives to creation is properly a fuller expression of the statement just made (“God blessed them”), that he enriched them with the ability to reproduce. It is not saying that these were rational creatures who heard and obeyed the word; rather, it stresses that fruitfulness in the animal world is a result of the divine decree and not of some pagan cultic ritual for fruitfulness. The repeated emphasis of “be fruitful – multiply – fill” adds to this abundance God has given to life. The meaning is underscored by the similar sounds: בָּרָךְ (barakh) with בָּרָא (bara’), and פָּרָה (parah) with רָבָה (ravah).

[1:24]  ²⁶ tn There are three groups of land animals here: the cattle or livestock (mostly domesticated), things that creep or move close to the ground (such as reptiles or rodents), and the wild animals (all animals of the field). The three terms are general classifications without specific details.

[1:31]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew text again uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) for the sake of vividness. It is a particle that goes with the gesture of pointing, calling attention to something.

[2:2]  ²⁸ tn Heb “on/in the seventh day.”

[2:2]  ²⁹ tn Heb “his work which he did [or “made”].”

[2:2]  ³⁰ tn The Hebrew term שָׁבַּת (shabbat) can be translated “to rest” (“and he rested”) but it basically means “to cease.” This is not a rest from exhaustion; it is the cessation of the work of creation.

[2:7]  ³¹ tn Or “fashioned.” The prefixed verb form with vav (ו) consecutive initiates narrative sequence. The Hebrew word יָצַר (yatsar) means “to form” or “to fashion,” usually by plan or design (see the related noun יֵצֶר [yetser] in Gen 6:5). It is the term for an artist’s work (the Hebrew term יוֹצֵר [yotser] refers to a potter; see Jer 18:2-4.)

[2:7]  sn Various traditions in the ancient Near East reflect this idea of creation. Egyptian drawings show a deity turning little people off of the potter’s wheel with another deity giving them life. In the Bible humans are related to the soil and return to it (see 3:19; see also Job 4:19, 20:9; and Isa 29:16).

[2:7]  ³² tn The line literally reads “And Yahweh God formed the man, soil, from the ground.” “Soil” is an adverbial accusative, identifying the material from which the man was made.

[2:7]  ³³ tn The Hebrew word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”) is used for God and for the life imparted to humans, not animals (see T. C. Mitchell, “The Old Testament Usage of Nÿshama,” VT 11 [1961]: 177-87). Its usage in the Bible conveys more than a breathing living organism (נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה, nefesh khayyah). Whatever is given this breath of life becomes animated with the life from God, has spiritual understanding (Job 32:8), and has a functioning conscience (Prov 20:27).

[2:7]  sn Human life is described here as consisting of a body (made from soil from the ground) and breath (given by God). Both animals and humans are called “a living being” (נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה) but humankind became that in a different and more significant way.

[2:7]  ³⁴ tn The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “being”) is often translated “soul,” but the word usually refers to the whole person. The phrase נֶפֶשׁ חַיַּה (nefesh khayyah, “living being”) is used of both animals and human beings (see 1:20, 24, 30; 2:19).

[2:21]  ³⁵ tn Heb “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man.”

[2:21]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and he slept.” In the sequence the verb may be subordinated to the following verb to indicate a temporal clause (“while…”).

[2:21]  ³⁷ tn Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone.

[2:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “closed up the flesh under it.”

[2:22]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew verb is בָּנָה (banah, “to make, to build, to construct”). The text states that the Lord God built the rib into a woman. Again, the passage gives no indication of precisely how this was done.

[3:3]  ⁴⁰ sn And you must not touch it. The woman adds to God’s prohibition, making it say more than God expressed. G. von Rad observes that it is as though she wanted to set a law for herself by means of this exaggeration (Genesis [OTL], 86).

[3:3]  ⁴¹ tn The Hebrew construction is פֶּן (pen) with the imperfect tense, which conveys a negative purpose: “lest you die” = “in order that you not die.” By stating the warning in this way, the woman omits the emphatic infinitive used by God (“you shall surely die,” see 2:17).

[5:22]  ⁴² sn With the seventh panel there is a digression from the pattern. Instead of simply saying that Enoch lived, the text observes that he “walked with God.” The rare expression “walked with” (the Hitpael form of the verb הָלָךְ, halakh, “to walk” collocated with the preposition אֶת, ’et, “with”) is used in 1 Sam 25:15 to describe how David’s men maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Nabal’s men as they worked and lived side by side in the fields. In Gen 5:22 the phrase suggests that Enoch and God “got along.” This may imply that Enoch lived in close fellowship with God, leading a life of devotion and piety. An early Jewish tradition, preserved in 1 En. 1:9 and alluded to in Jude 14, says that Enoch preached about the coming judgment. See F. S. Parnham, “Walking with God,” EvQ 46 (1974): 117-18.

[5:22]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and Enoch walked with God, after he became the father of Methuselah, [for] 300 years.”

[5:22]  ⁴⁴ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[6:2]  ⁴⁵ sn The Hebrew phrase translated “sons of God” (בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים, bÿne-ha’elohim) occurs only here (Gen 6:2, 4) and in Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. There are three major interpretations of the phrase here. (1) In the Book of Job the phrase clearly refers to angelic beings. In Gen 6 the “sons of God” are distinct from “humankind,” suggesting they were not human. This is consistent with the use of the phrase in Job. Since the passage speaks of these beings cohabiting with women, they must have taken physical form or possessed the bodies of men. An early Jewish tradition preserved in 1 En. 6-7 elaborates on this angelic revolt and even names the ringleaders. (2) Not all scholars accept the angelic interpretation of the “sons of God,” however. Some argue that the “sons of God” were members of Seth’s line, traced back to God through Adam in Gen 5, while the “daughters of humankind” were descendants of Cain. But, as noted above, the text distinguishes the “sons of God” from humankind (which would include the Sethites as well as the Cainites) and suggests that the “daughters of humankind” are human women in general, not just Cainites. (3) Others identify the “sons of God” as powerful tyrants, perhaps demon-possessed, who viewed themselves as divine and, following the example of Lamech (see Gen 4:19), practiced polygamy. But usage of the phrase “sons of God” in Job militates against this view. For literature on the subject see G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:135.

[6:9]  ⁴⁶ sn There is a vast body of scholarly literature about the flood story. The following studies are particularly helpful: A. Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and the Old Testament Parallels; M. Kessler, “Rhetorical Criticism of Genesis 7,” Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg (PTMS), 1-17; I. M. Kikawada and A. Quinn, Before Abraham Was; A. R. Millard, “A New Babylonian ‘Genesis Story’,” TynBul 18 (1967): 3-18; G. J. Wenham, “The Coherence of the Flood Narrative,” VT 28 (1978): 336-48.

[6:9]  ⁴⁷ tn The Hebrew term תָּמִים (tamim, “blameless”) is used of men in Gen 17:1 (associated with the idiom “walk before,” which means “maintain a proper relationship with,” see 24:40); Deut 18:13 (where it means “blameless” in the sense of not guilty of the idolatrous practices listed before this; see Josh 24:14); Pss 18:23, 26 (“blameless” in the sense of not having violated God’s commands); 37:18 (in contrast to the wicked); 101:2, 6 (in contrast to proud, deceitful slanderers; see 15:2); Prov 2:21; 11:5 (in contrast to the wicked); 28:10; Job 12:4.

[6:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “Noah was a godly man, blameless in his generations.” The singular “generation” can refer to one’s contemporaries, i.e., those living at a particular point in time. The plural “generations” can refer to successive generations in the past or the future. Here, where it is qualified by “his” (i.e., Noah’s), it refers to Noah’s contemporaries, comprised of the preceding generation (his father’s generation), those of Noah’s generation, and the next generation (those the same age as his children). In other words, “his generations” means the generations contemporary with him. See BDB 190 s.v. דוֹר.

[6:9]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “Noah.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:9]  ⁵⁰ tn The construction translated “walked with” is used in Gen 5:22, 24 (see the note on this phrase in 5:22) and in 1 Sam 25:15, where it refers to David’s and Nabal’s men “rubbing shoulders” in the fields. Based on the use in 1 Sam 25:15, the expression seems to mean “live in close proximity to,” which may, by metonymy, mean “maintain cordial relations with.”

[6:12]  ⁵¹ tn Or “God saw how corrupt the earth was.”

[6:12]  ⁵² tn The repetition in the text (see v. 11) emphasizes the point.

[6:12]  ⁵³ tn Heb “flesh.” Since moral corruption is in view here, most modern western interpreters understand the referent to be humankind. However, the phrase “all flesh” is used consistently of humankind and the animals in Gen 6-9 (6:17, 19; 7:15-16, 21; 8:17; 9:11, 15-17), suggesting that the author intends to picture all living creatures, humankind and animals, as guilty of moral failure. This would explain why the animals, not just humankind, are victims of the ensuing divine judgment. The OT sometimes views animals as morally culpable (Gen 9:5; Exod 21:28-29; Jonah 3:7-8). The OT also teaches that a person’s sin can contaminate others (people and animals) in the sinful person’s sphere (see the story of Achan, especially Josh 7:10). So the animals could be viewed here as morally contaminated because of their association with sinful humankind.

[6:12]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “had corrupted its way.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “way” refers to the collective “all flesh.” The construction “corrupt one’s way” occurs only here (though Ezek 16:47 uses the Hiphil in an intransitive sense with the preposition בְּ [bet, “in”] followed by “ways”). The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) means “to ruin, to destroy, to corrupt,” often as here in a moral/ethical sense. The Hebrew term דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to behavior or moral character, a sense that it frequently carries (see BDB 203 s.v. דֶּרֶךְ 6.a).

[6:13]  ⁵⁵ sn On the divine style utilized here, see R. Lapointe, “The Divine Monologue as a Channel of Revelation,” CBQ 32 (1970): 161-81.

[6:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “the end of all flesh is coming [or “has come”] before me.” (The verb form is either a perfect or a participle.) The phrase “end of all flesh” occurs only here. The term “end” refers here to the end of “life,” as v. 3 and the following context (which describes how God destroys all flesh) make clear. The statement “the end has come” occurs in Ezek 7:2, 6, where it is used of divine judgment. The phrase “come before” occurs in Exod 28:30, 35; 34:34; Lev 15:14; Num 27:17; 1 Sam 18:13, 16; 2 Sam 19:8; 20:8; 1 Kgs 1:23, 28, 32; Ezek 46:9; Pss 79:11 (groans come before God); 88:3 (a prayer comes before God); 100:2; 119:170 (prayer comes before God); Lam 1:22 (evil doing comes before God); Esth 1:19; 8:1; 9:25; 1 Chr 16:29. The expression often means “have an audience with” or “appear before.” But when used metaphorically, it can mean “get the attention of” or “prompt a response.” This is probably the sense in Gen 6:13. The necessity of ending the life of all flesh on earth is an issue that has gotten the attention of God. The term “end” may even be a metonymy for that which has prompted it – violence (see the following clause).

[6:13]  ⁵⁷ tn The participle, especially after הִנֵּה (hinneh) has an imminent future nuance. The Hiphil of שָׁחָת (shakhat) here has the sense “to destroy” (in judgment). Note the wordplay involving this verb in vv. 11-13: The earth is “ruined” because all flesh has acted in a morally “corrupt” manner. Consequently, God will “destroy” all flesh (the referent of the suffix “them”) along with the ruined earth. They had ruined themselves and the earth with violence, and now God would ruin them with judgment. For other cases where “earth” occurs as the object of the Hiphil of שָׁחָת, see 1 Sam 6:5; 1 Chr 20:1; Jer 36:29; 51:25.

[7:9]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text of vv. 8-9a reads, “From the clean animal[s] and from the animal[s] which are not clean and from the bird[s] and everything that creeps on the ground, two two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female.”

[7:9]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Noah”; the pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:16]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “Those that went in, male and female from all flesh they went in.”

[9:12]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “sign.”

[9:12]  ⁶² sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.

[9:12]  ⁶³ tn Heb “between me and between you.”

[9:12]  ⁶⁴ tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:12]  ⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.

[9:16]  ⁶⁶ tn The translation assumes that the infinitive לִזְכֹּר (lizkor, “to remember”) here expresses the result of seeing the rainbow. Another option is to understand it as indicating purpose, in which case it could be translated, “I will look at it so that I may remember.”

[9:17]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “all flesh.”

[17:7]  ⁶⁸ tn The verb קוּם (qum, “to arise, to stand up”) in the Hiphil verbal stem means “to confirm, to give effect to, to carry out” (i.e., a covenant or oath; see BDB 878-79 s.v. קוּם).

[17:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:7]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “to be to you for God and to your descendants after you.”

[17:8]  ⁷¹ tn The verbal root is גּוּר (gur, “to sojourn, to reside temporarily,” i.e., as a resident alien). It is the land in which Abram resides, but does not yet possess as his very own.

[17:8]  ⁷² tn Or “as an eternal.”

[17:15]  ⁷³ tn Heb “[As for] Sarai your wife, you must not call her name Sarai, for Sarah [will be] her name.”

[17:15]  ⁷⁴ sn Sarah. The name change seems to be a dialectical variation, both spellings meaning “princess” or “queen.” Like the name Abram, the name Sarai symbolized the past. The new name Sarah, like the name Abraham, would be a reminder of what God intended to do for Sarah in the future.

[20:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “came.”

[20:3]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “Look, you [are] dead.” The Hebrew construction uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with a second person pronominal particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with by the participle. It is a highly rhetorical expression.

[20:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and she is owned by an owner.” The disjunctive clause is causal or explanatory in this case.

[20:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “Because I said.”

[20:11]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[21:19]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “And God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” The referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:22]  ⁸¹ sn God is with you. Abimelech and Phicol recognized that Abraham enjoyed special divine provision and protection.

[22:1]  ⁸² sn The Hebrew verb used here means “to test; to try; to prove.” In this passage God tests Abraham to see if he would be obedient. See T. W. Mann, The Book of the Torah, 44-48. See also J. L. Crenshaw, A Whirlpool of Torment (OBT), 9-30; and J. I. Lawlor, “The Test of Abraham,” GTJ 1 (1980): 19-35.

[22:1]  ⁸³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:12]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).

[24:12]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

[24:42]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ⁸⁷ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[25:11]  ⁸⁸ sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).

[25:11]  ⁸⁹ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[27:20]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “What is this?” The enclitic pronoun “this” adds emphasis to the question, which is comparable to the English rhetorical question, “How in the world?”

[27:20]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “you hastened to find.” In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb and the first verb becomes adverbial.

[27:20]  ⁹² tn Heb “caused to meet before me.”

[27:20]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Because the Lord your God….’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[28:4]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “and may he give to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your offspring with you.” The name “Abraham” is an objective genitive here; this refers to the blessing that God gave to Abraham.

[28:4]  ⁹⁵ tn The words “the land” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[28:4]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “the land of your sojournings,” that is, the land where Jacob had been living as a resident alien, as his future descendants would after him.

[28:12]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and look.” The scene which Jacob witnessed is described in three clauses introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh). In this way the narrator invites the reader to witness the scene through Jacob’s eyes. J. P. Fokkelman points out that the particle goes with a lifted arm and an open mouth: “There, a ladder! Oh, angels! and look, the Lord himself” (Narrative Art in Genesis [SSN], 51-52).

[28:12]  ⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew noun סֻלָּם (sullam, “ladder, stairway”) occurs only here in the OT, but there appears to be an Akkadian cognate simmiltu (with metathesis of the second and third consonants and a feminine ending) which has a specialized meaning of “stairway, ramp.” See H. R. Cohen, Biblical Hapax Legomena (SBLDS), 34. For further discussion see C. Houtman, “What Did Jacob See in His Dream at Bethel? Some Remarks on Genesis 28:10-22,” VT 27 (1977): 337-52; J. G. Griffiths, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 76 (1964/65): 229-30; and A. R. Millard, “The Celestial Ladder and the Gate of Heaven,” ExpTim 78 (1966/67): 86-87.

[28:22]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/subject) is used to highlight the statement.

[28:22]  ¹⁰¹ tn The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb for emphasis.

[28:22]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and all which you give to me I will surely give a tenth of it to you.” The disjunctive clause structure (conjunction + noun/object) highlights this statement as well.

[30:2]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[30:6]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.

[30:6]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “therefore.”

[30:6]  ¹⁰⁷ sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.

[31:5]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[31:7]  ¹⁰⁹ tn This rare verb means “to make a fool of” someone. It involves deceiving someone so that their public reputation suffers (see Exod 8:25).

[31:24]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “said to him.”

[31:24]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “watch yourself,” which is a warning to be on guard against doing something that is inappropriate.

[31:24]  ¹¹² tn Heb “lest you speak with Jacob from good to evil.” The precise meaning of the expression, which occurs only here and in v. 29, is uncertain. Since Laban proceeded to speak to Jacob at length, it cannot mean to maintain silence. Nor does it seem to be a prohibition against criticism (see vv. 26-30). Most likely it refers to a formal pronouncement, whether it be a blessing or a curse. Laban was to avoid saying anything to Jacob that would be intended to enhance him or to harm him.

[31:50]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “see.”

[31:50]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “between me and you.”

[32:2]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ¹¹⁶ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:28]  ¹¹⁷ 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]  ¹¹⁸ 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 Lord was saying that Jacob would have victory and receive the promises because God would fight for him.

[32:28]  ¹¹⁹ 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).

[32:30]  ¹²⁰ sn The name Peniel means “face of God.” Since Jacob saw God face to face here, the name is appropriate.

[32:30]  ¹²¹ tn The word “explaining” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[32:30]  ¹²² tn Or “because.”

[32:30]  ¹²³ sn I have seen God face to face. See the note on the name “Peniel” earlier in the verse.

[32:30]  ¹²⁴ 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.

[33:11]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ¹²⁶ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ¹²⁸ 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.

[35:2]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ¹³⁰ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

[35:5]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ¹³² 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”).

[35:7]  ¹³³ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ¹³⁴ 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.

[35:11]  ¹³⁵ 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]  ¹³⁶ 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.

[40:8]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ¹³⁸ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:25]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

[41:25]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “declared.”

[41:25]  ¹⁴¹ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

[41:39]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ¹⁴³ sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.

[41:51]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “for.”

[45:5]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “let there not be anger in your eyes.”

[45:5]  ¹⁴⁷ sn You sold me here, for God sent me. The tension remains as to how the brothers’ wickedness and God’s intentions work together. Clearly God is able to transform the actions of wickedness to bring about some gracious end. But this is saying more than that; it is saying that from the beginning it was God who sent Joseph here. Although harmonization of these ideas remains humanly impossible, the divine intention is what should be the focus. Only that will enable reconciliation.

[45:8]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “a father.” The term is used here figuratively of one who gives advice, as a father would to his children.

[46:1]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “and Israel journeyed, and all that was his.”

[46:1]  ¹⁵⁰ sn Beer Sheba. See Gen 21:31; 28:10.

[46:3]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “the God.”

[48:9]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “my.”

[48:9]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[48:9]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose after the imperative.

[48:11]  ¹⁵⁵ tn On the meaning of the Hebrew verb פָּלַל (palal) here, see E. A. Speiser, “The Stem pll in Hebrew,” JBL 82 (1963): 301-6. Speiser argues that this verb means “to estimate” as in Exod 21:22.

[48:11]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “your face.”

[48:11]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “offspring.”

[48:20]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.

[48:20]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”

[48:20]  ¹⁶⁰ sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.

[48:21]  ¹⁶¹ tn The pronouns translated “you,” “you,” and “your” in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text.

[50:20]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”

[50:20]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”