Kejadian 1:22

1:22 God blessed them ¹  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ² 

Kejadian 2:5

2:5 Now ³  no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field ⁴  had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. ⁵ 

Kejadian 4:12

4:12 When you try to cultivate ⁶  the

ground it will no longer yield ⁷  its best ⁸  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ⁹  on the earth.”

Kejadian 6:7

6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, ¹⁰  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

Kejadian 6:17

6:17 I am about to bring ¹¹  floodwaters ¹²  on the earth to destroy ¹³  from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. ¹⁴  Everything that is on the earth will die,

Kejadian 7:8

7:8 Pairs ¹⁵  of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground,

Kejadian 7:14

7:14 They entered, ¹⁶  along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. ¹⁷ 

Kejadian 10:32

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ¹⁸  over the earth after the flood.

Kejadian 12:3

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, ¹⁹ 

but the one who treats you lightly ²⁰  I must curse,

and all the families of the earth will bless one another ²¹  by your name.”

Kejadian 22:6

22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, ²²  and the two of them walked on together.

Kejadian 24:27

24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ²³  for my master! The Lord has led me ²⁴  to the house ²⁵  of my master’s relatives!” ²⁶ 

Kejadian 26:4

26:4 I will multiply your descendants so they will be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them ²⁷  all these lands. All the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants. ²⁸ 

Kejadian 28:12

28:12 and had a dream. ²⁹  He saw ³⁰  a stairway ³¹  erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it

Kejadian 31:35

31:35 Rachel ³²  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ³³  my lord. I cannot stand up ³⁴  in your presence because I am having my period.” ³⁵  So he searched thoroughly, ³⁶  but did not find the idols.

Kejadian 31:46

31:46 Then he ³⁷  said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” So they brought stones and put them in a pile. ³⁸  They ate there by the pile of stones.

Kejadian 34:14

34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ³⁹  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ⁴⁰  to us.

Kejadian 43:9

43:9 I myself pledge security ⁴¹  for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. ⁴² 

Kejadian 44:34

44:34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see ⁴³  my father’s pain.” ⁴⁴ 

Kejadian 45:7

45:7 God sent me ⁴⁵  ahead of you to preserve you ⁴⁶  on the earth and to save your lives ⁴⁷  by a great deliverance.

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 ⁴⁸  among them, put them in charge ⁴⁹  of my livestock.”

Kejadian 48:13

48:13 Joseph positioned them; ⁵⁰  he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. ⁵¹ 

[1:22]  ¹ 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]  ² 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).

[2:5]  ³ tn Heb “Now every sprig of the field before it was.” The verb forms, although appearing to be imperfects, are technically preterites coming after the adverb טֶּרֶם (terem). The word order (conjunction + subject + predicate) indicates a disjunctive clause, which provides background information for the following narrative (as in 1:2). Two negative clauses are given (“before any sprig…”, and “before any cultivated grain” existed), followed by two causal clauses explaining them, and then a positive circumstantial clause is given – again dealing with water as in 1:2 (water would well up).

[2:5]  ⁴ tn The first term, שִׂיחַ (siakh), probably refers to the wild, uncultivated plants (see Gen 21:15; Job 30:4,7); whereas the second, עֵשֶׂב (’esev), refers to cultivated grains. It is a way of saying: “back before anything was growing.”

[2:5]  ⁵ tn The two causal clauses explain the first two disjunctive clauses: There was no uncultivated, general growth because there was no rain, and there were no grains because there was no man to cultivate the soil.

[2:5]  sn The last clause in v. 5, “and there was no man to cultivate the ground,” anticipates the curse and the expulsion from the garden (Gen 3:23).

[4:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “work.”

[4:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “it will not again (תֹסֵף, tosef) give (תֵּת, tet),” meaning the ground will no longer yield. In translation the infinitive becomes the main verb, and the imperfect verb form becomes adverbial.

[4:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “its strength.”

[4:12]  ⁹ tn Two similar sounding synonyms are used here: נָע וָנָד (na’ vanad, “a wanderer and a fugitive”). This juxtaposition of synonyms emphasizes the single idea. In translation one can serve as the main description, the other as a modifier. Other translation options include “a wandering fugitive” and a “ceaseless wanderer” (cf. NIV).

[6:7]  ¹⁰ tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.

[6:17]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew construction uses the independent personal pronoun, followed by a suffixed form of הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) and the a participle used with an imminent future nuance: “As for me, look, I am going to bring.”

[6:17]  ¹² tn Heb “the flood, water.”

[6:17]  ¹³ tn The verb שָׁחָת (shakhat, “to destroy”) is repeated yet again, only now in an infinitival form expressing the purpose of the flood.

[6:17]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew construction here is different from the previous two; here it is רוּחַ חַיִּים (ruakh khayyim) rather than נֶפֶשׁ הַיָּה (nefesh khayyah) or נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים (nishmat khayyim). It refers to everything that breathes.

[7:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “two two” meaning “in twos.”

[7:14]  ¹⁶ tn The verb “entered” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “every bird, every wing.”

[10:32]  ¹⁸ tn Or “separated.”

[12:3]  ¹⁹ tn The Piel cohortative has as its object a Piel participle, masculine plural. Since the Lord binds himself to Abram by covenant, those who enrich Abram in any way share in the blessings.

[12:3]  ²⁰ tn In this part of God’s statement there are two significant changes that often go unnoticed. First, the parallel and contrasting participle מְקַלֶּלְךָ (mÿqallelkha) is now singular and not plural. All the versions and a few Masoretic mss read the plural. But if it had been plural, there would be no reason to change it to the singular and alter the parallelism. On the other hand, if it was indeed singular, it is easy to see why the versions would change it to match the first participle. The MT preserves the original reading: “the one who treats you lightly.” The point would be a contrast with the lavish way that God desires to bless many. The second change is in the vocabulary. The English usually says, “I will curse those who curse you.” But there are two different words for curse here. The first is קָלַל (qalal), which means “to be light” in the Qal, and in the Piel “to treat lightly, to treat with contempt, to curse.” The second verb is אָרַר (’arar), which means “to banish, to remove from the blessing.” The point is simple: Whoever treats Abram and the covenant with contempt as worthless God will banish from the blessing. It is important also to note that the verb is not a cohortative, but a simple imperfect. Since God is binding himself to Abram, this would then be an obligatory imperfect: “but the one who treats you with contempt I must curse.”

[12:3]  ²¹ tn Theoretically the Niphal can be translated either as passive or reflexive/reciprocal. (The Niphal of “bless” is only used in formulations of the Abrahamic covenant. See Gen 12:2; 18:18; 28:14.) Traditionally the verb is taken as passive here, as if Abram were going to be a channel or source of blessing. But in later formulations of the Abrahamic covenant (see Gen 22:18; 26:4) the Hitpael replaces this Niphal form, suggesting a translation “will bless [i.e., “pronounce blessings on”] themselves [or “one another”].” The Hitpael of “bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11.

[22:6]  ²² sn He took the fire and the knife in his hand. These details anticipate the sacrifice that lies ahead.

[24:27]  ²³ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ²⁴ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ²⁵ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ²⁶ tn Heb “brothers.”

[26:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “your descendants.”

[26:4]  ²⁸ tn Traditionally the verb is taken as passive (“will be blessed”) here, as if Abraham’s descendants were going to be a channel or source of blessing to the nations. But the Hitpael is better understood here as reflexive/reciprocal, “will bless [i.e., pronounce blessings on] themselves/one another” (see also Gen 22:18). Elsewhere the Hitpael of the verb “to bless” is used with a reflexive/reciprocal sense in Deut 29:18; Ps 72:17; Isa 65:16; Jer 4:2. Gen 12:2 predicts that Abram will be held up as a paradigm of divine blessing and that people will use his name in their blessing formulae. For examples of blessing formulae utilizing an individual as an example of blessing see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11. Earlier formulations of this promise (see Gen 12:2; 18:18) use the Niphal stem. (See also Gen 28:14.)

[28:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and dreamed.”

[28:12]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ 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.

[31:35]  ³² tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ³³ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ³⁴ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ³⁶ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[31:46]  ³⁷ tn Heb “Jacob”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:46]  ³⁸ sn The Hebrew word for “pile” is גַּל (gal), which sounds like the name “Galeed” (גַּלְעֵד, gal’ed). See v. 48.

[34:14]  ³⁹ tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.

[34:14]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.

[43:9]  ⁴¹ tn The pronoun before the first person verbal form draws attention to the subject and emphasizes Judah’s willingness to be personally responsible for the boy.

[43:9]  ⁴² sn I will bear the blame before you all my life. It is not clear how this would work out if Benjamin did not come back. But Judah is offering his life for Benjamin’s if Benjamin does not return.

[44:34]  ⁴³ tn The Hebrew text has “lest I see,” which expresses a negative purpose – “I cannot go up lest I see.”

[44:34]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the calamity which would find my father.”

[45:7]  ⁴⁵ sn God sent me. The repetition of this theme that God sent Joseph is reminiscent of commission narratives in which the leader could announce that God sent him (e.g., Exod 3:15).

[45:7]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “to make you a remnant.” The verb, followed here by the preposition לְ (lÿ), means “to make.”

[45:7]  ⁴⁷ tn The infinitive gives a second purpose for God’s action.

[47:6]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “men of skill.”

[47:6]  ⁴⁹ 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.

[48:13]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and Joseph took the two of them.”

[48:13]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and he brought near to him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” and “him” (Joseph and his father respectively) have been specified in the translation for clarity.