Kejadian 17:20

17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. ¹  I will indeed bless him, make him fruitful, and give him a multitude of descendants. ²  He will become the father of twelve princes; ³  I will make him into a great nation.

Kejadian 26:22

26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well. They did not quarrel over it, so Isaac ⁴  named it ⁵  Rehoboth, ⁶  saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will prosper in the land.”

Kejadian 37:2

37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, ⁷  was taking care of ⁸  the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster ⁹  working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. ¹⁰  Joseph brought back a bad report about them ¹¹  to their father.

[17:20]  ¹ sn The Hebrew verb translated “I have heard you” forms a wordplay with the name Ishmael, which means “God hears.” See the note on the name “Ishmael” in 16:11.

[17:20]  ² tn Heb “And I will multiply him exceedingly, exceedingly.” The repetition is emphatic.

[17:20]  ³ tn For a discussion of the Hebrew word translated “princes,” see E. A. Speiser, “Background and Function of the Biblical Nasi’,” CBQ 25 (1963): 111-17.

[26:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Isaac) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he called its name.”

[26:22]  ⁶ sn The name Rehoboth (רְהֹבוֹת, rehovot) is derived from a verbal root meaning “to make room.” The name was a reminder that God had made room for them. The story shows Isaac’s patience with the opposition; it also shows how God’s blessing outdistanced the men of Gerar. They could not stop it or seize it any longer.

[37:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”

[37:2]  ⁸ tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”

[37:2]  ⁹ tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.

[37:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”

[37:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.

[37:2]  sn Some interpreters portray Joseph as a tattletale for bringing back a bad report about them [i.e., his brothers], but the entire Joseph story has some of the characteristics of wisdom literature. Joseph is presented in a good light – not because he was perfect, but because the narrative is showing how wisdom rules. In light of that, this section portrays Joseph as faithful to his father in little things, even though unpopular – and so he will eventually be given authority over greater things.