Genesis 3:16

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ¹  your labor pains; ² 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ³ 

but he will dominate ⁴  you.”

Genesis 18:5

18:5 And let me get ⁵  a bit of food ⁶  so that you may refresh yourselves ⁷  since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” ⁸  “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”

Genesis 22:16

22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ ⁹  decrees the Lord, ¹⁰  ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,

Genesis 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.” ¹¹ 

Genesis 29:18

29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ¹²  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.”

Genesis 29:20

29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ¹³  But they seemed like only a few days to him ¹⁴  because his love for her was so great. ¹⁵ 

Genesis 29:33

29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, ¹⁶  he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. ¹⁷ 

Genesis 33:11

33:11 Please take my present ¹⁸  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ¹⁹  to me and I have all I need.” ²⁰  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ²¹ 

Genesis 33:15

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ²²  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ²³  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ²⁴ 

Genesis 34:11

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ²⁵  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ²⁶  I’ll give. ²⁷ 

Genesis 40:14

40:14 But remember me ²⁸  when it goes well for you, and show ²⁹  me kindness. ³⁰  Make mention ³¹  of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, ³² 

Genesis 43:29-30

43:29 When Joseph looked up ³³  and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” ³⁴  43:30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother ³⁵  and was at the point of tears. ³⁶  So he went to his room and wept there.

[3:16]  ¹ tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.

[3:16]  ² tn Heb “your pain and your conception,” suggesting to some interpreters that having a lot of children was a result of the judgment (probably to make up for the loss through death). But the next clause shows that the pain is associated with conception and childbirth. The two words form a hendiadys (where two words are joined to express one idea, like “good and angry” in English), the second explaining the first. “Conception,” if the correct meaning of the noun, must be figurative here since there is no pain in conception; it is a synecdoche, representing the entire process of childbirth and child rearing from the very start. However, recent etymological research suggests the noun is derived from a root הרר (hrr), not הרה (hrh), and means “trembling, pain” (see D. Tsumura, “A Note on הרוֹן (Gen 3,16),” Bib 75 [1994]: 398-400). In this case “pain and trembling” refers to the physical effects of childbirth. The word עִצְּבוֹן (’itsÿvon, “pain”), an abstract noun related to the verb (עָצַב, ’atsav), includes more than physical pain. It is emotional distress as well as physical pain. The same word is used in v. 17 for the man’s painful toil in the field.

[3:16]  ³ tn Heb “and toward your husband [will be] your desire.” The nominal sentence does not have a verb; a future verb must be supplied, because the focus of the oracle is on the future struggle. The precise meaning of the noun תְּשׁוּקָה (tÿshuqah, “desire”) is debated. Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.” Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain. (Even in Song of Songs it carries the basic idea of “control,” for it describes the young man’s desire to “have his way sexually” with the young woman.) In Gen 3:16 the Lord announces a struggle, a conflict between the man and the woman. She will desire to control him, but he will dominate her instead. This interpretation also fits the tone of the passage, which is a judgment oracle. See further Susan T. Foh, “What is the Woman’s Desire?” WTJ 37 (1975): 376-83.

[3:16]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb מָשַׁל (mashal) means “to rule over,” but in a way that emphasizes powerful control, domination, or mastery. This also is part of the baser human nature. The translation assumes the imperfect verb form has an objective/indicative sense here. Another option is to understand it as having a modal, desiderative nuance, “but he will want to dominate you.” In this case, the Lord simply announces the struggle without indicating who will emerge victorious.

[18:5]  ⁵ tn The Qal cohortative here probably has the nuance of polite request.

[18:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “a piece of bread.” The Hebrew word לֶחֶם (lekhem) can refer either to bread specifically or to food in general. Based on Abraham’s directions to Sarah in v. 6, bread was certainly involved, but v. 7 indicates that Abraham had a more elaborate meal in mind.

[18:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “strengthen your heart.” The imperative after the cohortative indicates purpose here.

[18:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that you may refresh yourselves, after [which] you may be on your way – for therefore you passed by near your servant.”

[22:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “By myself I swear.”

[22:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the oracle of the Lord.” The phrase refers to a formal oracle or decree from the Lord.

[24:49]  ¹¹ 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.

[29:18]  ¹² tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ¹⁴ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:33]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.

[29:33]  ¹⁷ sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the Lord “heard” about Leah’s unloved condition and responded with pity.

[33:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[33:15]  ²² tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ²³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ²⁴ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[34:11]  ²⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “pay.”

[40:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.

[40:14]  ²⁹ tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.

[40:14]  ³⁰ tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”

[40:14]  ³¹ tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.

[40:14]  ³² tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ³³ tn Heb “and he lifted his eyes.” The referent of “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[43:29]  ³⁴ sn Joseph’s language here becomes warmer and more personal, culminating in calling Benjamin my son.

[43:30]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.

[43:30]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”