Kejadian 40:15

40:15 for I really was kidnapped ¹  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

Kejadian 28:18

28:18 Early ²  in the morning Jacob ³  took the stone he had placed near his head ⁴  and set it up as a sacred stone. ⁵  Then he poured oil on top of it.

Kejadian 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ⁶  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ⁷  He took one of the stones ⁸  and placed it near his head. ⁹  Then he fell asleep ¹⁰  in that place

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 ¹¹  the money that was returned in our sacks last time. ¹²  He wants to capture us, ¹³  make us slaves, and take ¹⁴  our donkeys!”

[40:15]  ¹ tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

[28:18]  ² tn Heb “and he got up early…and he took.”

[28:18]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:18]  ⁴ tn See the note on this phrase in v. 11.

[28:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[28:18]  sn Sacred stone. Such a stone could be used as a boundary marker, a burial stone, or as a shrine. Here the stone is intended to be a reminder of the stairway that was “erected” and on which the Lord “stood.” (In Hebrew the word translated “sacred stone” is derived from the verb translated “erected” in v. 12 and “stood” in v. 13. Since the top of the stairway reached the heavens where the Lord stood, Jacob poured oil on the top of the stone. See C. F. Graesser, “Standing Stones in Ancient Palestine,” BA 35 (1972): 34-63; and E. Stockton, “Sacred Pillars in the Bible,” ABR 20 (1972): 16-32.

[28:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lay down.”

[43:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[43:18]  ¹² tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.

[43:18]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.