Boks TemuanGenesis 44:1--47:31
Konteks44:1 He instructed the servant who was over his household, “Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 44:2 Then put 1 my cup – the silver cup – in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph instructed. 2
44:3 When morning came, 3 the men and their donkeys were sent off. 4 44:4 They had not gone very far from the city 5 when Joseph said 6 to the servant who was over his household, “Pursue the men at once! 7 When you overtake 8 them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 44:5 Doesn’t my master drink from this cup 9 and use it for divination? 10 You have done wrong!’” 11
44:6 When the man 12 overtook them, he spoke these words to them. 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord say such things? 13 Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 14 44:8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 44:9 If one of us has it, 15 he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves!”
44:10 He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! 16 The one who has it will become my slave, 17 but the rest of 18 you will go free.” 19 44:11 So each man quickly lowered 20 his sack to the ground and opened it. 44:12 Then the man 21 searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! 44:13 They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
44:14 So Judah and his brothers 22 came back to Joseph’s house. He was still there, 23 and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? 24 Don’t you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?” 25
44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say 26 to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? 27 God has exposed the sin of your servants! 28 We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of 29 you may go back 30 to your father in peace.”
44:18 Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. 31 Please do not get angry with your servant, 32 for you are just like Pharaoh. 33 44:19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. 34 The boy’s 35 brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, 36 and his father loves him.’
44:21 “Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see 37 him.’ 38 44:22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father 39 will die.’ 40 44:23 But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 44:24 When we returned to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
44:25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 44:26 But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. 41 If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, 42 for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’
44:27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave me two sons. 43 44:28 The first disappeared 44 and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” I have not seen him since. 44:29 If you take 45 this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair 46 in tragedy 47 to the grave.’ 48
44:30 “So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us – his very life is bound up in his son’s life. 49 44:31 When he sees the boy is not with us, 50 he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave. 44:32 Indeed, 51 your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.’
44:33 “So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers. 44:34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see 52 my father’s pain.” 53
45:1 Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, 54 so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained 55 with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 45:2 He wept loudly; 56 the Egyptians heard it and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 57
45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him. 45:4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they came near. Then he said, “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 45:5 Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, 58 for God sent me 59 ahead of you to preserve life! 45:6 For these past two years there has been famine in 60 the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 45:7 God sent me 61 ahead of you to preserve you 62 on the earth and to save your lives 63 by a great deliverance. 45:8 So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser 64 to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 45:9 Now go up to my father quickly 65 and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay! 45:10 You will live 66 in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me – you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. 45:11 I will provide you with food 67 there because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise you would become poor – you, your household, and everyone who belongs to you.”’ 45:12 You and my brother Benjamin can certainly see with your own eyes that I really am the one who speaks to you. 68 45:13 So tell 69 my father about all my honor in Egypt and about everything you have seen. But bring my father down here quickly!” 70
45:14 Then he threw himself on the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 45:15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After this his brothers talked with him.
45:16 Now it was reported 71 in the household of Pharaoh, “Joseph’s brothers have arrived.” It pleased 72 Pharaoh and his servants. 45:17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and go 73 to the land of Canaan! 45:18 Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you 74 the best land in Egypt and you will eat 75 the best 76 of the land.’ 45:19 You are also commanded to say, 77 ‘Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and come. 45:20 Don’t worry 78 about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’”
45:21 So the sons of Israel did as he said. 79 Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, 80 and he gave them provisions for the journey. 45:22 He gave sets of clothes to each one of them, 81 but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes. 82 45:23 To his father he sent the following: 83 ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey. 45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” 84
45:25 So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 85 45:26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned, 86 for he did not believe them. 45:27 But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, 87 and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. 45:28 Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.”
46:1 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had. 88 When he came to Beer Sheba 89 he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night 90 and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” 46:3 He said, “I am God, 91 the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 46:4 I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there. 92 Joseph will close your eyes.” 93
46:5 Then Jacob started out 94 from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. 46:6 Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt. 95 46:7 He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, 96 his daughters and granddaughters – all his descendants.
46:8 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt – Jacob and his sons:
Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.
46:9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
46:10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar,
and Shaul (the son of a Canaanite woman).
46:11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
46:12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah
(but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
46:13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah, 97 Jashub, 98 and Shimron.
46:14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
46:15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters numbered thirty-three in all. 99
46:16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon, 100 Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
46:17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and Serah their sister.
The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.
46:18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, sixteen in all.
46:19 The sons of Rachel the wife of Jacob:
Joseph and Benjamin.
46:20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, 101 bore them to him.
46:21 The sons of Benjamin: 102
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
46:22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob, fourteen in all.
46:23 The son of Dan: Hushim. 103
46:24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
46:25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter. She bore these to Jacob, seven in all.
46:26 All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.) 104 46:27 Counting the two sons 105 of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy. 106
46:28 Jacob 107 sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen. 108 So they came to the land of Goshen. 46:29 Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him, 109 he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.
46:30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” 110 46:31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh, 111 ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. 46:32 The men are shepherds; 112 they take care of livestock. 113 They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 46:33 Pharaoh will summon you and say, ‘What is your occupation?’ 46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle 114 from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, 115 for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting 116 to the Egyptians.”
47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of
Canaan. They are now 117 in the land of Goshen.” 47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. 118
47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s 119 brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” 120 47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents 121 in the land. There 122 is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”
47:5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 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 123 among them, put them in charge 124 of my livestock.”
47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him 125 before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed 126 Pharaoh. 47:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” 127 47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All 128 the years of my travels 129 are 130. All 130 the years of my life have been few and painful; 131 the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” 132 47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 133
47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory 134 in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, 135 just as Pharaoh had commanded. 47:12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
47:13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away 136 because of the famine. 47:14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment 137 for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. 138 47:15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians 139 came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die 140 before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
47:16 Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food 141 in exchange for 142 your livestock.” 47:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. 143 He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.
47:18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our 144 lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land. 47:19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become 145 Pharaoh’s slaves. 146 Give us seed that we may live 147 and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” 148
47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each 149 of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. 150 So the land became Pharaoh’s. 47:21 Joseph 151 made all the people slaves 152 from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 47:22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate 153 the land. 47:24 When you gather in the crop, 154 give 155 one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest 156 will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” 47:25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, 157 and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 158
47:26 So Joseph made it a statute, 159 which is in effect 160 to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
47:27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
47:28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years 161 of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. 47:29 The time 162 for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh 163 and show me kindness and faithfulness. 164 Do not bury me in Egypt, 47:30 but when I rest 165 with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph 166 said, “I will do as you say.”
47:31 Jacob 167 said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” 168 So Joseph 169 gave him his word. 170 Then Israel bowed down 171 at the head of his bed. 172
[44:2] 1 tn The imperfect verbal form is used here to express Joseph’s instructions.
[44:2] 2 tn Heb “and he did according to the word of Joseph which he spoke.”
[44:3] 1 tn Heb “the morning was light.”
[44:3] 2 tn Heb “and the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.” This clause, like the preceding one, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
[44:4] 1 tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”
[44:4] 2 tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
[44:4] 3 tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
[44:4] 4 tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”
[44:5] 1 tn Heb “Is this not what my master drinks from.” The word “cup” is not in the Hebrew text, but is obviously the referent of “this,” and so has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[44:5] 2 tn Heb “and he, divining, divines with it.” The infinitive absolute is emphatic, stressing the importance of the cup to Joseph.
[44:5] 3 tn Heb “you have caused to be evil what you have done.”
[44:6] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:7] 1 tn Heb “Why does my lord speak according to these words?”
[44:7] 2 tn Heb “according to this thing.”
[44:9] 1 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found from your servants.” Here “your servants” (a deferential way of referring to the brothers themselves) has been translated by the pronoun “us” to avoid confusion with Joseph’s servants.
[44:10] 1 tn Heb “Also now, according to your words, so it is.” As the next statement indicates, this does mean that he will do exactly as they say. He does agree with them the culprit should be punished, but not as harshly as they suggest. Furthermore, the innocent parties will not be punished.
[44:10] 2 tn Heb “The one with whom it is found will become my slave.”
[44:10] 3 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[44:10] 4 tn The Hebrew word נָקִי (naqi) means “acquitted,” that is, free of guilt and the responsibility for it.
[44:11] 1 tn Heb “and they hurried and they lowered.” Their speed in doing this shows their presumption of innocence.
[44:12] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:14] 1 sn Judah and his brothers. The narrative is already beginning to bring Judah to the forefront.
[44:14] 2 tn The disjunctive clause here provides supplemental information.
[44:15] 1 tn Heb “What is this deed you have done?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question. A literal translation seems to contradict the following statement, in which Joseph affirms that he is able to divine such matters. Thus here the emotive force of the question has been reflected in the translation, “What did you think you were doing?”
[44:15] 2 tn Heb “[is] fully able to divine,” meaning that he can find things out by divination. The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis, stressing his ability to do this.
[44:16] 1 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
[44:16] 2 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
[44:16] 3 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.
[44:17] 1 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[44:17] 2 tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).
[44:18] 1 tn Heb “Please my lord, let your servant speak a word into the ears of my lord.”
[44:18] 2 tn Heb “and let not your anger burn against your servant.”
[44:18] 3 sn You are just like Pharaoh. Judah’s speech begins with the fear and trembling of one who stands condemned. Joseph has as much power as Pharaoh, either to condemn or to pardon. Judah will make his appeal, wording his speech in such a way as to appeal to Joseph’s compassion for the father, whom he mentions no less than fourteen times in the speech.
[44:20] 1 tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.
[44:20] 2 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:20] 3 tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”
[44:21] 1 tn The cohortative after the imperative indicates purpose here.
[44:21] 2 tn Heb “that I may set my eyes upon him.”
[44:22] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the boy’s father, i.e., Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[44:22] 2 tn The last two verbs are perfect tenses with vav consecutive. The first is subordinated to the second as a conditional clause.
[44:26] 1 tn The direct object is not specified in the Hebrew text, but is implied; “there” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[44:27] 1 tn Heb “that two sons my wife bore to me.”
[44:28] 1 tn Heb “went forth from me.”
[44:29] 1 tn The construction uses a perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive to introduce the conditional clause and then another perfect verbal form with a vav consecutive to complete the sentence: “if you take…then you will bring down.”
[44:29] 2 sn The expression bring down my gray hair is figurative, using a part for the whole – they would put Jacob in the grave. But the gray head signifies a long life of worry and trouble. See Gen 42:38.
[44:29] 3 tn Heb “evil/calamity.” The term is different than the one used in the otherwise identical statement recorded in v. 31 (see also 42:38).
[44:29] 4 tn Heb “to Sheol,” the dwelling place of the dead.
[44:30] 1 tn Heb “his life is bound up in his life.”
[44:31] 1 tn Heb “when he sees that there is no boy.”
[44:34] 1 tn The Hebrew text has “lest I see,” which expresses a negative purpose – “I cannot go up lest I see.”
[44:34] 2 tn Heb “the calamity which would find my father.”
[45:1] 1 tn Heb “all the ones standing beside him.”
[45:2] 1 tn Heb “and he gave his voice in weeping,” meaning that Joseph could not restrain himself and wept out loud.
[45:2] 2 tn Heb “and the Egyptians heard and the household of Pharaoh heard.” Presumably in the latter case this was by means of a report.
[45:5] 1 tn Heb “let there not be anger in your eyes.”
[45:5] 2 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.
[45:6] 1 tn Heb “the famine [has been] in the midst of.”
[45:7] 1 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] 2 tn Heb “to make you a remnant.” The verb, followed here by the preposition לְ (lÿ), means “to make.”
[45:7] 3 tn The infinitive gives a second purpose for God’s action.
[45:8] 1 tn Heb “a father.” The term is used here figuratively of one who gives advice, as a father would to his children.
[45:9] 1 tn Heb “hurry and go up.”
[45:10] 1 tn The perfect verbal form with vav consecutive here expresses instruction.
[45:11] 1 tn The verb כּוּל (kul) in the Pilpel stem means “to nourish, to support, to sustain.” As in 1 Kgs 20:27, it here means “to supply with food.”
[45:12] 1 tn Heb “And, look, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that my mouth is the one speaking to you.”
[45:13] 1 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive here expresses instruction.
[45:13] 2 tn Heb “and hurry and bring down my father to here.”
[45:16] 1 tn Heb “and the sound was heard.”
[45:16] 2 tn Heb “was good in the eyes of.”
[45:17] 1 tn Heb “and go! Enter!”
[45:18] 1 tn After the imperatives in vv. 17-18a, the cohortative with vav indicates result.
[45:18] 2 tn After the cohortative the imperative with vav states the ultimate goal.
[45:19] 1 tn The words “to say” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[45:20] 1 tn Heb “let not your eye regard.”
[45:21] 1 tn Heb “and the sons of Israel did so.”
[45:21] 2 tn Heb “according to the mouth of Pharaoh.”
[45:22] 1 tn Heb “to all of them he gave, to each one, changes of outer garments.”
[45:22] 2 tn Heb “changes of outer garments.”
[45:23] 1 tn Heb “according to this.”
[45:24] 1 tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.
[45:25] 1 tn Heb “and they entered the land of Canaan to their father.”
[45:26] 1 tn Heb “and his heart was numb.” Jacob was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond.
[45:27] 1 tn Heb “and they spoke to him all the words of Joseph which he had spoke to them.”
[46:1] 1 tn Heb “and Israel journeyed, and all that was his.”
[46:1] 2 sn Beer Sheba. See Gen 21:31; 28:10.
[46:2] 1 tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.
[46:4] 1 tn Heb “and I, I will bring you up, also bringing up.” The independent personal pronoun before the first person imperfect verbal form draws attention to the speaker/subject, while the infinitive absolute after the imperfect strongly emphasizes the statement: “I myself will certainly bring you up.”
[46:4] 2 tn Heb “and Joseph will put his hand upon your eyes.” This is a promise of peaceful death in Egypt with Joseph present to close his eyes.
[46:6] 1 tn Heb “and they took their livestock and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Canaan and they went to Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[46:7] 1 tn The Hebrew text adds “with him” here. This is omitted in the translation because it is redundant in English style (note the same phrase earlier in the verse).
[46:13] 1 tc The MT reads “Puvah” (cf. Num 26:23); the Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac read “Puah” (cf. 1 Chr 7:1).
[46:13] 2 tc The MT reads “Iob,” but the Samaritan Pentateuch and some LXX
[46:15] 1 tn Heb “all the lives of his sons and his daughters, thirty-three.”
[46:16] 1 tc The MT reads “Ziphion,” but see Num 26:15, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX, all of which read “Zephon.”
[46:20] 1 sn On is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
[46:21] 1 sn The sons of Benjamin. It is questionable whether youthful Benjamin had ten sons by the time he went into Egypt, but it is not impossible. If Benjamin was born when Joseph was six or seven, he was ten when Joseph was sold into Egypt, and would have been thirty-two at this point. Some suggest that the list originally served another purpose and included the names of all who were in the immediate family of the sons, whether born in Canaan or later in Egypt.
[46:23] 1 tn This name appears as “Shuham” in Num 26:42. The LXX reads “Hashum” here.
[46:26] 1 tn Heb “All the people who went with Jacob to Egypt, the ones who came out of his body, apart from the wives of the sons of Jacob, all the people were sixty-six.”
[46:27] 1 tn The LXX reads “nine sons,” probably counting the grandsons of Joseph born to Ephraim and Manasseh (cf. 1 Chr 7:14-20).
[46:27] 2 tn Heb “And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two people; all the people belonging to the house of Jacob who came to Egypt were seventy.”
[46:28] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[46:28] 2 tn Heb “to direct before him to Goshen.”
[46:29] 1 tn Heb “and he appeared to him.”
[46:30] 1 tn Heb “after my seeing your face that you are still alive.”
[46:31] 1 tn Heb “tell Pharaoh and say to him.”
[46:32] 1 tn Heb “feeders of sheep.”
[46:32] 2 tn Heb “for men of livestock they are.”
[46:34] 1 tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”
[46:34] 2 sn So that you may live in the land of Goshen. Joseph is apparently trying to stress to Pharaoh that his family is self-sufficient, that they will not be a drain on the economy of Egypt. But they will need land for their animals and so Goshen, located on the edge of Egypt, would be a suitable place for them to live. The settled Egyptians were uneasy with nomadic people, but if Jacob and his family settled in Goshen they would represent no threat.
[46:34] 3 tn Heb “is an abomination.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 43:32 and Exod 8:22.
[47:1] 1 tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.
[47:2] 1 tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”
[47:3] 1 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:3] 2 tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”
[47:4] 2 tn Heb “for there.” The Hebrew uses a causal particle to connect what follows with what precedes. The translation divides the statement into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:6] 1 tn Heb “men of skill.”
[47:6] 2 tn Heb “make them rulers.”
[47:7] 1 tn Heb “caused him to stand.”
[47:7] 2 sn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “blessed” is difficult in this passage, because the content of Jacob’s blessing is not given. The expression could simply mean that he greeted Pharaoh, but that seems insufficient in this setting. Jacob probably praised Pharaoh, for the verb is used this way for praising God. It is also possible that he pronounced a formal prayer of blessing, asking God to reward Pharaoh for his kindness.
[47:8] 1 tn Heb “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
[47:9] 1 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 2 tn Heb “sojournings.” Jacob uses a term that depicts him as one who has lived an unsettled life, temporarily residing in many different places.
[47:9] 3 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 4 tn The Hebrew word רַע (ra’) can sometimes mean “evil,” but that would give the wrong connotation here, where it refers to pain, difficulty, and sorrow. Jacob is thinking back through all the troubles he had to endure to get to this point.
[47:9] 5 tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”
[47:10] 1 tn Heb “from before Pharaoh.”
[47:11] 1 tn Heb “a possession,” or “a holding.” Joseph gave them a plot of land with rights of ownership in the land of Goshen.
[47:11] 2 sn The land of Rameses is another designation for the region of Goshen. It is named Rameses because of a city in that region (Exod 1:11; 12:37). The use of this name may represent a modernization of the text for the understanding of the intended readers, substituting a later name for an earlier one. Alternatively, there may have been an earlier Rameses for which the region was named.
[47:13] 1 tn The verb לַהַה (lahah, = לָאָה, la’ah) means “to faint, to languish”; it figuratively describes the land as wasting away, drooping, being worn out.
[47:14] 1 tn Or “in exchange.” On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:15] 1 tn Heb “all Egypt.” The expression is a metonymy and refers to all the people of Egypt.
[47:15] 2 tn The imperfect verbal form has a deliberative force here.
[47:16] 1 tn The word “food” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:16] 2 tn On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:17] 1 tn The definite article is translated here as a possessive pronoun.
[47:18] 1 tn Heb “my.” The expression “my lord” occurs twice more in this verse.
[47:19] 1 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.
[47:19] 2 sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.
[47:19] 3 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.
[47:19] 4 tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav [ו] + subject + negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.
[47:20] 1 tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:20] 2 tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:21] 1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:21] 2 tc The MT reads “and the people he removed to the cities,” which does not make a lot of sense in this context. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX read “he enslaved them as slaves.”
[47:23] 1 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.
[47:24] 1 tn The words “the crop” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:24] 2 tn The perfect form with the vav (ו) consecutive is equivalent to an imperfect of instruction here.
[47:24] 3 tn Heb “four parts.”
[47:25] 1 tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[47:25] 2 sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.
[47:26] 1 tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.
[47:26] 2 tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:28] 1 tn Heb “the days of the years.”
[47:29] 2 sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.
[47:29] 3 tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”
[47:30] 1 tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.
[47:30] 2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 2 tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 4 tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”
[47:31] 5 sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.
[47:31] 6 tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).
