Genesis 3:1--5:32

The Temptation and the Fall

3:1 Now ¹  the serpent ²  was more shrewd ³ 

than any of the wild animals ⁴  that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that ⁵  God ⁶  said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” ⁷  3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat ⁸  of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, ⁹  or else you will die.’” ¹⁰  3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, ¹¹  3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open ¹²  and you will be like divine beings who know ¹³  good and evil.” ¹⁴ 

3:6 When ¹⁵  the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, ¹⁶  was attractive ¹⁷  to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, ¹⁸  she took some of its fruit and ate it. ¹⁹  She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ²⁰  3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

The Judgment Oracles of God at the Fall

3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about ²¹  in the orchard at the breezy time ²²  of the day, and they hid ²³  from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 3:9 But the Lord God called to ²⁴  the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ²⁵  3:10 The man replied, ²⁶  “I heard you moving about ²⁷  in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God ²⁸  said, “Who told you that you were naked? ²⁹  Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ³⁰  3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave ³¹  me some fruit ³²  from the tree and I ate it.” 3:13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this ³³  you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent ³⁴  tricked ³⁵  me, and I ate.”

3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, ³⁶ 

“Because you have done this,

cursed ³⁷  are you above all the wild beasts

and all the living creatures of the field!

On your belly you will crawl ³⁸ 

and dust you will eat ³⁹  all the days of your life.

3:15 And I will put hostility ⁴⁰  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; ⁴¹ 

her offspring will attack ⁴²  your head,

and ⁴³  you ⁴⁴  will attack her offspring’s heel.” ⁴⁵ 

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ⁴⁶  your labor pains; ⁴⁷ 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ⁴⁸ 

but he will dominate ⁴⁹  you.”

3:17 But to Adam ⁵⁰  he said,

“Because you obeyed ⁵¹  your wife

and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,

‘You must not eat from it,’

cursed is the ground ⁵²  thanks to you; ⁵³ 

in painful toil you will eat ⁵⁴  of it all the days of your life.

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ⁵⁵  of the field.

3:19 By the sweat of your brow ⁵⁶  you will eat food

until you return to the ground, ⁵⁷ 

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” ⁵⁸ 

3:20 The man ⁵⁹  named his wife Eve, ⁶⁰  because ⁶¹  she was the mother of all the living. ⁶²  3:21 The Lord God made garments from skin ⁶³  for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now ⁶⁴  that the man has become like one of us, ⁶⁵  knowing ⁶⁶  good and evil, he must not be allowed ⁶⁷  to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 3:23 So the Lord God expelled him ⁶⁸  from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 3:24 When he drove ⁶⁹  the man out, he placed on the eastern side ⁷⁰  of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries ⁷¹  who used the flame of a whirling sword ⁷²  to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now ⁷³  the man had marital relations with ⁷⁴  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ⁷⁵  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ⁷⁶  a man just as the Lord did!” ⁷⁷  4:2 Then she gave birth ⁷⁸  to his brother Abel. ⁷⁹  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ⁸⁰ 

4:3 At the designated time ⁸¹  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering ⁸²  to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought ⁸³  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest ⁸⁴  of them. And the Lord was pleased with ⁸⁵  Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. ⁸⁶  So Cain became very angry, ⁸⁷  and his expression was downcast. ⁸⁸ 

4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true ⁸⁹  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? ⁹⁰  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching ⁹¹  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” ⁹² 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” ⁹³  While they were in the field, Cain attacked ⁹⁴  his brother ⁹⁵  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ⁹⁶  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ⁹⁷  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? ⁹⁸  The voice ⁹⁹  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished ¹⁰⁰  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate ¹⁰¹  the

ground it will no longer yield ¹⁰²  its best ¹⁰³  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ¹⁰⁴  on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment ¹⁰⁵  is too great to endure! ¹⁰⁶  4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land ¹⁰⁷  today, and I must hide from your presence. ¹⁰⁸  I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, ¹⁰⁹  if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” ¹¹⁰  Then the Lord put a special mark ¹¹¹  on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. ¹¹²  4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, ¹¹³  east of Eden.

The Beginning of Civilization

4:17 Cain had marital relations ¹¹⁴  with his wife, and she became pregnant ¹¹⁵  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after ¹¹⁶  his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father ¹¹⁷  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first ¹¹⁸  of those who live in tents and keep ¹¹⁹  livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped ¹²⁰  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man ¹²¹  for hurting me.

4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,

then Lamech seventy-seven times!” ¹²² 

4:25 And Adam had marital relations ¹²³  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given ¹²⁴  me another child ¹²⁵  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people ¹²⁶  began to worship ¹²⁷  the Lord.

From Adam to Noah

5:1 This is the record ¹²⁸  of the family line ¹²⁹  of Adam.

When God created humankind, ¹³⁰  he made them ¹³¹  in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” ¹³² 

5:3 When ¹³³  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived ¹³⁴  after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had ¹³⁵  other ¹³⁶  sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime ¹³⁷  of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. ¹³⁸ 

5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father ¹³⁹  of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had ¹⁴⁰  other ¹⁴¹  sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.

5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.

5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.

5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.

5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.

5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God ¹⁴²  for 300 years, ¹⁴³  and he had other ¹⁴⁴  sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared ¹⁴⁵  because God took ¹⁴⁶  him away.

5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other ¹⁴⁷  sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.

5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, ¹⁴⁸  saying, “This one will bring us comfort ¹⁴⁹  from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other ¹⁵⁰  sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.

5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he ¹⁵¹  became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 24:1--25:34

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ¹⁵²  and the Lord had blessed him ¹⁵³  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ¹⁵⁴  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ¹⁵⁵  24:3 so that I may make you solemnly promise ¹⁵⁶  by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth: You must not acquire ¹⁵⁷  a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living. 24:4 You must go instead to my country and to my relatives ¹⁵⁸  to find ¹⁵⁹  a wife for my son Isaac.”

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ¹⁶⁰  to this land? Must I then ¹⁶¹  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

24:6 “Be careful ¹⁶²  never to take my son back there!” Abraham told him. ¹⁶³  24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ¹⁶⁴  promised me with a solemn oath, ¹⁶⁵  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ¹⁶⁶  before you so that you may find ¹⁶⁷  a wife for my son from there. 24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ¹⁶⁸  you will be free ¹⁶⁹  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!” 24:9 So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and gave his solemn promise he would carry out his wishes. ¹⁷⁰ 

24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all kinds of gifts from his master at his disposal. ¹⁷¹  He journeyed ¹⁷²  to the region of Aram Naharaim ¹⁷³  and the city of Nahor. 24:11 He made the camels kneel down by the well ¹⁷⁴  outside the city. It was evening, ¹⁷⁵  the time when the women would go out to draw water. 24:12 He prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, guide me today. ¹⁷⁶  Be faithful ¹⁷⁷  to my master Abraham. 24:13 Here I am, standing by the spring, ¹⁷⁸  and the daughters of the people ¹⁷⁹  who live in the town are coming out to draw water. 24:14 I will say to a young woman, ‘Please lower your jar so I may drink.’ May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ ¹⁸⁰  In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.” ¹⁸¹ 

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ¹⁸²  with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). ¹⁸³  24:16 Now the young woman was very beautiful. She was a virgin; no man had ever had sexual relations with her. ¹⁸⁴  She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came back up. 24:17 Abraham’s servant ¹⁸⁵  ran to meet her and said, “Please give me a sip of water from your jug.” 24:18 “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and quickly lowering ¹⁸⁶  her jug to her hands, she gave him a drink. 24:19 When she had done so, ¹⁸⁷  she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have drunk as much as they want.” 24:20 She quickly emptied ¹⁸⁸  her jug into the watering trough and ran back to the well to draw more water until she had drawn enough for all his camels. 24:21 Silently the man watched her with interest to determine ¹⁸⁹  if the Lord had made his journey successful ¹⁹⁰  or not.

24:22 After the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka ¹⁹¹  and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels ¹⁹²  and gave them to her. ¹⁹³  24:23 “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. ¹⁹⁴  “Tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24:24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom Milcah bore to Nahor. ¹⁹⁵  24:25 We have plenty of straw and feed,” she added, ¹⁹⁶  “and room for you ¹⁹⁷  to spend the night.”

24:26 The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord, 24:27 saying “Praised be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his faithful love ¹⁹⁸  for my master! The Lord has led me ¹⁹⁹  to the house ²⁰⁰  of my master’s relatives!” ²⁰¹ 

24:28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household all about ²⁰²  these things. 24:29 (Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) ²⁰³  Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring. 24:30 When he saw the bracelets on his sister’s wrists and the nose ring ²⁰⁴  and heard his sister Rebekah say, ²⁰⁵  “This is what the man said to me,” he went out to meet the man. There he was, standing ²⁰⁶  by the camels near the spring. 24:31 Laban said to him, ²⁰⁷  “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord! ²⁰⁸  Why are you standing out here when I have prepared ²⁰⁹  the house and a place for the camels?”

24:32 So Abraham’s servant ²¹⁰  went to the house and unloaded ²¹¹  the camels. Straw and feed were given ²¹²  to the camels, and water was provided so that he and the men who were with him could wash their feet. ²¹³  24:33 When food was served, ²¹⁴  he said, “I will not eat until I have said what I want to say.” ²¹⁵  “Tell us,” Laban said. ²¹⁶ 

24:34 “I am the servant of Abraham,” he began. 24:35 “The Lord has richly blessed my master and he has become very wealthy. ²¹⁷  The Lord ²¹⁸  has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 24:36 My master’s wife Sarah bore a son to him ²¹⁹  when she was old, ²²⁰  and my master ²²¹  has given him everything he owns. 24:37 My master made me swear an oath. He said, ‘You must not acquire a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 24:38 but you must go to the family of my father and to my relatives to find ²²²  a wife for my son.’ 24:39 But I said to my master, ‘What if the woman does not want to go ²²³  with me?’ ²²⁴  24:40 He answered, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, ²²⁵  will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father’s family. 24:41 You will be free from your oath ²²⁶  if you go to my relatives and they will not give her to you. Then you will be free from your oath.’ 24:42 When I came to the spring today, I prayed, ‘O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you have decided to make my journey successful, ²²⁷  may events unfold as follows: ²²⁸  24:43 Here I am, standing by the spring. ²²⁹  When ²³⁰  the young woman goes out to draw water, I’ll say, “Give me a little water to drink from your jug.” 24:44 Then she will reply to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too.” May that woman be the one whom the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, ²³¹  along came Rebekah ²³²  with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ 24:46 She quickly lowered her jug from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll give your camels water too.’ So I drank, and she also gave the camels water. 24:47 Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to Nahor.’ ²³³  I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. 24:48 Then I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right path to find the granddaughter ²³⁴  of my master’s brother for his son. 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.” ²³⁵ 

24:50 Then Laban and Bethuel replied, “This is the Lord’s doing. ²³⁶  Our wishes are of no concern. ²³⁷  24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ²³⁸  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ²³⁹ 

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 24:53 Then he ²⁴⁰  brought out gold, silver jewelry, and clothing and gave them to Rebekah. He also gave valuable gifts to her brother and to her mother. 24:54 After this, he and the men who were with him ate a meal and stayed there overnight. ²⁴¹ 

When they got up in the morning, he said, “Let me leave now so I can return to my master.” ²⁴²  24:55 But Rebekah’s ²⁴³  brother and her mother replied, “Let the girl stay with us a few more days, perhaps ten. Then she can go.” 24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord ²⁴⁴  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ²⁴⁵  to my master.” 24:57 Then they said, “We’ll call the girl and find out what she wants to do.” ²⁴⁶  24:58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Do you want ²⁴⁷  to go with this man?” She replied, “I want to go.”

24:59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, accompanied by her female attendant, with Abraham’s servant and his men. 24:60 They blessed Rebekah with these words: ²⁴⁸ 

“Our sister, may you become the mother ²⁴⁹  of thousands of ten thousands!

May your descendants possess the strongholds ²⁵⁰  of their enemies.”

24:61 Then Rebekah and her female servants mounted the camels and rode away with ²⁵¹  the man. So Abraham’s servant ²⁵²  took Rebekah and left.

24:62 Now ²⁵³  Isaac came from ²⁵⁴  Beer Lahai Roi, ²⁵⁵  for ²⁵⁶  he was living in the Negev. ²⁵⁷  24:63 He ²⁵⁸  went out to relax ²⁵⁹  in the field in the early evening. ²⁶⁰  Then he looked up ²⁶¹  and saw that ²⁶²  there were camels approaching. 24:64 Rebekah looked up ²⁶³  and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 24:65 and asked ²⁶⁴  Abraham’s servant, ²⁶⁵  “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” “That is my master,” the servant replied. ²⁶⁶  So she took her veil and covered herself.

24:66 The servant told Isaac everything that had happened. 24:67 Then Isaac brought Rebekah ²⁶⁷  into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took her ²⁶⁸  as his wife and loved her. ²⁶⁹  So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ²⁷⁰ 

The Death of Abraham

25:1 Abraham had taken ²⁷¹  another ²⁷²  wife, named Keturah. 25:2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 25:3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. ²⁷³  The descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites. 25:4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants ²⁷⁴  of Keturah.

25:5 Everything he owned Abraham left to his son Isaac. 25:6 But while he was still alive, Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his concubines ²⁷⁵  and sent them off to the east, away from his son Isaac. ²⁷⁶ 

25:7 Abraham lived a total of ²⁷⁷  175 years. 25:8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man who had lived a full life. ²⁷⁸  He joined his ancestors. ²⁷⁹  25:9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah ²⁸⁰  near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite. 25:10 This was the field Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth. ²⁸¹  There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 25:11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed ²⁸²  his son Isaac. Isaac lived near Beer Lahai Roi. ²⁸³ 

The Sons of Ishmael

25:12 This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, ²⁸⁴  whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham.

25:13 These are the names of Ishmael’s sons, by their names according to their records: ²⁸⁵  Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 25:14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 25:15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 25:16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes ²⁸⁶  according to their clans.

25:17 Ishmael lived a total of ²⁸⁷  137 years. He breathed his last and died; then he joined his ancestors. ²⁸⁸  25:18 His descendants ²⁸⁹  settled from Havilah to Shur, which runs next ²⁹⁰  to Egypt all the way ²⁹¹  to Asshur. ²⁹²  They settled ²⁹³  away from all their relatives. ²⁹⁴ 

Jacob and Esau

25:19 This is the account of Isaac, ²⁹⁵  the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 25:20 When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, ²⁹⁶  the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. ²⁹⁷ 

25:21 Isaac prayed to ²⁹⁸  the Lord on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 25:22 But the children struggled ²⁹⁹  inside her, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, I’m not so sure I want to be pregnant!” ³⁰⁰  So she asked the Lord, ³⁰¹  25:23 and the Lord said to her,

“Two nations ³⁰²  are in your womb,

and two peoples will be separated from within you.

One people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.”

25:24 When the time came for Rebekah to give birth, ³⁰³  there were ³⁰⁴  twins in her womb. 25:25 The first came out reddish ³⁰⁵  all over, ³⁰⁶  like a hairy ³⁰⁷  garment, so they named him Esau. ³⁰⁸  25:26 When his brother came out with ³⁰⁹  his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. ³¹⁰  Isaac was sixty years old ³¹¹  when they were born.

25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled ³¹²  hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. ³¹³  25:28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, ³¹⁴  but Rebekah loved ³¹⁵  Jacob.

25:29 Now Jacob cooked some stew, ³¹⁶  and when Esau came in from the open fields, he was famished. 25:30 So Esau said to Jacob, “Feed ³¹⁷  me some of the red stuff – yes, this red stuff – because I’m starving!” (That is why he was also called ³¹⁸  Edom.) ³¹⁹ 

25:31 But Jacob replied, “First ³²⁰  sell me your birthright.” 25:32 “Look,” said Esau, “I’m about to die! What use is the birthright to me?” ³²¹  25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear an oath to me now.” ³²²  So Esau ³²³  swore an oath to him and sold his birthright ³²⁴  to Jacob.

25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew; Esau ate and drank, then got up and went out. ³²⁵  So Esau despised his birthright. ³²⁶ 

Genesis 37:1-36

Joseph’s Dreams

37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, ³²⁷  in the land of Canaan. ³²⁸ 

37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, ³²⁹  was taking care of ³³⁰  the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster ³³¹  working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. ³³²  Joseph brought back a bad report about them ³³³  to their father.

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ³³⁴  because he was a son born to him late in life, ³³⁵  and he made a special ³³⁶  tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s ³³⁷  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ³³⁸  they hated Joseph ³³⁹  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ³⁴⁰ 

37:5 Joseph ³⁴¹  had a dream, ³⁴²  and when he told his brothers about it, ³⁴³  they hated him even more. ³⁴⁴  37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ³⁴⁵  37:7 There we were, ³⁴⁶  binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down ³⁴⁷  to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ³⁴⁸  They hated him even more ³⁴⁹  because of his dream and because of what he said. ³⁵⁰ 

37:9 Then he had another dream, ³⁵¹  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ³⁵²  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ³⁵³  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ³⁵⁴  37:11 His brothers were jealous ³⁵⁵  of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. ³⁵⁶ 

37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ³⁵⁷  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ³⁵⁸  Joseph replied. ³⁵⁹  37:14 So Jacob ³⁶⁰  said to him, “Go now and check on ³⁶¹  the welfare ³⁶²  of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob ³⁶³  sent him from the valley of Hebron.

37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, ³⁶⁴  a man found him wandering ³⁶⁵  in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ³⁶⁶  me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, ³⁶⁷  for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers ³⁶⁸  saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! ³⁶⁹  37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ³⁷⁰  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ³⁷¹ 

37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph ³⁷²  from their hands, ³⁷³  saying, ³⁷⁴  “Let’s not take his life!” ³⁷⁵  37:22 Reuben continued, ³⁷⁶  “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” ³⁷⁷  (Reuben said this ³⁷⁸  so he could rescue Joseph ³⁷⁹  from them ³⁸⁰  and take him back to his father.)

37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him ³⁸¹  of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; ³⁸²  there was no water in it.)

37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up ³⁸³  and saw ³⁸⁴  a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. ³⁸⁵  37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, ³⁸⁶  for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. ³⁸⁷  37:28 So when the Midianite ³⁸⁸  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ³⁸⁹  him ³⁹⁰  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ³⁹¹  then took Joseph to Egypt.

37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! ³⁹²  He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, ³⁹³  and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father ³⁹⁴  and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! ³⁹⁵  Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, ³⁹⁶  and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by ³⁹⁷  him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” ³⁹⁸  So Joseph’s ³⁹⁹  father wept for him.

37:36 Now ⁴⁰⁰  in Egypt the Midianites ⁴⁰¹  sold Joseph ⁴⁰²  to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. ⁴⁰³ 

Genesis 39:1-23

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ⁴⁰⁴  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ⁴⁰⁵  purchased him from ⁴⁰⁶  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful ⁴⁰⁷  and lived ⁴⁰⁸  in the household of his Egyptian master. 39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. ⁴⁰⁹  39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. ⁴¹⁰  Potiphar appointed Joseph ⁴¹¹  overseer of his household and put him in charge ⁴¹²  of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time ⁴¹³  Potiphar ⁴¹⁴  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁴¹⁵  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ⁴¹⁶  in his house and in his fields. ⁴¹⁷  39:6 So Potiphar ⁴¹⁸  left ⁴¹⁹  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ⁴²⁰  he gave no thought ⁴²¹  to anything except the food he ate. ⁴²² 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ⁴²³  39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of ⁴²⁴  Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” ⁴²⁵  39:8 But he refused, saying ⁴²⁶  to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought ⁴²⁷  to his household with me here, ⁴²⁸  and everything that he owns he has put into my care. ⁴²⁹  39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do ⁴³⁰  such a great evil and sin against God?” 39:10 Even though she continued to speak ⁴³¹  to Joseph day after day, he did not respond ⁴³²  to her invitation to have sex with her. ⁴³³ 

39:11 One day ⁴³⁴  he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants ⁴³⁵  were there in the house. 39:12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran ⁴³⁶  outside. ⁴³⁷  39:13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought ⁴³⁸  in a Hebrew man ⁴³⁹  to us to humiliate us. ⁴⁴⁰  He tried to have sex with me, ⁴⁴¹  but I screamed loudly. ⁴⁴²  39:15 When he heard me raise ⁴⁴³  my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”

39:16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 39:17 This is what she said to him: ⁴⁴⁴  “That Hebrew slave ⁴⁴⁵  you brought to us tried to humiliate me, ⁴⁴⁶  39:18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”

39:19 When his master heard his wife say, ⁴⁴⁷  “This is the way ⁴⁴⁸  your slave treated me,” ⁴⁴⁹  he became furious. ⁴⁵⁰  39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, ⁴⁵¹  the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. ⁴⁵² 

39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. ⁴⁵³  He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ⁴⁵⁴  39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. ⁴⁵⁵  39:23 The warden did not concern himself ⁴⁵⁶  with anything that was in Joseph’s ⁴⁵⁷  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

Genesis 13:2

13:2 (Now Abram was very wealthy ⁴⁵⁸  in livestock, silver, and gold.) ⁴⁵⁹ 

Genesis 13:9

13:9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go ⁴⁶⁰  to the left, then I’ll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left.”

Numbers 11:25-29

11:25 And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to them, and he took some of the Spirit that was on Moses ⁴⁶¹  and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, ⁴⁶²  they prophesied, ⁴⁶³  but did not do so again. ⁴⁶⁴ 

Eldad and Medad

11:26 But two men remained in the camp; one’s name was Eldad, and the other’s name was Medad. And the spirit rested on them. (Now they were among those in the registration, ⁴⁶⁵  but had not gone to the tabernacle.) So they prophesied in the camp. 11:27 And a ⁴⁶⁶  young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 11:28 Joshua son of Nun, the servant ⁴⁶⁷  of Moses, one of his choice young men, ⁴⁶⁸  said, ⁴⁶⁹  “My lord Moses, stop them!” ⁴⁷⁰  11:29 Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for me? ⁴⁷¹  I wish that ⁴⁷²  all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

Romans 12:6

12:6 And we have different gifts ⁴⁷³  according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ⁴⁷⁴  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ⁴⁷⁵  – which is your reasonable service.

Romans 5:20

5:20 Now the law came in ⁴⁷⁶  so that the transgression ⁴⁷⁷  may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more,

Romans 5:1

The Expectation of Justification

5:1 ⁴⁷⁸ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have ⁴⁷⁹  peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 4:14

4:14 For if they become heirs by the law, faith is empty and the promise is nullified. ⁴⁸⁰ 

[3:1]  ¹ tn The chapter begins with a disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + predicate) that introduces a new character and a new scene in the story.

[3:1]  ² sn Many theologians identify or associate the serpent with Satan. In this view Satan comes in the disguise of a serpent or speaks through a serpent. This explains the serpent’s capacity to speak. While later passages in the Bible may indicate there was a satanic presence behind the serpent (see, for example, Rev 12:9), the immediate context pictures the serpent as simply one of the animals of the field created by God (see vv. 1, 14). An ancient Jewish interpretation explains the reference to the serpent in a literal manner, attributing the capacity to speak to all the animals in the orchard. This text (Jub. 3:28) states, “On that day [the day the man and woman were expelled from the orchard] the mouth of all the beasts and cattle and birds and whatever walked or moved was stopped from speaking because all of them used to speak to one another with one speech and one language [presumed to be Hebrew, see 12:26].” Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.41) attributes the serpent’s actions to jealousy. He writes that “the serpent, living in the company of Adam and his wife, grew jealous of the blessings which he supposed were destined for them if they obeyed God’s behests, and, believing that disobedience would bring trouble on them, he maliciously persuaded the woman to taste of the tree of wisdom.”

[3:1]  ³ tn The Hebrew word עָרוּם (’arum) basically means “clever.” This idea then polarizes into the nuances “cunning” (in a negative sense, see Job 5:12; 15:5), and “prudent” in a positive sense (Prov 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8, 15, 18; 22:3; 27:12). This same polarization of meaning can be detected in related words derived from the same root (see Exod 21:14; Josh 9:4; 1 Sam 23:22; Job 5:13; Ps 83:3). The negative nuance obviously applies in Gen 3, where the snake attempts to talk the woman into disobeying God by using half-truths and lies.

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “animals of the field.”

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “Indeed that God said.” The beginning of the quotation is elliptical and therefore difficult to translate. One must supply a phrase like “is it true”: “Indeed, [is it true] that God said.”

[3:1]  ⁶ sn God. The serpent does not use the expression “Yahweh God” [Lord God] because there is no covenant relationship involved between God and the serpent. He only speaks of “God.” In the process the serpent draws the woman into his manner of speech so that she too only speaks of “God.”

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “you must not eat from all the tree[s] of the orchard.” After the negated prohibitive verb, מִכֹּל (mikkol, “from all”) has the meaning “from any.” Note the construction in Lev 18:26, where the statement “you must not do from all these abominable things” means “you must not do any of these abominable things.” See Lev 22:25 and Deut 28:14 as well.

[3:2]  ⁸ tn There is a notable change between what the Lord God had said and what the woman says. God said “you may freely eat” (the imperfect with the infinitive absolute, see 2:16), but the woman omits the emphatic infinitive, saying simply “we may eat.” Her words do not reflect the sense of eating to her heart’s content.

[3:3]  ⁹ sn And you must not touch it. The woman adds to God’s prohibition, making it say more than God expressed. G. von Rad observes that it is as though she wanted to set a law for herself by means of this exaggeration (Genesis [OTL], 86).

[3:3]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew construction is פֶּן (pen) with the imperfect tense, which conveys a negative purpose: “lest you die” = “in order that you not die.” By stating the warning in this way, the woman omits the emphatic infinitive used by God (“you shall surely die,” see 2:17).

[3:4]  ¹¹ tn The response of the serpent includes the infinitive absolute with a blatant negation equal to saying: “Not – you will surely die” (לֹא מוֹת תִּמֻתען, lo’ mot tÿmutun). The construction makes this emphatic because normally the negative particle precedes the finite verb. The serpent is a liar, denying that there is a penalty for sin (see John 8:44).

[3:5]  ¹² tn Or “you will have understanding.” This obviously refers to the acquisition of the “knowledge of good and evil,” as the next statement makes clear.

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Or perhaps “like God, knowing.” It is unclear how the plural participle translated “knowing” is functioning. On the one hand, יֹדְעֵי (yodÿ’e) could be taken as a substantival participle functioning as a predicative adjective in the sentence. In this case one might translate: “You will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil.” On the other hand, it could be taken as an attributive adjective modifying אֱלֹהִים (’elohim). In this case אֱלֹהִים has to be taken as a numerical plural referring to “gods,” “divine beings,” for if the one true God were the intended referent, a singular form of the participle would almost certainly appear as a modifier. Following this line of interpretation, one could translate, “You will be like divine beings who know good and evil.” The following context may favor this translation, for in 3:22 God says to an unidentified group, “Look, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” It is probable that God is addressing his heavenly court (see the note on the word “make” in 1:26), the members of which can be called “gods” or “divine beings” from the ancient Israelite perspective. (We know some of these beings as messengers or “angels.”) An examination of parallel constructions shows that a predicative understanding (“you will be, like God himself, knowers of good and evil,” cf. NIV, NRSV) is possible, but rare (see Gen 27:23, where “hairy” is predicative, complementing the verb “to be”). The statistical evidence strongly suggests that the participle is attributive, modifying “divine beings” (see Ps 31:12; Isa 1:30; 13:14; 16:2; 29:5; 58:11; Jer 14:9; 20:9; 23:9; 31:12; 48:41; 49:22; Hos 7:11; Amos 4:11). In all of these texts, where a comparative clause and accompanying adjective/participle follow a copulative (“to be”) verb, the adjective/participle is attributive after the noun in the comparative clause.

[3:5]  ¹⁴ sn You will be like divine beings who know good and evil. The serpent raises doubts about the integrity of God. He implies that the only reason for the prohibition was that God was protecting the divine domain. If the man and woman were to eat, they would enter into that domain. The temptation is to overstep divinely established boundaries. (See D. E. Gowan, When Man Becomes God [PTMS], 25.)

[3:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “And the woman saw.” The clause can be rendered as a temporal clause subordinate to the following verb in the sequence.

[3:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “that the tree was good for food.” The words “produced fruit that was” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[3:6]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew word תַּאֲוָה (ta’avah, translated “attractive” here) actually means “desirable.” This term and the later term נֶחְמָד (nekhmad, “desirable”) are synonyms.

[3:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.” On the connection between moral wisdom and the “knowledge of good and evil,” see the note on the word “evil” in 2:9.

[3:6]  ¹⁹ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied (here and also after “ate” at the end of this verse) for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ²⁰ sn This pericope (3:1-7) is a fine example of Hebrew narrative structure. After an introductory disjunctive clause that introduces a new character and sets the stage (3:1), the narrative tension develops through dialogue, culminating in the action of the story. Once the dialogue is over, the action is told in a rapid sequence of verbs – she took, she ate, she gave, and he ate.

[3:8]  ²¹ tn The Hitpael participle of הָלָךְ (halakh, “to walk, to go”) here has an iterative sense, “moving” or “going about.” While a translation of “walking about” is possible, it assumes a theophany, the presence of the Lord God in a human form. This is more than the text asserts.

[3:8]  ²² tn The expression is traditionally rendered “cool of the day,” because the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruakh) can mean “wind.” U. Cassuto (Genesis: From Adam to Noah, 152-54) concludes after lengthy discussion that the expression refers to afternoon when it became hot and the sun was beginning to decline. J. J. Niehaus (God at Sinai [SOTBT], 155-57) offers a different interpretation of the phrase, relating יוֹם (yom, usually understood as “day”) to an Akkadian cognate umu (“storm”) and translates the phrase “in the wind of the storm.” If Niehaus is correct, then God is not pictured as taking an afternoon stroll through the orchard, but as coming in a powerful windstorm to confront the man and woman with their rebellion. In this case קוֹל יְהוָה (qol yÿhvah, “sound of the Lord”) may refer to God’s thunderous roar, which typically accompanies his appearance in the storm to do battle or render judgment (e.g., see Ps 29).

[3:8]  ²³ tn The verb used here is the Hitpael, giving the reflexive idea (“they hid themselves”). In v. 10, when Adam answers the Lord, the Niphal form is used with the same sense: “I hid.”

[3:9]  ²⁴ tn The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call”) followed by the preposition אֶל־ or לְ (’el- or lÿ, “to, unto”) often carries the connotation of “summon.”

[3:9]  ²⁵ sn Where are you? The question is probably rhetorical (a figure of speech called erotesis) rather than literal, because it was spoken to the man, who answers it with an explanation of why he was hiding rather than a location. The question has more the force of “Why are you hiding?”

[3:10]  ²⁶ tn Heb “and he said.”

[3:10]  ²⁷ tn Heb “your sound.” If one sees a storm theophany here (see the note on the word “time” in v. 8), then one could translate, “your powerful voice.”

[3:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (the Lord God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:11]  ²⁹ sn Who told you that you were naked? This is another rhetorical question, asking more than what it appears to ask. The second question in the verse reveals the Lord God’s real concern.

[3:11]  ³⁰ sn The Hebrew word order (“Did you from the tree – which I commanded you not to eat from it – eat?”) is arranged to emphasize that the man’s and the woman’s eating of the fruit was an act of disobedience. The relative clause inserted immediately after the reference to the tree brings out this point very well.

[3:12]  ³¹ tn The Hebrew construction in this sentence uses an independent nominative absolute (formerly known as a casus pendens). “The woman” is the independent nominative absolute; it is picked up by the formal subject, the pronoun “she” written with the verb (“she gave”). The point of the construction is to throw the emphasis on “the woman.” But what makes this so striking is that a relative clause has been inserted to explain what is meant by the reference to the woman: “whom you gave me.” Ultimately, the man is blaming God for giving him the woman who (from the man’s viewpoint) caused him to sin.

[3:12]  ³² tn The words “some fruit” here and the pronoun “it” at the end of the sentence are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[3:13]  ³³ tn The use of the demonstrative pronoun is enclitic, serving as an undeclined particle for emphasis. It gives the sense of “What in the world have you done?” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[3:13]  ³⁴ sn The Hebrew word order puts the subject (“the serpent”) before the verb here, giving prominence to it.

[3:13]  ³⁵ tn This verb (the Hiphil of נָשָׁא, nasha) is used elsewhere of a king or god misleading his people into false confidence (2 Kgs 18:29 = 2 Chr 32:15 = Isa 36:14; 2 Kgs 19:10 = Isa 37:10), of an ally deceiving a partner (Obad 7), of God deceiving his sinful people as a form of judgment (Jer 4:10), of false prophets instilling their audience with false hope (Jer 29:8), and of pride and false confidence producing self-deception (Jer 37:9; 49:16; Obad 3).

[3:14]  ³⁶ sn Note that God asks no question of the serpent, does not call for confession, as he did to the man and the woman; there is only the announcement of the curse. The order in this section is chiastic: The man is questioned, the woman is questioned, the serpent is cursed, sentence is passed on the woman, sentence is passed on the man.

[3:14]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew word translated “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as comparative, then the idea is “cursed [i.e., punished] are you above [i.e., more than] all the wild beasts.” In this case the comparative preposition reflects the earlier comparison: The serpent was more shrewd than all others, and so more cursed than all others. If the preposition is taken as separative (see the note on the word “ground” in 4:11), then the idea is “cursed and banished from all the wild beasts.” In this case the serpent is condemned to isolation from all the other animals.

[3:14]  ³⁸ tn Heb “go”; “walk,” but in English “crawl” or “slither” better describes a serpent’s movement.

[3:14]  ³⁹ sn Dust you will eat. Being restricted to crawling on the ground would necessarily involve “eating dust,” although that is not the diet of the serpent. The idea of being brought low, of “eating dust” as it were, is a symbol of humiliation.

[3:15]  ⁴⁰ tn The Hebrew word translated “hostility” is derived from the root אֵיב (’ev, “to be hostile, to be an adversary [or enemy]”). The curse announces that there will be continuing hostility between the serpent and the woman. The serpent will now live in a “battle zone,” as it were.

[3:15]  ⁴¹ sn The Hebrew word translated “offspring” is a collective singular. The text anticipates the ongoing struggle between human beings (the woman’s offspring) and deadly poisonous snakes (the serpent’s offspring). An ancient Jewish interpretation of the passage states: “He made the serpent, cause of the deceit, press the earth with belly and flank, having bitterly driven him out. He aroused a dire enmity between them. The one guards his head to save it, the other his heel, for death is at hand in the proximity of men and malignant poisonous snakes.” See Sib. Or. 1:59-64. For a similar interpretation see Josephus, Ant. 1.1.4 (1.50-51).

[3:15]  ⁴² tn Heb “he will attack [or “bruise”] you [on] the head.” The singular pronoun and verb agree grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “head” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A crushing blow to the head would be potentially fatal.

[3:15]  ⁴³ tn Or “but you will…”; or “as they attack your head, you will attack their heel.” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) is understood as contrastive. Both clauses place the subject before the verb, a construction that is sometimes used to indicate synchronic action (see Judg 15:14).

[3:15]  ⁴⁴ sn You will attack her offspring’s heel. Though the conflict will actually involve the serpent’s offspring (snakes) and the woman’s offspring (human beings), v. 15b for rhetorical effect depicts the conflict as being between the serpent and the woman’s offspring, as if the serpent will outlive the woman. The statement is personalized for the sake of the addressee (the serpent) and reflects the ancient Semitic concept of corporate solidarity, which emphasizes the close relationship between a progenitor and his offspring. Note Gen 28:14, where the Lord says to Jacob, “Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you [second masculine singular] will spread out in all directions.” Jacob will “spread out” in all directions through his offspring, but the text states the matter as if this will happen to him personally.

[3:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “you will attack him [on] the heel.” The verb (translated “attack”) is repeated here, a fact that is obscured by some translations (e.g., NIV “crush…strike”). The singular pronoun agrees grammatically with the collective singular noun “offspring.” For other examples of singular verb and pronominal forms being used with the collective singular “offspring,” see Gen 16:10; 22:17; 24:60. The word “heel” is an adverbial accusative, locating the blow. A bite on the heel from a poisonous serpent is potentially fatal.

[3:16]  ⁴⁶ tn The imperfect verb form is emphasized and intensified by the infinitive absolute from the same verb.

[3:16]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ 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.

[3:17]  ⁵⁰ tn Since there is no article on the word, the personal name is used, rather than the generic “the man” (cf. NRSV).

[3:17]  ⁵¹ tn The idiom “listen to the voice of” often means “obey.” The man “obeyed” his wife and in the process disobeyed God.

[3:17]  ⁵² sn For the ground to be cursed means that it will no longer yield its bounty as the blessing from God had promised. The whole creation, Paul writes in Rom 8:22, is still groaning under this curse, waiting for the day of redemption.

[3:17]  ⁵³ tn The Hebrew phrase בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ (ba’avurekha) is more literally translated “on your account” or “because of you.” The idiomatic “thanks to you” in the translation tries to capture the point of this expression.

[3:17]  ⁵⁴ sn In painful toil you will eat. The theme of eating is prominent throughout Gen 3. The prohibition was against eating from the tree of knowledge. The sin was in eating. The interrogation concerned the eating from the tree of knowledge. The serpent is condemned to eat the dust of the ground. The curse focuses on eating in a “measure for measure” justice. Because the man and the woman sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, God will forbid the ground to cooperate, and so it will be through painful toil that they will eat.

[3:18]  ⁵⁵ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (’esev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

[3:19]  ⁵⁶ tn The expression “the sweat of your brow” is a metonymy, the sweat being the result of painful toil in the fields.

[3:19]  ⁵⁷ sn Until you return to the ground. The theme of humankind’s mortality is critical here in view of the temptation to be like God. Man will labor painfully to provide food, obviously not enjoying the bounty that creation promised. In place of the abundance of the orchard’s fruit trees, thorns and thistles will grow. Man will have to work the soil so that it will produce the grain to make bread. This will continue until he returns to the soil from which he was taken (recalling the creation in 2:7 with the wordplay on Adam and ground). In spite of the dreams of immortality and divinity, man is but dust (2:7), and will return to dust. So much for his pride.

[3:19]  ⁵⁸ sn In general, the themes of the curse oracles are important in the NT teaching that Jesus became the cursed one hanging on the tree. In his suffering and death, all the motifs are drawn together: the tree, the sweat, the thorns, and the dust of death (see Ps 22:15). Jesus experienced it all, to have victory over it through the resurrection.

[3:20]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “Adam”; however, the Hebrew term has the definite article here.

[3:20]  ⁶⁰ sn The name Eve means “Living one” or “Life-giver” in Hebrew.

[3:20]  ⁶¹ tn The explanatory clause gives the reason for the name. Where the one doing the naming gives the explanation, the text normally uses “saying”; where the narrator explains it, the explanatory clause is typically used.

[3:20]  ⁶² tn The explanation of the name forms a sound play (paronomasia) with the name. “Eve” is חַוָּה (khavvah) and “living” is חַי (khay). The name preserves the archaic form of the verb חָיָה (khayah, “to live”) with the middle vav (ו) instead of yod (י). The form חַי (khay) is derived from the normal form חַיָּה (khayyah). Compare the name Yahweh (יְהוָה) explained from הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) rather than from הַוָה (havah). The biblical account stands in contrast to the pagan material that presents a serpent goddess hawwat who is the mother of life. See J. Heller, “Der Name Eva,” ArOr 26 (1958): 636-56; and A. F. Key, “The Giving of Proper Names in the OT,” JBL 83 (1964): 55-59.

[3:21]  ⁶³ sn The Lord God made garments from skin. The text gives no indication of how this was done, or how they came by the skins. Earlier in the narrative (v. 7) the attempt of the man and the woman to cover their nakedness with leaves expressed their sense of alienation from each other and from God. By giving them more substantial coverings, God indicates this alienation is greater than they realize. This divine action is also ominous; God is preparing them for the more hostile environment in which they will soon be living (v. 23). At the same time, there is a positive side to the story in that God makes provision for the man’s and woman’s condition.

[3:22]  ⁶⁴ tn The particle הֵן (hen) introduces a foundational clause, usually beginning with “since, because, now.”

[3:22]  ⁶⁵ sn The man has become like one of us. See the notes on Gen 1:26 and 3:5.

[3:22]  ⁶⁶ tn The infinitive explains in what way the man had become like God: “knowing good and evil.”

[3:22]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and now, lest he stretch forth.” Following the foundational clause, this clause forms the main point. It is introduced with the particle פֶּן (pen) which normally introduces a negative purpose, “lest….” The construction is elliptical; something must be done lest the man stretch forth his hand. The translation interprets the point intended.

[3:23]  ⁶⁸ tn The verb is the Piel preterite of שָׁלַח (shalakh), forming a wordplay with the use of the same verb (in the Qal stem) in v. 22: To prevent the man’s “sending out” his hand, the Lord “sends him out.”

[3:24]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb with the vav (ו) consecutive is made subordinate to the next verb forming a temporal clause. This avoids any tautology with the previous verse that already stated that the Lord expelled the man.

[3:24]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “placed in front.” Directions in ancient Israel were given in relation to the east rather than the north.

[3:24]  ⁷¹ tn The Hebrew word is traditionally transliterated “the cherubim.”

[3:24]  ⁷² tn Heb “the flame of the sword that turns round and round.” The noun “flame” is qualified by the genitive of specification, “the sword,” which in turn is modified by the attributive participle “whirling.” The Hitpael of the verb “turn” has an iterative function here, indicating repeated action. The form is used in Job 37:12 of swirling clouds and in Judg 7:13 of a tumbling roll of bread. Verse 24 depicts the sword as moving from side to side to prevent anyone from passing or as whirling around, ready to cut to shreds anyone who tries to pass.

[4:1]  ⁷³ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.

[4:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:1]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:1]  ⁷⁶ tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.

[4:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “with the Lord.” The particle אֶת־ (’et) is not the accusative/object sign, but the preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with” in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some understand אֶת־ as the accusative/object sign and translate, “I have acquired a man – the Lord.” They suggest that the woman thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the incarnate Lord, the Messiah who would bruise the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:15 (see the note there on the word “heel”).

[4:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  ⁷⁹ sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[4:3]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.

[4:3]  ⁸² tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.

[4:4]  ⁸³ tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.

[4:4]  ⁸⁴ tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[4:4]  ⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (sha’ah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.

[4:5]  ⁸⁶ sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith – Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.

[4:5]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.

[4:5]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the Lord lifting up his face and giving peace.

[4:7]  ⁸⁹ tn The introduction of the conditional clause with an interrogative particle prods the answer from Cain, as if he should have known this. It is not a condemnation, but an encouragement to do what is right.

[4:7]  ⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew text is difficult, because only one word occurs, שְׂאֵת (sÿ’et), which appears to be the infinitive construct from the verb “to lift up” (נָאָשׂ, na’as). The sentence reads: “If you do well, uplifting.” On the surface it seems to be the opposite of the fallen face. Everything will be changed if he does well. God will show him favor, he will not be angry, and his face will reflect that. But more may be intended since the second half of the verse forms the contrast: “If you do not do well, sin is crouching….” Not doing well leads to sinful attack; doing well leads to victory and God’s blessing.

[4:7]  ⁹¹ tn The Hebrew term translated “crouching” (רֹבֵץ, rovets) is an active participle. Sin is portrayed with animal imagery here as a beast crouching and ready to pounce (a figure of speech known as zoomorphism). An Akkadian cognate refers to a type of demon; in this case perhaps one could translate, “Sin is the demon at the door” (see E. A. Speiser, Genesis [AB], 29, 32-33).

[4:7]  ⁹² tn Heb “and toward you [is] its desire, but you must rule over it.” As in Gen 3:16, the Hebrew noun “desire” refers to an urge to control or dominate. Here the desire is that which sin has for Cain, a desire to control for the sake of evil, but Cain must have mastery over it. The imperfect is understood as having an obligatory sense. Another option is to understand it as expressing potential (“you can have [or “are capable of having”] mastery over it.”). It will be a struggle, but sin can be defeated by righteousness. In addition to this connection to Gen 3, other linguistic and thematic links between chaps. 3 and 4 are discussed by A. J. Hauser, “Linguistic and Thematic Links Between Genesis 4:1-6 and Genesis 2–3,” JETS 23 (1980): 297-306.

[4:8]  ⁹³ tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.

[4:8]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).

[4:8]  ⁹⁵ sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).

[4:9]  ⁹⁶ sn Where is Abel your brother? Again the Lord confronts a guilty sinner with a rhetorical question (see Gen 3:9-13), asking for an explanation of what has happened.

[4:9]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “The one guarding my brother [am] I?”

[4:10]  ⁹⁸ sn What have you done? Again the Lord’s question is rhetorical (see Gen 3:13), condemning Cain for his sin.

[4:10]  ⁹⁹ tn The word “voice” is a personification; the evidence of Abel’s shed blood condemns Cain, just as a human eyewitness would testify in court. For helpful insights, see G. von Rad, Biblical Interpretations in Preaching; and L. Morris, “The Biblical Use of the Term ‘Blood,’” JTS 6 (1955/56): 77-82.

[4:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “cursed are you from the ground.” As in Gen 3:14, the word “cursed,” a passive participle from אָרָר (’arar), either means “punished” or “banished,” depending on how one interprets the following preposition. If the preposition is taken as indicating source, then the idea is “cursed (i.e., punished) are you from [i.e., “through the agency of”] the ground” (see v. 12a). If the preposition is taken as separative, then the idea is “cursed and banished from the ground.” In this case the ground rejects Cain’s efforts in such a way that he is banished from the ground and forced to become a fugitive out in the earth (see vv. 12b, 14).

[4:12]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “work.”

[4:12]  ¹⁰² 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]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “its strength.”

[4:12]  ¹⁰⁴ 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).

[4:13]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The primary meaning of the Hebrew word עָוֹן (’avon) is “sin, iniquity.” But by metonymy it can refer to the “guilt” of sin, or to “punishment” for sin. The third meaning applies here. Just before this the Lord announces the punishment for Cain’s actions, and right after this statement Cain complains of the severity of the punishment. Cain is not portrayed as repenting of his sin.

[4:13]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “great is my punishment from bearing.” The preposition מִן (min, “from”) is used here in a comparative sense.

[4:14]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “from upon the surface of the ground.”

[4:14]  ¹⁰⁸ sn I must hide from your presence. The motif of hiding from the Lord as a result of sin also appears in Gen 3:8-10.

[4:15]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew term לָכֵן (lakhen, “therefore”) in this context carries the sense of “Okay,” or “in that case then I will do this.”

[4:15]  ¹¹⁰ sn The symbolic number seven is used here to emphasize that the offender will receive severe punishment. For other rhetorical and hyperbolic uses of the expression “seven times over,” see Pss 12:6; 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.

[4:15]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “sign”; “reminder.” The term “sign” is not used in the translation because it might imply to an English reader that God hung a sign on Cain. The text does not identify what the “sign” was. It must have been some outward, visual reminder of Cain’s special protected status.

[4:15]  ¹¹² sn God becomes Cain’s protector. Here is common grace – Cain and his community will live on under God’s care, but without salvation.

[4:16]  ¹¹³ sn The name Nod means “wandering” in Hebrew (see vv. 12, 14).

[4:17]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:17]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:17]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “according to the name of.”

[4:18]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and Irad fathered.”

[4:20]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “father.” In this passage the word “father” means “founder,” referring to the first to establish such lifestyles and occupations.

[4:20]  ¹¹⁹ tn The word “keep” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. Other words that might be supplied instead are “tend,” “raise” (NIV), or “have” (NRSV).

[4:22]  ¹²⁰ tn The traditional rendering here, “who forged” (or “a forger of”) is now more commonly associated with counterfeit or fraud (e.g., “forged copies” or “forged checks”) than with the forging of metal. The phrase “heated metal and shaped [it]” has been used in the translation instead.

[4:23]  ¹²¹ tn The Hebrew term יֶלֶד (yeled) probably refers to a youthful warrior here, not a child.

[4:24]  ¹²² sn Seventy-seven times. Lamech seems to reason this way: If Cain, a murderer, is to be avenged seven times (see v. 15), then how much more one who has been unjustly wronged! Lamech misses the point of God’s merciful treatment of Cain. God was not establishing a principle of justice when he warned he would avenge Cain’s murder. In fact he was trying to limit the shedding of blood, something Lamech wants to multiply instead. The use of “seventy-seven,” a multiple of seven, is hyperbolic, emphasizing the extreme severity of the vengeance envisioned by Lamech.

[4:25]  ¹²³ tn Heb “knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:25]  ¹²⁴ sn The name Seth probably means something like “placed”; “appointed”; “set”; “granted,” assuming it is actually related to the verb that is used in the sentiment. At any rate, the name שֵׁת (shet) and the verb שָׁת (shat, “to place, to appoint, to set, to grant”) form a wordplay (paronomasia).

[4:25]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “offspring.”

[4:26]  ¹²⁶ tn The word “people” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation. The construction uses a passive verb without an expressed subject. “To call was begun” can be interpreted to mean that people began to call.

[4:26]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “call in the name.” The expression refers to worshiping the Lord through prayer and sacrifice (see Gen 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 26:25). See G. J. Wenham, Genesis (WBC), 1:116.

[5:1]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “book” or “roll.” Cf. NIV “written account”; NRSV “list.”

[5:1]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “generations.” See the note on the phrase “this is the account of” in 2:4.

[5:1]  ¹³⁰ tn The Hebrew text has אָדָם (’adam).

[5:1]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “him.” The Hebrew text uses the third masculine singular pronominal suffix on the accusative sign. The pronoun agrees grammatically with its antecedent אָדָם (’adam). However, the next verse makes it clear that אָדָם is collective here and refers to “humankind,” so it is preferable to translate the pronoun with the English plural.

[5:2]  ¹³² tn The Hebrew word used here is אָדָם (’adam).

[5:3]  ¹³³ tn Heb “and Adam lived 130 years.” In the translation the verb is subordinated to the following verb, “and he fathered,” and rendered as a temporal clause.

[5:4]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “The days of Adam.”

[5:4]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “he fathered.”

[5:4]  ¹³⁶ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[5:5]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “all the days of Adam which he lived”

[5:5]  ¹³⁸ sn The genealogy traces the line from Adam to Noah and forms a bridge between the earlier accounts and the flood story. Its constant theme of the reign of death in the human race is broken once with the account of Enoch, but the genealogy ends with hope for the future through Noah. See further G. F. Hasel, “The Genealogies of Gen. 5 and 11 and their Alleged Babylonian Background,” AUSS 16 (1978): 361-74; idem, “Genesis 5 and 11,” Origins 7 (1980): 23-37.

[5:6]  ¹³⁹ tn Heb “he fathered.”

[5:7]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “he fathered.”

[5:7]  ¹⁴¹ tn Here and in vv. 10, 13, 16, 19 the word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[5:22]  ¹⁴² sn With the seventh panel there is a digression from the pattern. Instead of simply saying that Enoch lived, the text observes that he “walked with God.” The rare expression “walked with” (the Hitpael form of the verb הָלָךְ, halakh, “to walk” collocated with the preposition אֶת, ’et, “with”) is used in 1 Sam 25:15 to describe how David’s men maintained a cordial and cooperative relationship with Nabal’s men as they worked and lived side by side in the fields. In Gen 5:22 the phrase suggests that Enoch and God “got along.” This may imply that Enoch lived in close fellowship with God, leading a life of devotion and piety. An early Jewish tradition, preserved in 1 En. 1:9 and alluded to in Jude 14, says that Enoch preached about the coming judgment. See F. S. Parnham, “Walking with God,” EvQ 46 (1974): 117-18.

[5:22]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “and Enoch walked with God, after he became the father of Methuselah, [for] 300 years.”

[5:22]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[5:24]  ¹⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew construction has the negative particle אֵין (’en, “there is not,” “there was not”) with a pronominal suffix, “he was not.” Instead of saying that Enoch died, the text says he no longer was present.

[5:24]  ¹⁴⁶ sn The text simply states that God took Enoch. Similar language is used of Elijah’s departure from this world (see 2 Kgs 2:10). The text implies that God overruled death for this man who walked with him.

[5:26]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[5:29]  ¹⁴⁸ sn The name Noah appears to be related to the Hebrew word נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). There are several wordplays on the name “Noah” in the story of the flood.

[5:29]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew verb יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (yÿnakhamenu) is from the root נָחָם (nakham), which means “to comfort” in the Piel verbal stem. The letters נ (nun) and ח (heth) pick up the sounds in the name “Noah,” forming a paronomasia on the name. They are not from the same verbal root, and so the connection is only by sound. Lamech’s sentiment reflects the oppression of living under the curse on the ground, but also expresses the hope for relief in some way through the birth of Noah. His words proved to be ironic but prophetic. The relief would come with a new beginning after the flood. See E. G. Kraeling, “The Interpretations of the Name Noah in Genesis 5:29,” JBL 48 (1929): 138-43.

[5:30]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The word “other” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[5:32]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “Noah.” The pronoun (“he”) has been employed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:1]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ¹⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ¹⁵⁵ sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

[24:3]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose.

[24:3]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “because you must not take.”

[24:4]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “for to my country and my relatives you must go.”

[24:4]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “and take.”

[24:5]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ¹⁶¹ tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[24:6]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “guard yourself.”

[24:6]  ¹⁶³ tn The introductory clause “And Abraham said to him” has been moved to the end of the opening sentence of direct discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:7]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ¹⁶⁷ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[24:8]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

[24:8]  ¹⁶⁹ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

[24:9]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and he swore to him concerning this matter.”

[24:10]  ¹⁷¹ tn Heb “and every good thing of his master was in his hand.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, explaining that he took all kinds of gifts to be used at his discretion.

[24:10]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “and he arose and went.”

[24:10]  ¹⁷³ tn The words “the region of” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:11]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “well of water.”

[24:11]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “at the time of evening.”

[24:12]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “make it happen before me today.” Although a number of English translations understand this as a request for success in the task (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV) it is more likely that the servant is requesting an omen or sign from God (v. 14).

[24:12]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “act in loyal love with” or “show kindness to.”

[24:13]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:13]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “the men.”

[24:14]  ¹⁸⁰ sn I will also give your camels water. It would be an enormous test for a young woman to water ten camels. The idea is that such a woman would not only be industrious but hospitable and generous.

[24:14]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “And let the young woman to whom I say, ‘Lower your jar that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink and I will also give your camels water,’ – her you have appointed for your servant, for Isaac, and by it I will know that you have acted in faithfulness with my master.”

[24:15]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.

[24:15]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:16]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “And the young woman was very good of appearance, a virgin, and a man she had not known.” Some argue that the Hebrew noun translated “virgin” (בְּתוּלָה, bÿtulah) is better understood in a general sense, “young woman” (see Joel 1:8, where the word appears to refer to one who is married). In this case the circumstantial clause (“and a man she had not known”) would be restrictive, rather than descriptive. If the term actually means “virgin,” one wonders why the circumstantial clause is necessary (see Judg 21:12 as well). Perhaps the repetition emphasizes her sexual purity as a prerequisite for her role as the mother of the covenant community.

[24:17]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “and the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:18]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “and she hurried and lowered.”

[24:19]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “when she had finished giving him a drink.” This has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:20]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “and she hurried and emptied.”

[24:21]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “to know.”

[24:21]  ¹⁹⁰ tn The Hebrew term צָלָה (tsalah), meaning “to make successful” in the Hiphil verbal stem, is a key term in the story (see vv. 40, 42, 56).

[24:22]  ¹⁹¹ sn A beka weighed about 5-6 grams (0.2 ounce).

[24:22]  ¹⁹² sn A shekel weighed about 11.5 grams (0.4 ounce) although weights varied locally, so these bracelets weighed about 4 ounces (115 grams).

[24:22]  ¹⁹³ tn The words “and gave them to her” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:23]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:24]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “whom she bore to Nahor.” The referent (Milcah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “and she said, ‘We have plenty of both straw and feed.’” The order of the introductory clause has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:25]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb The words “for you” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[24:27]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”

[24:27]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “As for me – in the way the Lord led me.”

[24:27]  ²⁰⁰ tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.

[24:27]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

[24:28]  ²⁰² tn Heb “according to.”

[24:29]  ²⁰³ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause introduces the audience to Laban, who will eventually play an important role in the unfolding story.

[24:30]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “And it was when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on the arms of his sister.” The word order is altered in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[24:30]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying.”

[24:30]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “and look, he was standing.” The disjunctive clause with the participle following the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) invites the audience to view the scene through Laban’s eyes.

[24:31]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified and the words “to him” supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:31]  ²⁰⁸ sn Laban’s obsession with wealth is apparent; to him it represents how one is blessed by the Lord. Already the author is laying the foundation for subsequent events in the narrative, where Laban’s greed becomes his dominant characteristic.

[24:31]  ²⁰⁹ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial.

[24:32]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “the man”; the referent (Abraham’s servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:32]  ²¹¹ tn Some translations (e.g., NEB, NASB, NRSV) understand Laban to be the subject of this and the following verbs or take the subject of this and the following verbs as indefinite (referring to an unnamed servant; e.g., NAB, NIV).

[24:32]  ²¹² tn Heb “and [one] gave.” The verb without an expressed subject may be translated as passive.

[24:32]  ²¹³ tn Heb “and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him.”

[24:33]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “and food was placed before him.”

[24:33]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “my words.”

[24:33]  ²¹⁶ tc Some ancient textual witnesses have a plural verb, “and they said.”

[24:35]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “great.” In this context the statement refers primarily to Abraham’s material wealth, although reputation and influence are not excluded.

[24:35]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:36]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “to my master.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:36]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “after her old age.”

[24:36]  ²²¹ tn Heb “and he.” The referent (the servant’s master, Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:38]  ²²² tn Heb “but to the house of my father you must go and to my family and you must take a wife for my son.”

[24:39]  ²²³ tn The imperfect is used here in a modal sense to indicate desire.

[24:39]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “after me.”

[24:40]  ²²⁵ tn The verb is the Hitpael of הָלַךְ (halakh), meaning “live one’s life” (see Gen 17:1). The statement may simply refer to serving the Lord or it may have a more positive moral connotation (“serve faithfully”).

[24:41]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “my oath” (twice in this verse). From the Hebrew perspective the oath belonged to the person to whom it was sworn (Abraham), although in contemporary English an oath is typically viewed as belonging to the person who swears it (the servant).

[24:42]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “if you are making successful my way on which I am going.”

[24:42]  ²²⁸ tn The words “may events unfold as follows” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[24:43]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “the spring of water.”

[24:43]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “and it will be.”

[24:45]  ²³¹ tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.

[24:45]  ²³² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

[24:47]  ²³³ tn Heb “whom Milcah bore to him.” The referent (Nahor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:48]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “daughter.” Rebekah was actually the granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. One can either translate the Hebrew term בַּת (bat) as “daughter,” in which case the term אָח (’akh) must be translated more generally as “relative” rather than “brother” (cf. NASB, NRSV) or one can translate בַּת as “granddaughter,” in which case אָח may be translated “brother” (cf. NIV).

[24:49]  ²³⁵ 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.

[24:50]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “From the Lord the matter has gone out.”

[24:50]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “We are not able to speak to you bad or good.” This means that Laban and Bethuel could not say one way or the other what they wanted, for they viewed it as God’s will.

[24:51]  ²³⁸ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:51]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

[24:53]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “the servant”; the noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:54]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “And they ate and drank, he and the men who [were] with him and they spent the night.”

[24:54]  ²⁴² tn Heb “Send me away to my master.”

[24:55]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Rebekah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:56]  ²⁴⁴ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ²⁴⁵ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:57]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “and we will ask her mouth.”

[24:58]  ²⁴⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here has a modal nuance, expressing desire.

[24:60]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “and said to her.”

[24:60]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “become thousands of ten thousands.”

[24:60]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “gate,” which here stands for a walled city. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the main area of defense (hence the translation “stronghold”). A similar phrase occurs in Gen 22:17.

[24:61]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “And she arose, Rebekah and her female servants, and they rode upon camels and went after.”

[24:61]  ²⁵² tn Heb “the servant”; the word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:62]  ²⁵³ tn The disjunctive clause switches the audience’s attention to Isaac and signals a new episode in the story.

[24:62]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “from the way of.”

[24:62]  ²⁵⁵ sn The Hebrew name Beer Lahai Roi (בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי, bÿ’er lakhay ro’i) means “The well of the Living One who sees me.” See Gen 16:14.

[24:62]  ²⁵⁶ tn This disjunctive clause is explanatory.

[24:62]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “the South [country].”

[24:63]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ²⁵⁹ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ²⁶² tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

[24:64]  ²⁶³ tn Heb “lifted up her eyes.”

[24:65]  ²⁶⁴ tn Heb “and she said to.”

[24:65]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “the servant.” The word “Abraham’s” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:65]  ²⁶⁶ tn Heb “and the servant said.” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ²⁶⁷ tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.

[24:67]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:67]  ²⁶⁹ tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”

[24:67]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.

[25:1]  ²⁷¹ tn Or “took.”

[25:1]  ²⁷² tn Heb “And Abraham added and took.”

[25:3]  ²⁷³ sn The names Sheba and Dedan appear in Gen 10:7 as descendants of Ham through Cush and Raamah. Since these two names are usually interpreted to be place names, one plausible suggestion is that some of Abraham’s descendants lived in those regions and took names linked with it.

[25:4]  ²⁷⁴ tn Or “sons.”

[25:6]  ²⁷⁵ tn Heb “the sons of the concubines who [belonged] to Abraham.”

[25:6]  ²⁷⁶ tn Heb “And he sent them away from upon Isaac his son, while he was still living, eastward to the land of the east.”

[25:7]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and these are the days of the years of the lifetime of Abraham that he lived.” The normal genealogical formula is expanded here due to the importance of the life of Abraham.

[25:8]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “old and full.”

[25:8]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:9]  ²⁸⁰ sn The cave of Machpelah was the place Abraham had purchased as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen 23:17-18).

[25:10]  ²⁸¹ tn See the note on the phrase “sons of Heth” in Gen 23:3.

[25:11]  ²⁸² sn God blessed Isaac. The Hebrew verb “bless” in this passage must include all the gifts that God granted to Isaac. But fertility was not one of them, at least not for twenty years, because Rebekah was barren as well (see v. 21).

[25:11]  ²⁸³ sn Beer Lahai Roi. See the note on this place name in Gen 24:62.

[25:12]  ²⁸⁴ sn This is the account of Ishmael. The Book of Genesis tends to tidy up the family records at every turning point. Here, before proceeding with the story of Isaac’s family, the narrative traces Ishmael’s family line. Later, before discussing Jacob’s family, the narrative traces Esau’s family line (see Gen 36).

[25:13]  ²⁸⁵ tn The meaning of this line is not easily understood. The sons of Ishmael are listed here “by their names” and “according to their descendants.”

[25:16]  ²⁸⁶ tn Or “tribal chieftains.”

[25:17]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “And these are the days of the years of Ishmael.”

[25:17]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “And he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[25:18]  ²⁸⁹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (Ishmael’s descendants) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:18]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “which is by the face of,” or near the border. The territory ran along the border of Egypt.

[25:18]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “as you go.”

[25:18]  ²⁹² sn The name Asshur refers here to a tribal area in the Sinai.

[25:18]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “he fell.”

[25:18]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “upon the face of all his brothers.” This last expression, obviously alluding to the earlier oracle about Ishmael (Gen 16:12), could mean that the descendants of Ishmael lived in hostility to others or that they lived in a territory that was opposite the lands of their relatives. While there is some ambiguity about the meaning, the line probably does give a hint of the Ishmaelite-Israelite conflicts to come.

[25:19]  ²⁹⁵ sn This is the account of Isaac. What follows for several chapters is not the account of Isaac, except briefly, but the account of Jacob and Esau. The next chapters tell what became of Isaac and his family.

[25:20]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “And Isaac was the son of forty years when he took Rebekah.”

[25:20]  ²⁹⁷ sn Some valuable information is provided here. We learn here that Isaac married thirty-five years before Abraham died, that Rebekah was barren for twenty years, and that Abraham would have lived to see Jacob and Esau begin to grow up. The death of Abraham was recorded in the first part of the chapter as a “tidying up” of one generation before beginning the account of the next.

[25:21]  ²⁹⁸ tn The Hebrew verb עָתַר (’atar), translated “prayed [to]” here, appears in the story of God’s judgment on Egypt in which Moses asked the Lord to remove the plagues. The cognate word in Arabic means “to slaughter for sacrifice,” and the word is used in Zeph 3:10 to describe worshipers who bring offerings. Perhaps some ritual accompanied Isaac’s prayer here.

[25:22]  ²⁹⁹ tn The Hebrew word used here suggests a violent struggle that was out of the ordinary.

[25:22]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “If [it is] so, why [am] I this [way]?” Rebekah wanted to know what was happening to her, but the question itself reflects a growing despair over the struggle of the unborn children.

[25:22]  ³⁰¹ sn Asked the Lord. In other passages (e.g., 1 Sam 9:9) this expression refers to inquiring of a prophet, but no details are provided here.

[25:23]  ³⁰² sn By metonymy the two children in her womb are described as two nations of which the two children, Jacob and Esau, would become the fathers. The language suggests there would be a struggle between these nations, with one being stronger than the other. The oracle reveals that all of Jacob’s scheming was unnecessary in the final analysis. He would have become the dominant nation without using deception to steal his brother’s blessing.

[25:24]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “And her days were filled to give birth.”

[25:24]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “look!” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to view the scene as if they were actually present at the birth.

[25:25]  ³⁰⁵ sn Reddish. The Hebrew word translated “reddish” is אַדְמוֹנִי (’admoni), which forms a wordplay on the Edomites, Esau’s descendants. The writer sees in Esau’s appearance at birth a sign of what was to come. After all, the reader has already been made aware of the “nations” that were being born.

[25:25]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “all of him.”

[25:25]  ³⁰⁷ sn Hairy. Here is another wordplay involving the descendants of Esau. The Hebrew word translated “hairy” is שֵׂעָר (se’ar); the Edomites will later live in Mount Seir, perhaps named for its wooded nature.

[25:25]  ³⁰⁸ tn Heb “And they called his name Esau.” The name “Esau” (עֵשָׂו, ’esav) is not etymologically related to שֵׂעָר (se’ar), but it draws on some of the sounds.

[25:26]  ³⁰⁹ tn The disjunctive clause describes an important circumstance accompanying the birth. Whereas Esau was passive at birth, Jacob was active.

[25:26]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “And he called his name Jacob.” Some ancient witnesses read “they called his name Jacob” (see v. 25). In either case the subject is indefinite.

[25:26]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “the son of sixty years.”

[25:27]  ³¹² tn Heb “knowing.”

[25:27]  ³¹³ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Jacob with Esau and draws attention to the striking contrasts. In contrast to Esau, a man of the field, Jacob was civilized, as the phrase “living in tents” signifies. Whereas Esau was a skillful hunter, Jacob was calm and even-tempered (תָּם, tam), which normally has the idea of “blameless.”

[25:28]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.

[25:28]  ³¹⁵ tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.

[25:29]  ³¹⁶ sn Jacob cooked some stew. There are some significant words and wordplays in this story that help clarify the points of the story. The verb “cook” is זִיד (zid), which sounds like the word for “hunter” (צַיִד, tsayid). This is deliberate, for the hunter becomes the hunted in this story. The word זִיד means “to cook, to boil,” but by the sound play with צַיִד it comes to mean “set a trap by cooking.” The usage of the word shows that it can also have the connotation of acting presumptuously (as in boiling over). This too may be a comment on the scene. For further discussion of the rhetorical devices in the Jacob narratives, see J. P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis (SSN).

[25:30]  ³¹⁷ tn The rare term לָעַט (la’at), translated “feed,” is used in later Hebrew for feeding animals (see Jastrow, 714). If this nuance was attached to the word in the biblical period, then it may depict Esau in a negative light, comparing him to a hungry animal. Famished Esau comes in from the hunt, only to enter the trap. He can only point at the red stew and ask Jacob to feed him.

[25:30]  ³¹⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so is given a passive translation.

[25:30]  ³¹⁹ sn Esau’s descendants would eventually be called Edom. Edom was the place where they lived, so-named probably because of the reddish nature of the hills. The writer can use the word “red” to describe the stew that Esau gasped for to convey the nature of Esau and his descendants. They were a lusty, passionate, and profane people who lived for the moment. Again, the wordplay is meant to capture the “omen in the nomen.”

[25:31]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “today.”

[25:32]  ³²¹ tn Heb “And what is this to me, a birthright?”

[25:33]  ³²² tn Heb “Swear to me today.”

[25:33]  ³²³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:33]  ³²⁴ sn And sold his birthright. There is evidence from Hurrian culture that rights of inheritance were occasionally sold or transferred. Here Esau is portrayed as a profane person who would at the moment rather have a meal than the right to inherit. He will soon forget this trade and seek his father’s blessing in spite of it.

[25:34]  ³²⁵ sn The style here is typical of Hebrew narrative; after the tension is resolved with the dialogue, the working out of it is recorded in a rapid sequence of verbs (“gave”; “ate”; “drank”; “got up”; “went out”). See also Gen 3:1-7 for another example.

[25:34]  ³²⁶ sn So Esau despised his birthright. This clause, which concludes the episode, is a summary statement which reveals the underlying significance of Esau’s actions. “To despise” means to treat something as worthless or with contempt. Esau’s willingness to sell his birthright was evidence that he considered it to be unimportant.

[37:1]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”

[37:1]  ³²⁸ sn The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a concluding contrast with Esau and his people. In contrast to all the settled and expanded population of Esau, Jacob was still moving about in the land without a permanent residence and without kings. Even if the Edomite king list was added later (as the reference to kings in Israel suggests), its placement here in contrast to Jacob and his descendants is important. Certainly the text deals with Esau before dealing with Jacob – that is the pattern. But the detail is so great in chap. 36 that the contrast cannot be missed.

[37:2]  ³²⁹ tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”

[37:2]  ³³⁰ tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”

[37:2]  ³³¹ 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]  ³³² 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]  ³³³ tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.

[37:3]  ³³⁴ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

[37:3]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

[37:3]  ³³⁶ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

[37:4]  ³³⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

[37:4]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ³⁴⁰ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

[37:5]  ³⁴¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ³⁴² tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ³⁴³ sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.

[37:5]  ³⁴⁴ tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:6]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”

[37:7]  ³⁴⁶ tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”

[37:7]  ³⁴⁷ tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.

[37:8]  ³⁴⁸ tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”

[37:8]  ³⁴⁹ tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ³⁵⁰ sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.

[37:9]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ³⁵² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.

[37:10]  ³⁵³ sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.

[37:10]  ³⁵⁴ tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”

[37:11]  ³⁵⁵ sn Joseph’s brothers were already jealous of him, but this made it even worse. Such jealousy easily leads to action, as the next episode in the story shows. Yet dreams were considered a form of revelation, and their jealousy was not only of the favoritism of their father, but of the dreams. This is why Jacob kept the matter in mind.

[37:11]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the translation for clarity, and the words “in mind” have been supplied for stylistic reasons.

[37:13]  ³⁵⁷ tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”

[37:13]  ³⁵⁸ sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.

[37:13]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[37:14]  ³⁶⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:14]  ³⁶¹ tn Heb “see.”

[37:14]  ³⁶² tn Heb “peace.”

[37:14]  ³⁶³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ³⁶⁴ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ³⁶⁵ tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.

[37:16]  ³⁶⁶ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[37:17]  ³⁶⁷ tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”

[37:18]  ³⁶⁸ tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ³⁶⁹ tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.

[37:20]  ³⁷⁰ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

[37:20]  ³⁷¹ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”

[37:21]  ³⁷² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:21]  ³⁷³ sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).

[37:21]  ³⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he said.”

[37:21]  ³⁷⁵ tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”

[37:22]  ³⁷⁶ tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

[37:22]  ³⁷⁷ sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.

[37:22]  ³⁷⁸ tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:22]  ³⁷⁹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:22]  ³⁸⁰ tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.

[37:23]  ³⁸¹ tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:24]  ³⁸² tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.

[37:25]  ³⁸³ tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”

[37:25]  ³⁸⁴ tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.

[37:25]  ³⁸⁵ tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”

[37:27]  ³⁸⁶ tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”

[37:27]  ³⁸⁷ tn Heb “listened.”

[37:28]  ³⁸⁸ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ³⁸⁹ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ³⁹⁰ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ³⁹¹ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:29]  ³⁹² tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.

[37:31]  ³⁹³ sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.

[37:32]  ³⁹⁴ tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.

[37:33]  ³⁹⁵ sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.

[37:34]  ³⁹⁶ tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”

[37:35]  ³⁹⁷ tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.

[37:35]  ³⁹⁸ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Indeed I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol.’” Sheol was viewed as the place where departed spirits went after death.

[37:35]  ³⁹⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.

[37:36]  ⁴⁰¹ tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”

[37:36]  ⁴⁰² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ⁴⁰³ sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.

[39:1]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.

[39:1]  ⁴⁰⁵ sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.

[39:1]  ⁴⁰⁶ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

[39:2]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).

[39:2]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Heb “and he was.”

[39:3]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:4]  ⁴¹⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.

[39:4]  ⁴¹¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:4]  ⁴¹² tn Heb “put into his hand.”

[39:5]  ⁴¹³ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ⁴¹⁵ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ⁴¹⁶ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ⁴¹⁷ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.

[39:6]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ⁴¹⁹ sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.

[39:6]  ⁴²⁰ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ⁴²¹ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ⁴²² sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.

[39:6]  ⁴²³ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[39:7]  ⁴²⁴ tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.

[39:7]  ⁴²⁵ tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:8]  ⁴²⁶ tn Heb “and he said.”

[39:8]  ⁴²⁷ tn Heb “know.”

[39:8]  ⁴²⁸ tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:8]  ⁴²⁹ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:9]  ⁴³⁰ tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.

[39:10]  ⁴³¹ tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.

[39:10]  ⁴³² tn Heb “listen to.”

[39:10]  ⁴³³ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:11]  ⁴³⁴ tn Heb “and it was about this day.”

[39:11]  ⁴³⁵ tn Heb “the men of the house.”

[39:12]  ⁴³⁶ tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.

[39:12]  ⁴³⁷ sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.

[39:14]  ⁴³⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[39:14]  ⁴³⁹ sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.

[39:14]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.

[39:14]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:14]  ⁴⁴² tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”

[39:15]  ⁴⁴³ tn Heb “that I raised.”

[39:17]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”

[39:17]  ⁴⁴⁵ sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.

[39:17]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.

[39:19]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”

[39:19]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Heb “according to these words.”

[39:19]  ⁴⁴⁹ tn Heb “did to me.”

[39:19]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Heb “his anger burned.”

[39:20]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.

[39:20]  ⁴⁵² sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.

[39:21]  ⁴⁵³ tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”

[39:21]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).

[39:22]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.

[39:23]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”

[39:23]  ⁴⁵⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:2]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Heb “heavy.”

[13:2]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn This parenthetical clause, introduced by the vav (ו) disjunctive (translated “now”), provides information necessary to the point of the story.

[13:9]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn The words “you go” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons both times in this verse.

[11:25]  ⁴⁶¹ tn Heb “on him”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:25]  ⁴⁶² tn The temporal clause is introduced by the temporal indicator וַיְהִי (vayÿhi), which need not be translated. It introduces the time of the infinitive as past time narrative. The infinitive construct is from נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”). The figurative expression of the Spirit resting upon them indicates the temporary indwelling and empowering by the Spirit in their lives.

[11:25]  ⁴⁶³ tn The text may mean that these men gave ecstatic utterances, much like Saul did when the Spirit came upon him and he made the same prophetic utterances (see 1 Sam 10:10-13). But there is no strong evidence for this (see K. L. Barker, “Zechariah,” EBC 7:605-6). In fact there is no consensus among scholars as to the origin and meaning of the verb “prophesy” or the noun “prophet.” It has something to do with speech, being God’s spokesman or spokeswoman or making predictions or authoritative utterances or ecstatic utterances. It certainly does mean that the same Holy Spirit, the same divine provision that was for Moses to enable him to do the things that God had commanded him to do, was now given to them. It would have included wisdom and power with what they were saying and doing – in a way that was visible and demonstrable to the people! The people needed to know that the same provision was given to these men, authenticating their leadership among the clans. And so it could not simply be a change in their understanding and wisdom.

[11:25]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn The final verb of the clause stresses that this was not repeated: “they did not add” is the literal rendering of וְלֹא יָסָפוּ (vÿlo’ yasafu). It was a one-time spiritual experience associated with their installation.

[11:26]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn The form of the word is the passive participle כְּתֻבִים (kÿtuvim, “written”). It is normally taken to mean “among those registered,” but it is not clear if that means they were to be among the seventy or not. That seems unlikely since there is no mention of the seventy being registered, and vv. 24-25 says all seventy went out and prophesied. The registration may be to eldership, or the role of the officer.

[11:27]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn The article indicates that the “young man” was definite in the mind of the writer, but indefinite in English.

[11:28]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn The form is the Piel participle מְשָׁרֵת (mÿsharet), meaning “minister, servant, assistant.” The word has a loftier meaning than the ordinary word for slave.

[11:28]  ⁴⁶⁸ tn The verb is בָּחַר (bakhar, “to choose”); here the form is the masculine plural participle with a suffix, serving as the object of the preposition מִן (min). It would therefore mean “[one of] his chosen men,” or “[one of] his choice men.”

[11:28]  ⁴⁶⁹ tn Heb “answered and said.”

[11:28]  ⁴⁷⁰ sn The effort of Joshua is to protect Moses’ prerogative as leader by stopping these men in the camp from prophesying. Joshua did not understand the significance in the Lord’s plan to let other share the burden of leadership.

[11:29]  ⁴⁷¹ tn The Piel participle מְקַנֵּא (mÿqanne’) serves as a verb here in this interrogative sentence. The word means “to be jealous; to be envious.” That can be in a good sense, such as with the translation “zeal,” or it can be in a negative sense as here. Joshua’s apparent “zeal” is questioned by Moses – was he zealous/envious for Moses sake, or for some other reason?

[11:29]  ⁴⁷² tn The optative is expressed by the interrogative clause in Hebrew, “who will give….” Moses expresses here the wish that the whole nation would have that portion of the Spirit. The new covenant, of course, would turn Moses’ wish into a certainty.

[12:6]  ⁴⁷³ tn This word comes from the same root as “grace” in the following clause; it means “things graciously given,” “grace-gifts.”

[12:1]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

[12:1]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

[5:20]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Grk “slipped in.”

[5:20]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Or “trespass.”

[5:1]  ⁴⁷⁸ sn Many interpreters see Rom 5:1 as beginning the second major division of the letter.

[5:1]  ⁴⁷⁹ tc A number of important witnesses have the subjunctive ἔχωμεν (ecwmen, “let us have”) instead of ἔχομεν (ecomen, “we have”) in v. 1. Included in the subjunctive’s support are א* A B* C D K L 33 81 630 1175 1739* pm lat bo. But the indicative is not without its supporters: א¹ B² F G P Ψ 0220^vid 104 365 1241 1505 1506 1739^c 1881 2464 pm. If the problem were to be solved on an external basis only, the subjunctive would be preferred. Because of this, the “A” rating on behalf of the indicative in the UBS⁴ appears overly confident. Nevertheless, the indicative is probably correct. First, the earliest witness to Rom 5:1 has the indicative (0220^vid, third century). Second, the first set of correctors is sometimes, if not often, of equal importance with the original hand. Hence, א¹ might be given equal value with א*. Third, there is a good cross-section of witnesses for the indicative: Alexandrian (in 0220^vid, probably א¹ 1241 1506 1881 al), Western (in F G), and Byzantine (noted in NA²⁷ as pm). Thus, although the external evidence is strongly in favor of the subjunctive, the indicative is represented well enough that its ancestry could easily go back to the original. Turning to the internal evidence, the indicative gains much ground. (1) The variant may have been produced via an error of hearing (since omicron and omega were pronounced alike in ancient Greek). This, of course, does not indicate which reading was original – just that an error of hearing may have produced one of them. In light of the indecisiveness of the transcriptional evidence, intrinsic evidence could play a much larger role. This is indeed the case here. (2) The indicative fits well with the overall argument of the book to this point. Up until now, Paul has been establishing the “indicatives of the faith.” There is only one imperative (used rhetorically) and only one hortatory subjunctive (and this in a quotation within a diatribe) up till this point, while from ch. 6 on there are sixty-one imperatives and seven hortatory subjunctives. Clearly, an exhortation would be out of place in ch. 5. (3) Paul presupposes that the audience has peace with God (via reconciliation) in 5:10. This seems to assume the indicative in v. 1. (4) As C. E. B. Cranfield notes, “it would surely be strange for Paul, in such a carefully argued writing as this, to exhort his readers to enjoy or to guard a peace which he has not yet explicitly shown to be possessed by them” (Romans [ICC], 1:257). (5) The notion that εἰρήνην ἔχωμεν (eirhnhn ecwmen) can even naturally mean “enjoy peace” is problematic (ExSyn 464), yet those who embrace the subjunctive have to give the verb some such force. Thus, although the external evidence is stronger in support of the subjunctive, the internal evidence points to the indicative. Although a decision is difficult, ἔχομεν appears to be the authentic reading.

[4:14]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Grk “rendered inoperative.”