Genesis 46:2-3

46:2 God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night ¹  and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” 46:3 He said, “I am God, ²  the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

Job 4:13

4:13 In the troubling thoughts ³  of the dreams ⁴  in the night

when a deep sleep ⁵  falls on men,

Job 33:15-16

33:15 In a dream, a night vision,

when deep sleep falls on people

as they sleep in their beds.

33:16 Then he gives a revelation ⁶  to people,

and terrifies them with warnings, ⁷ 

Matthew 1:20

1:20 When he had contemplated this, an ⁸  angel of the Lord ⁹  appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 2:13

The Escape to Egypt

2:13 After they had gone, an ¹⁰  angel of the Lord ¹¹  appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod ¹²  is going to look for the child to kill him.”

Acts 18:9-10

18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ¹³  in the night, ¹⁴  “Do not be afraid, ¹⁵  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ¹⁶  you to harm ¹⁷  you, because I have many people in this city.”

Acts 27:23

27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ¹⁸  and whom I serve ¹⁹  came to me ²⁰ 

[46:2]  ¹ tn Heb “in visions of the night.” The plural form has the singular meaning, probably as a plural of intensity.

[46:3]  ² tn Heb “the God.”

[4:13]  ³ tn Here too the word is rare. The form שְׂעִפִּים (sÿ’ippim, “disquietings”) occurs only here and in 20:2. The form שַׂרְעַפִּים (sar’appim, “disquieting thoughts”), possibly related by dissimilation, occurs in Pss 94:19 and 139:23. There seems to be a connection with סְעִפִּים (sÿ’ippim) in 1 Kgs 18:21 with the meaning “divided opinion”; this is related to the idea of סְעִפָּה (sÿ’ippah, “bough”). H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 47) concludes that the point is that like branches the thoughts lead off into different and bewildering places. E. Dhorme (Job, 50) links the word to an Arabic root (“to be passionately smitten”) for the idea of “intimate thoughts.” The idea here and in Ps 139 has more to do with anxious, troubling, disquieting thoughts, as in a nightmare.

[4:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “visions” of the night.

[4:13]  ⁵ tn The word תַּרְדֵּמָה (tardemah) is a “deep sleep.” It is used in the creation account when the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam; and it is used in the story of Jonah when the prophet was asleep during the storm. The LXX interprets it to mean “fear,” rendering the whole verse “but terror falls upon men with dread and a sound in the night.”

[33:16]  ⁶ tn The idiom is “he uncovers the ear of men.” This expression means “inform” in Ruth 4:4; 1 Sam 20:2, etc. But when God is the subject it means “make a revelation” (see 1 Sam 9:15; 2 Sam 7:27).

[33:16]  ⁷ tc Heb “and seals their bonds.” The form of the present translation, “and terrifies them with warnings,” is derived only by emending the text. Aquila, the Vulgate, Syriac, and Targum Job have “their correction” for “their bond,” which is what the KJV used. But the LXX, Aquila, and the Syriac have “terrifies” for the verb. This involves a change in pointing from יָחְתֹּם (yakhtom) to יְחִתֵּם (yÿkhittem). The LXX has “appearances of fear” instead of “bonds.” The point of the verse seems to be that by terrifying dreams God makes people aware of their ways.

[1:20]  ⁸ tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[1:20]  ⁹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[2:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

[2:13]  ¹² sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Herod the Great was particularly ruthless regarding the succession to his throne.

[18:9]  ¹³ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ¹⁵ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ¹⁶ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

[18:10]  ¹⁷ tn Or “injure.”

[27:23]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ¹⁹ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ²⁰ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”