33:1 Jacob looked up 1 and saw that Esau was coming 2 along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. 3 33:3 But Jacob 4 himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached 5 his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau 6 looked up 7 and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob 8 replied, “The children whom God has graciously given 9 your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. 10 33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.
33:8 Esau 11 then asked, “What did you intend 12 by sending all these herds to meet me?” 13 Jacob 14 replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. 15 “If I have found favor in your sight, accept 16 my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, 17 it is as if I have seen the face of God. 18 33:11 Please take my present 19 that was brought to you, for God has been generous 20 to me and I have all I need.” 21 When Jacob urged him, he took it. 22
33:12 Then Esau 23 said, “Let’s be on our way! 24 I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob 25 said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, 26 and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. 27 If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, 28 until I come to my lord at Seir.”
33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” 29 “Why do that?” Jacob replied. 30 “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” 31
33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back 32 to Seir. 33:17 But 33 Jacob traveled to Succoth 34 where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called 35 Succoth. 36
33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near 37 the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it 38 from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. 39 33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” 40
34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet 41 the young women 42 of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, 43 and sexually assaulted her. 44 34:3 Then he became very attached 45 to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. 46 34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” 47 34:5 When 48 Jacob heard that Shechem 49 had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent 50 until they came in.
34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. 51 34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. 52 They 53 were offended 54 and very angry because Shechem 55 had disgraced Israel 56 by sexually assaulting 57 Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. 58
34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. 59 Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. 60 Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. 61 34:10 You may live 62 among us, and the land will be open to you. 63 Live in it, travel freely in it, 64 and acquire property in it.”
34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s 65 father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me 66 I’ll give. 67 34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, 68 and I’ll give 69 whatever you ask 70 of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”
34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem 71 had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give 72 our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace 73 to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become 74 like us by circumcising 75 all your males. 34:16 Then we will give 76 you our daughters to marry, 77 and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms 78 by being circumcised, then we will take 79 our sister 80 and depart.”
34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. 81 34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked 82 because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah 83 badly. (Now he was more important 84 than anyone in his father’s household.) 85 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate 86 of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough 87 for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. 88 34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand 89 that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, 90 won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”
34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate 91 agreed with 92 Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate 93 was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword 94 and went to the unsuspecting city 95 and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them 96 and looted the city because their sister had been violated. 97 34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. 98 34:29 They captured as plunder 99 all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.
34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin 100 on me by making me a foul odor 101 among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I 102 am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, 103 “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”
35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 104 to Bethel 105 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 106 35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. 107 Purify yourselves and change your clothes. 108 35:3 Let us go up at once 109 to Bethel. Then I will make 110 an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress 111 and has been with me wherever I went.” 112
35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession 113 and the rings that were in their ears. 114 Jacob buried them 115 under the oak 116 near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. 117 The surrounding cities were afraid of God, 118 and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.
35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) 119 in the land of Canaan. 120 35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel 121 because there God had revealed himself 122 to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, 123 Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named 124 Oak of Weeping.) 125
35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. 126 35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. 127 Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! 128 35:12 The land I gave 129 to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants 130 I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place 131 where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. 132 He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. 133 35:15 Jacob named the place 134 where God spoke with him Bethel. 135
35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, 136 Rachel went into labor 137 – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, 138 the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” 139 35:18 With her dying breath, 140 she named him Ben-Oni. 141 But his father called him Benjamin instead. 142 35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 143 35:20 Jacob set up a marker 144 over her grave; it is 145 the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.
35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. 146 35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with 147 Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.
35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, 148 to Kiriath Arba 149 (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. 150 35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. 151 35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. 152 He died an old man who had lived a full life. 153 His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
41:1 At the end of two full years 154 Pharaoh had a dream. 155 As he was standing by the Nile, 41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, 156 and they grazed in the reeds. 41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, 157 and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. 158 41:4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
41:5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing 159 on one stalk, healthy 160 and good. 41:6 Then 161 seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. 162
41:8 In the morning he 163 was troubled, so he called for 164 all the diviner-priests 165 of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, 166 but no one could interpret 167 them for him. 168 41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. 169 41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 41:11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. 170 41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant 171 of the captain of the guards, 172 was with us there. We told him our dreams, 173 and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. 174 41:13 It happened just as he had said 175 to us – Pharaoh 176 restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” 177
41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned 178 Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, 179 and there is no one who can interpret 180 it. But I have heard about you, that 181 you can interpret dreams.” 182 41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, 183 but God will speak concerning 184 the welfare of Pharaoh.” 185
41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing 186 by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. 187 41:19 Then 188 seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows 189 as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven 190 fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, 191 no one would have known 192 that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 41:22 I also saw in my dream 193 seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then 194 seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this 195 to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” 196
41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. 197 God has revealed 198 to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 199 41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. 200 41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent 201 seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told 202 Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur 203 after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate 204 the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered 205 because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. 206 41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh 207 because the matter has been decreed 208 by God, and God will make it happen soon. 209
41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look 210 for a wise and discerning man 211 and give him authority 212 over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do 213 this – he should appoint 214 officials 215 throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt 216 during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 They should gather all the excess food 217 during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority 218 they should store up grain so the cities will have food, 219 and they should preserve it. 220 41:36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” 221
41:37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. 222 41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, 223 one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” 224 41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning 225 as you are! 41:40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. 226 Only I, the king, will be greater than you. 227
41:41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place 228 you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” 229 41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen 230 clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 Pharaoh 231 had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, 232 and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” 233 So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission 234 no one 235 will move his hand or his foot 236 in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. 237 He also gave him Asenath 238 daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, 239 to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of 240 all the land of Egypt.
41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old 241 when he began serving 242 Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by 243 Pharaoh and was in charge of 244 all the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. 245 41:48 Joseph 246 collected all the excess food 247 in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. 248 In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 41:49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, 249 until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.
41:50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. 250 Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. 251 41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, 252 saying, 253 “Certainly 254 God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 He named the second child Ephraim, 255 saying, 256 “Certainly 257 God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
41:53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 41:54 Then the seven years of famine began, 258 just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, 259 “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
41:56 While the famine was over all the earth, 260 Joseph opened the storehouses 261 and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 41:57 People from every country 262 came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.
1:1 In the beginning 263 God 264 created 265 the heavens and the earth. 266
1:2 Now 267 the earth 268 was without shape and empty, 269 and darkness 270 was over the surface of the watery deep, 271 but the Spirit of God 272 was moving 273 over the surface 274 of the water. 275 1:3 God said, 276 “Let there be 277 light.” 278 And there was light! 1:4 God saw 279 that the light was good, 280 so God separated 281 the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called 282 the light “day” and the darkness 283 “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 284
1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse 285 in the midst of the waters and let it separate water 286 from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. 287 It was so. 288 1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” 289 There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place 290 and let dry ground appear.” 291 It was so. 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” 292 and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.
1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: 293 plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, 294 and 295 trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so. 1:12 The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 1:13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
1:14 God said, “Let there be lights 296 in the expanse 297 of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs 298 to indicate seasons and days and years, 1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights 299 – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. 300 1:17 God placed the lights 301 in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. 302 God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms 303 of living creatures and let birds fly 304 above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 1:21 God created the great sea creatures 305 and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 1:22 God blessed them 306 and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 307 1:23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” 308 It was so. 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.
1:26 Then God said, “Let us make 309
humankind 310 in our image, after our likeness, 311 so they may rule 312 over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, 313 and over all the creatures that move 314 on the earth.”
1:27 God created humankind 315 in his own image,
in the image of God he created them, 316
male and female he created them. 317
1:28 God blessed 318 them and said 319 to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! 320 Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” 321 1:29 Then God said, “I now 322 give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 323 1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give 324 every green plant for food.” It was so.
1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! 325 There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”
2 tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
3 sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.
4 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.
6 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”
8 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”
10 tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”
11 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “Who to you?”
13 tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”
14 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.
16 tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.
17 tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.
18 tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”
19 tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.
20 tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.
21 tn Heb “all.”
22 tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.
23 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”
25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Heb “weak.”
27 tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”
28 tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”
29 tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.
30 tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
31 tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”
32 tn Heb “returned on his way.”
33 tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.
34 sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.
35 tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.
36 sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.
37 tn Heb “in front of.”
38 tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.
39 tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).
40 tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.
41 tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.
42 tn Heb “daughters.”
43 tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.
44 tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.
45 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
46 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
47 tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”
48 tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.
49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
50 sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.
51 tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
53 tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.
54 tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.
55 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
56 tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”
57 tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.
58 tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.
59 tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).
60 tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”
61 tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.
62 tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
63 tn Heb “before you.”
64 tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”
65 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
66 tn Heb “whatever you say.”
67 tn Or “pay.”
68 tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.
69 tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.
70 tn Heb “say.”
71 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
72 tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.
73 tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.
74 tn Heb “if you are like us.”
75 tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.
76 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
77 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
78 tn Heb “listen to us.”
79 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
80 tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.
81 tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”
82 tn Heb “doing the thing.”
83 tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
84 tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).
85 tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).
86 sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.
87 tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.
88 tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
89 tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”
90 tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
91 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
92 tn Heb “listened to.”
93 tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”
94 tn Heb “a man his sword.”
95 tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.
96 tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.
97 tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.
98 tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”
99 tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”
100 tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.
101 tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.
102 tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.
103 tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
104 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
105 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
106 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
107 tn Heb “which are in your midst.”
108 sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the
109 tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.
110 tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.
111 tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.
112 tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).
113 tn Heb “in their hand.”
114 sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).
115 sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.
116 tn Or “terebinth.”
117 tn Heb “and they journeyed.”
118 tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).
119 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
120 tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”
121 sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”
122 tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.
123 sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.
124 tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.
125 tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.
126 tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
127 tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.
128 tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”
129 tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the
130 tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”
131 tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”
132 tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.
133 tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.
134 sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.
135 tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.
136 tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”
137 tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”
138 tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).
139 sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.
140 tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.
141 sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.
142 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.
143 sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.
144 tn Heb “standing stone.”
145 tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).
146 sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.
147 tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.
148 tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.
149 tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”
150 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.
151 tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”
152 tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.
153 tn Heb “old and full of years.”
154 tn Heb “two years, days.”
155 tn Heb “was dreaming.”
156 tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.
157 tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”
158 tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
159 tn Heb “coming up.”
160 tn Heb “fat.”
161 tn Heb “And look.”
162 tn Heb “And look, a dream.”
163 tn Heb “his spirit.”
164 tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.
165 tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.
166 tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).
167 tn “there was no interpreter.”
168 tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
169 tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).
170 tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”
171 tn Or “slave.”
172 tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.
173 tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
174 tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”
175 tn Heb “interpreted.”
176 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
177 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
178 tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.
179 tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”
180 tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”
181 tn Heb “saying.”
182 tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”
183 tn Heb “not within me.”
184 tn Heb “God will answer.”
185 tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).
186 tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.
187 tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”
188 tn Heb “And look.”
189 tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
190 tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”
191 tn Heb “when they went inside them.”
192 tn Heb “it was not known.”
193 tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”
194 tn Heb “And look.”
195 tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
196 tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”
197 tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”
198 tn Heb “declared.”
199 tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.
200 tn Heb “one dream it is.”
201 tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”
202 tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”
203 tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.
204 tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.
205 tn Heb “known.”
206 tn Or “heavy.”
207 tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”
208 tn Heb “established.”
209 tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.
210 tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
211 tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
212 tn Heb “and let him set him.”
213 tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”
214 tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.
215 tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.
216 tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.
217 tn Heb “all the food.”
218 tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”
219 tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.
220 tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.
221 tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”
222 tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”
223 tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.
224 tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”
225 tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
226 tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions – such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40,” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19.
227 tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”
228 tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].”
229 sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31.
230 tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.
231 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
232 tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”
233 tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).
234 tn Heb “apart from you.”
235 tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.
236 tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.
237 sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262).
238 sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.
239 sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
240 tn Heb “and he passed through.”
241 tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”
242 tn Heb “when he stood before.”
243 tn Heb “went out from before.”
244 tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”
245 tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”
246 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
247 tn Heb “all the food.”
248 tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”
249 tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.
250 tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”
251 tn Heb “gave birth for him.”
252 sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.
253 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
254 tn Or “for.”
255 sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.
256 tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
257 tn Or “for.”
258 tn Heb “began to arrive.”
259 tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.
260 tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.
261 tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.
262 tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.
263 tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.
264 sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”
265 tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).
266 tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).
267 tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) at the beginning of v. 2 gives background information for the following narrative, explaining the state of things when “God said…” (v. 3). Verse one is a title to the chapter, v. 2 provides information about the state of things when God spoke, and v. 3 begins the narrative per se with the typical narrative construction (vav [ו] consecutive followed by the prefixed verbal form). (This literary structure is paralleled in the second portion of the book: Gen 2:4 provides the title or summary of what follows, 2:5-6 use disjunctive clause structures to give background information for the following narrative, and 2:7 begins the narrative with the vav consecutive attached to a prefixed verbal form.) Some translate 1:2a “and the earth became,” arguing that v. 1 describes the original creation of the earth, while v. 2 refers to a judgment that reduced it to a chaotic condition. Verses 3ff. then describe the re-creation of the earth. However, the disjunctive clause at the beginning of v. 2 cannot be translated as if it were relating the next event in a sequence. If v. 2 were sequential to v. 1, the author would have used the vav consecutive followed by a prefixed verbal form and the subject.
268 tn That is, what we now call “the earth.” The creation of the earth as we know it is described in vv. 9-10. Prior to this the substance which became the earth (= dry land) lay dormant under the water.
269 tn Traditional translations have followed a more literal rendering of “waste and void.” The words describe a condition that is without form and empty. What we now know as “the earth” was actually an unfilled mass covered by water and darkness. Later תֹהוּ (tohu) and בֹּהוּ (bohu), when used in proximity, describe a situation resulting from judgment (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). Both prophets may be picturing judgment as the reversal of creation in which God’s judgment causes the world to revert to its primordial condition. This later use of the terms has led some to conclude that Gen 1:2 presupposes the judgment of a prior world, but it is unsound method to read the later application of the imagery (in a context of judgment) back into Gen 1:2.
270 sn Darkness. The Hebrew word simply means “darkness,” but in the Bible it has come to symbolize what opposes God, such as judgment (Exod 10:21), death (Ps 88:13), oppression (Isa 9:1), the wicked (1 Sam 2:9) and in general, sin. In Isa 45:7 it parallels “evil.” It is a fitting cover for the primeval waste, but it prepares the reader for the fact that God is about to reveal himself through his works.
271 tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 7:11).
272 tn The traditional rendering “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind from/breath of God” (cf. NRSV) or “mighty wind” (cf. NEB), taking the word “God” to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Gen 41:38; Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 24:2; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezek 11:24; 2 Chr 15:1; 24:20).
273 tn The Hebrew verb has been translated “hovering” or “moving” (as a bird over her young, see Deut 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means “to brood over; to incubate.” How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads “mighty wind” (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in vv. 9-10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah’s day. See Gen 8:1.)
274 tn Heb “face.”
275 sn The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life-giving water and not the chaotic abyss-like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness – in short, that which is not good for life.
276 tn The prefixed verb form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the narrative sequence. Ten times in the chapter the decree of God in creation will be so expressed. For the power of the divine word in creation, see Ps 33:9, John 1:1-3, 1 Cor 8:6, and Col 1:16.
277 tn “Let there be” is the short jussive form of the verb “to be”; the following expression “and there was” is the short preterite form of the same verb. As such, יְהִי (yÿhi) and וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfillment of the divine word.
278 sn Light. The Hebrew word simply means “light,” but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.
279 tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.
280 tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.
281 tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).
282 tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”
283 tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
284 tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”
285 tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”
286 tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”
287 tn Heb “the expanse.”
288 tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.
289 tn Though the Hebrew word can mean “heaven,” it refers in this context to “the sky.”
290 sn Let the water…be gathered to one place. In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns.
291 tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water.
292 tn Heb “earth,” but here the term refers to the dry ground as opposed to the sea.
293 tn The Hebrew construction employs a cognate accusative, where the nominal object (“vegetation”) derives from the verbal root employed. It stresses the abundant productivity that God created.
294 sn After their kinds. The Hebrew word translated “kind” (מִין, min) indicates again that God was concerned with defining and dividing time, space, and species. The point is that creation was with order, as opposed to chaos. And what God created and distinguished with boundaries was not to be confused (see Lev 19:19 and Deut 22:9-11).
295 tn The conjunction “and” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the relationship of the clauses.
296 sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).
297 tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”
298 tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”
299 sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.
300 tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.
301 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
302 sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.
303 tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.
304 tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.
305 tn For the first time in the narrative proper the verb “create” (בָּרָא, bara’) appears. (It is used in the summary statement of v. 1.) The author wishes to underscore that these creatures – even the great ones – are part of God’s perfect creation. The Hebrew term תַנִּינִם (tanninim) is used for snakes (Exod 7:9), crocodiles (Ezek 29:3), or other powerful animals (Jer 51:34). In Isa 27:1 the word is used to describe a mythological sea creature that symbolizes God’s enemies.
306 tn While the translation “blessed” has been retained here for the sake of simplicity, it would be most helpful to paraphrase it as “God endowed them with fruitfulness” or something similar, for here it refers to God’s giving the animals the capacity to reproduce. The expression “blessed” needs clarification in its different contexts, for it is one of the unifying themes of the Book of Genesis. The divine blessing occurs after works of creation and is intended to continue that work – the word of blessing guarantees success. The word means “to enrich; to endow,” and the most visible evidence of that enrichment is productivity or fruitfulness. See C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).
307 sn The instruction God gives to creation is properly a fuller expression of the statement just made (“God blessed them”), that he enriched them with the ability to reproduce. It is not saying that these were rational creatures who heard and obeyed the word; rather, it stresses that fruitfulness in the animal world is a result of the divine decree and not of some pagan cultic ritual for fruitfulness. The repeated emphasis of “be fruitful – multiply – fill” adds to this abundance God has given to life. The meaning is underscored by the similar sounds: בָּרָךְ (barakh) with בָּרָא (bara’), and פָּרָה (parah) with רָבָה (ravah).
308 tn There are three groups of land animals here: the cattle or livestock (mostly domesticated), things that creep or move close to the ground (such as reptiles or rodents), and the wild animals (all animals of the field). The three terms are general classifications without specific details.
309 sn The plural form of the verb has been the subject of much discussion through the years, and not surprisingly several suggestions have been put forward. Many Christian theologians interpret it as an early hint of plurality within the Godhead, but this view imposes later trinitarian concepts on the ancient text. Some have suggested the plural verb indicates majesty, but the plural of majesty is not used with verbs. C. Westermann (Genesis, 1:145) argues for a plural of “deliberation” here, but his proposed examples of this use (2 Sam 24:14; Isa 6:8) do not actually support his theory. In 2 Sam 24:14 David uses the plural as representative of all Israel, and in Isa 6:8 the
310 tn The Hebrew word is אָדָם (’adam), which can sometimes refer to man, as opposed to woman. The term refers here to humankind, comprised of male and female. The singular is clearly collective (see the plural verb, “[that] they may rule” in v. 26b) and the referent is defined specifically as “male and female” in v. 27. Usage elsewhere in Gen 1-11 supports this as well. In 5:2 we read: “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called their name ‘humankind’ (אָדָם).” The noun also refers to humankind in 6:1, 5-7 and in 9:5-6.
311 tn The two prepositions translated “in” and “according to” have overlapping fields of meaning and in this context seem to be virtually equivalent. In 5:3 they are reversed with the two words. The word צֶלֶם (tselem, “image”) is used frequently of statues, models, and images – replicas (see D. J. A. Clines, “The Etymology of Hebrew selem,” JNSL 3 [1974]: 19-25). The word דְּמוּת (dÿmut, “likeness”) is an abstract noun; its verbal root means “to be like; to resemble.” In the Book of Genesis the two terms describe human beings who in some way reflect the form and the function of the creator. The form is more likely stressing the spiritual rather than the physical. The “image of God” would be the God-given mental and spiritual capacities that enable people to relate to God and to serve him by ruling over the created order as his earthly vice-regents.
312 tn Following the cohortative (“let us make”), the prefixed verb form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result (see Gen 19:20; 34:23; 2 Sam 3:21). God’s purpose in giving humankind his image is that they might rule the created order on behalf of the heavenly king and his royal court. So the divine image, however it is defined, gives humankind the capacity and/or authority to rule over creation.
313 tc The MT reads “earth”; the Syriac reads “wild animals” (cf. NRSV).
314 tn Heb “creep” (also in v. 28).
315 tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun (הָאָדָם, ha’adam). The article does not distinguish man from woman here (“the man” as opposed to “the woman”), but rather indicates previous reference (see v. 26, where the noun appears without the article). It has the same function as English “the aforementioned.”
316 tn The third person suffix on the particle אֵת (’et) is singular here, but collective.
317 sn The distinction of “humankind” as “male” and “female” is another point of separation in God’s creation. There is no possibility that the verse is teaching that humans were first androgynous (having both male and female physical characteristics) and afterward were separated. The mention of male and female prepares for the blessing to follow.
318 tn As in v. 22 the verb “bless” here means “to endow with the capacity to reproduce and be fruitful,” as the following context indicates. As in v. 22, the statement directly precedes the command “be fruitful and multiply.” The verb carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); Gen 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).
319 tn Heb “and God said.” For stylistic reasons “God” has not been repeated here in the translation.
320 tn Elsewhere the Hebrew verb translated “subdue” means “to enslave” (2 Chr 28:10; Neh 5:5; Jer 34:11, 16), “to conquer,” (Num 32:22, 29; Josh 18:1; 2 Sam 8:11; 1 Chr 22:18; Zech 9:13; and probably Mic 7:19), and “to assault sexually” (Esth 7:8). None of these nuances adequately meets the demands of this context, for humankind is not viewed as having an adversarial relationship with the world. The general meaning of the verb appears to be “to bring under one’s control for one’s advantage.” In Gen 1:28 one might paraphrase it as follows: “harness its potential and use its resources for your benefit.” In an ancient Israelite context this would suggest cultivating its fields, mining its mineral riches, using its trees for construction, and domesticating its animals.
321 sn The several imperatives addressed to both males and females together (plural imperative forms) actually form two commands: reproduce and rule. God’s word is not merely a form of blessing, but is now addressed to them personally; this is a distinct emphasis with the creation of human beings. But with the blessing comes the ability to be fruitful and to rule. In procreation they will share in the divine work of creating human life and passing on the divine image (see 5:1-3); in ruling they will serve as God’s vice-regents on earth. They together, the human race collectively, have the responsibility of seeing to the welfare of that which is put under them and the privilege of using it for their benefit.
322 tn The text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh), often archaically translated “behold.” It is often used to express the dramatic present, the immediacy of an event – “Look, this is what I am doing!”
323 sn G. J. Wenham (Genesis [WBC], 1:34) points out that there is nothing in the passage that prohibits the man and the woman from eating meat. He suggests that eating meat came after the fall. Gen 9:3 may then ratify the postfall practice of eating meat rather than inaugurate the practice, as is often understood.
324 tn The phrase “I give” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
325 tn The Hebrew text again uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) for the sake of vividness. It is a particle that goes with the gesture of pointing, calling attention to something.