15:2 But Abram said, “O sovereign Lord, 1 what will you give me since 2 I continue to be 3 childless, and my heir 4 is 5 Eliezer of Damascus?” 6
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 20
16:1 Jesus 27 also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations 28 that his manager 29 was wasting 30 his assets. 16:2 So 31 he called the manager 32 in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? 33 Turn in the account of your administration, 34 because you can no longer be my manager.’
16:1 Jesus 35 also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations 36 that his manager 37 was wasting 38 his assets.
4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.
1:1 From Paul, 41 a slave 42 of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith 43 of God’s chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness,
1:10 For there are many 44 rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, 45
1 tn The Hebrew text has אֲדֹנָי יֱהוִה (’adonay yehvih, “Master,
2 tn The vav (ו) disjunctive at the beginning of the clause is circumstantial, expressing the cause or reason.
3 tn Heb “I am going.”
4 tn Heb “the son of the acquisition of my house.”
5 tn The pronoun is anaphoric here, equivalent to the verb “to be” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 23, §115).
6 sn The sentence in the Hebrew text employs a very effective wordplay on the name Damascus: “The son of the acquisition (בֶּן־מֶשֶׁק, ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (דַּמֶּשֶׁק, dammesheq).” The words are not the same; they have different sibilants. But the sound play gives the impression that “in the nomen is the omen.” Eliezer the Damascene will be Abram’s heir if Abram dies childless because “Damascus” seems to mean that. See M. F. Unger, “Some Comments on the Text of Genesis 15:2-3,” JBL 72 (1953): 49-50; H. L. Ginsberg, “Abram’s ‘Damascene’ Steward,” BASOR 200 (1970): 31-32.
7 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.
8 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn Heb “put into his hand.”
10 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 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).
13 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
14 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.
15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 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.
17 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
18 tn Heb “did not know.”
19 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.
20 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.
21 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
22 tn Grk “eating and drinking the things from them” (an idiom for what the people in the house provide the guests).
23 sn On the phrase the worker deserves his pay see 1 Tim 5:18 and 1 Cor 9:14.
24 tn Grk “And the Lord said.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
25 tn Or “administrator,” “steward” (L&N 37.39).
26 tn This term, θεραπεία (qerapeia), describes the group of servants working in a particular household (L&N 46.6).
27 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”
29 sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.
30 tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).
31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the reports the man received about his manager.
32 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the manager) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33 sn Although phrased as a question, the charges were believed by the owner, as his dismissal of the manager implies.
34 tn Or “stewardship”; the Greek word οἰκονομία (oikonomia) is cognate with the noun for the manager (οἰκονόμος, oikonomo").
35 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36 tn These are not formal legal charges, but reports from friends, acquaintances, etc.; Grk “A certain man was rich who had a manager, and this one was reported to him as wasting his property.”
37 sn His manager was the steward in charge of managing the house. He could have been a slave trained for the role.
38 tn Or “squandering.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).
39 sn The overseer is another term for the same official position of leadership as the “elder.” This is seen in the interchange of the two terms in this passage and in Acts 20:17, 28, as well as in the parallels between these verses and 1 Tim 3:1-7.
40 tn Grk “as God’s steward.”
41 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
42 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
43 tn Grk “for the faith,” possibly, “in accordance with the faith.”
44 tc ‡ The earliest and best
45 tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).