39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. 8 He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. 9 39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. 10 39:23 The warden did not concern himself 11 with anything that was in Joseph’s 12 care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.
49:24 But his bow will remain steady,
and his hands 13 will be skillful;
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of 14 the Shepherd, the Rock 15 of Israel,
41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you!
Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! 16
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand! 17
43:2 When you pass through the waters, I am with you;
when you pass 18 through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not harm 19 you.
1 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).
2 tn Heb “and he was.”
3 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 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).
6 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
7 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.
8 tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”
9 tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).
10 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.
11 tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”
12 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”
14 tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”
15 tn Or “Stone.”
16 tn According to BDB (1043 s.v. שָׁעָה), the verb תִּשְׁתָּע (tishta’) in the second line of the poetic couplet is a Hitpael form from the root שָׁעָה (sha’ah, “gaze,” with metathesis of the stem prefix and the first root letter). Taking the Hitpael as iterative, one may then translate “do not anxiously look about.” However, the alleged Hitpael form of שָׁעָה (sha’ah) only occurs here and in verse 23. HALOT 1671 s.v. שׁתע proposes that the verb is instead a Qal form from the root שׁתע (“fear”) which is attested in cognate Semitic languages, including Ugaritic (discovered after the publishing of BDB), suggests the existence of this root. The poetic structure of v. 10 also supports the proposal, for the form in question is in synonymous parallelism to יָרֵא (yare’, “fear”).
17 tn The “right hand” is a symbol of the Lord’s power to deliver (Exod 15:6, 12) and protect (Ps 63:9 HT [63:8 ET]). Here צֶדֶק (tsedeq) has its well-attested nuance of “vindicated righteousness,” i.e., “victory, deliverance” (see 45:8; 51:5, and BDB 841-42 s.v.).
18 tn The verb is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).
19 tn Heb “burn” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV, NLT “consume”; NIV “set you ablaze.”