Genesis 41:46

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ¹  when he began serving ²  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ³  Pharaoh and was in charge of ⁴  all the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 1:38

1:38 However, Joshua son of Nun, your assistant, ⁵  will go. Encourage him, because he will enable Israel to inherit the land. ⁶ 

Deuteronomy 10:8

10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi ⁷  to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings ⁸  in his name, as they do to this very day.

Deuteronomy 10:1

The Opportunity to Begin Again

10:1 At that same time the Lord said to me, “Carve out for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up the mountain to me; also make for yourself a wooden ark. ⁹ 

Deuteronomy 10:8

10:8 At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi ¹⁰  to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings ¹¹  in his name, as they do to this very day.

Proverbs 22:29

22:29 Do you see a person skilled ¹²  in his work?

He will take his position before kings;

he will not take his position ¹³  before obscure people. ¹⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

² tn Heb “when he stood before.”

³ tn Heb “went out from before.”

⁴ 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.”

⁵ tn Heb “the one who stands before you”; NAB “your aide”; TEV “your helper.”

⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (the land) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ sn The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi. This was not the initial commissioning of the tribe of Levi to this ministry (cf. Num 3:11-13; 8:12-26), but with Aaron’s death it seemed appropriate to Moses to reiterate Levi’s responsibilities. There is no reference in the Book of Numbers to this having been done, but the account of Eleazar’s succession to the priesthood there (Num 20:25-28) would provide a setting for this to have occurred.

⁸ sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.

⁹ tn Or “chest” (so NIV, CEV); NLT “sacred chest”; TEV “wooden box.” This chest was made of acacia wood; it is later known as the ark of the covenant.

¹⁰ sn The Lord set apart the tribe of Levi. This was not the initial commissioning of the tribe of Levi to this ministry (cf. Num 3:11-13; 8:12-26), but with Aaron’s death it seemed appropriate to Moses to reiterate Levi’s responsibilities. There is no reference in the Book of Numbers to this having been done, but the account of Eleazar’s succession to the priesthood there (Num 20:25-28) would provide a setting for this to have occurred.

¹¹ sn To formulate blessings. The most famous example of this is the priestly “blessing formula” of Num 6:24-26.

¹² sn The word translated “skilled” is general enough to apply to any crafts; but it may refer to a scribe or an official (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 134).

¹³ tn The verb form used twice here is יִתְיַצֵּב (yityatsev), the Hitpael imperfect of יָצַב (yatsav), which means “to set or station oneself; to take one’s stand” in this stem. With the form לִפְנֵי (life) it means “to present oneself before” someone; so here it has the idea of serving as a courtier in the presence of a king.

¹⁴ sn The fifth saying affirms that true skill earns recognition and advancement (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 30, 27:16-17 [ANET 424]).