Genesis 1:11-12

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: ¹  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, ²  and ³  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.

Genesis 6:20

6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. ⁴ 

Genesis 41:48

41:48 Joseph ⁵  collected all the excess food ⁶  in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. ⁷  In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it.

Genesis 42:28

42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ⁸  they turned trembling one to another ⁹  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ¹⁰ 

¹ 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.

² 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).

³ tn The conjunction “and” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the relationship of the clauses.

⁴ tn Heb “to keep alive.”

⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “all the food.”

⁹ tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

¹¹ tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

¹² tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.