12:8 Then he moved from there to the hill country east of Bethel 1 and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and worshiped the Lord. 2
17:23 Abraham took his son Ishmael and every male in his household (whether born in his house or bought with money) 4 and circumcised them 5 on that very same day, just as God had told him to do.
19:2 He said, “Here, my lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house. Stay the night 6 and wash your feet. Then you can be on your way early in the morning.” 7 “No,” they replied, “we’ll spend the night in the town square.” 8
35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once 17 to Bethel 18 and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 19
43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of 26 the money that was returned in our sacks last time. 27 He wants to capture us, 28 make us slaves, and take 29 our donkeys!”
50:4 When the days of mourning 33 had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, 34 “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, 35
1 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
2 tn Heb “he called in the name of the
3 tn Heb “the son of eight days.”
5 tn Heb “Ishmael his son and all born in his house and all bought with money, every male among the men of the house of Abraham.”
6 tn Heb “circumcised the flesh of their foreskin.” The Hebrew expression is somewhat pleonastic and has been simplified in the translation.
7 tn The imperatives have the force of invitation.
8 tn These two verbs form a verbal hendiadys: “you can rise up early and go” means “you can go early.”
9 sn The town square refers to the wide street area at the gate complex of the city.
9 tn Heb “his faithfulness and his commitment.”
10 tn Heb “As for me – in the way the
11 tn Here “house” is an adverbial accusative of termination.
12 tn Heb “brothers.”
11 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
12 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
13 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
14 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
13 tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
14 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
15 sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).
15 tn Heb “and it was from then.”
16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 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).
18 tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
19 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.
17 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.
19 tn Heb “over the matter of.”
20 tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.
21 tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.
22 tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “tell Pharaoh and say to him.”
23 tn Heb “upon me, against me,” which might mean something like “to my sorrow.”
24 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
25 tn Heb “weeping.”
26 tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”
27 tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”