Genesis 14:10

14:10 Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. ¹  When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, ²  but some survivors ³  fled to the hills. ⁴ 

Genesis 24:8

24:8 But if the woman is not willing to come back with you, ⁵  you will be free ⁶  from this oath of mine. But you must not take my son back there!”

Genesis 36:13

36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons ⁷  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

Genesis 39:1

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ⁸  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ⁹  purchased him from ¹⁰  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

Genesis 42:2

42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ¹¹  so that we may live ¹²  and not die.” ¹³ 

Genesis 43:30

43:30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother ¹⁴  and was at the point of tears. ¹⁵  So he went to his room and wept there.

¹ tn Heb “Now the Valley of Siddim [was] pits, pits of tar.” This parenthetical disjunctive clause emphasizes the abundance of tar pits in the area through repetition of the noun “pits.”

² tn Or “they were defeated there.” After a verb of motion the Hebrew particle שָׁם (sham) with the directional heh (שָׁמָּה, shammah) can mean “into it, therein” (BDB 1027 s.v. שָׁם).

³ tn Heb “the rest.”

⁴ sn The reference to the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah must mean the kings along with their armies. Most of them were defeated in the valley, but some of them escaped to the hills.

⁵ tn Heb “ to go after you.”

⁶ sn You will be free. If the prospective bride was not willing to accompany the servant back to Canaan, the servant would be released from his oath to Abraham.

⁹ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

¹³ tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.

¹⁴ sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.

¹⁵ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁸ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

¹⁹ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

²¹ tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.

²² tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”