Genesis 16:3

16:3 So after Abram had lived ¹  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ²  to her husband to be his wife. ³ 

Genesis 39:5

39:5 From the time ⁴  Potiphar ⁵  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁶  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ⁷  in his house and in his fields. ⁸ 

Genesis 41:55

41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, ⁹  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

Genesis 46:34

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ¹⁰  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ¹¹  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ¹²  to the Egyptians.”

Genesis 47:15

47:15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians ¹³  came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die ¹⁴  before your very eyes because our money has run out?”

Genesis 47:20

47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each ¹⁵  of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. ¹⁶  So the land became Pharaoh’s.

Genesis 50:11

50:11 When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion ¹⁷  for the Egyptians.” That is why its name was called ¹⁸  Abel Mizraim, ¹⁹  which is beyond the Jordan.

¹ tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.

² tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

³ sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.

⁴ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁸ 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.

⁷ tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.

¹⁰ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

¹¹ sn So that you may live in the land of Goshen. Joseph is apparently trying to stress to Pharaoh that his family is self-sufficient, that they will not be a drain on the economy of Egypt. But they will need land for their animals and so Goshen, located on the edge of Egypt, would be a suitable place for them to live. The settled Egyptians were uneasy with nomadic people, but if Jacob and his family settled in Goshen they would represent no threat.

¹² tn Heb “is an abomination.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 43:32 and Exod 8:22.

¹³ tn Heb “all Egypt.” The expression is a metonymy and refers to all the people of Egypt.

¹⁴ tn The imperfect verbal form has a deliberative force here.

¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

¹⁹ tn Heb “this is heavy mourning for Egypt.”

²⁰ tn The verb has no expressed subject and so it may be translated as passive.

²¹ sn The name Abel Mizraim means “the mourning of Egypt.”