50:24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to you 18 and lead you up from this land to the land he swore on oath to give 19 to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
1 tn Heb “And now swear to me by God here.”
2 tn Heb “my offspring and my descendants.”
3 tn The word “land” refers by metonymy to the people in the land.
4 tn The Hebrew verb means “to stay, to live, to sojourn” as a temporary resident without ownership rights.
5 tn Or “kindness.”
6 tn Heb “According to the loyalty which I have done with you, do with me and with the land in which you are staying.”
7 tn Or “the land of my birth.”
8 tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”
9 tn Or “his messenger.”
10 tn Heb “before you and you will take.”
13 tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur) means “to live temporarily without ownership of land.” Abraham’s family will not actually possess the land of Canaan until the Israelite conquest hundreds of years later.
14 tn After the imperative “stay” the two prefixed verb forms with prefixed conjunction here indicate consequence.
15 tn The Hebrew term זֶרַע (zera’) occurring here and in v. 18 may mean “seed” (for planting), “offspring” (occasionally of animals, but usually of people), or “descendants” depending on the context.
16 tn The Hiphil stem of the verb קוּם (qum) here means “to fulfill, to bring to realization.” For other examples of this use of this verb form, see Lev 26:9; Num 23:19; Deut 8:18; 9:5; 1 Sam 1:23; 1 Kgs 6:12; Jer 11:5.
17 tn Heb “the oath which I swore.”
19 tn Heb “saying.”
20 tn The imperfect verbal form here has the force of a command.
25 tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit,” i.e., to intervene for blessing or cursing; here Joseph announces that God would come to fulfill the promises by delivering them from Egypt. The statement is emphasized by the use of the infinitive absolute with the verb: “God will surely visit you.”
26 tn The words “to give” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.