27:14 So he went and got the goats 3 and brought them to his mother. She 4 prepared some tasty food, just the way his father loved it.
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons 25 because he was a son born to him late in life, 26 and he made a special 27 tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s 28 brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, 29 they hated Joseph 30 and were not able to speak to him kindly. 31
1 tn Heb “the taste of game was in his mouth.” The word for “game,” “venison” is here the same Hebrew word as “hunter” in the last verse. Here it is a metonymy, referring to that which the hunter kills.
2 tn The disjunctive clause juxtaposes Rebekah with Jacob and draws attention to the contrast. The verb here is a participle, drawing attention to Rebekah’s continuing, enduring love for her son.
3 tn The words “the goats” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “his mother.” This has been replaced by the pronoun “she” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
7 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
8 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
9 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
9 tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.
10 tn Heb “and he spoke to the heart of the young woman,” which apparently refers in this context to tender, romantic speech (Hos 2:14). Another option is to translate the expression “he reassured the young woman” (see Judg 19:3, 2 Sam 19:7; cf. NEB “comforted her”).
11 tn Heb “her”; the referent has been specified here in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “Rebekah”; here the proper name was replaced by the pronoun (“her”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
13 tn Heb “and he took Rebekah and she became his wife and he loved her.”
14 tn Heb “after his mother.” This must refer to Sarah’s death.
13 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
14 tn Heb “so that my soul may bless you.” The use of נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) as the subject emphasizes that the blessing will be made with all Isaac’s desire and vitality. The conjunction “so that” closely relates the meal to the blessing, suggesting that this will be a ritual meal in conjunction with the giving of a formal blessing.
15 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative (with the prefixed conjunction) indicates purpose or result.
17 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
19 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
19 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
20 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
21 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
21 tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.
22 tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”
23 tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.
23 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”
25 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”
25 tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.
26 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”
27 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.
29 sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.
30 sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.
31 tn Heb “which I will say to.”