Genesis 26:28

26:28 They replied, “We could plainly see ¹  that the Lord is with you. So we decided there should be ²  a pact between us ³  – between us ⁴  and you. Allow us to make ⁵  a treaty with you

Genesis 44:20

44:20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. ⁶  The boy’s ⁷  brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, ⁸  and his father loves him.’

Genesis 44:22

44:22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father ⁹  will die.’ ¹⁰ 

¹ tn The infinitive absolute before the verb emphasizes the clarity of their perception.

² tn Heb “And we said, ‘Let there be.’” The direct discourse in the Hebrew text has been rendered as indirect discourse in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn The pronoun “us” here is inclusive – it refers to the Philistine contingent on the one hand and Isaac on the other.

⁴ tn The pronoun “us” here is exclusive – it refers to just the Philistine contingent (the following “you” refers to Isaac).

⁵ tn The translation assumes that the cohortative expresses their request. Another option is to understand the cohortative as indicating resolve: “We want to make.’”

⁶ tn Heb “and a small boy of old age,” meaning that he was born when his father was elderly.

⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the boy just mentioned) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “he, only he, to his mother is left.”

¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the boy’s father, i.e., Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹² tn The last two verbs are perfect tenses with vav consecutive. The first is subordinated to the second as a conditional clause.