Genesis 4:2

4:2 Then she gave birth ¹  to his brother Abel. ²  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ³ 

Genesis 26:29

26:29 so that ⁴  you will not do us any harm, just as we have not harmed ⁵  you, but have always treated you well ⁶  before sending you away ⁷  in peace. Now you are blessed by the Lord.” ⁸ 

Genesis 30:36

30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ⁹  while ¹⁰  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Genesis 37:20

37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ¹¹  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ¹² 

Genesis 47:3

47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s ¹³  brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” ¹⁴ 

Genesis 49:24

49:24 But his bow will remain steady,

and his hands ¹⁵  will be skillful;

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of ¹⁶  the Shepherd, the Rock ¹⁷  of Israel,

Genesis 50:20

50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, ¹⁸  but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. ¹⁹ 

¹ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

² sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

³ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

⁴ tn The oath formula is used: “if you do us harm” means “so that you will not do.”

⁵ tn Heb “touched.”

⁶ tn Heb “and just as we have done only good with you.”

⁷ tn Heb “and we sent you away.”

⁸ tn The Philistine leaders are making an observation, not pronouncing a blessing, so the translation reads “you are blessed” rather than “may you be blessed” (cf. NAB).

⁷ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

⁸ tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.

¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

¹¹ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”

¹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”

¹⁶ tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”

¹⁸ tn Or “Stone.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”

²⁰ tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”