11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (the son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and with them he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came to Haran, they settled there.
14:17 After Abram 7 returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet Abram 8 in the Valley of Shaveh (known as the King’s Valley). 9
24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me 18 to this land? Must I then 19 take your son back to the land from which you came?”
24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah 20 with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). 21
24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, 22 along came Rebekah 23 with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’
43:23 “Everything is fine,” 41 the man in charge of Joseph’s household told them. “Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. 42 I had your money.” 43 Then he brought Simeon out to them.
45:1 Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all his attendants, 48 so he cried out, “Make everyone go out from my presence!” No one remained 49 with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.
1 tn The words “bring out” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
2 tn Following the Hiphil imperative, “bring out,” the three perfect verb forms with vav (ו) consecutive carry an imperatival nuance. For a discussion of the Hebrew construction here and the difficulty of translating it into English, see S. R. Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew, 124-25.
3 tn Heb “and let them swarm in the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
4 tn Heb “the son of his brother.”
5 tn For the semantic nuance “acquire [property]” for the verb עָשָׂה (’asah), see BDB 795 s.v. עָשָׂה.
6 tn Heb “went out to go.”
7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 sn The King’s Valley is possibly a reference to what came to be known later as the Kidron Valley.
10 tn Heb “who have not known.” Here this expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
11 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes.”
12 tn Heb “shadow.”
13 sn This chapter portrays Lot as a hypocrite. He is well aware of the way the men live in his city and is apparently comfortable in the midst of it. But when confronted by the angels, he finally draws the line. But he is nevertheless willing to sacrifice his daughters’ virginity to protect his guests. His opposition to the crowds leads to his rejection as a foreigner by those with whom he had chosen to live. The one who attempted to rescue his visitors ends up having to be rescued by them.
13 tn Or “one of them”; Heb “he.” Several ancient versions (LXX, Vulgate, Syriac) read the plural “they.” See also the note on “your” in v. 19.
14 tn Heb “escape.”
15 tn The Hebrew verb translated “look” signifies an intense gaze, not a passing glance. This same verb is used later in v. 26 to describe Lot’s wife’s self-destructive look back at the city.
16 tn Or “in the plain”; Heb “in the circle,” referring to the “circle” or oval area of the Jordan Valley.
16 tn Heb “to go after me.”
17 tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.
19 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.
20 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
22 tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.
23 tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.
25 tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
26 tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
27 tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
28 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
29 sn You anointed the sacred stone. In Gen 28:18 the text simply reported that Jacob poured oil on top of the stone. Now that pouring is interpreted by the
30 sn And made a vow to me. The second clause reminds Jacob of the vow he made to the
31 tn Heb “arise, leave!” The first imperative draws attention to the need for immediate action.
31 tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.
32 tn Heb “who these to him.”
33 tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”
34 sn The meaning of Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphenath-Paneah, is uncertain. Many recent commentators have followed the proposal of G. Steindorff that it means “the god has said, ‘he will live’” (“Der Name Josephs Saphenat-Pa‘neach,” ZÄS 31 [1889]: 41-42); others have suggested “the god speaks and lives” (see BDB 861 s.v. צָפְנָת פַּעְנֵחַ); “the man he knows” (J. Vergote, Joseph en Égypte, 145); or “Joseph [who is called] áIp-àankh” (K. A. Kitchen, NBD3 1262).
35 sn The name Asenath may mean “she belongs to the goddess Neit” (see HALOT 74 s.v. אָֽסְנַת). A novel was written at the beginning of the first century entitled Joseph and Asenath, which included a legendary account of the conversion of Asenath to Joseph’s faith in Yahweh. However, all that can be determined from this chapter is that their children received Hebrew names. See also V. Aptowitzer, “Asenath, the Wife of Joseph – a Haggadic Literary-Historical Study,” HUCA 1 (1924): 239-306.
36 sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.
37 tn Heb “and he passed through.”
37 tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”
38 tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”
39 tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.
40 tn Heb “and he said, ‘peace to you.’” Here the statement has the force of “everything is fine,” or perhaps even “calm down.” The referent of “he” (the man in charge of Joseph’ household) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.
41 sn Your God and the God of your father…This is the first clear reference in the story to the theme of divine providence – that God works through the human actions to do his will.
42 tn Heb “your money came to me.”
43 tn Heb “they left the city, they were not far,” meaning “they had not gone very far.”
44 tn Heb “and Joseph said.” This clause, like the first one in the verse, has the subject before the verb, indicating synchronic action.
45 tn Heb “arise, chase after the men.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.
46 tn After the imperative this perfect verbal form with vav consecutive has the same nuance of instruction. In the translation it is subordinated to the verbal form that follows (also a perfect with vav consecutive): “and overtake them and say,” becomes “when you overtake them, say.”
46 tn Heb “all the ones standing beside him.”
47 tn Heb “stood.”