9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee 5 of the covenant I am making 6 with you 7 and every living creature with you, a covenant 8 for all subsequent 9 generations:
43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned 12 us, ‘You will not see my face 13 unless your brother is with you.’
47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate 14 the land.
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you 15 and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you 16 what will happen to you in the future. 17
1 tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).
2 tn Heb “all flesh.”
3 tn Heb “cut off.”
4 tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”
5 tn Heb “sign.”
6 sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.
7 tn Heb “between me and between you.”
8 tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
9 tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.
9 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.
10 tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
13 tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.
14 tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”
17 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.
21 tn The pronouns translated “you,” “you,” and “your” in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text.
25 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
26 tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.
29 tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”