Genesis 33:1--35:29

Jacob Meets Esau

33:1 Jacob looked up ¹  and saw that Esau was coming ²  along with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants. 33:2 He put the servants and their children in front, with Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. ³  33:3 But Jacob ⁴  himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed toward the ground seven times as he approached ⁵  his brother. 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, hugged his neck, and kissed him. Then they both wept. 33:5 When Esau ⁶  looked up ⁷  and saw the women and the children, he asked, “Who are these people with you?” Jacob ⁸  replied, “The children whom God has graciously given ⁹  your servant.” 33:6 The female servants came forward with their children and bowed down. ¹⁰  33:7 Then Leah came forward with her children and they bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed down.

33:8 Esau ¹¹  then asked, “What did you intend ¹²  by sending all these herds to meet me?” ¹³  Jacob ¹⁴  replied, “To find favor in your sight, my lord.” 33:9 But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother. Keep what belongs to you.” 33:10 “No, please take them,” Jacob said. ¹⁵  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ¹⁶  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ¹⁷  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ¹⁸  33:11 Please take my present ¹⁹  that was brought to you, for God has been generous ²⁰  to me and I have all I need.” ²¹  When Jacob urged him, he took it. ²² 

33:12 Then Esau ²³  said, “Let’s be on our way! ²⁴  I will go in front of you.” 33:13 But Jacob ²⁵  said to him, “My lord knows that the children are young, ²⁶  and that I have to look after the sheep and cattle that are nursing their young. ²⁷  If they are driven too hard for even a single day, all the animals will die. 33:14 Let my lord go on ahead of his servant. I will travel more slowly, at the pace of the herds and the children, ²⁸  until I come to my lord at Seir.”

33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave some of my men with you.” ²⁹  “Why do that?” Jacob replied. ³⁰  “My lord has already been kind enough to me.” ³¹ 

33:16 So that same day Esau made his way back ³²  to Seir. 33:17 But ³³  Jacob traveled to Succoth ³⁴  where he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was called ³⁵  Succoth. ³⁶ 

33:18 After he left Paddan Aram, Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and he camped near ³⁷  the city. 33:19 Then he purchased the portion of the field where he had pitched his tent; he bought it ³⁸  from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred pieces of money. ³⁹  33:20 There he set up an altar and called it “The God of Israel is God.” ⁴⁰ 

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ⁴¹  the young women ⁴²  of the land. 34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, ⁴³  and sexually assaulted her. ⁴⁴  34:3 Then he became very attached ⁴⁵  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ⁴⁶  34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” ⁴⁷  34:5 When ⁴⁸  Jacob heard that Shechem ⁴⁹  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ⁵⁰  until they came in.

34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. ⁵¹  34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ⁵²  They ⁵³  were offended ⁵⁴  and very angry because Shechem ⁵⁵  had disgraced Israel ⁵⁶  by sexually assaulting ⁵⁷  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ⁵⁸ 

34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. ⁵⁹  Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. ⁶⁰  Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. ⁶¹  34:10 You may live ⁶²  among us, and the land will be open to you. ⁶³  Live in it, travel freely in it, ⁶⁴  and acquire property in it.”

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ⁶⁵  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ⁶⁶  I’ll give. ⁶⁷  34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, ⁶⁸  and I’ll give ⁶⁹  whatever you ask ⁷⁰  of me. Just give me the young woman as my wife!”

34:13 Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem ⁷¹  had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ⁷²  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ⁷³  to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become ⁷⁴  like us by circumcising ⁷⁵  all your males. 34:16 Then we will give ⁷⁶  you our daughters to marry, ⁷⁷  and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people. 34:17 But if you do not agree to our terms ⁷⁸  by being circumcised, then we will take ⁷⁹  our sister ⁸⁰  and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ⁸¹  34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ⁸²  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ⁸³  badly. (Now he was more important ⁸⁴  than anyone in his father’s household.) ⁸⁵  34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate ⁸⁶  of their city and spoke to the men of their city, 34:21 “These men are at peace with us. So let them live in the land and travel freely in it, for the land is wide enough ⁸⁷  for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. ⁸⁸  34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand ⁸⁹  that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, ⁹⁰  won’t their livestock, their property, and all their animals become ours? So let’s consent to their demand, so they will live among us.”

34:24 All the men who assembled at the city gate ⁹¹  agreed with ⁹²  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ⁹³  was circumcised. 34:25 In three days, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword ⁹⁴  and went to the unsuspecting city ⁹⁵  and slaughtered every male. 34:26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and left. 34:27 Jacob’s sons killed them ⁹⁶  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ⁹⁷  34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ⁹⁸  34:29 They captured as plunder ⁹⁹  all their wealth, all their little ones, and their wives, including everything in the houses.

34:30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought ruin ¹⁰⁰  on me by making me a foul odor ¹⁰¹  among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I ¹⁰²  am few in number; they will join forces against me and attack me, and both I and my family will be destroyed!” 34:31 But Simeon and Levi replied, ¹⁰³  “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ¹⁰⁴  to Bethel ¹⁰⁵  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ¹⁰⁶  35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ¹⁰⁷  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ¹⁰⁸  35:3 Let us go up at once ¹⁰⁹  to Bethel. Then I will make ¹¹⁰  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ¹¹¹  and has been with me wherever I went.” ¹¹² 

35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ¹¹³  and the rings that were in their ears. ¹¹⁴  Jacob buried them ¹¹⁵  under the oak ¹¹⁶  near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. ¹¹⁷  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ¹¹⁸  and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

35:6 Jacob and all those who were with him arrived at Luz (that is, Bethel) ¹¹⁹  in the land of Canaan. ¹²⁰  35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ¹²¹  because there God had revealed himself ¹²²  to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, ¹²³  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ¹²⁴  Oak of Weeping.) ¹²⁵ 

35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him. 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but your name will no longer be called Jacob; Israel will be your name.” So God named him Israel. ¹²⁶  35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ¹²⁷  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ¹²⁸  35:12 The land I gave ¹²⁹  to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants ¹³⁰  I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place ¹³¹  where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. ¹³²  He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. ¹³³  35:15 Jacob named the place ¹³⁴  where God spoke with him Bethel. ¹³⁵ 

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ¹³⁶  Rachel went into labor ¹³⁷  – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, ¹³⁸  the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” ¹³⁹  35:18 With her dying breath, ¹⁴⁰  she named him Ben-Oni. ¹⁴¹  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ¹⁴²  35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ¹⁴³  35:20 Jacob set up a marker ¹⁴⁴  over her grave; it is ¹⁴⁵  the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ¹⁴⁶  35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ¹⁴⁷  Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

35:24 The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.

35:25 The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.

35:26 The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.

These were the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan Aram.

35:27 So Jacob came back to his father Isaac in Mamre, ¹⁴⁸  to Kiriath Arba ¹⁴⁹  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ¹⁵⁰  35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. ¹⁵¹  35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. ¹⁵²  He died an old man who had lived a full life. ¹⁵³  His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Genesis 41:1-57

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41:1 At the end of two full years ¹⁵⁴  Pharaoh had a dream. ¹⁵⁵  As he was standing by the Nile, 41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, ¹⁵⁶  and they grazed in the reeds. 41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, ¹⁵⁷  and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. ¹⁵⁸  41:4 The bad-looking, thin cows ate the seven fine-looking, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

41:5 Then he fell asleep again and had a second dream: There were seven heads of grain growing ¹⁵⁹  on one stalk, healthy ¹⁶⁰  and good. 41:6 Then ¹⁶¹  seven heads of grain, thin and burned by the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized it was a dream. ¹⁶² 

41:8 In the morning he ¹⁶³  was troubled, so he called for ¹⁶⁴  all the diviner-priests ¹⁶⁵  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ¹⁶⁶  but no one could interpret ¹⁶⁷  them for him. ¹⁶⁸  41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. ¹⁶⁹  41:10 Pharaoh was enraged with his servants, and he put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guards – me and the chief baker. 41:11 We each had a dream one night; each of us had a dream with its own meaning. ¹⁷⁰  41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant ¹⁷¹  of the captain of the guards, ¹⁷²  was with us there. We told him our dreams, ¹⁷³  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. ¹⁷⁴  41:13 It happened just as he had said ¹⁷⁵  to us – Pharaoh ¹⁷⁶  restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” ¹⁷⁷ 

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned ¹⁷⁸  Joseph. So they brought him quickly out of the dungeon; he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came before Pharaoh. 41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, ¹⁷⁹  and there is no one who can interpret ¹⁸⁰  it. But I have heard about you, that ¹⁸¹  you can interpret dreams.” ¹⁸²  41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, ¹⁸³  but God will speak concerning ¹⁸⁴  the welfare of Pharaoh.” ¹⁸⁵ 

41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing ¹⁸⁶  by the edge of the Nile. 41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. ¹⁸⁷  41:19 Then ¹⁸⁸  seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows ¹⁸⁹  as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven ¹⁹⁰  fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, ¹⁹¹  no one would have known ¹⁹²  that they had done so, for they were just as bad-looking as before. Then I woke up. 41:22 I also saw in my dream ¹⁹³  seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then ¹⁹⁴  seven heads of grain, withered and thin and burned with the east wind, were sprouting up after them. 41:24 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. So I told all this ¹⁹⁵  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ¹⁹⁶ 

41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. ¹⁹⁷  God has revealed ¹⁹⁸  to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ¹⁹⁹  41:26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. ²⁰⁰  41:27 The seven lean, bad-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, as do the seven empty heads of grain burned with the east wind. They represent ²⁰¹  seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told ²⁰²  Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 41:29 Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the whole land of Egypt. 41:30 But seven years of famine will occur ²⁰³  after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate ²⁰⁴  the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered ²⁰⁵  because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. ²⁰⁶  41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh ²⁰⁷  because the matter has been decreed ²⁰⁸  by God, and God will make it happen soon. ²⁰⁹ 

41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look ²¹⁰  for a wise and discerning man ²¹¹  and give him authority ²¹²  over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do ²¹³  this – he should appoint ²¹⁴  officials ²¹⁵  throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt ²¹⁶  during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 They should gather all the excess food ²¹⁷  during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority ²¹⁸  they should store up grain so the cities will have food, ²¹⁹  and they should preserve it. ²²⁰  41:36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” ²²¹ 

41:37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. ²²²  41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, ²²³  one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” ²²⁴  41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning ²²⁵  as you are! 41:40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. ²²⁶  Only I, the king, will be greater than you. ²²⁷ 

41:41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place ²²⁸  you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” ²²⁹  41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen ²³⁰  clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 Pharaoh ²³¹  had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, ²³²  and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” ²³³  So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission ²³⁴  no one ²³⁵  will move his hand or his foot ²³⁶  in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. ²³⁷  He also gave him Asenath ²³⁸  daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, ²³⁹  to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of ²⁴⁰  all the land of Egypt.

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ²⁴¹  when he began serving ²⁴²  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ²⁴³  Pharaoh and was in charge of ²⁴⁴  all the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. ²⁴⁵  41:48 Joseph ²⁴⁶  collected all the excess food ²⁴⁷  in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. ²⁴⁸  In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it. 41:49 Joseph stored up a vast amount of grain, like the sand of the sea, ²⁴⁹  until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.

41:50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. ²⁵⁰  Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. ²⁵¹  41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ²⁵²  saying, ²⁵³  “Certainly ²⁵⁴  God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 He named the second child Ephraim, ²⁵⁵  saying, ²⁵⁶  “Certainly ²⁵⁷  God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

41:53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end. 41:54 Then the seven years of famine began, ²⁵⁸  just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food. 41:55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the people of Egypt, ²⁵⁹  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

41:56 While the famine was over all the earth, ²⁶⁰  Joseph opened the storehouses ²⁶¹  and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 41:57 People from every country ²⁶²  came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.

Genesis 1:1-31

The Creation of the World

1:1 In the beginning ²⁶³  God ²⁶⁴  created ²⁶⁵  the heavens and the earth. ²⁶⁶ 

1:2 Now ²⁶⁷  the earth ²⁶⁸  was without shape and empty, ²⁶⁹  and darkness ²⁷⁰  was over the surface of the watery deep, ²⁷¹  but the Spirit of God ²⁷²  was moving ²⁷³  over the surface ²⁷⁴  of the water. ²⁷⁵  1:3 God said, ²⁷⁶  “Let there be ²⁷⁷  light.” ²⁷⁸  And there was light! 1:4 God saw ²⁷⁹  that the light was good, ²⁸⁰  so God separated ²⁸¹  the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called ²⁸²  the light “day” and the darkness ²⁸³  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ²⁸⁴ 

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ²⁸⁵  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ²⁸⁶  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ²⁸⁷  It was so. ²⁸⁸  1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” ²⁸⁹  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place ²⁹⁰  and let dry ground appear.” ²⁹¹  It was so. 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” ²⁹²  and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: ²⁹³  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, ²⁹⁴  and ²⁹⁵  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so. 1:12 The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 1:13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ²⁹⁶  in the expanse ²⁹⁷  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ²⁹⁸  to indicate seasons and days and years, 1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights ²⁹⁹  – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. ³⁰⁰  1:17 God placed the lights ³⁰¹  in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ³⁰²  God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms ³⁰³  of living creatures and let birds fly ³⁰⁴  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 1:21 God created the great sea creatures ³⁰⁵  and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 1:22 God blessed them ³⁰⁶  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ³⁰⁷  1:23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” ³⁰⁸  It was so. 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

1:26 Then God said, “Let us make ³⁰⁹ 

humankind ³¹⁰  in our image, after our likeness, ³¹¹  so they may rule ³¹²  over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, ³¹³  and over all the creatures that move ³¹⁴  on the earth.”

1:27 God created humankind ³¹⁵  in his own image,

in the image of God he created them, ³¹⁶ 

male and female he created them. ³¹⁷ 

1:28 God blessed ³¹⁸  them and said ³¹⁹  to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! ³²⁰  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” ³²¹  1:29 Then God said, “I now ³²²  give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³²³  1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give ³²⁴  every green plant for food.” It was so.

1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! ³²⁵  There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17

10:16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 10:17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread.

1 Corinthians 11:24-25

11:24 and after he had given thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 11:25 In the same way, he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

[33:1]  ¹ tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his eyes.”

[33:1]  ² tn Or “and look, Esau was coming.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.

[33:2]  ³ sn This kind of ranking according to favoritism no doubt fed the jealousy over Joseph that later becomes an important element in the narrative. It must have been painful to the family to see that they were expendable.

[33:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “until his drawing near unto his brother.” The construction uses the preposition with the infinitive construct to express a temporal clause.

[33:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes.”

[33:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:5]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew verb means “to be gracious; to show favor”; here it carries the nuance “to give graciously.”

[33:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and the female servants drew near, they and their children and they bowed down.”

[33:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:8]  ¹² tn Heb “Who to you?”

[33:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “all this camp which I met.”

[33:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Jacob said, ‘No, please.’” The words “take them” have been supplied in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[33:10]  ¹⁶ tn The form is the perfect tense with a vav (ו) consecutive, expressing a contingent future nuance in the “then” section of the conditional sentence.

[33:10]  ¹⁷ tn The verbal form is the preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive, indicating result here.

[33:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “for therefore I have seen your face like seeing the face of God and you have accepted me.”

[33:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “blessing.” It is as if Jacob is trying to repay what he stole from his brother twenty years earlier.

[33:11]  ²⁰ tn Or “gracious,” but in the specific sense of prosperity.

[33:11]  ²¹ tn Heb “all.”

[33:11]  ²² tn Heb “and he urged him and he took.” The referent of the first pronoun in the sequence (“he”) has been specified as “Jacob” in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ²³ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:12]  ²⁴ tn Heb “let us travel and let us go.” The two cohortatives are used in combination with the sense, “let’s travel along, get going, be on our way.”

[33:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “weak.”

[33:13]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and the sheep and the cattle nursing [are] upon me.”

[33:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and I, I will move along according to my leisure at the foot of the property which is before me and at the foot of the children.”

[33:15]  ²⁹ tn The cohortative verbal form here indicates a polite offer of help.

[33:15]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Why this?’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[33:15]  ³¹ tn Heb “I am finding favor in the eyes of my lord.”

[33:16]  ³² tn Heb “returned on his way.”

[33:17]  ³³ tn The disjunctive clause contrasts Jacob’s action with Esau’s.

[33:17]  ³⁴ sn But Jacob traveled to Succoth. There are several reasons why Jacob chose not to go to Mt. Seir after Esau. First, as he said, his herds and children probably could not keep up with the warriors. Second, he probably did not fully trust his brother. The current friendliness could change, and he could lose everything. And third, God did tell him to return to his land, not Seir. But Jacob is still not able to deal truthfully, probably because of fear of Esau.

[33:17]  ³⁵ tn Heb “why he called.” One could understand “Jacob” as the subject of the verb, but it is more likely that the subject is indefinite, in which case the verb is better translated as passive.

[33:17]  ³⁶ sn The name Succoth means “shelters,” an appropriate name in light of the shelters Jacob built there for his livestock.

[33:18]  ³⁷ tn Heb “in front of.”

[33:19]  ³⁸ tn The words “he bought it” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text v. 19 is one long sentence.

[33:19]  ³⁹ tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown. (However, cf. REB, which renders the term as “sheep”).

[33:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “God, the God of Israel.” Rather than translating the name, a number of modern translations merely transliterate it from the Hebrew as “El Elohe Israel” (cf. NIV, NRSV, REB). It is not entirely clear how the name should be interpreted grammatically. One option is to supply an equative verb, as in the translation: “The God of Israel [is] God.” Another interpretive option is “the God of Israel [is] strong [or “mighty”].” Buying the land and settling down for a while was a momentous step for the patriarch, so the commemorative naming of the altar is significant.

[34:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.

[34:1]  ⁴² tn Heb “daughters.”

[34:2]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.

[34:2]  ⁴⁴ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.

[34:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

[34:3]  ⁴⁶ 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”).

[34:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”

[34:5]  ⁴⁸ tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ⁵⁰ sn The expected response would be anger or rage; but Jacob remained silent. He appears too indifferent or confused to act decisively. When the leader does not act decisively, the younger zealots will, and often with disastrous results.

[34:6]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “went out to Jacob to speak with him.” The words “about Dinah” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁵² tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:7]  ⁵³ tn Heb “the men.” This sounds as if a new group has been introduced into the narrative, so it has been translated as “they” to indicate that it refers to Jacob’s sons, mentioned in the first part of the verse.

[34:7]  ⁵⁴ tn The Hebrew verb עָצַב (’atsav) can carry one of three semantic nuances depending on the context: (1) “to be injured” (Ps 56:5; Eccl 10:9; 1 Chr 4:10); (2) “to experience emotional pain; to be depressed emotionally; to be worried” (2 Sam 19:2; Isa 54:6; Neh 8:10-11); (3) “to be embarrassed; to be insulted; to be offended” (to the point of anger at another or oneself; Gen 6:6; 45:5; 1 Sam 20:3, 34; 1 Kgs 1:6; Isa 63:10; Ps 78:40). This third category develops from the second by metonymy. In certain contexts emotional pain leads to embarrassment and/or anger. In this last use the subject sometimes directs his anger against the source of grief (see especially Gen 6:6). The third category fits best in Gen 34:7 because Jacob’s sons were not merely wounded emotionally. On the contrary, Shechem’s action prompted them to strike out in judgment against the source of their distress.

[34:7]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”

[34:7]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “by lying with the daughter of Jacob.” The infinitive here explains the preceding verb, indicating exactly how he had disgraced Jacob. The expression “to lie with” is a euphemism for sexual relations, or in this case, sexual assault.

[34:7]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and so it should not be done.” The negated imperfect has an obligatory nuance here, but there is also a generalizing tone. The narrator emphasizes that this particular type of crime (sexual assault) is especially reprehensible.

[34:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “Shechem my son, his soul is attached to your daughter.” The verb means “to love” in the sense of being emotionally attached to or drawn to someone. This is a slightly different way of saying what was reported earlier (v. 3). However, there is no mention here of the offense. Even though Hamor is speaking to Dinah’s brothers, he refers to her as their daughter (see v. 17).

[34:9]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”

[34:9]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves.” In the translation the words “let…marry” and “as wives” are supplied for clarity.

[34:10]  ⁶² tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[34:10]  ⁶³ tn Heb “before you.”

[34:10]  ⁶⁴ tn The verb seems to carry the basic meaning “travel about freely,” although the substantival participial form refers to a trader (see E. A. Speiser, “The Verb sh£r in Genesis and Early Hebrew Movements,” BASOR 164 [1961]: 23-28); cf. NIV, NRSV “trade in it.”

[34:11]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “pay.”

[34:12]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “Make very great upon me the bride price and gift.” The imperatives are used in a rhetorical manner. Shechem’s point is that he will pay the price, no matter how expensive it might be.

[34:12]  ⁶⁹ tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.

[34:12]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “say.”

[34:13]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ⁷² tn Heb “we are not able to do this thing, to give.” The second infinitive is in apposition to the first, explaining what they are not able to do.

[34:14]  ⁷³ tn The Hebrew word translated “disgrace” usually means “ridicule; taunt; reproach.” It can also refer to the reason the condition of shame or disgrace causes ridicule or a reproach.

[34:15]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15]  ⁷⁵ tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16]  ⁷⁶ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ⁷⁷ 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.

[34:17]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17]  ⁷⁹ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “daughter.” Jacob’s sons call Dinah their daughter, even though she was their sister (see v. 8). This has been translated as “sister” for clarity.

[34:18]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19]  ⁸² tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ⁸³ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew verb כָּבֵד (kaved), translated “was…important,” has the primary meaning “to be heavy,” but here carries a secondary sense of “to be important” (that is, “heavy” in honor or respect).

[34:19]  ⁸⁵ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20]  ⁸⁶ sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21]  ⁸⁸ tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23]  ⁹⁰ tn The words “If we do so” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[34:24]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ⁹² tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ⁹³ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and they came upon the city, [which was] secure.” In this case “secure” means the city was caught unprepared and at peace, not expecting an attack.

[34:27]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “came upon the slain.” Because of this statement the preceding phrase “Jacob’s sons” is frequently taken to mean the other sons of Jacob besides Simeon and Levi, but the text does not clearly affirm this.

[34:27]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “because they violated their sister.” The plural verb is active in form, but with no expressed subject, it may be translated passive.

[34:28]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The traditional translation is “troubled me” (KJV, ASV), but the verb refers to personal or national disaster and suggests complete ruin (see Josh 7:25, Judg 11:35, Prov 11:17). The remainder of the verse describes the “trouble” Simeon and Levi had caused.

[34:30]  ¹⁰¹ tn In the causative stem the Hebrew verb בָּאַשׁ (ba’ash) means “to cause to stink, to have a foul smell.” In the contexts in which it is used it describes foul smells, stenches, or things that are odious. Jacob senses that the people in the land will find this act terribly repulsive. See P. R. Ackroyd, “The Hebrew Root באשׁ,” JTS 2 (1951): 31-36.

[34:30]  ¹⁰² tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ¹⁰⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ¹⁰⁶ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ¹⁰⁸ sn The actions of removing false gods, becoming ritually clean, and changing garments would become necessary steps in Israel when approaching the Lord in worship.

[35:3]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

[35:3]  ¹¹⁰ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

[35:3]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

[35:3]  ¹¹² tn Heb “in the way in which I went.” Jacob alludes here to God’s promise to be with him (see Gen 28:20).

[35:4]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “in their hand.”

[35:4]  ¹¹⁴ sn On the basis of a comparison with Gen 34 and Num 31, G. J. Wenham argues that the foreign gods and the rings could have been part of the plunder that came from the destruction of Shechem (Genesis [WBC], 2:324).

[35:4]  ¹¹⁵ sn Jacob buried them. On the burial of the gods, see E. Nielson, “The Burial of the Foreign Gods,” ST 8 (1954/55): 102-22.

[35:4]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “terebinth.”

[35:5]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “and the fear of God was upon the cities which were round about them.” The expression “fear of God” apparently refers (1) to a fear of God (objective genitive; God is the object of their fear). (2) But it could mean “fear from God,” that is, fear which God placed in them (cf. NRSV “a terror from God”). Another option (3) is that the divine name is used as a superlative here, referring to “tremendous fear” (cf. NEB “were panic-stricken”; NASB “a great terror”).

[35:6]  ¹¹⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”

[35:7]  ¹²¹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ¹²² tn Heb “revealed themselves.” The verb נִגְלוּ (niglu), translated “revealed himself,” is plural, even though one expects the singular form with the plural of majesty. Perhaps אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a numerical plural, referring both to God and the angelic beings that appeared to Jacob. See the note on the word “know” in Gen 3:5.

[35:8]  ¹²³ sn Deborah. This woman had been Rebekah’s nurse, but later attached herself to Jacob. She must have been about one hundred and eighty years old when she died.

[35:8]  ¹²⁴ tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “Allon Bacuth,” if one transliterates the Hebrew name (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). An oak tree was revered in the ancient world and often designated as a shrine or landmark. This one was named for the weeping (mourning) occasioned by the death of Deborah.

[35:10]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and he called his name Israel.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:11]  ¹²⁷ tn The name אֵל שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72. Shaddai/El Shaddai is the sovereign king of the world who grants, blesses, and judges. In the Book of Genesis he blesses the patriarchs with fertility and promises numerous descendants. Outside Genesis he both blesses/protects and takes away life/happiness. The patriarchs knew God primarily as El Shaddai (Exod 6:3). While the origin and meaning of this name are uncertain its significance is clear. The name is used in contexts where God appears as the source of fertility and life. For a fuller discussion see the note on “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[35:11]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:12]  ¹²⁹ tn The Hebrew verb translated “gave” refers to the Abrahamic promise of the land. However, the actual possession of that land lay in the future. The decree of the Lord made it certain; but it has the sense “promised to give.”

[35:12]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”

[35:13]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”

[35:14]  ¹³² tn Heb “and Jacob set up a sacred pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a sacred pillar of stone” (see the notes on the term “sacred stone” in Gen 28:18). This passage stands parallel to Gen 28:18-19, where Jacob set up a sacred stone, poured oil on it, and called the place Bethel. Some commentators see these as two traditions referring to the same event, but it is more likely that Jacob reconsecrated the place in fulfillment of the vow he had made here earlier. In support of this is the fact that the present narrative alludes to and is built on the previous one.

[35:14]  ¹³³ tn The verb נָסַךְ (nasakh) means “to pour out, to make libations,” and the noun נֶסֶךְ (nesekh) is a “drink-offering,” usually of wine or of blood. The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out,” often of anointing oil, but of other elements as well.

[35:15]  ¹³⁴ sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.

[35:15]  ¹³⁵ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:16]  ¹³⁶ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ¹³⁷ tn Normally the verb would be translated “she gave birth,” but because that obviously had not happened yet, it is better to translate the verb as ingressive, “began to give birth” (cf. NIV) or “went into labor.”

[35:17]  ¹³⁸ tn The construction uses a Hiphil infinitive, which E. A. Speiser classifies as an elative Hiphil. The contrast is with the previous Piel: there “she had hard labor,” and here, “her labor was at its hardest.” Failure to see this, Speiser notes, has led to redundant translations and misunderstandings (Genesis [AB], 273).

[35:17]  ¹³⁹ sn Another son. The episode recalls and fulfills the prayer of Rachel at the birth of Joseph (Gen 30:24): “may he add” another son.

[35:18]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ¹⁴¹ sn The name Ben-Oni means “son of my suffering.” It is ironic that Rachel’s words to Jacob in Gen 30:1, “Give me children or I’ll die,” take a different turn here, for it was having the child that brought about her death.

[35:18]  ¹⁴² tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.

[35:19]  ¹⁴³ sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.

[35:20]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[35:20]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).

[35:21]  ¹⁴⁶ sn The location of Migdal Eder is not given. It appears to be somewhere between Bethlehem and Hebron. Various traditions have identified it as at the shepherds’ fields near Bethlehem (the Hebrew name Migdal Eder means “tower of the flock”; see Mic 4:8) or located it near Solomon’s pools.

[35:22]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:27]  ¹⁴⁸ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ¹⁴⁹ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ¹⁵⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[35:28]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”

[35:29]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “and Isaac expired and died and he was gathered to his people.” In the ancient Israelite view he joined his deceased ancestors in Sheol, the land of the dead.

[35:29]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

[41:1]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “two years, days.”

[41:1]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “was dreaming.”

[41:2]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:3]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”

[41:3]  ¹⁵⁸ tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:5]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “coming up.”

[41:5]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Heb “fat.”

[41:6]  ¹⁶¹ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:7]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “And look, a dream.”

[41:8]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[41:8]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.

[41:8]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.

[41:8]  ¹⁶⁶ tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).

[41:8]  ¹⁶⁷ tn “there was no interpreter.”

[41:8]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:9]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).

[41:11]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “and we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he, each according to the interpretation of his dream we dreamed.”

[41:12]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or “slave.”

[41:12]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

[41:12]  ¹⁷³ tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:12]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

[41:13]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “interpreted.”

[41:13]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:13]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:14]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

[41:15]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[41:15]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

[41:15]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “saying.”

[41:15]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”

[41:16]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “not within me.”

[41:16]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Heb “God will answer.”

[41:16]  ¹⁸⁵ tn The expression שְׁלוֹם פַּרְעֹה (shÿlom par’oh) is here rendered “the welfare of Pharaoh” because the dream will be about life in his land. Some interpret it to mean an answer of “peace” – one that will calm his heart, or give him the answer that he desires (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[41:17]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “In my dream look, I was standing.” The use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here (and also in vv. 18, 19, 22, 23) invites the hearer (within the context of the narrative, Joseph; but in the broader sense the reader or hearer of the Book of Genesis) to observe the scene through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:18]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”

[41:19]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:19]  ¹⁸⁹ tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:20]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”

[41:21]  ¹⁹¹ tn Heb “when they went inside them.”

[41:21]  ¹⁹² tn Heb “it was not known.”

[41:22]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”

[41:23]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:24]  ¹⁹⁵ tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “declared.”

[41:25]  ¹⁹⁹ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

[41:26]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “one dream it is.”

[41:27]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”

[41:28]  ²⁰² tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”

[41:30]  ²⁰³ tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.

[41:30]  ²⁰⁴ tn The Hebrew verb כָּלָה (kalah) in the Piel stem means “to finish, to destroy, to bring an end to.” The severity of the famine will ruin the land of Egypt.

[41:31]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “known.”

[41:31]  ²⁰⁶ tn Or “heavy.”

[41:32]  ²⁰⁷ tn Heb “and concerning the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh two times.” The Niphal infinitive here is the object of the preposition; it is followed by the subjective genitive “of the dream.”

[41:32]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “established.”

[41:32]  ²⁰⁹ tn The clause combines a participle and an infinitive construct: God “is hurrying…to do it,” meaning he is going to do it soon.

[41:33]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:33]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:33]  ²¹² tn Heb “and let him set him.”

[41:34]  ²¹³ tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”

[41:34]  ²¹⁴ tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:34]  ²¹⁵ tn Heb “appointees.” The noun is a cognate accusative of the preceding verb. Since “appoint appointees” would be redundant in English, the term “officials” was used in the translation instead.

[41:34]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “and he shall collect a fifth of the land of Egypt.” The language is figurative (metonymy); it means what the land produces, i.e., the harvest.

[41:35]  ²¹⁷ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:35]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”

[41:35]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.

[41:35]  ²²⁰ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.

[41:36]  ²²¹ tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”

[41:37]  ²²² tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”

[41:38]  ²²³ tn Heb “like this,” but the referent could be misunderstood to be a man like that described by Joseph in v. 33, rather than Joseph himself. For this reason the proper name “Joseph” has been supplied in the translation.

[41:38]  ²²⁴ tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

[41:39]  ²²⁵ tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:40]  ²²⁶ tn Heb “and at your mouth (i.e., instructions) all my people will kiss.” G. J. Wenham translates this “shall kowtow to your instruction” (Genesis [WBC], 2:395). Although there is some textual support for reading “will be judged, ruled by you,” this is probably an attempt to capture the significance of this word. Wenham lists a number of references where individuals have tried to make connections with other words or expressions – such as a root meaning “order themselves” lying behind “kiss,” or an idiomatic idea of “kiss” meaning “seal the mouth,” and so “be silent and submit to.” See K. A. Kitchen, “The Term Nsq in Genesis 41:40,” ExpTim 69 (1957): 30; D. S. Sperling, “Genesis 41:40: A New Interpretation,” JANESCU 10 (1978): 113-19.

[41:40]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”

[41:41]  ²²⁸ tn The translation assumes that the perfect verbal form is descriptive of a present action. Another option is to understand it as rhetorical, in which case Pharaoh describes a still future action as if it had already occurred in order to emphasize its certainty. In this case one could translate “I have placed” or “I will place.” The verb נָתַן (natan) is translated here as “to place in authority [over].”

[41:41]  ²²⁹ sn Joseph became the grand vizier of the land of Egypt. See W. A. Ward, “The Egyptian Office of Joseph,” JSS 5 (1960): 144-50; and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 129-31.

[41:42]  ²³⁰ tn The Hebrew word שֵׁשׁ (shesh) is an Egyptian loanword that describes the fine linen robes that Egyptian royalty wore. The clothing signified Joseph’s rank.

[41:43]  ²³¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:43]  ²³² tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”

[41:43]  ²³³ tn The verb form appears to be a causative imperative from a verbal root meaning “to kneel.” It is a homonym of the word “bless” (identical in root letters but not related etymologically).

[41:44]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “apart from you.”

[41:44]  ²³⁵ tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.

[41:44]  ²³⁶ tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.

[41:45]  ²³⁷ 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).

[41:45]  ²³⁸ 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.

[41:45]  ²³⁹ sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.

[41:45]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “and he passed through.”

[41:46]  ²⁴¹ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

[41:46]  ²⁴² tn Heb “when he stood before.”

[41:46]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “went out from before.”

[41:46]  ²⁴⁴ tn Heb “and he passed through all the land of Egypt”; this phrase is interpreted by JPS to mean that Joseph “emerged in charge of the whole land.”

[41:47]  ²⁴⁵ tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”

[41:48]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:48]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:48]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”

[41:49]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea, multiplying much.” To emphasize the vast amount of grain he stored up, the Hebrew text modifies the verb “gathered” with an infinitive absolute and an adverb.

[41:50]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”

[41:50]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “gave birth for him.”

[41:51]  ²⁵² sn The name Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה, mÿnasheh) describes God’s activity on behalf of Joseph, explaining in general the significance of his change of fortune. The name is a Piel participle, suggesting the meaning “he who brings about forgetfulness.” The Hebrew verb נַשַּׁנִי (nashani) may have been used instead of the normal נִשַּׁנִי (nishani) to provide a closer sound play with the name. The giving of this Hebrew name to his son shows that Joseph retained his heritage and faith; and it shows that a brighter future was in store for him.

[41:51]  ²⁵³ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “for.”

[41:52]  ²⁵⁵ sn The name Ephraim (אֶפְרַיִם, ’efrayim), a form of the Hebrew verb פָּרָה (parah), means “to bear fruit.” The theme of fruitfulness is connected with this line of the family from Rachel (30:2) on down (see Gen 49:22, Deut 33:13-17, and Hos 13:15). But there is some difficulty with the name “Ephraim” itself. It appears to be a dual, for which F. Delitzsch simply said it meant “double fruitfulness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:305). G. J. Spurrell suggested it was a diphthongal pronunciation of a name ending in -an or -am, often thought to be dual suffixes (Notes on the text of the book of Genesis, 334). Many, however, simply connect the name to the territory of Ephraim and interpret it to be “fertile land” (C. Fontinoy, “Les noms de lieux en -ayim dans la Bible,” UF 3 [1971]: 33-40). The dual would then be an old locative ending. There is no doubt that the name became attached to the land in which the tribe settled, and it is possible that is where the dual ending came from, but in this story it refers to Joseph’s God-given fruitfulness.

[41:52]  ²⁵⁶ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:52]  ²⁵⁷ tn Or “for.”

[41:54]  ²⁵⁸ tn Heb “began to arrive.”

[41:55]  ²⁵⁹ tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.

[41:56]  ²⁶⁰ tn Or “over the entire land”; Heb “over all the face of the earth.” The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-temporal to the next clause.

[41:56]  ²⁶¹ tc The MT reads “he opened all that was in [or “among”] them.” The translation follows the reading of the LXX and Syriac versions.

[41:57]  ²⁶² tn Heb “all the earth,” which refers here (by metonymy) to the people of the earth. Note that the following verb is plural in form, indicating that the inhabitants of the earth are in view.

[1:1]  ²⁶³ tn The translation assumes that the form translated “beginning” is in the absolute state rather than the construct (“in the beginning of,” or “when God created”). In other words, the clause in v. 1 is a main clause, v. 2 has three clauses that are descriptive and supply background information, and v. 3 begins the narrative sequence proper. The referent of the word “beginning” has to be defined from the context since there is no beginning or ending with God.

[1:1]  ²⁶⁴ sn God. This frequently used Hebrew name for God (אֱלֹהִים,’elohim ) is a plural form. When it refers to the one true God, the singular verb is normally used, as here. The plural form indicates majesty; the name stresses God’s sovereignty and incomparability – he is the “God of gods.”

[1:1]  ²⁶⁵ tn The English verb “create” captures well the meaning of the Hebrew term in this context. The verb בָּרָא (bara’) always describes the divine activity of fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect. The verb does not necessarily describe creation out of nothing (see, for example, v. 27, where it refers to the creation of man); it often stresses forming anew, reforming, renewing (see Ps 51:10; Isa 43:15, 65:17).

[1:1]  ²⁶⁶ tn Or “the entire universe”; or “the sky and the dry land.” This phrase is often interpreted as a merism, referring to the entire ordered universe, including the heavens and the earth and everything in them. The “heavens and the earth” were completed in seven days (see Gen 2:1) and are characterized by fixed laws (see Jer 33:25). “Heavens” refers specifically to the sky, created on the second day (see v. 8), while “earth” refers specifically to the dry land, created on the third day (see v. 10). Both are distinct from the sea/seas (see v. 10 and Exod 20:11).

[1:2]  ²⁶⁷ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) at the beginning of v. 2 gives background information for the following narrative, explaining the state of things when “God said…” (v. 3). Verse one is a title to the chapter, v. 2 provides information about the state of things when God spoke, and v. 3 begins the narrative per se with the typical narrative construction (vav [ו] consecutive followed by the prefixed verbal form). (This literary structure is paralleled in the second portion of the book: Gen 2:4 provides the title or summary of what follows, 2:5-6 use disjunctive clause structures to give background information for the following narrative, and 2:7 begins the narrative with the vav consecutive attached to a prefixed verbal form.) Some translate 1:2a “and the earth became,” arguing that v. 1 describes the original creation of the earth, while v. 2 refers to a judgment that reduced it to a chaotic condition. Verses 3ff. then describe the re-creation of the earth. However, the disjunctive clause at the beginning of v. 2 cannot be translated as if it were relating the next event in a sequence. If v. 2 were sequential to v. 1, the author would have used the vav consecutive followed by a prefixed verbal form and the subject.

[1:2]  ²⁶⁸ tn That is, what we now call “the earth.” The creation of the earth as we know it is described in vv. 9-10. Prior to this the substance which became the earth (= dry land) lay dormant under the water.

[1:2]  ²⁶⁹ tn Traditional translations have followed a more literal rendering of “waste and void.” The words describe a condition that is without form and empty. What we now know as “the earth” was actually an unfilled mass covered by water and darkness. Later תֹהוּ (tohu) and בֹּהוּ (bohu), when used in proximity, describe a situation resulting from judgment (Isa 34:11; Jer 4:23). Both prophets may be picturing judgment as the reversal of creation in which God’s judgment causes the world to revert to its primordial condition. This later use of the terms has led some to conclude that Gen 1:2 presupposes the judgment of a prior world, but it is unsound method to read the later application of the imagery (in a context of judgment) back into Gen 1:2.

[1:2]  ²⁷⁰ sn Darkness. The Hebrew word simply means “darkness,” but in the Bible it has come to symbolize what opposes God, such as judgment (Exod 10:21), death (Ps 88:13), oppression (Isa 9:1), the wicked (1 Sam 2:9) and in general, sin. In Isa 45:7 it parallels “evil.” It is a fitting cover for the primeval waste, but it prepares the reader for the fact that God is about to reveal himself through his works.

[1:2]  ²⁷¹ tn The Hebrew term תְּהוֹם (tÿhom, “deep”) refers to the watery deep, the salty ocean – especially the primeval ocean that surrounds and underlies the earth (see Gen 7:11).

[1:2]  ²⁷² tn The traditional rendering “Spirit of God” is preserved here, as opposed to a translation like “wind from/breath of God” (cf. NRSV) or “mighty wind” (cf. NEB), taking the word “God” to represent the superlative. Elsewhere in the OT the phrase refers consistently to the divine spirit that empowers and energizes individuals (see Gen 41:38; Exod 31:3; 35:31; Num 24:2; 1 Sam 10:10; 11:6; 19:20, 23; Ezek 11:24; 2 Chr 15:1; 24:20).

[1:2]  ²⁷³ tn The Hebrew verb has been translated “hovering” or “moving” (as a bird over her young, see Deut 32:11). The Syriac cognate term means “to brood over; to incubate.” How much of that sense might be attached here is hard to say, but the verb does depict the presence of the Spirit of God moving about mysteriously over the waters, presumably preparing for the acts of creation to follow. If one reads “mighty wind” (cf. NEB) then the verse describes how the powerful wind begins to blow in preparation for the creative act described in vv. 9-10. (God also used a wind to drive back the flood waters in Noah’s day. See Gen 8:1.)

[1:2]  ²⁷⁴ tn Heb “face.”

[1:2]  ²⁷⁵ sn The water. The text deliberately changes now from the term for the watery deep to the general word for water. The arena is now the life-giving water and not the chaotic abyss-like deep. The change may be merely stylistic, but it may also carry some significance. The deep carries with it the sense of the abyss, chaos, darkness – in short, that which is not good for life.

[1:3]  ²⁷⁶ tn The prefixed verb form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the narrative sequence. Ten times in the chapter the decree of God in creation will be so expressed. For the power of the divine word in creation, see Ps 33:9, John 1:1-3, 1 Cor 8:6, and Col 1:16.

[1:3]  ²⁷⁷ tn “Let there be” is the short jussive form of the verb “to be”; the following expression “and there was” is the short preterite form of the same verb. As such, יְהִי (yÿhi) and וַיְהִי (vayÿhi) form a profound wordplay to express both the calling into existence and the complete fulfillment of the divine word.

[1:3]  ²⁷⁸ sn Light. The Hebrew word simply means “light,” but it is used often in scripture to convey the ideas of salvation, joy, knowledge, righteousness, and life. In this context one cannot ignore those connotations, for it is the antithesis of the darkness. The first thing God does is correct the darkness; without the light there is only chaos.

[1:4]  ²⁷⁹ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ²⁸⁰ tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ²⁸¹ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:5]  ²⁸² tn Heb “he called to,” meaning “he named.”

[1:5]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “and the darkness he called night.” The words “he called” have not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:5]  ²⁸⁴ tn Another option is to translate, “Evening came, and then morning came.” This formula closes the six days of creation. It seems to follow the Jewish order of reckoning time: from evening to morning. Day one started with the dark, continued through the creation of light, and ended with nightfall. Another alternative would be to translate, “There was night and then there was day, one day.”

[1:6]  ²⁸⁵ tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”

[1:6]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”

[1:7]  ²⁸⁷ tn Heb “the expanse.”

[1:7]  ²⁸⁸ tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.

[1:8]  ²⁸⁹ tn Though the Hebrew word can mean “heaven,” it refers in this context to “the sky.”

[1:9]  ²⁹⁰ sn Let the water…be gathered to one place. In the beginning the water covered the whole earth; now the water was to be restricted to an area to form the ocean. The picture is one of the dry land as an island with the sea surrounding it. Again the sovereignty of God is revealed. Whereas the pagans saw the sea as a force to be reckoned with, God controls the boundaries of the sea. And in the judgment at the flood he will blur the boundaries so that chaos returns.

[1:9]  ²⁹¹ tn When the waters are collected to one place, dry land emerges above the surface of the receding water.

[1:10]  ²⁹² tn Heb “earth,” but here the term refers to the dry ground as opposed to the sea.

[1:11]  ²⁹³ tn The Hebrew construction employs a cognate accusative, where the nominal object (“vegetation”) derives from the verbal root employed. It stresses the abundant productivity that God created.

[1:11]  ²⁹⁴ sn After their kinds. The Hebrew word translated “kind” (מִין, min) indicates again that God was concerned with defining and dividing time, space, and species. The point is that creation was with order, as opposed to chaos. And what God created and distinguished with boundaries was not to be confused (see Lev 19:19 and Deut 22:9-11).

[1:11]  ²⁹⁵ tn The conjunction “and” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation to clarify the relationship of the clauses.

[1:14]  ²⁹⁶ sn Let there be lights. Light itself was created before the light-bearers. The order would not seem strange to the ancient Hebrew mind that did not automatically link daylight with the sun (note that dawn and dusk appear to have light without the sun).

[1:14]  ²⁹⁷ tn The language describing the cosmos, which reflects a prescientific view of the world, must be interpreted as phenomenal, describing what appears to be the case. The sun and the moon are not in the sky (below the clouds), but from the viewpoint of a person standing on the earth, they appear that way. Even today we use similar phenomenological expressions, such as “the sun is rising” or “the stars in the sky.”

[1:14]  ²⁹⁸ tn The text has “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” It seems likely from the meanings of the words involved that “signs” is the main idea, followed by two categories, “seasons” and “days and years.” This is the simplest explanation, and one that matches vv. 11-13. It could even be rendered “signs for the fixed seasons, that is [explicative vav (ו)] days and years.”

[1:16]  ²⁹⁹ sn Two great lights. The text goes to great length to discuss the creation of these lights, suggesting that the subject was very important to the ancients. Since these “lights” were considered deities in the ancient world, the section serves as a strong polemic (see G. Hasel, “The Polemical Nature of the Genesis Cosmology,” EvQ 46 [1974]: 81-102). The Book of Genesis is affirming they are created entities, not deities. To underscore this the text does not even give them names. If used here, the usual names for the sun and moon [Shemesh and Yarih, respectively] might have carried pagan connotations, so they are simply described as greater and lesser lights. Moreover, they serve in the capacity that God gives them, which would not be the normal function the pagans ascribed to them. They merely divide, govern, and give light in God’s creation.

[1:16]  ³⁰⁰ tn Heb “and the stars.” Now the term “stars” is added as a third object of the verb “made.” Perhaps the language is phenomenological, meaning that the stars appeared in the sky from this time forward.

[1:17]  ³⁰¹ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:18]  ³⁰² sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.

[1:20]  ³⁰³ tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.

[1:20]  ³⁰⁴ tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.

[1:21]  ³⁰⁵ tn For the first time in the narrative proper the verb “create” (בָּרָא, bara’) appears. (It is used in the summary statement of v. 1.) The author wishes to underscore that these creatures – even the great ones – are part of God’s perfect creation. The Hebrew term תַנִּינִם (tanninim) is used for snakes (Exod 7:9), crocodiles (Ezek 29:3), or other powerful animals (Jer 51:34). In Isa 27:1 the word is used to describe a mythological sea creature that symbolizes God’s enemies.

[1:22]  ³⁰⁶ tn While the translation “blessed” has been retained here for the sake of simplicity, it would be most helpful to paraphrase it as “God endowed them with fruitfulness” or something similar, for here it refers to God’s giving the animals the capacity to reproduce. The expression “blessed” needs clarification in its different contexts, for it is one of the unifying themes of the Book of Genesis. The divine blessing occurs after works of creation and is intended to continue that work – the word of blessing guarantees success. The word means “to enrich; to endow,” and the most visible evidence of that enrichment is productivity or fruitfulness. See C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).

[1:22]  ³⁰⁷ sn The instruction God gives to creation is properly a fuller expression of the statement just made (“God blessed them”), that he enriched them with the ability to reproduce. It is not saying that these were rational creatures who heard and obeyed the word; rather, it stresses that fruitfulness in the animal world is a result of the divine decree and not of some pagan cultic ritual for fruitfulness. The repeated emphasis of “be fruitful – multiply – fill” adds to this abundance God has given to life. The meaning is underscored by the similar sounds: בָּרָךְ (barakh) with בָּרָא (bara’), and פָּרָה (parah) with רָבָה (ravah).

[1:24]  ³⁰⁸ tn There are three groups of land animals here: the cattle or livestock (mostly domesticated), things that creep or move close to the ground (such as reptiles or rodents), and the wild animals (all animals of the field). The three terms are general classifications without specific details.

[1:26]  ³⁰⁹ sn The plural form of the verb has been the subject of much discussion through the years, and not surprisingly several suggestions have been put forward. Many Christian theologians interpret it as an early hint of plurality within the Godhead, but this view imposes later trinitarian concepts on the ancient text. Some have suggested the plural verb indicates majesty, but the plural of majesty is not used with verbs. C. Westermann (Genesis, 1:145) argues for a plural of “deliberation” here, but his proposed examples of this use (2 Sam 24:14; Isa 6:8) do not actually support his theory. In 2 Sam 24:14 David uses the plural as representative of all Israel, and in Isa 6:8 the Lord speaks on behalf of his heavenly court. In its ancient Israelite context the plural is most naturally understood as referring to God and his heavenly court (see 1 Kgs 22:19-22; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; Isa 6:1-8). (The most well-known members of this court are God’s messengers, or angels. In Gen 3:5 the serpent may refer to this group as “gods/divine beings.” See the note on the word “evil” in 3:5.) If this is the case, God invites the heavenly court to participate in the creation of humankind (perhaps in the role of offering praise, see Job 38:7), but he himself is the one who does the actual creative work (v. 27). Of course, this view does assume that the members of the heavenly court possess the divine “image” in some way. Since the image is closely associated with rulership, perhaps they share the divine image in that they, together with God and under his royal authority, are the executive authority over the world.

[1:26]  ³¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word is אָדָם (’adam), which can sometimes refer to man, as opposed to woman. The term refers here to humankind, comprised of male and female. The singular is clearly collective (see the plural verb, “[that] they may rule” in v. 26b) and the referent is defined specifically as “male and female” in v. 27. Usage elsewhere in Gen 1-11 supports this as well. In 5:2 we read: “Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called their name ‘humankind’ (אָדָם).” The noun also refers to humankind in 6:1, 5-7 and in 9:5-6.

[1:26]  ³¹¹ tn The two prepositions translated “in” and “according to” have overlapping fields of meaning and in this context seem to be virtually equivalent. In 5:3 they are reversed with the two words. The word צֶלֶם (tselem, “image”) is used frequently of statues, models, and images – replicas (see D. J. A. Clines, “The Etymology of Hebrew selem,” JNSL 3 [1974]: 19-25). The word דְּמוּת (dÿmut, “likeness”) is an abstract noun; its verbal root means “to be like; to resemble.” In the Book of Genesis the two terms describe human beings who in some way reflect the form and the function of the creator. The form is more likely stressing the spiritual rather than the physical. The “image of God” would be the God-given mental and spiritual capacities that enable people to relate to God and to serve him by ruling over the created order as his earthly vice-regents.

[1:26]  ³¹² tn Following the cohortative (“let us make”), the prefixed verb form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result (see Gen 19:20; 34:23; 2 Sam 3:21). God’s purpose in giving humankind his image is that they might rule the created order on behalf of the heavenly king and his royal court. So the divine image, however it is defined, gives humankind the capacity and/or authority to rule over creation.

[1:26]  ³¹³ tc The MT reads “earth”; the Syriac reads “wild animals” (cf. NRSV).

[1:26]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “creep” (also in v. 28).

[1:27]  ³¹⁵ tn The Hebrew text has the article prefixed to the noun (הָאָדָם, ha’adam). The article does not distinguish man from woman here (“the man” as opposed to “the woman”), but rather indicates previous reference (see v. 26, where the noun appears without the article). It has the same function as English “the aforementioned.”

[1:27]  ³¹⁶ tn The third person suffix on the particle אֵת (’et) is singular here, but collective.

[1:27]  ³¹⁷ sn The distinction of “humankind” as “male” and “female” is another point of separation in God’s creation. There is no possibility that the verse is teaching that humans were first androgynous (having both male and female physical characteristics) and afterward were separated. The mention of male and female prepares for the blessing to follow.

[1:28]  ³¹⁸ tn As in v. 22 the verb “bless” here means “to endow with the capacity to reproduce and be fruitful,” as the following context indicates. As in v. 22, the statement directly precedes the command “be fruitful and multiply.” The verb carries this same nuance in Gen 17:16 (where God’s blessing of Sarai imparts to her the capacity to bear a child); Gen 48:16 (where God’s blessing of Joseph’s sons is closely associated with their having numerous descendants); and Deut 7:13 (where God’s blessing is associated with fertility in general, including numerous descendants). See also Gen 49:25 (where Jacob uses the noun derivative in referring to “blessings of the breast and womb,” an obvious reference to fertility) and Gen 27:27 (where the verb is used of a field to which God has given the capacity to produce vegetation).

[1:28]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “and God said.” For stylistic reasons “God” has not been repeated here in the translation.

[1:28]  ³²⁰ tn Elsewhere the Hebrew verb translated “subdue” means “to enslave” (2 Chr 28:10; Neh 5:5; Jer 34:11, 16), “to conquer,” (Num 32:22, 29; Josh 18:1; 2 Sam 8:11; 1 Chr 22:18; Zech 9:13; and probably Mic 7:19), and “to assault sexually” (Esth 7:8). None of these nuances adequately meets the demands of this context, for humankind is not viewed as having an adversarial relationship with the world. The general meaning of the verb appears to be “to bring under one’s control for one’s advantage.” In Gen 1:28 one might paraphrase it as follows: “harness its potential and use its resources for your benefit.” In an ancient Israelite context this would suggest cultivating its fields, mining its mineral riches, using its trees for construction, and domesticating its animals.

[1:28]  ³²¹ sn The several imperatives addressed to both males and females together (plural imperative forms) actually form two commands: reproduce and rule. God’s word is not merely a form of blessing, but is now addressed to them personally; this is a distinct emphasis with the creation of human beings. But with the blessing comes the ability to be fruitful and to rule. In procreation they will share in the divine work of creating human life and passing on the divine image (see 5:1-3); in ruling they will serve as God’s vice-regents on earth. They together, the human race collectively, have the responsibility of seeing to the welfare of that which is put under them and the privilege of using it for their benefit.

[1:29]  ³²² tn The text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh), often archaically translated “behold.” It is often used to express the dramatic present, the immediacy of an event – “Look, this is what I am doing!”

[1:29]  ³²³ sn G. J. Wenham (Genesis [WBC], 1:34) points out that there is nothing in the passage that prohibits the man and the woman from eating meat. He suggests that eating meat came after the fall. Gen 9:3 may then ratify the postfall practice of eating meat rather than inaugurate the practice, as is often understood.

[1:30]  ³²⁴ tn The phrase “I give” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[1:31]  ³²⁵ tn The Hebrew text again uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) for the sake of vividness. It is a particle that goes with the gesture of pointing, calling attention to something.