Genesis 34:1--40:23

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ¹  the young women ²  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, ³  and sexually assaulted her. ⁴  34:3 Then he became very attached ⁵  to Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. He fell in love with the young woman and spoke romantically to her. ⁶  34:4 Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Acquire this young girl as my wife.” ⁷  34:5 When ⁸  Jacob heard that Shechem ⁹  had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent ¹⁰  until they came in.

34:6 Then Shechem’s father Hamor went to speak with Jacob about Dinah. ¹¹  34:7 Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ¹²  They ¹³  were offended ¹⁴  and very angry because Shechem ¹⁵  had disgraced Israel ¹⁶  by sexually assaulting ¹⁷  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ¹⁸ 

34:8 But Hamor made this appeal to them: “My son Shechem is in love with your daughter. ¹⁹  Please give her to him as his wife. 34:9 Intermarry with us. ²⁰  Let us marry your daughters, and take our daughters as wives for yourselves. ²¹  34:10 You may live ²²  among us, and the land will be open to you. ²³  Live in it, travel freely in it, ²⁴  and acquire property in it.”

34:11 Then Shechem said to Dinah’s ²⁵  father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your sight, and whatever you require of me ²⁶  I’ll give. ²⁷  34:12 You can make the bride price and the gift I must bring very expensive, ²⁸  and I’ll give ²⁹  whatever you ask ³⁰  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 ³¹  had violated their sister Dinah. 34:14 They said to them, “We cannot give ³²  our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace ³³  to us. 34:15 We will give you our consent on this one condition: You must become ³⁴  like us by circumcising ³⁵  all your males. 34:16 Then we will give ³⁶  you our daughters to marry, ³⁷  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 ³⁸  by being circumcised, then we will take ³⁹  our sister ⁴⁰  and depart.”

34:18 Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem. ⁴¹  34:19 The young man did not delay in doing what they asked ⁴²  because he wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah ⁴³  badly. (Now he was more important ⁴⁴  than anyone in his father’s household.) ⁴⁵  34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate ⁴⁶  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 ⁴⁷  for them. We will take their daughters for wives, and we will give them our daughters to marry. ⁴⁸  34:22 Only on this one condition will these men consent to live with us and become one people: They demand ⁴⁹  that every male among us be circumcised just as they are circumcised. 34:23 If we do so, ⁵⁰  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 ⁵¹  agreed with ⁵²  Hamor and his son Shechem. Every male who assembled at the city gate ⁵³  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 ⁵⁴  and went to the unsuspecting city ⁵⁵  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 ⁵⁶  and looted the city because their sister had been violated. ⁵⁷  34:28 They took their flocks, herds, and donkeys, as well as everything in the city and in the surrounding fields. ⁵⁸  34:29 They captured as plunder ⁵⁹  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 ⁶⁰  on me by making me a foul odor ⁶¹  among the inhabitants of the land – among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. I ⁶²  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, ⁶³  “Should he treat our sister like a common prostitute?”

The Return to Bethel

35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Go up at once ⁶⁴  to Bethel ⁶⁵  and live there. Make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” ⁶⁶  35:2 So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. ⁶⁷  Purify yourselves and change your clothes. ⁶⁸  35:3 Let us go up at once ⁶⁹  to Bethel. Then I will make ⁷⁰  an altar there to God, who responded to me in my time of distress ⁷¹  and has been with me wherever I went.” ⁷² 

35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their possession ⁷³  and the rings that were in their ears. ⁷⁴  Jacob buried them ⁷⁵  under the oak ⁷⁶  near Shechem 35:5 and they started on their journey. ⁷⁷  The surrounding cities were afraid of God, ⁷⁸  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) ⁷⁹  in the land of Canaan. ⁸⁰  35:7 He built an altar there and named the place El Bethel ⁸¹  because there God had revealed himself ⁸²  to him when he was fleeing from his brother. 35:8 (Deborah, ⁸³  Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak below Bethel; thus it was named ⁸⁴  Oak of Weeping.) ⁸⁵ 

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. ⁸⁶  35:11 Then God said to him, “I am the sovereign God. ⁸⁷  Be fruitful and multiply! A nation – even a company of nations – will descend from you; kings will be among your descendants! ⁸⁸  35:12 The land I gave ⁸⁹  to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you. To your descendants ⁹⁰  I will also give this land.” 35:13 Then God went up from the place ⁹¹  where he spoke with him. 35:14 So Jacob set up a sacred stone pillar in the place where God spoke with him. ⁹²  He poured out a drink offering on it, and then he poured oil on it. ⁹³  35:15 Jacob named the place ⁹⁴  where God spoke with him Bethel. ⁹⁵ 

35:16 They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ⁹⁶  Rachel went into labor ⁹⁷  – and her labor was hard. 35:17 When her labor was at its hardest, ⁹⁸  the midwife said to her, “Don’t be afraid, for you are having another son.” ⁹⁹  35:18 With her dying breath, ¹⁰⁰  she named him Ben-Oni. ¹⁰¹  But his father called him Benjamin instead. ¹⁰²  35:19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ¹⁰³  35:20 Jacob set up a marker ¹⁰⁴  over her grave; it is ¹⁰⁵  the Marker of Rachel’s Grave to this day.

35:21 Then Israel traveled on and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder. ¹⁰⁶  35:22 While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with ¹⁰⁷  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, ¹⁰⁸  to Kiriath Arba ¹⁰⁹  (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had stayed. ¹¹⁰  35:28 Isaac lived to be 180 years old. ¹¹¹  35:29 Then Isaac breathed his last and joined his ancestors. ¹¹²  He died an old man who had lived a full life. ¹¹³  His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

The Descendants of Esau

36:1 What follows is the account of Esau (also known as Edom). ¹¹⁴ 

36:2 Esau took his wives from the Canaanites: ¹¹⁵  Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ¹¹⁶  of Zibeon the Hivite, 36:3 in addition to Basemath the daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.

36:4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, 36:5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

36:6 Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, all the people in his household, his livestock, his animals, and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and went to a land some distance away from ¹¹⁷  Jacob his brother 36:7 because they had too many possessions to be able to stay together and the land where they had settled ¹¹⁸  was not able to support them because of their livestock. 36:8 So Esau (also known as Edom) lived in the hill country of Seir. ¹¹⁹ 

36:9 This is the account of Esau, the father ¹²⁰  of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir.

36:10 These were the names of Esau’s sons:

Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:11 The sons of Eliphaz were:

Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

36:12 Timna, a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz, bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These were the sons ¹²¹  of Esau’s wife Adah.

36:13 These were the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons ¹²²  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah the daughter of Anah and granddaughter ¹²³  of Zibeon: She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah to Esau.

36:15 These were the chiefs ¹²⁴  among the descendants ¹²⁵  of Esau, the sons of Eliphaz, Esau’s firstborn: chief Teman, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, 36:16 chief Korah, ¹²⁶  chief Gatam, chief Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹²⁷  of Adah.

36:17 These were the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: chief Nahath, chief Zerah, chief Shammah, chief Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom; these were the sons ¹²⁸  of Esau’s wife Basemath.

36:18 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: chief Jeush, chief Jalam, chief Korah. These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:19 These were the sons of Esau (also known as Edom), and these were their chiefs.

36:20 These were the sons of Seir the Horite, ¹²⁹  who were living in the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 36:21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, the descendants ¹³⁰  of Seir in the land of Edom.

36:22 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; ¹³¹  Lotan’s sister was Timna.

36:23 These were the sons of Shobal: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, ¹³²  and Onam.

36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs ¹³³  in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

36:25 These were the children ¹³⁴  of Anah: Dishon and Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah.

36:26 These were the sons of Dishon: ¹³⁵  Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.

36:27 These were the sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.

36:28 These were the sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.

36:29 These were the chiefs of the Horites: chief Lotan, chief Shobal, chief Zibeon, chief Anah, 36:30 chief Dishon, chief Ezer, chief Dishan. These were the chiefs of the Horites, according to their chief lists in the land of Seir.

36:31 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: ¹³⁶ 

36:32 Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah.

36:33 When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

36:34 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.

36:35 When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith.

36:36 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.

36:37 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River ¹³⁷  reigned in his place.

36:38 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

36:39 When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad ¹³⁸  reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. ¹³⁹  His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

36:40 These were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families, according to their places, by their names: chief Timna, chief Alvah, chief Jetheth, 36:41 chief Oholibamah, chief Elah, chief Pinon, 36:42 chief Kenaz, chief Teman, chief Mibzar, 36:43 chief Magdiel, chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements ¹⁴⁰  in the land they possessed. This was Esau, the father of the Edomites.

Joseph’s Dreams

37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, ¹⁴¹  in the land of Canaan. ¹⁴² 

37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, ¹⁴³  was taking care of ¹⁴⁴  the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster ¹⁴⁵  working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. ¹⁴⁶  Joseph brought back a bad report about them ¹⁴⁷  to their father.

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ¹⁴⁸  because he was a son born to him late in life, ¹⁴⁹  and he made a special ¹⁵⁰  tunic for him. 37:4 When Joseph’s ¹⁵¹  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ¹⁵²  they hated Joseph ¹⁵³  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ¹⁵⁴ 

37:5 Joseph ¹⁵⁵  had a dream, ¹⁵⁶  and when he told his brothers about it, ¹⁵⁷  they hated him even more. ¹⁵⁸  37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ¹⁵⁹  37:7 There we were, ¹⁶⁰  binding sheaves of grain in the middle of the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose up and stood upright and your sheaves surrounded my sheaf and bowed down ¹⁶¹  to it!” 37:8 Then his brothers asked him, “Do you really think you will rule over us or have dominion over us?” ¹⁶²  They hated him even more ¹⁶³  because of his dream and because of what he said. ¹⁶⁴ 

37:9 Then he had another dream, ¹⁶⁵  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ¹⁶⁶  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ¹⁶⁷  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ¹⁶⁸  37:11 His brothers were jealous ¹⁶⁹  of him, but his father kept in mind what Joseph said. ¹⁷⁰ 

37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ¹⁷¹  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ¹⁷²  Joseph replied. ¹⁷³  37:14 So Jacob ¹⁷⁴  said to him, “Go now and check on ¹⁷⁵  the welfare ¹⁷⁶  of your brothers and of the flocks, and bring me word.” So Jacob ¹⁷⁷  sent him from the valley of Hebron.

37:15 When Joseph reached Shechem, ¹⁷⁸  a man found him wandering ¹⁷⁹  in the field, so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ¹⁸⁰  me where they are grazing their flocks.” 37:17 The man said, “They left this area, ¹⁸¹  for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

37:18 Now Joseph’s brothers ¹⁸²  saw him from a distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 37:19 They said to one another, “Here comes this master of dreams! ¹⁸³  37:20 Come now, let’s kill him, throw him into one of the cisterns, and then say that a wild ¹⁸⁴  animal ate him. Then we’ll see how his dreams turn out!” ¹⁸⁵ 

37:21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph ¹⁸⁶  from their hands, ¹⁸⁷  saying, ¹⁸⁸  “Let’s not take his life!” ¹⁸⁹  37:22 Reuben continued, ¹⁹⁰  “Don’t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” ¹⁹¹  (Reuben said this ¹⁹²  so he could rescue Joseph ¹⁹³  from them ¹⁹⁴  and take him back to his father.)

37:23 When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him ¹⁹⁵  of his tunic, the special tunic that he wore. 37:24 Then they took him and threw him into the cistern. (Now the cistern was empty; ¹⁹⁶  there was no water in it.)

37:25 When they sat down to eat their food, they looked up ¹⁹⁷  and saw ¹⁹⁸  a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh down to Egypt. ¹⁹⁹  37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not lay a hand on him, ²⁰⁰  for after all, he is our brother, our own flesh.” His brothers agreed. ²⁰¹  37:28 So when the Midianite ²⁰²  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ²⁰³  him ²⁰⁴  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ²⁰⁵  then took Joseph to Egypt.

37:29 Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! ²⁰⁶  He tore his clothes, 37:30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?” 37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a young goat, ²⁰⁷  and dipped the tunic in the blood. 37:32 Then they brought the special tunic to their father ²⁰⁸  and said, “We found this. Determine now whether it is your son’s tunic or not.”

37:33 He recognized it and exclaimed, “It is my son’s tunic! A wild animal has eaten him! ²⁰⁹  Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, ²¹⁰  and mourned for his son many days. 37:35 All his sons and daughters stood by ²¹¹  him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” ²¹²  So Joseph’s ²¹³  father wept for him.

37:36 Now ²¹⁴  in Egypt the Midianites ²¹⁵  sold Joseph ²¹⁶  to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard. ²¹⁷ 

Judah and Tamar

38:1 At that time Judah left ²¹⁸  his brothers and stayed ²¹⁹  with an Adullamite man ²²⁰  named Hirah.

38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man ²²¹  named Shua. ²²²  Judah acquired her as a wife ²²³  and had marital relations with her. ²²⁴  38:3 She became pregnant ²²⁵  and had a son. Judah named ²²⁶  him Er. 38:4 She became pregnant again and had another son, whom she named Onan. 38:5 Then she had ²²⁷  yet another son, whom she named Shelah. She gave birth to him in Kezib. ²²⁸ 

38:6 Judah acquired ²²⁹  a wife for Er his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 38:7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord killed him.

38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Have sexual relations with ²³⁰  your brother’s wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her so that you may raise ²³¹  up a descendant for your brother.” ²³²  38:9 But Onan knew that the child ²³³  would not be considered his. ²³⁴  So whenever ²³⁵  he had sexual relations with ²³⁶  his brother’s wife, he withdrew prematurely ²³⁷  so as not to give his brother a descendant. 38:10 What he did was evil in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord ²³⁸  killed him too.

38:11 Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, ²³⁹  “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” ²⁴⁰  So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house.

38:12 After some time ²⁴¹  Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with ²⁴²  his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 38:13 Tamar was told, ²⁴³  “Look, your father-in-law is going up ²⁴⁴  to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 38:14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because ²⁴⁵  she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) ²⁴⁶ 

38:15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute ²⁴⁷  because she had covered her face. 38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” ²⁴⁸  (He did not realize ²⁴⁹  it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” ²⁵⁰  38:17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” ²⁵¹  38:18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. ²⁵²  She became pregnant by him. 38:19 She left immediately, ²⁵³  removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes.

38:20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah ²⁵⁴  the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, ²⁵⁵  but Hirah ²⁵⁶  could not find her. 38:21 He asked the men who were there, ²⁵⁷  “Where is the cult prostitute ²⁵⁸  who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 38:22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” 38:23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things ²⁵⁹  for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. ²⁶⁰  I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.”

38:24 After three months Judah was told, ²⁶¹  “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, ²⁶²  and as a result she has become pregnant.” ²⁶³  Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word ²⁶⁴  to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” ²⁶⁵  Then she said, “Identify ²⁶⁶  the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 38:26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright ²⁶⁷  than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her ²⁶⁸  again.

38:27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 38:28 While she was giving birth, one child ²⁶⁹  put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 38:29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. ²⁷⁰  She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” ²⁷¹  So he was named Perez. ²⁷²  38:30 Afterward his brother came out – the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand – and he was named Zerah. ²⁷³ 

Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

39:1 Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ²⁷⁴  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ²⁷⁵  purchased him from ²⁷⁶  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 39:2 The Lord was with Joseph. He was successful ²⁷⁷  and lived ²⁷⁸  in the household of his Egyptian master. 39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. ²⁷⁹  39:4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. ²⁸⁰  Potiphar appointed Joseph ²⁸¹  overseer of his household and put him in charge ²⁸²  of everything he owned. 39:5 From the time ²⁸³  Potiphar ²⁸⁴  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ²⁸⁵  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ²⁸⁶  in his house and in his fields. ²⁸⁷  39:6 So Potiphar ²⁸⁸  left ²⁸⁹  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ²⁹⁰  he gave no thought ²⁹¹  to anything except the food he ate. ²⁹² 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ²⁹³  39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of ²⁹⁴  Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” ²⁹⁵  39:8 But he refused, saying ²⁹⁶  to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not give any thought ²⁹⁷  to his household with me here, ²⁹⁸  and everything that he owns he has put into my care. ²⁹⁹  39:9 There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do ³⁰⁰  such a great evil and sin against God?” 39:10 Even though she continued to speak ³⁰¹  to Joseph day after day, he did not respond ³⁰²  to her invitation to have sex with her. ³⁰³ 

39:11 One day ³⁰⁴  he went into the house to do his work when none of the household servants ³⁰⁵  were there in the house. 39:12 She grabbed him by his outer garment, saying, “Have sex with me!” But he left his outer garment in her hand and ran ³⁰⁶  outside. ³⁰⁷  39:13 When she saw that he had left his outer garment in her hand and had run outside, 39:14 she called for her household servants and said to them, “See, my husband brought ³⁰⁸  in a Hebrew man ³⁰⁹  to us to humiliate us. ³¹⁰  He tried to have sex with me, ³¹¹  but I screamed loudly. ³¹²  39:15 When he heard me raise ³¹³  my voice and scream, he left his outer garment beside me and ran outside.”

39:16 So she laid his outer garment beside her until his master came home. 39:17 This is what she said to him: ³¹⁴  “That Hebrew slave ³¹⁵  you brought to us tried to humiliate me, ³¹⁶  39:18 but when I raised my voice and screamed, he left his outer garment and ran outside.”

39:19 When his master heard his wife say, ³¹⁷  “This is the way ³¹⁸  your slave treated me,” ³¹⁹  he became furious. ³²⁰  39:20 Joseph’s master took him and threw him into the prison, ³²¹  the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. So he was there in the prison. ³²² 

39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him kindness. ³²³  He granted him favor in the sight of the prison warden. ³²⁴  39:22 The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care. He was in charge of whatever they were doing. ³²⁵  39:23 The warden did not concern himself ³²⁶  with anything that was in Joseph’s ³²⁷  care because the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.

The Cupbearer and the Baker

40:1 After these things happened, the cupbearer ³²⁸  to the king of Egypt and the royal baker ³²⁹  offended ³³⁰  their master, the king of Egypt. 40:2 Pharaoh was enraged with his two officials, ³³¹  the cupbearer and the baker, 40:3 so he imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard in the same facility where Joseph was confined. 40:4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be their attendant, and he served them. ³³² 

They spent some time in custody. ³³³  40:5 Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream ³³⁴  the same night. ³³⁵  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. ³³⁶  40:6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were looking depressed. ³³⁷  40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” ³³⁸  40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ³³⁹  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ³⁴⁰  to me.”

40:9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: ³⁴¹  “In my dream, there was a vine in front of me. 40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes. 40:11 Now Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, so I took the grapes, squeezed them into his ³⁴²  cup, and put the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” ³⁴³ 

40:12 “This is its meaning,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches represent ³⁴⁴  three days. 40:13 In three more days Pharaoh will reinstate you ³⁴⁵  and restore you to your office. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you did before ³⁴⁶  when you were cupbearer. 40:14 But remember me ³⁴⁷  when it goes well for you, and show ³⁴⁸  me kindness. ³⁴⁹  Make mention ³⁵⁰  of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this prison, ³⁵¹  40:15 for I really was kidnapped ³⁵²  from the land of the Hebrews and I have done nothing wrong here for which they should put me in a dungeon.”

40:16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation of the first dream was favorable, ³⁵³  he said to Joseph, “I also appeared in my dream and there were three baskets of white bread ³⁵⁴  on my head. 40:17 In the top basket there were baked goods of every kind for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them from the basket that was on my head.”

40:18 Joseph replied, “This is its meaning: The three baskets represent ³⁵⁵  three days. 40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you ³⁵⁶  and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

40:20 On the third day it was Pharaoh’s birthday, so he gave a feast for all his servants. He “lifted up” ³⁵⁷  the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants. 40:21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his former position ³⁵⁸  so that he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand, 40:22 but the chief baker he impaled, just as Joseph had predicted. ³⁵⁹  40:23 But the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph – he forgot him. ³⁶⁰ 

Exodus 6:19

6:19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi, according to their records.

Numbers 3:20

3:20 The sons of Merari by their families were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their clans.

Numbers 3:1

The Sons of Aaron

3:1 ³⁶¹ Now these are the records ³⁶²  of Aaron and Moses when ³⁶³  the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.

Numbers 6:1

The Nazirite Vow

6:1 ³⁶⁴ Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

Numbers 6:1

The Nazirite Vow

6:1 ³⁶⁵ Then the Lord spoke to Moses:

[34:1]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “daughters.”

[34:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “his soul stuck to [or “joined with”],” meaning Shechem became very attached to Dinah emotionally.

[34:3]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Heb “Take for me this young woman for a wife.”

[34:5]  ⁸ tn The two disjunctive clauses in this verse (“Now Jacob heard…and his sons were”) are juxtaposed to indicate synchronic action.

[34:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:5]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Heb “when they heard.” The words “the news” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[34:7]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a disgraceful thing he did against Israel.”

[34:7]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Heb “form marriage alliances with us.”

[34:9]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.

[34:10]  ²³ tn Heb “before you.”

[34:10]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Dinah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:11]  ²⁶ tn Heb “whatever you say.”

[34:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “pay.”

[34:12]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn The cohortative expresses Shechem’s resolve to have Dinah as his wife.

[34:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “say.”

[34:13]  ³¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Shechem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:14]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Heb “if you are like us.”

[34:15]  ³⁵ tn The infinitive here explains how they would become like them.

[34:16]  ³⁶ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Heb “listen to us.”

[34:17]  ³⁹ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:17]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and their words were good in the eyes of Hamor and in the eyes of Shechem son of Hamor.”

[34:19]  ⁴² tn Heb “doing the thing.”

[34:19]  ⁴³ tn Heb “Jacob’s daughter.” The proper name “Dinah” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:19]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn The parenthetical disjunctive clause explains why the community would respond to him (see vv. 20-24).

[34:20]  ⁴⁶ sn The gate. In an ancient Near Eastern city the gate complex was the location for conducting important public business.

[34:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “wide on both hands,” that is, in both directions.

[34:21]  ⁴⁸ tn The words “to marry” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:22]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “when every one of our males is circumcised.”

[34:23]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:24]  ⁵² tn Heb “listened to.”

[34:24]  ⁵³ tn Heb “all those going out the gate of his city.”

[34:25]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “a man his sword.”

[34:25]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “and what was in the city and what was in the field they took.”

[34:29]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “they took captive and they plundered,” that is, “they captured as plunder.”

[34:30]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ 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]  ⁶² tn Jacob speaks in the first person as the head and representative of the entire family.

[34:31]  ⁶³ tn Heb “but they said.” The referent of “they” (Simeon and Levi) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[35:1]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “arise, go up.” The first imperative gives the command a sense of urgency.

[35:1]  ⁶⁵ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:1]  ⁶⁶ sn God is calling on Jacob to fulfill his vow he made when he fled from…Esau (see Gen 28:20-22).

[35:2]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “which are in your midst.”

[35:2]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “let us arise and let us go up.” The first cohortative gives the statement a sense of urgency.

[35:3]  ⁷⁰ tn The cohortative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose or consequence.

[35:3]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “day of distress.” See Ps 20:1 which utilizes similar language.

[35:3]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Heb “in their hand.”

[35:4]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “terebinth.”

[35:5]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and they journeyed.”

[35:5]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[35:6]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

[35:7]  ⁸² 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]  ⁸³ 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]  ⁸⁴ tn “and he called its name.” There is no expressed subject, so the verb can be translated as passive.

[35:8]  ⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶ 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]  ⁸⁷ 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]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “A nation and a company of nations will be from you and kings from your loins will come out.”

[35:12]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “and to your offspring after you.”

[35:13]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “went up from upon him in the place.”

[35:14]  ⁹² 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]  ⁹³ 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]  ⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

[35:16]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “and there was still a stretch of the land to go to Ephrath.”

[35:16]  ⁹⁷ 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]  ⁹⁸ 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]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “in the going out of her life, for she was dying.” Rachel named the child with her dying breath.

[35:18]  ¹⁰¹ 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]  ¹⁰² tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive.

[35:19]  ¹⁰³ sn This explanatory note links the earlier name Ephrath with the later name Bethlehem.

[35:20]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “standing stone.”

[35:20]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or perhaps “it is known as” (cf. NEB).

[35:21]  ¹⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “and Reuben went and lay with.” The expression “lay with” is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.

[35:27]  ¹⁰⁸ tn This is an adverbial accusative of location.

[35:27]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The name “Kiriath Arba” is in apposition to the preceding name, “Mamre.”

[35:27]  ¹¹⁰ tn The Hebrew verb גּוּר (gur), traditionally rendered “to sojourn,” refers to temporary settlement without ownership rights.

[35:28]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “And the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years.”

[35:29]  ¹¹² 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]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “old and full of years.”

[36:1]  ¹¹⁴ sn Chapter 36 records what became of Esau. It will list both his actual descendants as well as the people he subsumed under his tribal leadership, people who were aboriginal Edomites. The chapter is long and complicated (see further J. R. Bartlett, “The Edomite King-List of Genesis 36:31-39 and 1 Chronicles 1:43-50,” JTS 16 [1965]: 301-14; and W. J. Horowitz, “Were There Twelve Horite Tribes?” CBQ 35 [1973]: 69-71). In the format of the Book of Genesis, the line of Esau is “tidied up” before the account of Jacob is traced (37:2). As such the arrangement makes a strong contrast with Jacob. As F. Delitzsch says, “secular greatness in general grows up far more rapidly than spiritual greatness” (New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). In other words, the progress of the world far out distances the progress of the righteous who are waiting for the promise.

[36:2]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “from the daughters of Canaan.”

[36:2]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:6]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “from before.”

[36:7]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “land of their settlements.”

[36:8]  ¹¹⁹ tn Traditionally “Mount Seir,” but in this case the expression בְּהַר שֵׂעִיר (bÿhar se’ir) refers to the hill country or highlands of Seir.

[36:9]  ¹²⁰ sn The term father in genealogical records needs to be carefully defined. It can refer to a literal father, a grandfather, a political overlord, or a founder.

[36:12]  ¹²¹ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:13]  ¹²² tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:14]  ¹²³ tn Heb “daughter,” but see Gen 36:24-25.

[36:15]  ¹²⁴ tn Or “clan leaders” (so also throughout this chapter).

[36:15]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “sons.”

[36:16]  ¹²⁶ tc The Samaritan Pentateuch omits the name “Korah” (see v. 11 and 1 Chr 1:36).

[36:16]  ¹²⁷ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:17]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “grandsons” (NIV); “descendants” (NEB).

[36:20]  ¹²⁹ sn The same pattern of sons, grandsons, and chiefs is now listed for Seir the Horite. “Seir” is both the name of the place and the name of the ancestor of these tribes. The name “Horite” is probably not to be identified with “Hurrian.” The clan of Esau settled in this area, intermarried with these Horites and eventually dispossessed them, so that they all became known as Edomites (Deut 2:12 telescopes the whole development).

[36:21]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “sons.”

[36:22]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “Hemam”; this is probably a variant spelling of “Homam” (1 Chr 1:39); cf. NRSV, NLT “Heman.”

[36:23]  ¹³² tn This name is given as “Shephi” in 1 Chr 1:40.

[36:24]  ¹³³ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”

[36:25]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “sons,” but since a daughter is included in the list, the word must be translated “children.”

[36:26]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “Dishan,” but this must be either a scribal error or variant spelling, since “Dishan” is mentioned in v. 28 (see also v. 21).

[36:31]  ¹³⁶ tn Or perhaps “before any Israelite king ruled over [them].”

[36:37]  ¹³⁷ tn Typically the Hebrew expression “the River” refers to the Euphrates River, but it is not certain whether that is the case here. Among the modern English versions which take this as a reference to the Euphrates are NASB, NCV, NRSV, CEV, NLT. Cf. NAB, TEV “Rehoboth-on-the-River.”

[36:39]  ¹³⁸ tc Most mss of the MT read “Hadar” here; “Hadad” is the reading found in some Hebrew mss, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac (cf. also 1 Chr 1:50).

[36:39]  ¹³⁹ tn The name of the city is given as “Pai” in 1 Chr 1:50.

[36:43]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Or perhaps “territories”; Heb “dwelling places.”

[37:1]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”

[37:1]  ¹⁴² sn The next section begins with the heading This is the account of Jacob in Gen 37:2, so this verse actually forms part of the preceding section as a concluding contrast with Esau and his people. In contrast to all the settled and expanded population of Esau, Jacob was still moving about in the land without a permanent residence and without kings. Even if the Edomite king list was added later (as the reference to kings in Israel suggests), its placement here in contrast to Jacob and his descendants is important. Certainly the text deals with Esau before dealing with Jacob – that is the pattern. But the detail is so great in chap. 36 that the contrast cannot be missed.

[37:2]  ¹⁴³ tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”

[37:2]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”

[37:2]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.

[37:2]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”

[37:2]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.

[37:3]  ¹⁴⁸ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

[37:3]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Heb “a son of old age was he to him.” This expression means “a son born to him when he [i.e., Jacob] was old.”

[37:3]  ¹⁵⁰ tn It is not clear what this tunic was like, because the meaning of the Hebrew word that describes it is uncertain. The idea that it was a coat of many colors comes from the Greek translation of the OT. An examination of cognate terms in Semitic suggests it was either a coat or tunic with long sleeves (cf. NEB, NRSV), or a tunic that was richly embroidered (cf. NIV). It set Joseph apart as the favored one.

[37:4]  ¹⁵¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ¹⁵² tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

[37:4]  ¹⁵³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”

[37:5]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ¹⁵⁷ sn Some interpreters see Joseph as gloating over his brothers, but the text simply says he told his brothers about it (i.e., the dream). The text gives no warrant for interpreting his manner as arrogant or condescending. It seems normal that he would share a dream with the family.

[37:5]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:6]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Heb “hear this dream which I dreamed.”

[37:7]  ¹⁶⁰ tn All three clauses in this dream report begin with וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), which lends vividness to the report. This is represented in the translation by the expression “there we were.”

[37:7]  ¹⁶¹ tn The verb means “to bow down to the ground.” It is used to describe worship and obeisance to masters.

[37:8]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “Ruling, will you rule over us, or reigning, will you reign over us?” The statement has a poetic style, with the two questions being in synonymous parallelism. Both verbs in this statement are preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Joseph’s brothers said, “You don’t really think you will rule over us, do you? You don’t really think you will have dominion over us, do you?”

[37:8]  ¹⁶³ tn This construction is identical to the one in Gen 37:5.

[37:8]  ¹⁶⁴ sn The response of Joseph’s brothers is understandable, given what has already been going on in the family. But here there is a hint of uneasiness – they hated him because of his dream and because of his words. The dream bothered them, as well as his telling them. And their words in the rhetorical question are ironic, for this is exactly what would happen. The dream was God’s way of revealing it.

[37:9]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “And he dreamed yet another dream.”

[37:9]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Look.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse have been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons. Both clauses of the dream report begin with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which lends vividness to the report.

[37:10]  ¹⁶⁷ sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.

[37:10]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”

[37:11]  ¹⁶⁹ sn Joseph’s brothers were already jealous of him, but this made it even worse. Such jealousy easily leads to action, as the next episode in the story shows. Yet dreams were considered a form of revelation, and their jealousy was not only of the favoritism of their father, but of the dreams. This is why Jacob kept the matter in mind.

[37:11]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “kept the word.” The referent of the Hebrew term “word” has been specified as “what Joseph said” in the translation for clarity, and the words “in mind” have been supplied for stylistic reasons.

[37:13]  ¹⁷¹ tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”

[37:13]  ¹⁷² sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.

[37:13]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) 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.

[37:14]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:14]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Heb “see.”

[37:14]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Heb “peace.”

[37:14]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Heb “and he [i.e., Joseph] went to Shechem.” The referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:15]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Heb “and a man found him and look, he was wandering in the field.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the action through this unnamed man’s eyes.

[37:16]  ¹⁸⁰ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[37:17]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “they traveled from this place.”

[37:18]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “and they”; the referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:19]  ¹⁸³ tn Heb “Look, this master of dreams is coming.” The brothers’ words have a sarcastic note and indicate that they resent his dreams.

[37:20]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The Hebrew word can sometimes carry the nuance “evil,” but when used of an animal it refers to a dangerous wild animal.

[37:20]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Heb “what his dreams will be.”

[37:21]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:21]  ¹⁸⁷ sn From their hands. The instigators of this plot may have been the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah (see v. 2).

[37:21]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Heb “and he said.”

[37:21]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Heb “we must not strike him down [with respect to] life.”

[37:22]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Heb “and Reuben said to them.”

[37:22]  ¹⁹¹ sn The verbs translated shed, throw, and lay sound alike in Hebrew; the repetition of similar sounds draws attention to Reuben’s words.

[37:22]  ¹⁹² tn The words “Reuben said this” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:22]  ¹⁹³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:22]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Heb “from their hands” (cf. v. 21). This expression has been translated as “them” here for stylistic reasons.

[37:23]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Heb “Joseph”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:24]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that helps the reader or hearer to picture what happened.

[37:25]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Heb “lifted up their eyes.”

[37:25]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Heb “and they saw and look.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the event through the eyes of the brothers.

[37:25]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Heb “and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh, going to go down to Egypt.”

[37:27]  ²⁰⁰ tn Heb “let not our hand be upon him.”

[37:27]  ²⁰¹ tn Heb “listened.”

[37:28]  ²⁰² sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ²⁰³ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ²⁰⁴ tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ²⁰⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:29]  ²⁰⁶ tn Heb “and look, Joseph was not in the cistern.” By the use of וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, “and look”), the narrator invites the reader to see the situation through Reuben’s eyes.

[37:31]  ²⁰⁷ sn It was with two young goats that Jacob deceived his father (Gen 27:9); now with a young goat his sons continue the deception that dominates this family.

[37:32]  ²⁰⁸ tn Heb “and they sent the special tunic and they brought [it] to their father.” The text as it stands is problematic. It sounds as if they sent the tunic on ahead and then came and brought it to their father. Some emend the second verb to a Qal form and read “and they came.” In this case, they sent the tunic on ahead.

[37:33]  ²⁰⁹ sn A wild animal has eaten him. Jacob draws this conclusion on his own without his sons actually having to lie with their words (see v. 20). Dipping the tunic in the goat’s blood was the only deception needed.

[37:34]  ²¹⁰ tn Heb “and put sackcloth on his loins.”

[37:35]  ²¹¹ tn Heb “arose, stood”; which here suggests that they stood by him in his time of grief.

[37:35]  ²¹² tn Heb “and he said, ‘Indeed I will go down to my son mourning to Sheol.’” Sheol was viewed as the place where departed spirits went after death.

[37:35]  ²¹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ²¹⁴ tn The disjunctive clause formally signals closure for this episode of Joseph’s story, which will be resumed in Gen 39.

[37:36]  ²¹⁵ tc The MT spells the name of the merchants as מְדָנִים (mÿdanim, “Medanites”) rather than מִדְיָנִים (midyanim, “Midianites”) as in v. 28. It is likely that the MT is corrupt at this point, with the letter yod (י) being accidentally omitted. The LXX, Vulgate, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Syriac read “Midianites” here. Some prefer to read “Medanites” both here and in v. 28, but Judg 8:24, which identifies the Midianites and Ishmaelites, favors the reading “Midianites.”

[37:36]  ²¹⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:36]  ²¹⁷ sn The expression captain of the guard might indicate that Potiphar was the chief executioner.

[38:1]  ²¹⁸ tn Heb “went down from.”

[38:1]  ²¹⁹ tn Heb “and he turned aside unto.”

[38:1]  ²²⁰ tn Heb “a man, an Adullamite.”

[38:2]  ²²¹ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

[38:2]  ²²² tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

[38:2]  ²²³ tn Heb “and he took her.”

[38:2]  ²²⁴ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:3]  ²²⁵ tn Or “she conceived” (also in the following verse).

[38:3]  ²²⁶ tc Some mss read this verb as feminine, “she called,” to match the pattern of the next two verses. But the MT, “he called,” should probably be retained as the more difficult reading.

[38:5]  ²²⁷ tn Heb “and she added again and she gave birth.” The first verb and the adverb emphasize that she gave birth once more.

[38:5]  ²²⁸ tn Or “and he [i.e., Judah] was in Kezib when she gave birth to him.”

[38:6]  ²²⁹ tn Heb “and Judah took.”

[38:8]  ²³⁰ tn Heb “go to.” The expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:8]  ²³¹ tn The imperative with the prefixed conjunction here indicates purpose.

[38:8]  ²³² sn Raise up a descendant for your brother. The purpose of this custom, called the levirate system, was to ensure that no line of the family would become extinct. The name of the deceased was to be maintained through this custom of having a child by the nearest relative. See M. Burrows, “Levirate Marriage in Israel,” JBL 59 (1940): 23-33.

[38:9]  ²³³ tn Heb “offspring.”

[38:9]  ²³⁴ tn Heb “would not be his,” that is, legally speaking. Under the levirate system the child would be legally considered the child of his deceased brother.

[38:9]  ²³⁵ tn The construction shows that this was a repeated practice and not merely one action.

[38:9]  ²³⁶ tn Heb “he went to.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:9]  ²³⁷ tn Heb “he spoiled [his semen] to the ground.” Onan withdrew prematurely and ejaculated on the ground to prevent his brother’s widow from becoming pregnant.

[38:10]  ²³⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:11]  ²³⁹ tn Heb “said.”

[38:11]  ²⁴⁰ tn Heb “Otherwise he will die, also he, like his brothers.”

[38:12]  ²⁴¹ sn After some time. There is not enough information in the narrative to know how long this was. The text says “the days increased.” It was long enough for Shelah to mature and for Tamar to realize she would not have him.

[38:12]  ²⁴² tn Heb “and he went up to the shearers of his sheep, he and.”

[38:13]  ²⁴³ tn Heb “And it was told to Tamar, saying.”

[38:13]  ²⁴⁴ tn The active participle indicates the action was in progress or about to begin.

[38:14]  ²⁴⁵ tn The Hebrew text simply has “because,” connecting this sentence to what precedes. For stylistic reasons the words “she did this” are supplied in the translation and a new sentence begun.

[38:14]  ²⁴⁶ tn Heb “she saw that Shelah had grown up, but she was not given to him as a wife.”

[38:15]  ²⁴⁷ tn Heb “he reckoned her for a prostitute,” which was what Tamar had intended for him to do. She obviously had some idea of his inclinations, or she would not have tried this risky plan.

[38:16]  ²⁴⁸ tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:16]  ²⁴⁹ tn Heb “for he did not know that.”

[38:16]  ²⁵⁰ tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:17]  ²⁵¹ tn Heb “until you send.”

[38:18]  ²⁵² tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:19]  ²⁵³ tn Heb “and she arose and left,” the first verb in the pair emphasizing that she wasted no time.

[38:20]  ²⁵⁴ tn Heb “sent by the hand of his friend.” Here the name of the friend (“Hirah”) has been included in the translation for clarity.

[38:20]  ²⁵⁵ tn Heb “to receive the pledge from the woman’s hand.”

[38:20]  ²⁵⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Judah’s friend Hirah the Adullamite) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:21]  ²⁵⁷ tn Heb “the men of her place,” that is, who lived at the place where she had been.

[38:21]  ²⁵⁸ sn The Hebrew noun translated “cult prostitute” is derived from a verb meaning “to be set apart; to be distinct.” Thus the term refers to a woman who did not marry, but was dedicated to temple service as a cult prostitute. The masculine form of this noun is used for male cult prostitutes. Judah thought he had gone to an ordinary prostitute (v. 15); but Hirah went looking for a cult prostitute, perhaps because it had been a sheep-shearing festival. For further discussion see E. M. Yamauchi, “Cultic Prostitution,” Orient and Occident (AOAT), 213-23.

[38:23]  ²⁵⁹ tn The words “the things” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:23]  ²⁶⁰ tn Heb “we will become contemptible.” The Hebrew word בּוּז (buz) describes the contempt that a respectable person would have for someone who is worthless, foolish, or disreputable.

[38:24]  ²⁶¹ tn Heb “it was told to Judah, saying.”

[38:24]  ²⁶² tn Or “has been sexually promiscuous.” The verb may refer here to loose or promiscuous activity, not necessarily prostitution.

[38:24]  ²⁶³ tn Heb “and also look, she is with child by prostitution.”

[38:25]  ²⁶⁴ 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.

[38:25]  ²⁶⁵ tn Heb “who these to him.”

[38:25]  ²⁶⁶ tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”

[38:26]  ²⁶⁷ tn Traditionally “more righteous”; cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT “more in the right.”

[38:26]  ²⁶⁸ tn Heb “and he did not add again to know her.” Here “know” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[38:28]  ²⁶⁹ tn The word “child” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ²⁷⁰ tn Heb “Look, his brother came out.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through the midwife’s eyes. The words “before him” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[38:29]  ²⁷¹ tn Heb “How you have made a breach for yourself!” The Hebrew verb translated “make a breach” frequently occurs, as here, with a cognate accusative. The event provided the meaningful name Perez, “he who breaks through.”

[38:29]  ²⁷² sn The name Perez means “he who breaks through,” referring to Perez reaching out his hand at birth before his brother was born. The naming signified the completion of Tamar’s struggle and also depicted the destiny of the tribe of Perez who later became dominant (Gen 46:12 and Num 26:20). Judah and his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, thinking they could thwart God’s plan that the elder brothers should serve the younger. God demonstrated that principle through these births in Judah’s own family, affirming that the elder will serve the younger, and that Joseph’s leadership could not so easily be set aside. See J. Goldin, “The Youngest Son; or, Where Does Genesis 38 Belong?” JBL 96 (1977): 27-44.

[38:30]  ²⁷³ sn Perhaps the child was named Zerah because of the scarlet thread. Though the Hebrew word used for “scarlet thread” in v. 28 is not related to the name Zerah, there is a related root in Babylonian and western Aramaic that means “scarlet” or “scarlet thread.” In Hebrew the name appears to be derived from a root meaning “to shine.” The name could have originally meant something like “shining one” or “God has shined.” Zerah became the head of a tribe (Num 26:20) from whom Achan descended (Josh 7:1).

[39:1]  ²⁷⁴ tn The disjunctive clause resumes the earlier narrative pertaining to Joseph by recapitulating the event described in 37:36. The perfect verbal form is given a past perfect translation to restore the sequence of the narrative for the reader.

[39:1]  ²⁷⁵ sn Captain of the guard. See the note on this phrase in Gen 37:36.

[39:1]  ²⁷⁶ tn Heb “from the hand of.”

[39:2]  ²⁷⁷ tn Heb “and he was a prosperous man.” This does not mean that Joseph became wealthy, but that he was successful in what he was doing, or making progress in his situation (see 24:21).

[39:2]  ²⁷⁸ tn Heb “and he was.”

[39:3]  ²⁷⁹ tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:4]  ²⁸⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated became his personal attendant refers to higher domestic service, usually along the lines of a personal attendant. Here Joseph is made the household steward, a position well-attested in Egyptian literature.

[39:4]  ²⁸¹ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:4]  ²⁸² tn Heb “put into his hand.”

[39:5]  ²⁸³ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ²⁸⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ²⁸⁵ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ²⁸⁶ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ²⁸⁷ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.

[39:6]  ²⁸⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ²⁸⁹ sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.

[39:6]  ²⁹⁰ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ²⁹¹ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ²⁹² sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.

[39:6]  ²⁹³ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[39:7]  ²⁹⁴ tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.

[39:7]  ²⁹⁵ tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:8]  ²⁹⁶ tn Heb “and he said.”

[39:8]  ²⁹⁷ tn Heb “know.”

[39:8]  ²⁹⁸ tn The word “here” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:8]  ²⁹⁹ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:9]  ³⁰⁰ tn The nuance of potential imperfect fits this context.

[39:10]  ³⁰¹ tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.

[39:10]  ³⁰² tn Heb “listen to.”

[39:10]  ³⁰³ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:11]  ³⁰⁴ tn Heb “and it was about this day.”

[39:11]  ³⁰⁵ tn Heb “the men of the house.”

[39:12]  ³⁰⁶ tn Heb “he fled and he went out.” The construction emphasizes the point that Joseph got out of there quickly.

[39:12]  ³⁰⁷ sn For discussion of this episode, see A. M. Honeyman, “The Occasion of Joseph’s Temptation,” VT 2 (1952): 85-87.

[39:14]  ³⁰⁸ tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so it could be treated as a passive (“a Hebrew man was brought in”; cf. NIV). But it is clear from the context that her husband brought Joseph into the household, so Potiphar is the apparent referent here. Thus the translation supplies “my husband” as the referent of the unspecified pronominal subject of the verb (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[39:14]  ³⁰⁹ sn A Hebrew man. Potiphar’s wife raises the ethnic issue when talking to her servants about what their boss had done.

[39:14]  ³¹⁰ tn Heb “to make fun of us.” The verb translated “to humiliate us” here means to hold something up for ridicule, or to toy with something harmfully. Attempted rape would be such an activity, for it would hold the victim in contempt.

[39:14]  ³¹¹ tn Heb “he came to me to lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:14]  ³¹² tn Heb “and I cried out with a loud voice.”

[39:15]  ³¹³ tn Heb “that I raised.”

[39:17]  ³¹⁴ tn Heb “and she spoke to him according to these words, saying.”

[39:17]  ³¹⁵ sn That Hebrew slave. Now, when speaking to her husband, Potiphar’s wife refers to Joseph as a Hebrew slave, a very demeaning description.

[39:17]  ³¹⁶ tn Heb “came to me to make fun of me.” The statement needs no explanation because of the connotations of “came to me” and “to make fun of me.” See the note on the expression “humiliate us” in v. 14.

[39:19]  ³¹⁷ tn Heb “and when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him, saying.”

[39:19]  ³¹⁸ tn Heb “according to these words.”

[39:19]  ³¹⁹ tn Heb “did to me.”

[39:19]  ³²⁰ tn Heb “his anger burned.”

[39:20]  ³²¹ tn Heb “the house of roundness,” suggesting that the prison might have been a fortress or citadel.

[39:20]  ³²² sn The story of Joseph is filled with cycles and repetition: He has two dreams (chap. 37), he interprets two dreams in prison (chap. 40) and the two dreams of Pharaoh (chap. 41), his brothers make two trips to see him (chaps. 42-43), and here, for the second time (see 37:24), he is imprisoned for no good reason, with only his coat being used as evidence. For further discussion see H. Jacobsen, “A Legal Note on Potiphar’s Wife,” HTR 69 (1976): 177.

[39:21]  ³²³ tn Heb “and he extended to him loyal love.”

[39:21]  ³²⁴ tn Or “the chief jailer” (also in the following verses).

[39:22]  ³²⁵ tn Heb “all which they were doing there, he was doing.” This probably means that Joseph was in charge of everything that went on in the prison.

[39:23]  ³²⁶ tn Heb “was not looking at anything.”

[39:23]  ³²⁷ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[40:1]  ³²⁸ sn The Hebrew term cupbearer corresponds to the Egyptian wb’, an official (frequently a foreigner) who often became a confidant of the king and wielded political power (see K. A. Kitchen, NBD³ 248). Nehemiah held this post in Persia.

[40:1]  ³²⁹ sn The baker may be the Egyptian retehti, the head of the bakers, who had privileges in the royal court.

[40:1]  ³³⁰ sn The Hebrew verb translated offended here is the same one translated “sin” in 39:9. Perhaps there is an intended contrast between these officials, who deserve to be imprisoned, and Joseph, who refused to sin against God, but was thrown into prison in spite of his innocence.

[40:2]  ³³¹ tn The Hebrew word סָרִיס (saris), used here of these two men and of Potiphar (see 39:1), normally means “eunuch.” But evidence from Akkadian texts shows that in early times the title was used of a court official in general. Only later did it become more specialized in its use.

[40:4]  ³³² sn He served them. This is the same Hebrew verb, meaning “to serve as a personal attendant,” that was translated “became [his] servant” in 39:4.

[40:4]  ³³³ tn Heb “they were days in custody.”

[40:5]  ³³⁴ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[40:5]  ³³⁵ tn Heb “a man his dream in one night.”

[40:5]  ³³⁶ tn Heb “a man according to the interpretation of his dream.”

[40:6]  ³³⁷ tn The verb זָעַף (za’af) only occurs here and Dan 1:10. It means “to be sick, to be emaciated,” probably in this case because of depression.

[40:7]  ³³⁸ tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”

[40:8]  ³³⁹ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ³⁴⁰ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:9]  ³⁴¹ tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to him.” This has not been translated because it is redundant in English.

[40:11]  ³⁴² tn Heb “the cup of Pharaoh.” The pronoun “his” has been used here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[40:11]  ³⁴³ sn The cupbearer’s dream is dominated by sets of three: three branches, three stages of growth, and three actions of the cupbearer.

[40:12]  ³⁴⁴ tn Heb “the three branches [are].”

[40:13]  ³⁴⁵ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head.” This Hebrew idiom usually refers to restoring dignity, office, or power. It is comparable to the modern saying “someone can hold his head up high.”

[40:13]  ³⁴⁶ tn Heb “according to the former custom.”

[40:14]  ³⁴⁷ tn Heb “but you have remembered me with you.” The perfect verbal form may be used rhetorically here to emphasize Joseph’s desire to be remembered. He speaks of the action as already being accomplished in order to make it clear that he expects it to be done. The form can be translated as volitional, expressing a plea or a request.

[40:14]  ³⁴⁸ tn This perfect verbal form with the prefixed conjunction (and the two that immediately follow) carry the same force as the preceding perfect.

[40:14]  ³⁴⁹ tn Heb “deal with me [in] kindness.”

[40:14]  ³⁵⁰ tn The verb זָכַר (zakhar) in the Hiphil stem means “to cause to remember, to make mention, to boast.” The implication is that Joseph would be pleased for them to tell his story and give him the credit due him so that Pharaoh would release him. Since Pharaoh had never met Joseph, the simple translation of “cause him to remember me” would mean little.

[40:14]  ³⁵¹ tn Heb “house.” The word “prison” has been substituted in the translation for clarity.

[40:15]  ³⁵² tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal,” but in the Piel/Pual stem “to steal away.” The idea of “kidnap” would be closer to the sense, meaning he was stolen and carried off. The preceding infinitive absolute underscores the point Joseph is making.

[40:16]  ³⁵³ tn Heb “that [the] interpretation [was] good.” The words “the first dream” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[40:16]  ³⁵⁴ tn Or “three wicker baskets.” The meaning of the Hebrew noun חֹרִי (khori, “white bread, cake”) is uncertain; some have suggested the meaning “wicker” instead. Comparison with texts from Ebla suggests the meaning “pastries made with white flour” (M. Dahood, “Eblaite h¬a-rí and Genesis 40,16 h£o„rî,” BN 13 [1980]: 14-16).

[40:18]  ³⁵⁵ tn Heb “the three baskets [are].”

[40:19]  ³⁵⁶ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.

[40:20]  ³⁵⁷ tn The translation puts the verb in quotation marks because it is used rhetorically here and has a double meaning. With respect to the cup bearer it means “reinstate” (see v. 13), but with respect to the baker it means “decapitate” (see v. 19).

[40:21]  ³⁵⁸ tn Heb “his cupbearing.”

[40:22]  ³⁵⁹ tn Heb “had interpreted for them.”

[40:23]  ³⁶⁰ tn The wayyiqtol verbal form here has a reiterative or emphasizing function.

[3:1]  ³⁶¹ sn For significant literature for this chapter, see M. Aberbach and L. Smolar, “Aaron, Jeroboam, and their Golden Calves,” JBL 86 (1967): 129-40; G. Brin, “The First-born in Israel in the Biblical Period” (Ph.D. diss., University of Tel Aviv, 1971); S. H. Hooke, “Theory and Practice of Substitution,” VT 2 (1952): 2-17; and J. Morgenstern, “A Chapter in the History of the High Priesthood,” AJSL 55 (1938): 1-24.

[3:1]  ³⁶² tn The construction is וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת (vÿ’elleh tolÿdot), which was traditionally translated “now these are the generations,” much as it was translated throughout the book of Genesis. The noun can refer to records, stories, genealogies, names, and accounts of people. Here it is the recorded genealogical list with assigned posts included. Like Genesis, it is a heading of a section, and not a colophon as some have suggested. It is here similar to Exodus: “these are the names of.” R. K. Harrison, Numbers (WEC), 62, insists that it is a colophon and should end chapter 2, but if that is followed in the Pentateuch, it creates difficulty throughout the narratives. See the discussion by A. P. Ross, Creation and Blessing, 69-74.

[3:1]  ³⁶³ tn The expression in the Hebrew text (“in the day of”) is idiomatic for “when.”

[6:1]  ³⁶⁴ sn This chapter can be divided into five sections: The vow is described in vv. 1-8, then the contingencies for defilement are enumerated in vv. 9-12, then there is a discussion of discharging the vows in vv. 13-20, and then a summary in v. 21; after this is the high priestly blessing (vv. 22-27). For information on the vow, see G. B. Gray, “The Nazirite,” JTS 1 (1899-1900): 201-11; Z. Weisman, “The Biblical Nazirite, Its Types and Roots,” Tarbiz 36 (1967): 207-20; and W. Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament (OTL), 1:303-6.

[6:1]  ³⁶⁵ sn This chapter can be divided into five sections: The vow is described in vv. 1-8, then the contingencies for defilement are enumerated in vv. 9-12, then there is a discussion of discharging the vows in vv. 13-20, and then a summary in v. 21; after this is the high priestly blessing (vv. 22-27). For information on the vow, see G. B. Gray, “The Nazirite,” JTS 1 (1899-1900): 201-11; Z. Weisman, “The Biblical Nazirite, Its Types and Roots,” Tarbiz 36 (1967): 207-20; and W. Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament (OTL), 1:303-6.