Genesis 41:1-57

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41:1 At the end of two full years ¹  Pharaoh had a dream. ²  As he was standing by the Nile, 41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, ³  and they grazed in the reeds. 41:3 Then seven bad-looking, thin cows were coming up after them from the Nile, ⁴  and they stood beside the other cows at the edge of the river. ⁵  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 ⁶  on one stalk, healthy ⁷  and good. 41:6 Then ⁸  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. ⁹ 

41:8 In the morning he ¹⁰  was troubled, so he called for ¹¹  all the diviner-priests ¹²  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ¹³  but no one could interpret ¹⁴  them for him. ¹⁵  41:9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. ¹⁶  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. ¹⁷  41:12 Now a young man, a Hebrew, a servant ¹⁸  of the captain of the guards, ¹⁹  was with us there. We told him our dreams, ²⁰  and he interpreted the meaning of each of our respective dreams for us. ²¹  41:13 It happened just as he had said ²²  to us – Pharaoh ²³  restored me to my office, but he impaled the baker.” ²⁴ 

41:14 Then Pharaoh summoned ²⁵  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, ²⁶  and there is no one who can interpret ²⁷  it. But I have heard about you, that ²⁸  you can interpret dreams.” ²⁹  41:16 Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “It is not within my power, ³⁰  but God will speak concerning ³¹  the welfare of Pharaoh.” ³² 

41:17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing ³³  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. ³⁴  41:19 Then ³⁵  seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows ³⁶  as these in all the land of Egypt! 41:20 The lean, bad-looking cows ate up the seven ³⁷  fat cows. 41:21 When they had eaten them, ³⁸  no one would have known ³⁹  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 ⁴⁰  seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good. 41:23 Then ⁴¹  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 ⁴²  to the diviner-priests, but no one could tell me its meaning.” ⁴³ 

41:25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Both dreams of Pharaoh have the same meaning. ⁴⁴  God has revealed ⁴⁵  to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ⁴⁶  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. ⁴⁷  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 ⁴⁸  seven years of famine. 41:28 This is just what I told ⁴⁹  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 ⁵⁰  after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate ⁵¹  the land. 41:31 The previous abundance of the land will not be remembered ⁵²  because of the famine that follows, for the famine will be very severe. ⁵³  41:32 The dream was repeated to Pharaoh ⁵⁴  because the matter has been decreed ⁵⁵  by God, and God will make it happen soon. ⁵⁶ 

41:33 “So now Pharaoh should look ⁵⁷  for a wise and discerning man ⁵⁸  and give him authority ⁵⁹  over all the land of Egypt. 41:34 Pharaoh should do ⁶⁰  this – he should appoint ⁶¹  officials ⁶²  throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt ⁶³  during the seven years of abundance. 41:35 They should gather all the excess food ⁶⁴  during these good years that are coming. By Pharaoh’s authority ⁶⁵  they should store up grain so the cities will have food, ⁶⁶  and they should preserve it. ⁶⁷  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.” ⁶⁸ 

41:37 This advice made sense to Pharaoh and all his officials. ⁶⁹  41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, ⁷⁰  one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” ⁷¹  41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning ⁷²  as you are! 41:40 You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. ⁷³  Only I, the king, will be greater than you. ⁷⁴ 

41:41 “See here,” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I place ⁷⁵  you in authority over all the land of Egypt.” ⁷⁶  41:42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his own hand and put it on Joseph’s. He clothed him with fine linen ⁷⁷  clothes and put a gold chain around his neck. 41:43 Pharaoh ⁷⁸  had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, ⁷⁹  and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” ⁸⁰  So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 41:44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission ⁸¹  no one ⁸²  will move his hand or his foot ⁸³  in all the land of Egypt.” 41:45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. ⁸⁴  He also gave him Asenath ⁸⁵  daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, ⁸⁶  to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of ⁸⁷  all the land of Egypt.

41:46 Now Joseph was 30 years old ⁸⁸  when he began serving ⁸⁹  Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph was commissioned by ⁹⁰  Pharaoh and was in charge of ⁹¹  all the land of Egypt. 41:47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large, bountiful harvests. ⁹²  41:48 Joseph ⁹³  collected all the excess food ⁹⁴  in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. ⁹⁵  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, ⁹⁶  until he stopped measuring it because it was impossible to measure.

41:50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. ⁹⁷  Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. ⁹⁸  41:51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, ⁹⁹  saying, ¹⁰⁰  “Certainly ¹⁰¹  God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 41:52 He named the second child Ephraim, ¹⁰²  saying, ¹⁰³  “Certainly ¹⁰⁴  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, ¹⁰⁵  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, ¹⁰⁶  “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

41:56 While the famine was over all the earth, ¹⁰⁷  Joseph opened the storehouses ¹⁰⁸  and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt. 41:57 People from every country ¹⁰⁹  came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe throughout the earth.

Genesis 29:15-20

29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work ¹¹⁰  for me for nothing because you are my relative? ¹¹¹  Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; ¹¹²  the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, ¹¹³  but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) ¹¹⁴  29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with ¹¹⁵  Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. ¹¹⁶  Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. ¹¹⁷  But they seemed like only a few days to him ¹¹⁸  because his love for her was so great. ¹¹⁹ 

Genesis 29:27-30

29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. ¹²⁰  Then we will give you the younger one ¹²¹  too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” ¹²² 

29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. ¹²³  When Jacob ¹²⁴  completed Leah’s bridal week, ¹²⁵  Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ¹²⁶  29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) ¹²⁷  29:30 Jacob ¹²⁸  had marital relations ¹²⁹  with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban ¹³⁰  for seven more years. ¹³¹ 

Genesis 30:26

30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. ¹³²  Then I’ll depart, ¹³³  because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” ¹³⁴ 

Exodus 21:7-11

21:7 “If a man sells his daughter ¹³⁵  as a female servant, ¹³⁶  she will not go out as the male servants do. 21:8 If she does not please ¹³⁷  her master, who has designated her ¹³⁸  for himself, then he must let her be redeemed. ¹³⁹  He has no right ¹⁴⁰  to sell her to a foreign nation, because he has dealt deceitfully ¹⁴¹  with her. 21:9 If he designated her for his son, then he will deal with her according to the customary rights ¹⁴²  of daughters. 21:10 If he takes another wife, ¹⁴³  he must not diminish the first one’s food, ¹⁴⁴  her clothing, or her marital rights. ¹⁴⁵  21:11 If he does not provide her with these three things, then she will go out free, without paying money. ¹⁴⁶ 

Nehemiah 5:8

5:8 I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews ¹⁴⁷  who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen, ¹⁴⁸  so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

[41:1]  ¹ tn Heb “two years, days.”

[41:1]  ² tn Heb “was dreaming.”

[41:2]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “And look, seven other cows were coming up after them from the Nile, bad of appearance and thin of flesh.”

[41:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “the Nile.” This has been replaced by “the river” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “coming up.”

[41:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “fat.”

[41:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “And look, a dream.”

[41:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[41:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.

[41:8]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn “there was no interpreter.”

[41:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “sins, offenses.” He probably refers here to the offenses that landed him in prison (see 40:1).

[41:11]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Or “slave.”

[41:12]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “a servant to the captain of the guards.” On this construction see GKC 419-20 §129.c.

[41:12]  ²⁰ tn The words “our dreams” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:12]  ²¹ tn Heb “and he interpreted for us our dreams, each according to his dream he interpreted.”

[41:13]  ²² tn Heb “interpreted.”

[41:13]  ²³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:13]  ²⁴ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the baker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and Pharaoh sent and called,” indicating a summons to the royal court.

[41:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[41:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

[41:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “saying.”

[41:15]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn Heb “not within me.”

[41:16]  ³¹ tn Heb “God will answer.”

[41:16]  ³² 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]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:19]  ³⁶ tn The word “cows” is supplied here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:20]  ³⁷ tn Heb “the seven first fat cows.”

[41:21]  ³⁸ tn Heb “when they went inside them.”

[41:21]  ³⁹ tn Heb “it was not known.”

[41:22]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and I saw in my dream and look.”

[41:23]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “And look.”

[41:24]  ⁴² tn The words “all this” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:24]  ⁴³ tn Heb “and there was no one telling me.”

[41:25]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “the dream of Pharaoh is one.”

[41:25]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “declared.”

[41:25]  ⁴⁶ tn The active participle here indicates what is imminent.

[41:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “one dream it is.”

[41:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “are.” Another option is to translate, “There will be seven years of famine.”

[41:28]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “it is the word that I spoke.”

[41:30]  ⁵⁰ tn The perfect with the vav consecutive continues the time frame of the preceding participle, which has an imminent future nuance here.

[41:30]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² tn Heb “known.”

[41:31]  ⁵³ tn Or “heavy.”

[41:32]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “established.”

[41:32]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “let Pharaoh look.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:33]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “a man discerning and wise.” The order of the terms is rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:33]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and let him set him.”

[41:34]  ⁶⁰ tn The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. The Samaritan Pentateuch has a jussive form here, “and let [Pharaoh] do.”

[41:34]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and let him appoint.” The jussive form expresses Joseph’s advice to Pharaoh.

[41:34]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:35]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “under the hand of Pharaoh.”

[41:35]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “[for] food in the cities.” The noun translated “food” is an adverbial accusative in the sentence.

[41:35]  ⁶⁷ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same force as the sequence of jussives before it.

[41:36]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”

[41:37]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “and the matter was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.”

[41:38]  ⁷⁰ 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]  ⁷¹ tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

[41:39]  ⁷² tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:40]  ⁷³ 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]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “only the throne, I will be greater than you.”

[41:41]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ 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]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Pharaoh) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:43]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “and he caused him to ride in the second chariot which was his.”

[41:43]  ⁸⁰ 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]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “apart from you.”

[41:44]  ⁸² tn Heb “no man,” but here “man” is generic, referring to people in general.

[41:44]  ⁸³ tn The idiom “lift up hand or foot” means “take any action” here.

[41:45]  ⁸⁴ 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]  ⁸⁵ 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]  ⁸⁶ sn On (also in v. 50) is another name for the city of Heliopolis.

[41:45]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he passed through.”

[41:46]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “a son of thirty years.”

[41:46]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “when he stood before.”

[41:46]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “went out from before.”

[41:46]  ⁹¹ 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]  ⁹² tn Heb “brought forth by handfuls.”

[41:48]  ⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[41:48]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “all the food.”

[41:48]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and placed food in the cities.”

[41:49]  ⁹⁶ 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]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “before the year of the famine came.”

[41:50]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “gave birth for him.”

[41:51]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:51]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “for.”

[41:52]  ¹⁰² 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]  ¹⁰³ tn The word “saying” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:52]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Or “for.”

[41:54]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “began to arrive.”

[41:55]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Heb “to all Egypt.” The name of the country is used by metonymy for the inhabitants.

[41:56]  ¹⁰⁷ 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]  ¹⁰⁸ 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]  ¹⁰⁹ 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.

[29:15]  ¹¹⁰ tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.

[29:15]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.

[29:16]  ¹¹² tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.

[29:17]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.

[29:17]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”

[29:18]  ¹¹⁵ tn Heb “Jacob loved.”

[29:19]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”

[29:20]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”

[29:20]  ¹¹⁸ sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.

[29:20]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.

[29:27]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.

[29:27]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “this other one.”

[29:27]  ¹²² tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”

[29:28]  ¹²³ tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[29:28]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:28]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.

[29:28]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:29]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”

[29:30]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.

[29:30]  ¹³⁰ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:30]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”

[30:26]  ¹³² tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.

[30:26]  ¹³³ tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[30:26]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”

[21:7]  ¹³⁵ sn This paragraph is troubling to modern readers, but given the way that marriages were contracted and the way people lived in the ancient world, it was a good provision for people who might want to find a better life for their daughter. On the subject in general for this chapter, see W. M. Swartley, Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women, 31-64.

[21:7]  ¹³⁶ tn The word אָמָה (’amah) refers to a female servant who would eventually become a concubine or wife; the sale price included the amount for the service as well as the bride price (see B. Jacob, Exodus, 621). The arrangement recognized her honor as an Israelite woman, one who could be a wife, even though she entered the household in service. The marriage was not automatic, as the conditions show, but her treatment was safeguarded come what may. The law was a way, then, for a poor man to provide a better life for a daughter.

[21:8]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “and if unpleasant (רָעָה, ra’ah) in the eyes of her master.”

[21:8]  ¹³⁸ tn The verb יָעַד (ya’ad) does not mean “betroth, espouse” as some of the earlier translations had it, but “to designate.” When he bought the girl, he designated her for himself, giving her and her family certain expectations.

[21:8]  ¹³⁹ tn The verb is a Hiphil perfect with vav (ו) consecutive from פָדָה (padah, “to redeem”). Here in the apodosis the form is equivalent to an imperfect: “let someone redeem her” – perhaps her father if he can, or another. U. Cassuto says it can also mean she can redeem herself and dissolve the relationship (Exodus, 268).

[21:8]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “he has no authority/power,” for the verb means “rule, have dominion.”

[21:8]  ¹⁴¹ sn The deceit is in not making her his wife or concubine as the arrangement had stipulated.

[21:9]  ¹⁴² tn Or “after the manner of” (KJV, ASV); NRSV “shall deal with her as with a daughter.”

[21:10]  ¹⁴³ tn “wife” has been supplied.

[21:10]  ¹⁴⁴ tn The translation of “food” does not quite do justice to the Hebrew word. It is “flesh.” The issue here is that the family she was to marry into is wealthy, they ate meat. She was not just to be given the basic food the ordinary people ate, but the fine foods that this family ate.

[21:10]  ¹⁴⁵ sn See S. Paul, “Exodus 21:10, A Threefold Maintenance Clause,” JNES 28 (1969): 48-53. Paul suggests that the third element listed is not marital rights but ointments since Sumerian and Akkadian texts list food, clothing, and oil as the necessities of life. The translation of “marital rights” is far from certain, since the word occurs only here. The point is that the woman was to be cared for with all that was required for a woman in that situation.

[21:11]  ¹⁴⁶ sn The lessons of slavery and service are designed to bring justice to existing customs in antiquity. The message is: Those in slavery for one reason or another should have the hope of freedom and the choice of service (vv. 2-6). For the rulings on the daughter, the message could be: Women, who were often at the mercy of their husbands or masters, must not be trapped in an unfortunate situation, but be treated well by their masters or husbands (vv. 7-11). God is preventing people who have power over others from abusing it.

[5:8]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”

[5:8]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “your brothers.”