Discovery BoxGenesis 47:1-31
Context47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of
Canaan. They are now 1 in the land of Goshen.” 47:2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. 2
47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s 3 brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” 4 47:4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents 5 in the land. There 6 is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”
47:5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 47:6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men 7 among them, put them in charge 8 of my livestock.”
47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him 9 before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed 10 Pharaoh. 47:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?” 11 47:9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All 12 the years of my travels 13 are 130. All 14 the years of my life have been few and painful; 15 the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.” 16 47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. 17
47:11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory 18 in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, 19 just as Pharaoh had commanded. 47:12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
47:13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away 20 because of the famine. 47:14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment 21 for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace. 22 47:15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians 23 came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die 24 before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
47:16 Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food 25 in exchange for 26 your livestock.” 47:17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. 27 He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.
47:18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our 28 lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land. 47:19 Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become 29 Pharaoh’s slaves. 30 Give us seed that we may live 31 and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.” 32
47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each 33 of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. 34 So the land became Pharaoh’s. 47:21 Joseph 35 made all the people slaves 36 from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it. 47:22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate 37 the land. 47:24 When you gather in the crop, 38 give 39 one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest 40 will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.” 47:25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, 41 and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.” 42
47:26 So Joseph made it a statute, 43 which is in effect 44 to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
47:27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
47:28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years 45 of Jacob’s life were 147 in all. 47:29 The time 46 for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh 47 and show me kindness and faithfulness. 48 Do not bury me in Egypt, 47:30 but when I rest 49 with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph 50 said, “I will do as you say.”
47:31 Jacob 51 said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” 52 So Joseph 53 gave him his word. 54 Then Israel bowed down 55 at the head of his bed. 56
Genesis 1:15
Context1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so.
Genesis 4:4
Context4:4 But Abel brought 57 some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest 58 of them. And the Lord was pleased with 59 Abel and his offering,
Psalms 72:16-17
Context72:16 May there be 60 an abundance 61 of grain in the earth;
on the tops 62 of the mountains may it 63 sway! 64
May its 65 fruit trees 66 flourish 67 like the forests of Lebanon! 68
May its crops 69 be as abundant 70 as the grass of the earth! 71
May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky! 73
May they use his name when they formulate their blessings! 74
May all nations consider him to be favored by God! 75
Psalms 110:3
Context110:3 Your people willingly follow you 76 when you go into battle. 77
On the holy hills 78 at sunrise 79 the dew of your youth 80 belongs to you. 81
Luke 5:5-7
Context5:5 Simon 82 answered, 83 “Master, 84 we worked hard all night and caught nothing! But at your word 85 I will lower 86 the nets.” 5:6 When 87 they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets started to tear. 88 5:7 So 89 they motioned 90 to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they were about to sink. 91
John 14:12
Context14:12 I tell you the solemn truth, 92 the person who believes in me will perform 93 the miraculous deeds 94 that I am doing, 95 and will perform 96 greater deeds 97 than these, because I am going to the Father.
[47:1] 1 tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.
[47:2] 2 tn Heb “and from the whole of his brothers he took five men and presented them before Pharaoh.”
[47:3] 3 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:3] 4 tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”
[47:4] 6 tn Heb “for there.” The Hebrew uses a causal particle to connect what follows with what precedes. The translation divides the statement into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:6] 7 tn Heb “men of skill.”
[47:6] 8 tn Heb “make them rulers.”
[47:7] 9 tn Heb “caused him to stand.”
[47:7] 10 sn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “blessed” is difficult in this passage, because the content of Jacob’s blessing is not given. The expression could simply mean that he greeted Pharaoh, but that seems insufficient in this setting. Jacob probably praised Pharaoh, for the verb is used this way for praising God. It is also possible that he pronounced a formal prayer of blessing, asking God to reward Pharaoh for his kindness.
[47:8] 11 tn Heb “How many are the days of the years of your life?”
[47:9] 12 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 13 tn Heb “sojournings.” Jacob uses a term that depicts him as one who has lived an unsettled life, temporarily residing in many different places.
[47:9] 14 tn Heb “the days of.”
[47:9] 15 tn The Hebrew word רַע (ra’) can sometimes mean “evil,” but that would give the wrong connotation here, where it refers to pain, difficulty, and sorrow. Jacob is thinking back through all the troubles he had to endure to get to this point.
[47:9] 16 tn Heb “and they have not reached the days of the years of my fathers in the days of their sojournings.”
[47:10] 17 tn Heb “from before Pharaoh.”
[47:11] 18 tn Heb “a possession,” or “a holding.” Joseph gave them a plot of land with rights of ownership in the land of Goshen.
[47:11] 19 sn The land of Rameses is another designation for the region of Goshen. It is named Rameses because of a city in that region (Exod 1:11; 12:37). The use of this name may represent a modernization of the text for the understanding of the intended readers, substituting a later name for an earlier one. Alternatively, there may have been an earlier Rameses for which the region was named.
[47:13] 20 tn The verb לַהַה (lahah, = לָאָה, la’ah) means “to faint, to languish”; it figuratively describes the land as wasting away, drooping, being worn out.
[47:14] 21 tn Or “in exchange.” On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:15] 23 tn Heb “all Egypt.” The expression is a metonymy and refers to all the people of Egypt.
[47:15] 24 tn The imperfect verbal form has a deliberative force here.
[47:16] 25 tn The word “food” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:16] 26 tn On the use of the preposition here see BDB 90 s.v. בְּ.
[47:17] 27 tn The definite article is translated here as a possessive pronoun.
[47:18] 28 tn Heb “my.” The expression “my lord” occurs twice more in this verse.
[47:19] 29 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates consequence.
[47:19] 30 sn Pharaoh’s slaves. The idea of slavery is not attractive to the modern mind, but in the ancient world it was the primary way of dealing with the poor and destitute. If the people became slaves of Pharaoh, it was Pharaoh’s responsibility to feed them and care for them. It was the best way for them to survive the famine.
[47:19] 31 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav here indicates purpose or result.
[47:19] 32 tn The disjunctive clause structure (vav [ו] + subject + negated verb) highlights the statement and brings their argument to a conclusion.
[47:20] 33 tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.
[47:20] 34 tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:21] 35 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:21] 36 tc The MT reads “and the people he removed to the cities,” which does not make a lot of sense in this context. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the LXX read “he enslaved them as slaves.”
[47:23] 37 tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.
[47:24] 38 tn The words “the crop” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:24] 39 tn The perfect form with the vav (ו) consecutive is equivalent to an imperfect of instruction here.
[47:24] 40 tn Heb “four parts.”
[47:25] 41 tn Heb “we find favor in the eyes of my lord.” Some interpret this as a request, “may we find favor in the eyes of my lord.”
[47:25] 42 sn Slaves. See the note on this word in v. 21.
[47:26] 43 tn On the term translated “statute” see P. Victor, “A Note on Hoq in the Old Testament,” VT 16 (1966): 358-61.
[47:26] 44 tn The words “which is in effect” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[47:28] 45 tn Heb “the days of the years.”
[47:29] 47 sn On the expression put your hand under my thigh see Gen 24:2.
[47:29] 48 tn Or “deal with me in faithful love.”
[47:30] 49 tn Heb “lie down.” Here the expression “lie down” refers to death.
[47:30] 50 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 51 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 52 tn Heb “swear on oath to me.” The words “that you will do so” have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 53 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[47:31] 54 tn Heb “swore on oath to him.”
[47:31] 55 sn The Hebrew verb normally means “bow down,” especially in worship or prayer. Here it might simply mean “bend low,” perhaps from weakness or approaching death. The narrative is ambiguous at this point and remains open to all these interpretations.
[47:31] 56 tc The MT reads מִטָּה (mittah, “bed, couch”). The LXX reads the word as מַטֶּה (matteh, “staff, rod”) and interprets this to mean that Jacob bowed down in worship while leaning on the top of his staff. The LXX reading was used in turn by the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb 11:21).
[4:4] 57 tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.
[4:4] 58 tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).
[4:4] 59 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (sha’ah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.
[72:16] 60 tn The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect. The translation assumes the subject is impersonal (rather than the king).
[72:16] 61 tn The Hebrew noun פִסַּה (pissah; which appears here in the construct form) occurs only here in the OT. Perhaps the noun is related to the verbal root פָּשָׂה (pasah, “to spread,” see BDB 832 s.v.; the root appears as פָּסָה [pasah] in postbiblical Hebrew), which is used in postbiblical Hebrew of the rising sun’s rays spreading over the horizon and a tree’s branches spreading out (see Jastrow 1194 s.v. פסי, פָּסָה, פָּשָׂה). In Ps 72:16 a “spreading of grain” would refer to grain fields extending out over the land. C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs (Psalms [ICC], 2:139) emend the form to סְפִיחַ (sÿfiakh, “second growth”).
[72:16] 62 tn Heb “top” (singular).
[72:16] 63 tn That is, the grain.
[72:16] 64 tn According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the translator’s note at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse.
[72:16] 65 tn The antecedent of the third masculine singular pronominal suffix is unclear. It is unlikely that the antecedent is אֶרֶץ (’erets, “earth”) because this noun is normally grammatically feminine. Perhaps רֹאשׁ (ro’sh, “top [of the mountains]”) is the antecedent. Another option is to understand the pronoun as referring to the king, who would then be viewed as an instrument of divine agricultural blessing (see v. 6).
[72:16] 67 tc According to the traditional accentuation of the MT, this verb belongs with what follows. See the note on the word “earth” at the end of the verse for a discussion of the poetic parallelism and interpretation of the verse. The present translation takes it with the preceding words, “like Lebanon its fruit” and emends the verb form from וְיָצִיצוּ (vÿyatsitsu; Qal imperfect third masculine plural with prefixed vav, [ו]) to יָצִיץ (yatsits; Qal imperfect third masculine singular). The initial vav is eliminated as dittographic (note the vav on the ending of the preceding form פִּרְיוֹ, piryo, “its/his fruit”) and the vav at the end of the form is placed on the following emended form (see the note on the word “crops”), yielding וַעֲמִיר (va’amir, “and [its] crops”).
[72:16] 68 tn Heb “like Lebanon.”
[72:16] 69 tc The MT has “from the city.” The translation assumes an emendation to עֲמִיר (’amir, “crops”).
[72:16] 70 tn The translation assumes that the verb צוץ (“flourish”) goes with the preceding line. The words “be as abundant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[72:16] 71 tc The traditional accentuation and vocalization of the MT differ from the text assumed by the present translation. The MT reads as follows: “May there be an abundance of grain in the earth, / and on the tops of the mountains! / May its [or “his”?] fruit [trees?] rustle like [the trees of] Lebanon! / May they flourish from the city, like the grass of the earth!” If one follows the MT, then it would appear that the “fruit” of the third line is a metaphorical reference to the king’s people, who flow out from the cities to populate the land (see line 4). Elsewhere in the OT people are sometimes compared to grass that sprouts up from the land (see v. 7, as well as Isa 27:6; Pss 92:7; 103:15). The translation understands a different poetic structural arrangement and, assuming the emendations mentioned in earlier notes, interprets each line of the verse to be a prayer for agricultural abundance.
[72:17] 72 tn Heb “may his name [be] permanent.” The prefixed verbal form is jussive, not imperfect.
[72:17] 73 tn Heb “before the sun may his name increase.” The Kethib (consonantal text) assumes יָנִין (yanin; a Hiphil of the verbal root נִין, nin) or יְנַיֵן (yÿnayen; a Piel form), while the Qere (marginal reading) assumes יִנּוֹן (yinnon; a Niphal form). The verb נִין occurs only here, though a derived noun, meaning “offspring,” appears elsewhere (see Isa 14:22). The verb appears to mean “propagate, increase” (BDB 630 s.v. נוּן, נִין) or “produce shoots, get descendants” (HALOT 696 s.v. נין). In this context this appears to be a prayer for a lasting dynasty that will keep the king’s name and memory alive.
[72:17] 74 tn Heb “may they bless one another by him,” that is, use the king’s name in their blessing formulae because he is a prime example of one blessed by God (for examples of such blessing formulae, see Gen 48:20 and Ruth 4:11). There is some debate on whether the Hitpael form of בָּרַךְ (barakh, “bless”) is reflexive-reciprocal (as assumed in the present translation) or passive. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ occurs in five other passages, including the hotly debated Gen 22:18 and 26:4. In these two texts one could understand the verb form as passive and translate, “all the nations of the earth will be blessed through your offspring,” or one could take the Hitpael as reflexive or reciprocal and translate, “all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings [i.e., on themselves or one another] by your offspring.” In the first instance Abraham’s (or Isaac’s) offspring are viewed as a channel of divine blessing. In the second instance they are viewed as a prime example of blessing that will appear as part of the nations’ blessing formulae, but not necessarily as a channel of blessing to the nations. In Deut 29:18 one reads: “When one hears the words of this covenant [or “oath”] and invokes a blessing on himself (Hitpael of בָּרַךְ) in his heart, saying: ‘I will have peace, even though I walk with a rebellious heart.’” In this case the Hitpael is clearly reflexive, as the phrases “in his heart” and “I will have peace” indicate. The Hitpael of בָּרַךְ appears twice in Isaiah 65:16: “The one who invokes a blessing on himself (see Deut 9:18) in the land will invoke that blessing by the God of truth; and the one who makes an oath in the land will make that oath by the God of truth.” A passive nuance does not fit here. The parallel line, which mentions making an oath, suggests that the Hitpael of בָּרַךְ refers here to invoking a blessing. Both pronouncements of blessing and oaths will appeal to God as the one who rewards and judges, respectively. Jer 4:2 states: “If you swear, ‘As surely as the
[72:17] 75 tn Heb “all the nations, may they regard him as happy.” The Piel is used here in a delocutive sense (“regard as”).
[110:3] 76 tn Heb “your people, free will offerings.” Perhaps the people, in their willingness to volunteer, are compared metaphorically to freewill offerings. Following the LXX, some revocalize the text and read “with you is nobility.”
[110:3] 77 tn Heb “in the day of your power.”
[110:3] 78 tc Heb “in splendor of holiness.” The plural construct form הַדְרֵי (hadrey, from הָדַר, hadar, “splendor”) occurs only here; it may indicate degree or perhaps refer by metonymy to garments (see Pss 29:2 and 96:9, where the phrase הַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ [hadrat qodesh] refers to “holy attire”). If one retains the reading of the MT, this phrase should probably be taken with the preceding line. However, because of the subsequent references to “dawn” and to “dew,” it is better to emend the text to הַרְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ (harrey qodesh, “mountains of holiness”), a reading found in many medieval Hebrew
[110:3] 79 tn Heb “from the womb of dawn.” The Hebrew noun רֶחֶם (rekhem, “womb”) is probably used here metonymically for “birth.” The form מִשְׁחָר (mishkhar) occurs only here and should be emended to שַׁחַר (shakhar, “dawn”) with the mem (מ) being understood as dittographic (note the final mem [ם] on the preceding word). The phrase “womb [i.e., “birth”] of dawn” refers to sunrise.
[110:3] 80 sn The point of the metaphor is not entirely clear. The dew may symbolize the king’s youthful vitality or, more likely (note the parallelism), may refer to his army of strong, youthful warriors.
[110:3] 81 tn Heb “to you [is].”
[5:5] 82 tn Grk “And Simon.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[5:5] 83 tn Grk “answering, Simon said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation to “Simon answered.”
[5:5] 84 tn The word ἐπιστάτης is a term of respect for a person of high status (see L&N 87.50).
[5:5] 85 tn The expression “at your word,” which shows Peter’s obedience, stands first in the Greek clause for emphasis.
[5:6] 87 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[5:6] 88 tn In context, this imperfect verb is best taken as an ingressive imperfect (BDF §338.1).
[5:7] 89 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate consequential nature of the action.
[5:7] 90 tn That is, “they signaled by making gestures” (L&N 33.485).
[5:7] 91 tn This infinitive conveys the idea that the boats were at the point of sinking.
[14:12] 92 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
