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 16:1
Context16:1 Now Sarai, 57 Abram’s wife, had not given birth to any children, 58 but she had an Egyptian servant 59 named Hagar. 60
Matthew 13:55
Context13:55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? 61 And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Matthew 27:55
Context27:55 Many 62 women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support 63 were also there, watching from a distance.
Matthew 27:61
Context27:61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)
John 19:25
Context19:25 Now standing beside Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 64
John 19:1
Context19:1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged severely. 65
Colossians 1:5
Context1:5 Your faith and love have arisen 66 from the hope laid up 67 for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel 68
Galatians 1:19
Context1:19 But I saw none of the other apostles 69 except James the Lord’s brother.
James 1:1
Context1:1 From James, 70 a slave 71 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 72 Greetings!
[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).
[16:1] 57 tn The disjunctive clause signals the beginning of a new episode in the story.
[16:1] 58 sn On the cultural background of the story of Sarai’s childlessness see J. Van Seters, “The Problem of Childlessness in Near Eastern Law and the Patriarchs of Israel,” JBL 87 (1968): 401-8.
[16:1] 59 tn The Hebrew term שִׁפְחָה (shifkhah, translated “servant” here and in vv. 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8) refers to a menial female servant.
[16:1] 60 sn The passage records the birth of Ishmael to Abram through an Egyptian woman. The story illustrates the limits of Abram’s faith as he tries to obtain a son through social custom. The barrenness of Sarai poses a challenge to Abram’s faith, just as the famine did in chap. 12. As in chap. 12, an Egyptian figures prominently. (Perhaps Hagar was obtained as a slave during Abram’s stay in Egypt.)
[13:55] 61 sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).
[27:55] 62 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[27:55] 63 tn Grk “and ministered to him.”
[19:25] 64 sn Several women are mentioned, but it is not easy to determine how many. It is not clear whether his mother’s sister and Mary the wife of Clopas are to be understood as the same individual (in which case only three women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister Mary, and Mary Magdalene) or as two different individuals (in which case four women are mentioned: Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Clopas’ wife, and Mary Magdalene). It is impossible to be certain, but when John’s account is compared to the synoptics it is easier to reconcile the accounts if four women were present than if there were only three. It also seems that if there were four women present, this would have been seen by the author to be in juxtaposition to the four soldiers present who performed the crucifixion, and this may explain the transition from the one incident in 23-24 to the other in 25-27. Finally, if only three were present, this would mean that both Jesus’ mother and her sister were named Mary, and this is highly improbable in a Jewish family of that time. If there were four women present, the name of the second, the sister of Jesus’ mother, is not mentioned. It is entirely possible that the sister of Jesus’ mother mentioned here is to be identified with the woman named Salome mentioned in Mark 15:40 and also with the woman identified as “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” mentioned in Matt 27:56. If so, and if John the Apostle is to be identified as the beloved disciple, then the reason for the omission of the second woman’s name becomes clear; she would have been John’s own mother, and he consistently omitted direct reference to himself or his brother James or any other members of his family in the Fourth Gospel.
[19:1] 65 tn Or “had him flogged,” or (traditional), “scourged him.” The verb should be read as causative. Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged. A Roman governor would not carry out such a sentence in person. BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1. states, “If J refers to the ‘verberatio’ given those condemned to death (TMommsen, Röm. Strafrecht 1899, 938f; Jos., Bell. 2, 308; 5, 449), it is odd that Pilate subsequently claims no cause for action (vs. 6); but if the latter statement refers only to the penalty of crucifixion, μ. vs. 1 may be equivalent to παιδεύω (q.v. 2bγ) in Lk 23:16, 22 (for μ. of a non-capital offense PFlor I, 61, 61 [85ad]=Mitt-Wilck. II/2, 80 II, 61).”
[1:5] 66 tn Col 1:3-8 form one long sentence in the Greek text and have been divided at the end of v. 4 and v. 6 and within v. 6 for clarity, in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English toward shorter sentences. Thus the phrase “Your faith and love have arisen from the hope” is literally “because of the hope.” The perfect tense “have arisen” was chosen in the English to reflect the fact that the recipients of the letter had acquired this hope at conversion in the past, but that it still remains and motivates them to trust in Christ and to love one another.
[1:5] 67 tn BDAG 113 s.v. ἀπόκειμαι 2 renders ἀποκειμένην (apokeimenhn) with the expression “reserved” in this verse.
[1:5] 68 tn The term “the gospel” (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, tou euangeliou) is in apposition to “the word of truth” (τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, tw logw th" alhqeia") as indicated in the translation.
[1:19] 69 tn Grk “But another of the apostles I did not see, except…” with “another” in emphatic position in the Greek text. Paul is determined to make the point that his contacts with the original twelve apostles and other leaders of the Jerusalem church were limited, thus asserting his independence from them.
[1:1] 70 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
[1:1] 71 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[1:1] 72 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
