Daniel 4:8

4:8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, ¹  and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well,

Genesis 41:38

41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, ²  one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” ³ 

Genesis 41:1

Joseph’s Rise to Power

41:1 At the end of two full years ⁴  Pharaoh had a dream. ⁵  As he was standing by the Nile,

Genesis 4:8

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” ⁶  While they were in the field, Cain attacked ⁷  his brother ⁸  Abel and killed him.

[4:8]  ¹ sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology.

[41:38]  ² 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]  ³ tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

[41:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “two years, days.”

[41:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “was dreaming.”

[4:8]  ⁶ tc The MT has simply “and Cain said to Abel his brother,” omitting Cain’s words to Abel. It is possible that the elliptical text is original. Perhaps the author uses the technique of aposiopesis, “a sudden silence” to create tension. In the midst of the story the narrator suddenly rushes ahead to what happened in the field. It is more likely that the ancient versions (Samaritan Pentateuch, LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac), which include Cain’s words, “Let’s go out to the field,” preserve the original reading here. After writing אָחִיו (’akhiyv, “his brother”), a scribe’s eye may have jumped to the end of the form בַּשָּׂדֶה (basadeh, “to the field”) and accidentally omitted the quotation. This would be an error of virtual homoioteleuton. In older phases of the Hebrew script the sequence יו (yod-vav) on אָחִיו is graphically similar to the final ה (he) on בַּשָּׂדֶה.

[4:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “arose against” (in a hostile sense).

[4:8]  ⁸ sn The word “brother” appears six times in vv. 8-11, stressing the shocking nature of Cain’s fratricide (see 1 John 3:12).