Genesis 22:2

22:2 God ¹  said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac ²  – and go to the land of Moriah! ³  Offer him up there as a burnt offering ⁴  on one of the mountains which I will indicate to ⁵  you.”

Genesis 37:3

37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons ⁶  because he was a son born to him late in life, ⁷  and he made a special ⁸  tunic for him.

Genesis 37:5

37:5 Joseph ⁹  had a dream, ¹⁰  and when he told his brothers about it, ¹¹  they hated him even more. ¹² 

Genesis 37:1

Joseph’s Dreams

37:1 But Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, ¹³  in the land of Canaan. ¹⁴ 

Genesis 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ¹⁵  as he said to himself, ¹⁶  “Can ¹⁷  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ¹⁸  Can Sarah ¹⁹  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁰ 

Ezekiel 24:16-18

24:16 “Son of man, realize that I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you with a jolt, ²¹  but you must not mourn or weep or shed tears. 24:17 Groan in silence for the dead, ²²  but do not perform mourning rites. ²³  Bind on your turban ²⁴  and put your sandals on your feet. Do not cover your lip ²⁵  and do not eat food brought by others.” ²⁶ 

24:18 So I spoke to the people in the morning, and my wife died in the evening. In the morning ²⁷  I acted just as I was commanded.

Luke 2:35

2:35 Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts ²⁸  of many hearts will be revealed ²⁹  – and a sword ³⁰  will pierce your own soul as well!” ³¹ 

John 11:3

11:3 So the sisters sent a message ³²  to Jesus, ³³  “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.”

John 11:5

11:5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.) ³⁴ 

John 11:14

11:14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,

[22:2]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ² sn Take your son…Isaac. The instructions are very clear, but the details are deliberate. With every additional description the commandment becomes more challenging.

[22:2]  ³ sn There has been much debate over the location of Moriah; 2 Chr 3:1 suggests it may be the site where the temple was later built in Jerusalem.

[22:2]  ⁴ sn A whole burnt offering signified the complete surrender of the worshiper and complete acceptance by God. The demand for a human sacrifice was certainly radical and may have seemed to Abraham out of character for God. Abraham would have to obey without fully understanding what God was about.

[22:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “which I will say to.”

[37:3]  ⁶ tn The disjunctive clause provides supplemental information vital to the story. It explains in part the brothers’ animosity toward Joseph.

[37:3]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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.

[37:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:5]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[37:5]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn The construction uses a hendiadys, “they added to hate,” meaning they hated him even more.

[37:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “the land of the sojournings of his father.”

[37:1]  ¹⁴ 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.

[17:17]  ¹⁵ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ¹⁷ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ¹⁹ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[24:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “a strike.”

[24:17]  ²² tn Or “Groan silently. As to the dead….” Cf. M. Greenberg’s suggestion that דֹּם מֵתִים (dom metim) be taken together and דֹּם be derived from ָדּמַם (damam, “to moan, murmur”). See M. Greenberg, Ezekiel (AB), 2:508.

[24:17]  ²³ tn Heb “(For) the dead mourning you shall not conduct.” In the Hebrew text the word translated “dead” is plural, indicating that mourning rites are in view. Such rites would involve outward demonstrations of one’s sorrow, including wailing and weeping.

[24:17]  ²⁴ sn The turban would normally be removed for mourning (Josh 7:6; 1 Sam 4:12).

[24:17]  ²⁵ sn Mourning rites included covering the lower part of the face. See Lev 13:45.

[24:17]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the bread of men.” The translation follows the suggestion accepted by M. Greenberg (Ezekiel [AB], 2:509) that this refers to a meal brought by comforters to the one mourning. Some repoint the consonantal text to read “the bread of despair” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:56), while others, with support from the Targum and Vulgate, emend the consonantal text to read “the bread of mourners” (see D. I. Block, Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:784).

[24:18]  ²⁷ tn This may refer to the following morning. For a discussion of various interpretive options in understanding the chronology reflected in verse 18, see D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:790.

[2:35]  ²⁸ tn Or “reasonings” (in a hostile sense). See G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:97.

[2:35]  ²⁹ sn The remark the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed shows that how people respond to Jesus indicates where their hearts really are before God.

[2:35]  ³⁰ sn A sword refers to a very large, broad two-edged sword. The language is figurative, picturing great pain. Though it refers in part to the cross, it really includes the pain all of Jesus’ ministry will cause, including the next event in Luke 2:41-52 and extending to the opposition he faced throughout his ministry.

[2:35]  ³¹ sn This remark looks to be parenthetical and addressed to Mary alone, not the nation. Many modern English translations transpose this to make it the final clause in Simeon’s utterance as above to make this clear.

[11:3]  ³² tn The phrase “a message” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from context.

[11:3]  ³³ tn Grk “to him, saying”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:5]  ³⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. It was necessary for the author to reaffirm Jesus’ love for Martha and her sister and Lazarus here because Jesus’ actions in the following verse appear to be contradictory.