Genesis 26:12

26:12 When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, ¹  because the Lord blessed him. ² 

Genesis 39:5

39:5 From the time ³  Potiphar ⁴  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁵  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ⁶  in his house and in his fields. ⁷ 

Amos 9:13-14

9:13 “Be sure of this, ⁸  the time is ⁹  coming,” says the Lord,

“when the plowman will catch up to the reaper ¹⁰ 

and the one who stomps the grapes ¹¹  will overtake ¹²  the planter. ¹³ 

Juice will run down the slopes, ¹⁴ 

it will flow down all the hillsides. ¹⁵ 

9:14 I will bring back my people, Israel; ¹⁶ 

they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble ¹⁷  and settle down. ¹⁸ 

They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce; ¹⁹ 

they will grow orchards ²⁰  and eat the fruit they produce. ²¹ 

Haggai 2:19

2:19 The seed is still in the storehouse, isn’t it? And the vine, fig tree, pomegranate, and olive tree have not produced. Nevertheless, from today on I will bless you.’”

Malachi 3:10-11

3:10 “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse ²²  so that there may be food in my temple. Test me in this matter,” says the Lord who rules over all, “to see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until there is no room for it all. 3:11 Then I will stop the plague ²³  from ruining your crops, ²⁴  and the vine will not lose its fruit before harvest,” says the Lord who rules over all.

[26:12]  ¹ tn Heb “a hundredfold.”

[26:12]  ² tn This final clause explains why Isaac had such a bountiful harvest.

[39:5]  ³ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ⁵ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ⁷ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.

[9:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “behold” or “look.”

[9:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “the days are.”

[9:13]  ¹⁰ sn The plowman will catch up to the reaper. Plowing occurred in October-November, and harvesting in April-May (see P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 109.) But in the future age of restored divine blessing, there will be so many crops the reapers will take all summer to harvest them, and it will be time for plowing again before the harvest is finished.

[9:13]  ¹¹ sn When the grapes had been harvested, they were placed in a press where workers would stomp on them with their feet and squeeze out the juice. For a discussion of grape harvesting technique, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-12.

[9:13]  ¹² tn The verb is omitted here in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation from the parallel line.

[9:13]  ¹³ sn The grape harvest occurred in August-September, planting in November-December (see P. King, Amos, Hosea, Micah, 109). But in the future age described here there will be so many grapes the workers who stomp them will still be working when the next planting season arrives.

[9:13]  ¹⁴ tn Or “hills,” where the vineyards were planted.

[9:13]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and all the hills will melt.”

[9:14]  ¹⁶ tn This line can also be translated “I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel” and is a common idiom (e.g., Deut 30:3; Jer 30:3; Hos 6:11; Zeph 3:20). This rendering is followed by several modern English versions (e.g., NEB, NRSV, NJPS).

[9:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “the ruined [or “desolate”] cities.”

[9:14]  ¹⁸ tn Or “and live [in them].”

[9:14]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “drink their wine.”

[9:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “gardens.”

[9:14]  ²¹ tn Heb “eat their fruit.”

[3:10]  ²² tn The Hebrew phrase בֵּית הָאוֹצָר (bet ha’otsar, here translated “storehouse”) refers to a kind of temple warehouse described more fully in Nehemiah (where the term לִשְׁכָּה גְדוֹלָה [lishkah gÿdolah, “great chamber”] is used) as a place for storing grain, frankincense, temple vessels, wine, and oil (Neh 13:5). Cf. TEV “to the Temple.”

[3:11]  ²³ tn Heb “the eater” (אֹכֵל, ’okhel), a general term for any kind of threat to crops and livelihood. This is understood as a reference to a locust plague by a number of English versions: NAB, NRSV “the locust”; NIV “pests”; NCV, TEV “insects.”

[3:11]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and I will rebuke for you the eater and it will not ruin for you the fruit of the ground.”