Genesis 41:38-39

41:38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find a man like Joseph, ¹  one in whom the Spirit of God is present?” ²  41:39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has enabled you to know all this, there is no one as wise and discerning ³  as you are!

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 4:1

The Story of Cain and Abel

4:1 Now ⁶  the man had marital relations with ⁷  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ⁸  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ⁹  a man just as the Lord did!” ¹⁰ 

Acts 7:22

7:22 So Moses was trained ¹¹  in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful ¹²  in his words and deeds.

[41:38]  ¹ 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]  ² tn The rhetorical question expects the answer “No, of course not!”

[41:39]  ³ tn Heb “as discerning and wise.” The order has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “two years, days.”

[41:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “was dreaming.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) introduces a new episode in the ongoing narrative.

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “the man knew,” a frequent euphemism for sexual relations.

[4:1]  ⁸ tn Or “she conceived.”

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Here is another sound play (paronomasia) on a name. The sound of the verb קָנִיתִי (qaniti, “I have created”) reflects the sound of the name Cain in Hebrew (קַיִן, qayin) and gives meaning to it. The saying uses the Qal perfect of קָנָה (qanah). There are two homonymic verbs with this spelling, one meaning “obtain, acquire” and the other meaning “create” (see Gen 14:19, 22; Deut 32:6; Ps 139:13; Prov 8:22). The latter fits this context very well. Eve has created a man.

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “with the Lord.” The particle אֶת־ (’et) is not the accusative/object sign, but the preposition “with” as the ancient versions attest. Some take the preposition in the sense of “with the help of” (see BDB 85 s.v. אֵת; cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV), while others prefer “along with” in the sense of “like, equally with, in common with” (see Lev 26:39; Isa 45:9; Jer 23:28). Either works well in this context; the latter is reflected in the present translation. Some understand אֶת־ as the accusative/object sign and translate, “I have acquired a man – the Lord.” They suggest that the woman thought (mistakenly) that she had given birth to the incarnate Lord, the Messiah who would bruise the Serpent’s head. This fanciful suggestion is based on a questionable allegorical interpretation of Gen 3:15 (see the note there on the word “heel”).

[7:22]  ¹¹ tn Or “instructed.”

[7:22]  ¹² tn Or “was able” (BDAG 264 s.v. δυνατός 1.b.α).