Genesis 1:31

1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! ¹  There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 4:4

4:4 But Abel brought ²  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest ³  of them. And the Lord was pleased with ⁴  Abel and his offering,

Genesis 15:4

15:4 But look, ⁵  the word of the Lord came to him: “This man ⁶  will not be your heir, ⁷  but instead ⁸  a son ⁹  who comes from your own body will be ¹⁰  your heir.” ¹¹ 

Genesis 19:11

19:11 Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, from the youngest to the oldest, ¹²  with blindness. The men outside ¹³  wore themselves out trying to find the door.

Genesis 24:51

24:51 Rebekah stands here before you. Take her and go so that she may become ¹⁴  the wife of your master’s son, just as the Lord has decided.” ¹⁵ 

Genesis 31:5

31:5 There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, ¹⁶  but the God of my father has been with me.

Genesis 36:24

36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs ¹⁷  in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

Genesis 42:2

42:2 He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us ¹⁸  so that we may live ¹⁹  and not die.” ²⁰ 

Genesis 42:9

42:9 Then Joseph remembered ²¹  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ²² 

Genesis 43:30

43:30 Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother ²³  and was at the point of tears. ²⁴  So he went to his room and wept there.

Genesis 47:23

47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate ²⁵  the land.

[1:31]  ¹ tn The Hebrew text again uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) for the sake of vividness. It is a particle that goes with the gesture of pointing, calling attention to something.

[4:4]  ² tn Heb “But Abel brought, also he….” The disjunctive clause (conjunction + subject + verb) stresses the contrast between Cain’s offering and Abel’s.

[4:4]  ³ tn Two prepositional phrases are used to qualify the kind of sacrifice that Abel brought: “from the firstborn” and “from the fattest of them.” These also could be interpreted as a hendiadys: “from the fattest of the firstborn of the flock.” Another option is to understand the second prepositional phrase as referring to the fat portions of the sacrificial sheep. In this case one may translate, “some of the firstborn of his flock, even some of their fat portions” (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV).

[4:4]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew verb שָׁעָה (sha’ah) simply means “to gaze at, to have regard for, to look on with favor [or “with devotion”].” The text does not indicate how this was communicated, but it indicates that Cain and Abel knew immediately. Either there was some manifestation of divine pleasure given to Abel and withheld from Cain (fire consuming the sacrifice?), or there was an inner awareness of divine response.

[15:4]  ³ tn The disjunctive draws attention to God’s response and the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, translated “look”) mirrors Abram’s statement in v. 3 and highlights the fact that God responded to Abram.

[15:4]  ⁴ tn The subject of the verb is the demonstrative pronoun, which can be translated “this one” or “this man.” That the Lord does not mention him by name is significant; often in ancient times the use of the name would bring legitimacy to inheritance and adoption cases.

[15:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “inherit you.”

[15:4]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew כִּי־אִם (ki-’im) forms a very strong adversative.

[15:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “he who”; the implied referent (Abram’s unborn son who will be his heir) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:4]  ⁸ tn The pronoun could also be an emphatic subject: “whoever comes out of your body, he will inherit you.”

[15:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “will inherit you.”

[19:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “from the least to the greatest.”

[19:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men of Sodom outside the door) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:51]  ⁵ tn Following the imperatives, the jussive with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[24:51]  ⁶ tn Heb “as the Lord has spoken.”

[31:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “I see the face of your father, that he is not toward me as formerly.”

[36:24]  ⁷ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”

[42:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:2]  ⁹ tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.

[42:2]  ¹⁰ tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

[42:9]  ⁹ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

[42:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

[43:30]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for his affection boiled up concerning his brother.” The same expression is used in 1 Kgs 3:26 for the mother’s feelings for her endangered child.

[43:30]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he sought to weep.”

[47:23]  ¹¹ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.