Genesis 1:4

1:4 God saw ¹  that the light was good, ²  so God separated ³  the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:10

1:10 God called the dry ground “land” ⁴  and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18

1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ⁵  God saw that it was good.

Genesis 9:22

9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ⁶  saw his father’s nakedness ⁷  and told his two brothers who were outside.

Genesis 18:1

Three Special Visitors

18:1 The Lord appeared to Abraham ⁸  by the oaks ⁹  of Mamre while ¹⁰  he was sitting at the entrance ¹¹  to his tent during the hottest time of the day.

Genesis 22:4

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of ¹²  the place in the distance.

Genesis 24:63

24:63 He ¹³  went out to relax ¹⁴  in the field in the early evening. ¹⁵  Then he looked up ¹⁶  and saw that ¹⁷  there were camels approaching.

Genesis 26:2

26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; ¹⁸  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ¹⁹ 

Genesis 28:8

28:8 Then Esau realized ²⁰  that the Canaanite women ²¹  were displeasing to ²²  his father Isaac.

Genesis 29:31

The Family of Jacob

29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, ²³  he enabled her to become pregnant ²⁴  while Rachel remained childless.

Genesis 31:2

31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ²⁵ 

Genesis 35:9

35:9 God appeared to Jacob again after he returned from Paddan Aram and blessed him.

Genesis 38:2

38:2 There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man ²⁶  named Shua. ²⁷  Judah acquired her as a wife ²⁸  and had marital relations with her. ²⁹ 

Genesis 39:3

39:3 His master observed that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he was doing successful. ³⁰ 

Genesis 42:1

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42:1 When Jacob heard ³¹  there was grain in Egypt, he ³²  said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?” ³³ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “And God saw the light, that it was good.” The verb “saw” in this passage carries the meaning “reflected on,” “surveyed,” “concluded,” “noted.” It is a description of reflection of the mind – it is God’s opinion.

[1:4]  ² tn The Hebrew word טוֹב (tov) in this context signifies whatever enhances, promotes, produces, or is conducive for life. It is the light that God considers “good,” not the darkness. Whatever is conducive to life in God’s creation is good, for God himself is good, and that goodness is reflected in all of his works.

[1:4]  ³ tn The verb “separate, divide” here explains how God used the light to dispel the darkness. It did not do away with the darkness completely, but made a separation. The light came alongside the darkness, but they are mutually exclusive – a theme that will be developed in the Gospel of John (cf. John 1:5).

[1:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “earth,” but here the term refers to the dry ground as opposed to the sea.

[1:18]  ⁷ sn In days one to three there is a naming by God; in days five and six there is a blessing by God. But on day four there is neither. It could be a mere stylistic variation. But it could also be a deliberate design to avoid naming “sun” and “moon” or promoting them beyond what they are, things that God made to serve in his creation.

[9:22]  ¹⁰ sn For the second time (see v. 18) the text informs the reader of the relationship between Ham and Canaan. Genesis 10 will explain that Canaan was the ancestor of the Canaanite tribes living in the promised land.

[9:22]  ¹¹ tn Some would translate “had sexual relations with,” arguing that Ham committed a homosexual act with his drunken father for which he was cursed. However, the expression “see nakedness” usually refers to observation of another’s nakedness, not a sexual act (see Gen 42:9, 12 where “nakedness” is used metaphorically to convey the idea of “weakness” or “vulnerability”; Deut 23:14 where “nakedness” refers to excrement; Isa 47:3; Ezek 16:37; Lam 1:8). The following verse (v. 23) clearly indicates that visual observation, not a homosexual act, is in view here. In Lev 20:17 the expression “see nakedness” does appear to be a euphemism for sexual intercourse, but the context there, unlike that of Gen 9:22, clearly indicates that in that passage sexual contact is in view. The expression “see nakedness” does not in itself suggest a sexual connotation. Some relate Gen 9:22 to Lev 18:6-11, 15-19, where the expression “uncover [another’s] nakedness” (the Piel form of גָּלָה, galah) refers euphemistically to sexual intercourse. However, Gen 9:22 does not say Ham “uncovered” the nakedness of his father. According to the text, Noah uncovered himself; Ham merely saw his father naked. The point of the text is that Ham had no respect for his father. Rather than covering his father up, he told his brothers. Noah then gave an oracle that Ham’s descendants, who would be characterized by the same moral abandonment, would be cursed. Leviticus 18 describes that greater evil of the Canaanites (see vv. 24-28).

[18:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “terebinths.”

[18:1]  ¹⁵ tn The disjunctive clause here is circumstantial to the main clause.

[18:1]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew noun translated “entrance” is an adverbial accusative of place.

[22:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “lifted up his eyes and saw.”

[24:63]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Isaac”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:63]  ²⁰ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain (cf. NASB, NIV “to meditate”; NRSV “to walk”).

[24:63]  ²¹ tn Heb “at the turning of the evening.”

[24:63]  ²² tn Heb “And he lifted up his eyes.” This idiom emphasizes the careful look Isaac had at the approaching caravan.

[24:63]  ²³ tn Heb “and look.” The clause introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) invites the audience to view the scene through Isaac’s eyes.

[26:2]  ²² sn Do not go down to Egypt. The words echo Gen 12:10, which reports that “Abram went down to Egypt,” but state the opposite.

[26:2]  ²³ tn Heb “say to you.”

[28:8]  ²⁵ tn Heb “saw.”

[28:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the daughters of Canaan.”

[28:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “evil in the eyes of.”

[29:31]  ²⁸ tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.

[29:31]  ²⁹ tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”

[31:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.

[38:2]  ³⁴ tn Heb “a man, a Canaanite.”

[38:2]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and his name was Shua.”

[38:2]  ³⁶ tn Heb “and he took her.”

[38:2]  ³⁷ tn Heb “and he went to her.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:3]  ³⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds “in his hand,” a phrase not included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “saw.”

[42:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:1]  ⁴² sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.