Genesis 13:6

13:6 But the land could ¹  not support them while they were living side by side. ²  Because their possessions were so great, they were not able to live ³  alongside one another.

Genesis 37:4

37:4 When Joseph’s ⁴  brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, ⁵  they hated Joseph ⁶  and were not able to speak to him kindly. ⁷ 

Genesis 45:3

45:3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were dumbfounded before him.

[13:6]  ¹ tn The potential nuance for the perfect tense is necessary here, and supported by the parallel clause that actually uses “to be able.”

[13:6]  ² tn The infinitive construct לָשֶׁבֶת (lashevet, from יָשַׁב, yashav) explains what it was that the land could not support: “the land could not support them to live side by side.” See further J. C. de Moor, “Lexical Remarks Concerning Yahad and Yahdaw,” VT 7 (1957): 350-55.

[13:6]  ³ tn The same infinitive occurs here, serving as the object of the verb.

[37:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “of his brothers.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun “them.”

[37:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[37:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “speak to him for peace.”