Genesis 17:3

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ¹  and God said to him, ² 

Genesis 43:31

43:31 Then he washed his face and came out. With composure he said, ³  “Set out the food.”

Genesis 4:5

4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. ⁴  So Cain became very angry, ⁵  and his expression was downcast. ⁶ 

Genesis 32:21

32:21 So the gifts were sent on ahead of him ⁷  while he spent that night in the camp. ⁸ 

Genesis 32:20

32:20 You must also say, ‘In fact your servant Jacob is behind us.’” ⁹  Jacob thought, ¹⁰  “I will first appease him ¹¹  by sending a gift ahead of me. ¹²  After that I will meet him. ¹³  Perhaps he will accept me.” ¹⁴ 

Genesis 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ¹⁵  as he said to himself, ¹⁶  “Can ¹⁷  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ¹⁸  Can Sarah ¹⁹  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ²⁰ 

Genesis 31:21

31:21 He left ²¹  with all he owned. He quickly crossed ²²  the Euphrates River ²³  and headed for ²⁴  the hill country of Gilead.

Genesis 43:34

43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, ²⁵  but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk. ²⁶ 

[17:3]  ¹ tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

[17:3]  ² tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[43:31]  ³ tn Heb “and he controlled himself and said.”

[4:5]  ⁵ sn The Letter to the Hebrews explains the difference between the brothers as one of faith – Abel by faith offered a better sacrifice. Cain’s offering as well as his reaction to God’s displeasure did not reflect faith. See further B. K. Waltke, “Cain and His Offering,” WTJ 48 (1986): 363-72.

[4:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and it was hot to Cain.” This Hebrew idiom means that Cain “burned” with anger.

[4:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “And his face fell.” The idiom means that the inner anger is reflected in Cain’s facial expression. The fallen or downcast face expresses anger, dejection, or depression. Conversely, in Num 6 the high priestly blessing speaks of the Lord lifting up his face and giving peace.

[32:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the gift passed over upon his face.”

[32:21]  ⁸ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial/temporal.

[32:20]  ⁹ tn Heb “and look, your servant Jacob [is] behind us.”

[32:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “for he said.” The referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The Hebrew word מַקֵל (maqel), traditionally represents Jacob’s thought or reasoning, and is therefore translated “thought.”

[32:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I will appease his face.” The cohortative here expresses Jacob’s resolve. In the Book of Leviticus the Hebrew verb translated “appease” has the idea of removing anger due to sin or guilt, a nuance that fits this passage very well. Jacob wanted to buy Esau off with a gift of more than five hundred and fifty animals.

[32:20]  ¹² tn Heb “with a gift going before me.”

[32:20]  ¹³ tn Heb “I will see his face.”

[32:20]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Perhaps he will lift up my face.” In this context the idiom refers to acceptance.

[17:17]  ¹¹ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ¹² tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ¹³ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ¹⁵ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[31:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “and he fled.”

[31:21]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “he arose and crossed.” The first verb emphasizes that he wasted no time in getting across.

[31:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the river”; the referent (the Euphrates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he set his face.”

[43:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”

[43:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and they drank and were intoxicated with him” (cf. NIV “drank freely with him”; NEB “grew merry”; NRSV “were merry”). The brothers were apparently relaxed and set at ease, despite Joseph’s obvious favoritism toward Benjamin.