Genesis 18:10

18:10 One of them ¹  said, “I will surely return ²  to you when the season comes round again, ³  and your wife Sarah will have a son!” ⁴  (Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, not far behind him. ⁵ 

Genesis 24:15

24:15 Before he had finished praying, there came Rebekah ⁶  with her water jug on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah (Milcah was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor). ⁷ 

Genesis 24:45

24:45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, ⁸  along came Rebekah ⁹  with her water jug on her shoulder! She went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

Genesis 50:4

50:4 When the days of mourning ¹⁰  had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s royal court, ¹¹  “If I have found favor in your sight, please say to Pharaoh, ¹² 

[18:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (one of the three men introduced in v. 2) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some English translations have specified the referent as the Lord (cf. RSV, NIV) based on vv. 1, 13, but the Hebrew text merely has “he said” at this point, referring to one of the three visitors. Aside from the introductory statement in v. 1, the incident is narrated from Abraham’s point of view, and the suspense is built up for the reader as Abraham’s elaborate banquet preparations in the preceding verses suggest he suspects these are important guests. But not until the promise of a son later in this verse does it become clear who is speaking. In v. 13 the Hebrew text explicitly mentions the Lord.

[18:10]  ² tn The Hebrew construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the imperfect tense.

[18:10]  ³ tn Heb “as/when the time lives” or “revives,” possibly referring to the springtime.

[18:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “and there will be (הִנֵּה, hinneh) a son for Sarah.”

[18:10]  ⁵ tn This is the first of two disjunctive parenthetical clauses preparing the reader for Sarah’s response (see v. 12).

[24:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out!” Using the participle introduced with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator dramatically transports the audience back into the event and invites them to see Rebekah through the servant’s eyes.

[24:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out – [she] who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, the brother of Abraham – and her jug [was] on her shoulder.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:45]  ¹¹ tn Heb “As for me, before I finished speaking to my heart.” The adverb טֶרֶם (terem) indicates the verb is a preterite; the infinitive that follows is the direct object.

[24:45]  ¹² tn Heb “Look, Rebekah was coming out.” As in 24:15, the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) is used here for dramatic effect.

[50:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “weeping.”

[50:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the house of Pharaoh.”

[50:4]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “in the ears of Pharaoh.”