Genesis 18:3

18:3 He said, “My lord, ¹  if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. ² 

Genesis 24:56

24:56 But he said to them, “Don’t detain me – the Lord ³  has granted me success on my journey. Let me leave now so I may return ⁴  to my master.”

Genesis 26:2

26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; ⁵  settle down in the land that I will point out to you. ⁶ 

Genesis 45:20

45:20 Don’t worry ⁷  about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt will be yours.’”

Genesis 45:24

45:24 Then he sent his brothers on their way and they left. He said to them, “As you travel don’t be overcome with fear.” ⁸ 

Genesis 49:4

49:4 You are destructive ⁹  like water and will not excel, ¹⁰ 

for you got on your father’s bed, ¹¹ 

then you defiled it – he got on my couch! ¹² 

Genesis 50:19

50:19 But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am ¹³  I in the place of God?

[18:3]  ¹ tc The MT has the form אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Master”) which is reserved for God. This may reflect later scribal activity. The scribes, knowing it was the Lord, may have put the proper pointing with the word instead of the more common אֲדֹנִי (’adoni, “my master”).

[18:3]  ² tn Heb “do not pass by from upon your servant.”

[24:56]  ³ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial, indicating a reason for the preceding request.

[24:56]  ⁴ tn After the preceding imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.

[26:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “say to you.”

[45:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “let not your eye regard.”

[45:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “do not be stirred up in the way.” The verb means “stir up.” Some understand the Hebrew verb רָגָז (ragaz, “to stir up”) as a reference to quarreling (see Prov 29:9, where it has this connotation), but in Exod 15:14 and other passages it means “to fear.” This might refer to a fear of robbers, but more likely it is an assuring word that they need not be fearful about returning to Egypt. They might have thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them.

[49:4]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).

[49:4]  ¹² tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).

[49:4]  ¹³ sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).

[49:4]  ¹⁴ tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.

[50:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “For am I.”