Genesis 18:6

18:6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Take ¹  three measures ²  of fine flour, knead it, and make bread.” ³ 

Genesis 40:10

40:10 On the vine there were three branches. As it budded, its blossoms opened and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Genesis 40:19

40:19 In three more days Pharaoh will decapitate you ⁴  and impale you on a pole. Then the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

Genesis 45:22

45:22 He gave sets of clothes to each one of them, ⁵  but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of clothes. ⁶ 

Genesis 46:15

46:15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with Dinah his daughter. His sons and daughters numbered thirty-three in all. ⁷ 

[18:6]  ¹ tn The word “take” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text the sentence lacks a verb other than the imperative “hurry.” The elliptical structure of the language reflects Abraham’s haste to get things ready quickly.

[18:6]  ² sn Three measures (Heb “three seahs”) was equivalent to about twenty quarts (twenty-two liters) of flour, which would make a lot of bread. The animal prepared for the meal was far more than the three visitors needed. This was a banquet for royalty. Either it had been a lonely time for Abraham and the presence of visitors made him very happy, or he sensed this was a momentous visit.

[18:6]  ³ sn The bread was the simple, round bread made by bedouins that is normally prepared quickly for visitors.

[40:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “Pharaoh will lift up your head from upon you.” Joseph repeats the same expression from the first interpretation (see v. 13), but with the added words “from upon you,” which allow the statement to have a more literal and ominous meaning – the baker will be decapitated.

[45:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “to all of them he gave, to each one, changes of outer garments.”

[45:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “changes of outer garments.”

[46:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all the lives of his sons and his daughters, thirty-three.”