Genesis 19:14

19:14 Then Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law who were going to marry his daughters. ¹  He said, “Quick, get out of this place because the Lord is about to destroy ²  the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was ridiculing them. ³ 

Genesis 22:3

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. ⁴  He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out ⁵  for the place God had spoken to him about.

Genesis 24:7

24:7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and the land of my relatives, ⁶  promised me with a solemn oath, ⁷  ‘To your descendants I will give this land.’ He will send his angel ⁸  before you so that you may find ⁹  a wife for my son from there.

Genesis 26:24

26:24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

Genesis 37:10

37:10 When he told his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him, saying, “What is this dream that you had? ¹⁰  Will I, your mother, and your brothers really come and bow down to you?” ¹¹ 

Genesis 43:18

43:18 But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “We are being brought in because of ¹²  the money that was returned in our sacks last time. ¹³  He wants to capture us, ¹⁴  make us slaves, and take ¹⁵  our donkeys!”

Genesis 46:34

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ¹⁶  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ¹⁷  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ¹⁸  to the Egyptians.”

[19:14]  ¹ sn The language has to be interpreted in the light of the context and the social customs. The men are called “sons-in-law” (literally “the takers of his daughters”), but the daughters had not yet had sex with a man. It is better to translate the phrase “who were going to marry his daughters.” Since formal marriage contracts were binding, the husbands-to-be could already be called sons-in-law.

[19:14]  ² tn The Hebrew active participle expresses an imminent action.

[19:14]  ³ tn Heb “and he was like one taunting in the eyes of his sons-in-law.” These men mistakenly thought Lot was ridiculing them and their lifestyle. Their response illustrates how morally insensitive they had become.

[22:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey.”

[22:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “he arose and he went.”

[24:7]  ⁷ tn Or “the land of my birth.”

[24:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying.”

[24:7]  ⁹ tn Or “his messenger.”

[24:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “before you and you will take.”

[37:10]  ¹⁰ sn The question What is this dream that you had? expresses Jacob’s dismay at what he perceives to be Joseph’s audacity.

[37:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Coming, will we come, I and your mother and your brothers, to bow down to you to the ground?” The verb “come” is preceded by the infinitive absolute, which lends emphasis. It is as if Jacob said, “You don’t really think we will come…to bow down…do you?”

[43:18]  ¹³ tn Heb “over the matter of.”

[43:18]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in the beginning,” that is, at the end of their first visit.

[43:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to roll himself upon us and to cause himself to fall upon us.” The infinitives here indicate the purpose (as viewed by the brothers) for their being brought to Joseph’s house.

[43:18]  ¹⁶ tn The word “take” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[46:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

[46:34]  ¹⁷ sn So that you may live in the land of Goshen. Joseph is apparently trying to stress to Pharaoh that his family is self-sufficient, that they will not be a drain on the economy of Egypt. But they will need land for their animals and so Goshen, located on the edge of Egypt, would be a suitable place for them to live. The settled Egyptians were uneasy with nomadic people, but if Jacob and his family settled in Goshen they would represent no threat.

[46:34]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “is an abomination.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 43:32 and Exod 8:22.