Genesis 19:4

19:4 Before they could lie down to sleep, ¹  all the men – both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom – surrounded the house. ² 

Genesis 26:10

26:10 Then Abimelech exclaimed, “What in the world have you done to us? ³  One of the men ⁴  might easily have had sexual relations with ⁵  your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us!”

Genesis 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ⁶  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ⁷  He took one of the stones ⁸  and placed it near his head. ⁹  Then he fell asleep ¹⁰  in that place

Genesis 34:2

34:2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, ¹¹  and sexually assaulted her. ¹² 

Genesis 39:7

39:7 Soon after these things, his master’s wife took notice of ¹³  Joseph and said, “Have sex with me.” ¹⁴ 

Genesis 39:10

39:10 Even though she continued to speak ¹⁵  to Joseph day after day, he did not respond ¹⁶  to her invitation to have sex with her. ¹⁷ 

[19:4]  ¹ tn The verb שָׁכַב (shakhav) means “to lie down, to recline,” that is, “to go to bed.” Here what appears to be an imperfect is a preterite after the adverb טֶרֶם (terem). The nuance of potential (perfect) fits well.

[19:4]  ² tn Heb “and the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people from the end [of the city].” The repetition of the phrase “men of” stresses all kinds of men.

[26:10]  ³ tn Heb “What is this you have done to us?” The Hebrew demonstrative pronoun “this” adds emphasis: “What in the world have you done to us?” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[26:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “people.”

[26:10]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew verb means “to lie down.” Here the expression “lie with” or “sleep with” is euphemistic for “have sexual relations with.”

[28:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “the place.” The article may indicate simply that the place is definite in the mind of the narrator. However, as the story unfolds the place is transformed into a holy place. See A. P. Ross, “Jacob’s Vision: The Founding of Bethel,” BSac 142 (1985): 224-37.

[28:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he put [it at] the place of his head.” The text does not actually say the stone was placed under his head to serve as a pillow, although most interpreters and translators assume this. It is possible the stone served some other purpose. Jacob does not seem to have been a committed monotheist yet (see v. 20-21) so he may have believed it contained some spiritual power. Note that later in the story he anticipates the stone becoming the residence of God (see v. 22). Many cultures throughout the world view certain types of stones as magical and/or sacred. See J. G. Fraser, Folklore in the Old Testament, 231-37.

[28:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “lay down.”

[34:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he took her and lay with her.” The suffixed form following the verb appears to be the sign of the accusative instead of the preposition, but see BDB 1012 s.v. שָׁכַב.

[34:2]  ⁸ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) in the Piel stem can have various shades of meaning, depending on the context: “to defile; to mistreat; to violate; to rape; to shame; to afflict.” Here it means that Shechem violated or humiliated Dinah by raping her.

[39:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “she lifted up her eyes toward,” an expression that emphasizes her deliberate and careful scrutiny of him.

[39:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “lie with me.” Here the expression “lie with” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.

[39:10]  ¹¹ tn The verse begins with the temporal indicator, followed by the infinitive construct with the preposition כְּ (kÿ). This clause could therefore be taken as temporal.

[39:10]  ¹² tn Heb “listen to.”

[39:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “to lie beside her to be with her.” Here the expression “to lie beside” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.