Genesis 20:7

20:7 But now give back the man’s wife. Indeed ¹  he is a prophet ²  and he will pray for you; thus you will live. ³  But if you don’t give her back, ⁴  know that you will surely die ⁵  along with all who belong to you.”

Genesis 24:5

24:5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is not willing to come back with me ⁶  to this land? Must I then ⁷  take your son back to the land from which you came?”

Genesis 50:15

50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay ⁸  us in full ⁹  for all the harm ¹⁰  we did to him?”

[20:7]  ¹ tn Or “for,” if the particle is understood as causal (as many English translations do) rather than asseverative.

[20:7]  ² sn For a discussion of the term prophet see N. Walker, “What is a Nabhi?” ZAW 73 (1961): 99-100.

[20:7]  ³ tn After the preceding jussive (or imperfect), the imperative with vav conjunctive here indicates result.

[20:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “if there is not you returning.” The suffix on the particle becomes the subject of the negated clause.

[20:7]  ⁵ tn The imperfect is preceded by the infinitive absolute to make the warning emphatic.

[24:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “to go after me.”

[24:5]  ⁷ tn In the Hebrew text the construction is emphatic; the infinitive absolute precedes the imperfect. However, it is difficult to reflect this emphasis in an English translation.

[50:15]  ¹¹ tn The imperfect tense could be a simple future; it could also have a desiderative nuance.

[50:15]  ¹² tn The infinitive absolute makes the statement emphatic, “repay in full.”

[50:15]  ¹³ tn Or “evil.”