Genesis 23:6

23:6 “Listen, sir, ¹  you are a mighty prince ²  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ³  from burying your dead.”

Genesis 42:21

42:21 They said to one other, ⁴  “Surely we’re being punished ⁵  because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was ⁶  when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress ⁷  has come on us!”

[23:6]  ¹ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

[23:6]  ² tn Heb “prince of God.” The divine name may be used here as a means of expressing the superlative, “mighty prince.” The word for “prince” probably means “tribal chief” here. See M. H. Gottstein, “Nasi’ ‘elohim (Gen 23:6),” VT 3 (1953) 298-99; and D. W. Thomas, “Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953) 215-16.

[23:6]  ³ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man to his neighbor.”

[42:21]  ⁵ tn Or “we are guilty”; the Hebrew word can also refer to the effect of being guilty, i.e., “we are being punished for guilt.”

[42:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “the distress of his soul.”

[42:21]  ⁷ sn The repetition of the Hebrew noun translated distress draws attention to the fact that they regard their present distress as appropriate punishment for their refusal to ignore their brother when he was in distress.