Genesis 27:41

27:41 So Esau hated ¹  Jacob because of the blessing his father had given to his brother. ²  Esau said privately, ³  “The time ⁴  of mourning for my father is near; then I will kill ⁵  my brother Jacob!”

Genesis 39:5

39:5 From the time ⁶  Potiphar ⁷  appointed him over his household and over all that he owned, the Lord blessed ⁸  the Egyptian’s household for Joseph’s sake. The blessing of the Lord was on everything that he had, both ⁹  in his house and in his fields. ¹⁰ 

[27:41]  ¹ tn Or “bore a grudge against” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV). The Hebrew verb שָׂטַם (satam) describes persistent hatred.

[27:41]  ² tn Heb “because of the blessing which his father blessed him.”

[27:41]  ³ tn Heb “said in his heart.” The expression may mean “said to himself.” Even if this is the case, v. 42 makes it clear that he must have shared his intentions with someone, because the news reached Rebekah.

[27:41]  ⁴ tn Heb “days.”

[27:41]  ⁵ tn The cohortative here expresses Esau’s determined resolve to kill Jacob.

[39:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and it was from then.”

[39:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:5]  ⁸ sn The Hebrew word translated blessed carries the idea of enrichment, prosperity, success. It is the way believers describe success at the hand of God. The text illustrates the promise made to Abraham that whoever blesses his descendants will be blessed (Gen 12:1-3).

[39:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the house and in the field.” The word “both” has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[39:5]  ¹⁰ sn The passage gives us a good picture of Joseph as a young man who was responsible and faithful, both to his master and to his God. This happened within a very short time of his being sold into Egypt. It undermines the view that Joseph was a liar, a tattletale, and an arrogant adolescent.