Genesis 28:11

28:11 He reached a certain place ¹  where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. ²  He took one of the stones ³  and placed it near his head. ⁴  Then he fell asleep ⁵  in that place

Genesis 40:8

40:8 They told him, “We both had dreams, ⁶  but there is no one to interpret them.” Joseph responded, “Don’t interpretations belong to God? Tell them ⁷  to me.”

Genesis 41:8

41:8 In the morning he ⁸  was troubled, so he called for ⁹  all the diviner-priests ¹⁰  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ¹¹  but no one could interpret ¹²  them for him. ¹³ 

Genesis 41:15

41:15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, ¹⁴  and there is no one who can interpret ¹⁵  it. But I have heard about you, that ¹⁶  you can interpret dreams.” ¹⁷ 

Genesis 42:28

42:28 He said to his brothers, “My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!” They were dismayed; ¹⁸  they turned trembling one to another ¹⁹  and said, “What in the world has God done to us?” ²⁰ 

[28:11]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Heb “and he spent the night there because the sun had gone down.”

[28:11]  ³ tn Heb “he took from the stones of the place,” which here means Jacob took one of the stones (see v. 18).

[28:11]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “lay down.”

[40:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “a dream we dreamed.”

[40:8]  ⁷ tn The word “them” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:8]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[41:8]  ¹² tn Heb “he sent and called,” which indicates an official summons.

[41:8]  ¹³ tn The Hebrew term חַרְטֹם (khartom) is an Egyptian loanword (hyr-tp) that describes a class of priests who were skilled in such interpretations.

[41:8]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text has the singular (though the Samaritan Pentateuch reads the plural). If retained, the singular must be collective for the set of dreams. Note the plural pronoun “them,” referring to the dreams, in the next clause. However, note that in v. 15 Pharaoh uses the singular to refer to the two dreams. In vv. 17-24 Pharaoh seems to treat the dreams as two parts of one dream (see especially v. 22).

[41:8]  ¹⁵ tn “there was no interpreter.”

[41:8]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “for Pharaoh.” The pronoun “him” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[41:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “dreamed a dream.”

[41:15]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “there is no one interpreting.”

[41:15]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “saying.”

[41:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “you hear a dream to interpret it,” which may mean, “you only have to hear a dream to be able to interpret it.”

[42:28]  ²¹ tn Heb “and their heart went out.” Since this expression is used only here, the exact meaning is unclear. The following statement suggests that it may refer to a sudden loss of emotional strength, so “They were dismayed” adequately conveys the meaning (cf. NRSV); NIV has “Their hearts sank.”

[42:28]  ²² tn Heb “and they trembled, a man to his neighbor.”

[42:28]  ²³ tn Heb “What is this God has done to us?” The demonstrative pronoun (“this”) adds emphasis to the question.