Discovery BoxGenesis 29:1--30:43
Context29:1 So Jacob moved on 1 and came to the land of the eastern people. 2 29:2 He saw 3 in the field a well with 4 three flocks of sheep lying beside it, because the flocks were watered from that well. Now 5 a large stone covered the mouth of the well. 29:3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds 6 would roll the stone off the mouth of the well and water the sheep. Then they would put the stone back in its place over the well’s mouth.
29:4 Jacob asked them, “My brothers, where are you from?” They replied, “We’re from Haran.” 29:5 So he said to them, “Do you know Laban, the grandson 7 of Nahor?” “We know him,” 8 they said. 29:6 “Is he well?” 9 Jacob asked. They replied, “He is well. 10 Now look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.” 29:7 Then Jacob 11 said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, 12 it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” 13 29:8 “We can’t,” they said, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well. Then we water 14 the sheep.”
29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. 15 29:10 When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, 16 and the sheep of his uncle Laban, he 17 went over 18 and rolled the stone off the mouth of the well and watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. 19 29:11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep loudly. 20 29:12 When Jacob explained 21 to Rachel that he was a relative of her father 22 and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father. 29:13 When Laban heard this news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he rushed out to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. Jacob 23 told Laban how he was related to him. 24 29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” 25 So Jacob 26 stayed with him for a month. 27
29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Should you work 28 for me for nothing because you are my relative? 29 Tell me what your wages should be.” 29:16 (Now Laban had two daughters; 30 the older one was named Leah, and the younger one Rachel. 29:17 Leah’s eyes were tender, 31 but Rachel had a lovely figure and beautiful appearance.) 32 29:18 Since Jacob had fallen in love with 33 Rachel, he said, “I’ll serve you seven years in exchange for your younger daughter Rachel.” 29:19 Laban replied, “I’d rather give her to you than to another man. 34 Stay with me.” 29:20 So Jacob worked for seven years to acquire Rachel. 35 But they seemed like only a few days to him 36 because his love for her was so great. 37
29:21 Finally Jacob said 38 to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time of service is up. 39 I want to have marital relations with her.” 40 29:22 So Laban invited all the people 41 of that place and prepared a feast. 29:23 In the evening he brought his daughter Leah 42 to Jacob, 43 and Jacob 44 had marital relations with her. 45 29:24 (Laban gave his female servant Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her servant.) 46
29:25 In the morning Jacob discovered it was Leah! 47 So Jacob 48 said to Laban, “What in the world have you done to me! 49 Didn’t I work for you in exchange for Rachel? Why have you tricked 50 me?” 29:26 “It is not our custom here,” 51 Laban replied, “to give the younger daughter in marriage 52 before the firstborn. 29:27 Complete my older daughter’s bridal week. 53 Then we will give you the younger one 54 too, in exchange for seven more years of work.” 55
29:28 Jacob did as Laban said. 56 When Jacob 57 completed Leah’s bridal week, 58 Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 59 29:29 (Laban gave his female servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her servant.) 60 29:30 Jacob 61 had marital relations 62 with Rachel as well. He loved Rachel more than Leah, so he worked for Laban 63 for seven more years. 64
29:31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, 65 he enabled her to become pregnant 66 while Rachel remained childless. 29:32 So Leah became pregnant 67 and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, 68 for she said, “The Lord has looked with pity on my oppressed condition. 69 Surely my husband will love me now.”
29:33 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Because the Lord heard that I was unloved, 70 he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon. 71
29:34 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “Now this time my husband will show me affection, 72 because I have given birth to three sons for him.” That is why he was named Levi. 73
29:35 She became pregnant again and had another son. She said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” That is why she named him Judah. 74 Then she stopped having children.
30:1 When Rachel saw that she could not give Jacob children, she 75 became jealous of her sister. She said to Jacob, “Give me children 76 or I’ll die!” 30:2 Jacob became furious 77 with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” 78 30:3 She replied, “Here is my servant Bilhah! Have sexual relations with 79 her so that she can bear 80 children 81 for me 82 and I can have a family through her.” 83
30:4 So Rachel 84 gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife, and Jacob had marital relations with 85 her. 30:5 Bilhah became pregnant 86 and gave Jacob a son. 87 30:6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me. He has responded to my prayer 88 and given me a son.” That is why 89 she named him Dan. 90
30:7 Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, became pregnant again and gave Jacob another son. 91 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have fought a desperate struggle with my sister, but I have won.” 92 So she named him Naphtali. 93
30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave 94 her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. 30:10 Soon Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob a son. 95 30:11 Leah said, “How fortunate!” 96 So she named him Gad. 97
30:12 Then Leah’s servant Zilpah gave Jacob another son. 98 30:13 Leah said, “How happy I am, 99 for women 100 will call me happy!” So she named him Asher. 101
30:14 At the time 102 of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants 103 in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 30:15 But Leah replied, 104 “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” 105 Rachel said, “he may sleep 106 with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 30:16 When Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must sleep 107 with me because I have paid for your services 108 with my son’s mandrakes.” So he had marital relations 109 with her that night. 30:17 God paid attention 110 to Leah; she became pregnant 111 and gave Jacob a son for the fifth time. 112 30:18 Then Leah said, “God has granted me a reward 113 because I gave my servant to my husband as a wife.” 114 So she named him Issachar. 115
30:19 Leah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a son for the sixth time. 116 30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. 117
30:21 After that she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
30:22 Then God took note of 118 Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 119 30:23 She became pregnant 120 and gave birth to a son. Then she said, “God has taken away my shame.” 121 30:24 She named him Joseph, 122 saying, “May the Lord give me yet another son.”
30:25 After Rachel had given birth 123 to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send 124 me on my way so that I can go 125 home to my own country. 126 30:26 Let me take my wives and my children whom I have acquired by working for you. 127 Then I’ll depart, 128 because you know how hard I’ve worked for you.” 129
30:27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please stay here, 130 for I have learned by divination 131 that the Lord has blessed me on account of you.” 30:28 He added, “Just name your wages – I’ll pay whatever you want.” 132
30:29 “You know how I have worked for you,” Jacob replied, 133 “and how well your livestock have fared under my care. 134 30:30 Indeed, 135 you had little before I arrived, 136 but now your possessions have increased many times over. 137 The Lord has blessed you wherever I worked. 138 But now, how long must it be before I do something for my own family too?” 139
30:31 So Laban asked, 140 “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” 141 Jacob replied, 142 “but if you agree to this one condition, 143 I will continue to care for 144 your flocks and protect them: 30:32 Let me walk among 145 all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb, 146 and the spotted or speckled goats. 147 These animals will be my wages. 148 30:33 My integrity will testify for me 149 later on. 150 When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, 151 if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.” 152 30:34 “Agreed!” said Laban, “It will be as you say.” 153
30:35 So that day Laban 154 removed the male goats that were streaked or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted (all that had any white on them), and all the dark-colored lambs, and put them in the care 155 of his sons. 30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, 156 while 157 Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.
30:37 But Jacob took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He made white streaks by peeling them, making the white inner wood in the branches visible. 30:38 Then he set up the peeled branches in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He set up the branches in front of the flocks when they were in heat and came to drink. 158 30:39 When the sheep mated 159 in front of the branches, they 160 gave birth to young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 30:40 Jacob removed these lambs, but he made the rest of the flock face 161 the streaked and completely dark-colored animals in Laban’s flock. So he made separate flocks for himself and did not mix them with Laban’s flocks. 30:41 When the stronger females were in heat, 162 Jacob would set up the branches in the troughs in front of the flock, so they would mate near the branches. 30:42 But if the animals were weaker, he did not set the branches there. 163 So the weaker animals ended up belonging to Laban 164 and the stronger animals to Jacob. 30:43 In this way Jacob 165 became extremely prosperous. He owned 166 large flocks, male and female servants, camels, and donkeys.
Genesis 35:23
Context35:23 The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 49:1-33
Context49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you 167 what will happen to you in the future. 168
49:2 “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob;
listen to Israel, your father.
49:3 Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might and the beginning of my strength,
outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.
49:4 You are destructive 169 like water and will not excel, 170
for you got on your father’s bed, 171
then you defiled it – he got on my couch! 172
49:5 Simeon and Levi are brothers,
weapons of violence are their knives! 173
49:6 O my soul, do not come into their council,
do not be united to their assembly, my heart, 174
for in their anger they have killed men,
and for pleasure they have hamstrung oxen.
49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce,
and their fury, for it was cruel.
I will divide them in Jacob,
and scatter them in Israel! 175
49:8 Judah, 176 your brothers will praise you.
Your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,
your father’s sons will bow down before you.
49:9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness – who will rouse him?
49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, 177
until he comes to whom it belongs; 178
the nations will obey him. 179
49:11 Binding his foal to the vine,
and his colt to the choicest vine,
he will wash 180 his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
49:12 His eyes will be dark from wine,
and his teeth white from milk. 181
49:13 Zebulun will live 182 by the haven of the sea
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend to Sidon. 183
49:14 Issachar is a strong-boned donkey
lying down between two saddlebags.
49:15 When he sees 184 a good resting place,
and the pleasant land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and become a slave laborer. 185
49:16 Dan 186 will judge 187 his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
49:17 May Dan be a snake beside the road,
a viper by the path,
that bites the heels of the horse
so that its rider falls backward. 188
49:18 I wait for your deliverance, O Lord. 189
49:19 Gad will be raided by marauding bands,
but he will attack them at their heels. 190
49:20 Asher’s 191 food will be rich, 192
and he will provide delicacies 193 to royalty.
49:21 Naphtali is a free running doe, 194
he speaks delightful words. 195
49:22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, 196
a fruitful bough near a spring
whose branches 197 climb over the wall.
49:23 The archers will attack him, 198
they will shoot at him and oppose him.
49:24 But his bow will remain steady,
and his hands 199 will be skillful;
because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of 200 the Shepherd, the Rock 201 of Israel,
49:25 because of the God of your father,
who will help you, 202
because of the sovereign God, 203
who will bless you 204
with blessings from the sky above,
blessings from the deep that lies below,
and blessings of the breasts and womb. 205
49:26 The blessings of your father are greater
than 206 the blessings of the eternal mountains 207
or the desirable things of the age-old hills.
They will be on the head of Joseph
and on the brow of the prince of his brothers. 208
49:27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning devouring the prey,
and in the evening dividing the plunder.”
49:28 These 209 are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each of them an appropriate blessing. 210
49:29 Then he instructed them, 211 “I am about to go 212 to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 49:30 It is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought for a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite. 49:31 There they buried Abraham and his wife Sarah; there they buried Isaac and his wife Rebekah; and there I buried Leah. 49:32 The field and the cave in it were acquired from the sons of Heth.” 213
49:33 When Jacob finished giving these instructions to his sons, he pulled his feet up onto the bed, breathed his last breath, and went 214 to his people.
Exodus 1:1-5
Context1:1 215 These 216 are the names 217 of the sons of Israel 218 who entered Egypt – each man with his household 219 entered with Jacob: 1:2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, 1:3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, 1:4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 1:5 All the people 220 who were directly descended 221 from Jacob numbered seventy. 222 But Joseph was already in Egypt, 223
Exodus 6:14-18
Context6:14 224 These are the heads of their fathers’ households: 225
The sons 226 of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans 227 of Reuben.
6:15 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
6:16 Now these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their records: 228 Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. (The length of Levi’s life was 137 years.)
6:17 The sons of Gershon, by their families, were Libni and Shimei.
6:18 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. (The length of Kohath’s life was 133 years.)
Exodus 6:1
Context6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, 229 for compelled by my strong hand 230 he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 231
Exodus 2:1
Context2:1 232 A man from the household 233 of Levi married 234 a woman who was a descendant of Levi. 235
Exodus 8:1
Context8:1 (7:26) 236 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Release my people in order that they may serve me!
[29:1] 1 tn Heb “and Jacob lifted up his feet.” This unusual expression suggests that Jacob had a new lease on life now that God had promised him the blessing he had so desperately tried to gain by his own efforts. The text portrays him as having a new step in his walk.
[29:1] 2 tn Heb “the land of the sons of the east.”
[29:2] 3 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.” As in Gen 28:12-15, the narrator uses the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) here and in the next clause to draw the reader into the story.
[29:2] 4 tn Heb “and look, there.”
[29:2] 5 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the noun with the prefixed conjunction) provides supplemental information that is important to the story.
[29:3] 6 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the shepherds) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:5] 8 tn Heb “and they said, ‘We know.’” The word “him” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. In the translation several introductory clauses throughout this section have been placed after the direct discourse they introduce for stylistic reasons as well.
[29:6] 9 tn Heb “and he said to them, ‘Is there peace to him?’”
[29:7] 11 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:7] 12 tn Heb “the day is great.”
[29:7] 13 tn Heb “water the sheep and go and pasture [them].” The verbal forms are imperatives, but Jacob would hardly be giving direct orders to someone else’s shepherds. The nuance here is probably one of advice.
[29:8] 14 tn The perfect verbal forms with the vav (ו) consecutive carry on the sequence begun by the initial imperfect form.
[29:9] 15 tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”
[29:10] 16 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother” (twice in this verse).
[29:10] 17 tn Heb “Jacob.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:10] 18 tn Heb “drew near, approached.”
[29:10] 19 tn Heb “Laban, the brother of his mother.” The text says nothing initially about the beauty of Rachel. But the reader is struck by the repetition of “Laban the brother of his mother.” G. J. Wenham is no doubt correct when he observes that Jacob’s primary motive at this stage is to ingratiate himself with Laban (Genesis [WBC], 2:231).
[29:11] 20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his voice and wept.” The idiom calls deliberate attention to the fact that Jacob wept out loud.
[29:12] 22 tn Heb “that he [was] the brother of her father.”
[29:13] 23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:13] 24 tn Heb “and he told to Laban all these things.” This might mean Jacob told Laban how he happened to be there, but Laban’s response (see v. 14) suggests “all these things” refers to what Jacob had previously told Rachel (see v. 12).
[29:14] 25 tn Heb “indeed, my bone and my flesh are you.” The expression sounds warm enough, but the presence of “indeed” may suggest that Laban had to be convinced of Jacob’s identity before permitting him to stay. To be one’s “bone and flesh” is to be someone’s blood relative. For example, the phrase describes the relationship between Abimelech and the Shechemites (Judg 9:2; his mother was a Shechemite); David and the Israelites (2 Sam 5:1); David and the elders of Judah (2 Sam 19:12,); and David and his nephew Amasa (2 Sam 19:13, see 2 Sam 17:2; 1 Chr 2:16-17).
[29:14] 26 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:14] 27 tn Heb “a month of days.”
[29:15] 28 tn The verb is the perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive; the nuance in the question is deliberative.
[29:15] 29 tn Heb “my brother.” The term “brother” is used in a loose sense; actually Jacob was Laban’s nephew.
[29:16] 30 tn Heb “and to Laban [there were] two daughters.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a prepositional phrase) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, vv. 16-17 have been set in parentheses in the translation.
[29:17] 31 tn Heb “and the eyes of Leah were tender.” The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a conjunction and a noun) continues the parenthesis begun in v. 16. It is not clear what is meant by “tender” (or “delicate”) eyes. The expression may mean she had appealing eyes (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT), though some suggest that they were plain, not having the brightness normally expected. Either way, she did not measure up to her gorgeous sister.
[29:17] 32 tn Heb “and Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance.”
[29:18] 33 tn Heb “Jacob loved.”
[29:19] 34 tn Heb “Better my giving her to you than my giving her to another man.”
[29:20] 35 tn Heb “in exchange for Rachel.”
[29:20] 36 sn But they seemed like only a few days to him. This need not mean that the time passed quickly. More likely it means that the price seemed insignificant when compared to what he was getting in the bargain.
[29:20] 37 tn Heb “because of his love for her.” The words “was so great” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[29:21] 38 tn Heb “and Jacob said.”
[29:21] 39 tn Heb “my days are fulfilled.”
[29:21] 40 tn Heb “and I will go in to her.” The verb is a cohortative; it may be subordinated to the preceding request, “that I may go in,” or it may be an independent clause expressing his desire. The verb “go in” in this context refers to sexual intercourse (i.e., the consummation of the marriage).
[29:23] 42 tn Heb “and it happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her.”
[29:23] 43 tn Heb “to him”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 44 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:23] 45 tn Heb “went in to her.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:24] 46 tn Heb “and Laban gave to her Zilpah his female servant, to Leah his daughter [for] a servant.” This clause gives information parenthetical to the narrative.
[29:25] 47 tn Heb “and it happened in the morning that look, it was Leah.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the reader to view the scene through Jacob’s eyes.
[29:25] 48 tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:25] 49 tn Heb What is this you have done to me?” The use of the pronoun “this” is enclitic, adding emphasis to the question: “What in the world have you done to me?”
[29:25] 50 sn The Hebrew verb translated tricked here (רָמָה, ramah) is cognate to the noun used in Gen 27:35 to describe Jacob’s deception of Esau. Jacob is discovering that what goes around, comes around. See J. A. Diamond, “The Deception of Jacob: A New Perspective on an Ancient Solution to the Problem,” VT 34 (1984): 211-13.
[29:26] 51 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘It is not done so in our place.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:26] 52 tn Heb “to give the younger.” The words “daughter” and “in marriage” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
[29:27] 53 tn Heb “fulfill the period of seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as “my older daughter” for clarity.
[29:27] 54 tn Heb “this other one.”
[29:27] 55 tn Heb “and we will give to you also this one in exchange for labor which you will work with me, still seven other years.”
[29:28] 56 tn Heb “and Jacob did so.” The words “as Laban said” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[29:28] 57 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:28] 58 tn Heb “the seven of this one.” The referent of “this one” has been specified in the translation as Leah to avoid confusion with Rachel, mentioned later in the verse.
[29:28] 59 tn Heb “and he gave to him Rachel his daughter for him for a wife.” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:29] 60 tn Heb “and Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his female servant, for her for a servant.”
[29:30] 61 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 62 tn Heb “went in also to Rachel.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse, i.e., the consummation of the marriage.
[29:30] 63 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[29:30] 64 tn Heb “and he loved also Rachel, more than Leah, and he served with him still seven other years.”
[29:31] 65 tn Heb “hated.” The rhetorical device of overstatement is used (note v. 30, which says simply that Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah) to emphasize that Rachel, as Jacob’s true love and the primary object of his affections, had an advantage over Leah.
[29:31] 66 tn Heb “he opened up her womb.”
[29:32] 67 tn Or “Leah conceived” (also in vv. 33, 34, 35).
[29:32] 68 sn The name Reuben (רְאוּבֵן, rÿ’uven) means “look, a son.”
[29:32] 69 tn Heb “looked on my affliction.”
[29:33] 70 tn Heb “hated.” See the note on the word “unloved” in v. 31.
[29:33] 71 sn The name Simeon (שִׁמְעוֹן, shim’on) is derived from the verbal root שָׁמַע (shama’) and means “hearing.” The name is appropriate since it is reminder that the
[29:34] 72 tn Heb “will be joined to me.”
[29:34] 73 sn The name Levi (לֵוִי, levi), the precise meaning of which is debated, was appropriate because it sounds like the verb לָוָה (lavah, “to join”), used in the statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[29:35] 74 sn The name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) means “he will be praised” and reflects the sentiment Leah expresses in the statement recorded earlier in the verse. For further discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names ‘Israel’ and ‘Judah’ with an Excursus on the Etymology of Todah and Torah,” JBL 46 (1927): 151-85; and A. R. Millard, “The Meaning of the Name Judah,” ZAW 86 (1974): 216-18.
[30:1] 75 tn Heb “Rachel.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:2] 77 tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”
[30:2] 78 tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”
[30:3] 79 tn Heb “go in to.” The expression “go in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:3] 80 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates the immediate purpose of the proposed activity.
[30:3] 81 tn The word “children” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:3] 82 tn Heb “upon my knees.” This is an idiomatic way of saying that Bilhah will be simply a surrogate mother. Rachel will adopt the child as her own.
[30:3] 83 tn Heb “and I will be built up, even I, from her.” The prefixed verbal form with the conjunction is subordinated to the preceding prefixed verbal form and gives the ultimate purpose for the proposed action. The idiom of “built up” here refers to having a family (see Gen 16:2, as well as Ruth 4:11 and BDB 125 s.v. בָנָה).
[30:4] 84 tn Heb “and she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:4] 85 tn Heb “went in to.” The expression “went in to” in this context refers to sexual intercourse.
[30:5] 86 tn Or “Bilhah conceived” (also in v. 7).
[30:5] 87 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:6] 88 tn Heb “and also he has heard my voice.” The expression means that God responded positively to Rachel’s cry and granted her request.
[30:6] 90 sn The name Dan means “he vindicated” or “he judged.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. The verb translated “vindicated” is from דִּין (din, “to judge, to vindicate”), the same verbal root from which the name is derived. Rachel sensed that God was righting the wrong.
[30:7] 91 tn Heb “and she became pregnant again and Bilhah, the servant of Rachel, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:8] 92 tn Heb “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister, also I have prevailed.” The phrase “mighty struggle” reads literally “struggles of God.” The plural participle “struggles” reflects the ongoing nature of the struggle, while the divine name is used here idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the struggle. See J. Skinner, Genesis (ICC), 387.
[30:8] 93 sn The name Naphtali (נַפְתָּלִי, naftali) must mean something like “my struggle” in view of the statement Rachel made in the preceding clause. The name plays on this earlier statement, “[with] a mighty struggle I have struggled with my sister.”
[30:9] 94 tn Heb “she took her servant Zilpah and gave her.” The verbs “took” and “gave” are treated as a hendiadys in the translation: “she gave.”
[30:10] 95 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore for Jacob a son.”
[30:11] 96 tc The statement in the Kethib (consonantal text) appears to mean literally “with good fortune,” if one takes the initial בְּ (bet) as a preposition indicating accompaniment. The Qere (marginal reading) means “good fortune has arrived.”
[30:11] 97 sn The name Gad (גָּד, gad) means “good fortune.” The name reflects Leah’s feeling that good fortune has come her way, as expressed in her statement recorded earlier in the verse.
[30:12] 98 tn Heb “and Zilpah, the servant of Leah, bore a second son for Jacob.”
[30:13] 99 tn The Hebrew statement apparently means “with my happiness.”
[30:13] 100 tn Heb “daughters.”
[30:13] 101 sn The name Asher (אָשֶׁר, ’asher) apparently means “happy one.” The name plays on the words used in the statement which appears earlier in the verse. Both the Hebrew noun and verb translated “happy” and “call me happy,” respectively, are derived from the same root as the name Asher.
[30:14] 102 tn Heb “during the days.”
[30:14] 103 sn Mandrake plants were popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac in the culture of the time.
[30:15] 104 tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:15] 105 tn Heb “therefore.”
[30:15] 106 tn Heb “lie down.” The expression “lie down with” in this context (here and in the following verse) refers to sexual intercourse. The imperfect verbal form has a permissive nuance here.
[30:16] 107 tn Heb “must come in to me.” The imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance here. She has acquired him for the night and feels he is obligated to have sexual relations with her.
[30:16] 108 tn Heb “I have surely hired.” The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verbal form for emphasis. The name Issachar (see v. 18) seems to be related to this expression.
[30:16] 109 tn This is the same Hebrew verb (שָׁכַב, shakhav) translated “sleep with” in v. 15. In direct discourse the more euphemistic “sleep with” was used, but here in the narrative “marital relations” reflects more clearly the emphasis on sexual intercourse.
[30:17] 110 tn Heb “listened to.”
[30:17] 111 tn Or “she conceived” (also in v. 19).
[30:17] 112 tn Heb “and she bore for Jacob a fifth son,” i.e., this was the fifth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:18] 113 tn Heb “God has given my reward.”
[30:18] 114 tn The words “as a wife” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarity (cf. v. 9).
[30:18] 115 sn The name Issachar (יְשָּׁשכָר, yishakhar) appears to mean “man of reward” or possibly “there is reward.” The name plays on the word used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew noun translated “reward” is derived from the same root as the name Issachar. The irony is that Rachel thought the mandrakes would work for her, and she was willing to trade one night for them. But in that one night Leah became pregnant.
[30:19] 116 tn Heb “and she bore a sixth son for Jacob,” i.e., this was the sixth son that Leah had given Jacob.
[30:20] 117 sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.
[30:22] 118 tn Heb “remembered.”
[30:22] 119 tn Heb “and God listened to her and opened up her womb.” Since “God” is the subject of the previous clause, the noun has been replaced by the pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons
[30:23] 120 tn Or “conceived.”
[30:23] 121 tn Heb “my reproach.” A “reproach” is a cutting taunt or painful ridicule, but here it probably refers by metonymy to Rachel’s barren condition, which was considered shameful in this culture and was the reason why she was the object of taunting and ridicule.
[30:24] 122 sn The name Joseph (יוֹסֵף, yoseph) means “may he add.” The name expresses Rachel’s desire to have an additional son. In Hebrew the name sounds like the verb (אָסַף,’asasf) translated “taken away” in the earlier statement made in v. 23. So the name, while reflecting Rachel’s hope, was also a reminder that God had removed her shame.
[30:25] 123 tn The perfect verbal form is translated as a past perfect because Rachel’s giving birth to Joseph preceded Jacob’s conversation with Laban.
[30:25] 124 tn The imperatival form here expresses a request.
[30:25] 125 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:25] 126 tn Heb “to my place and to my land.”
[30:26] 127 tn Heb “give my wives and my children, for whom I have served you.” In one sense Laban had already “given” Jacob his two daughters as wives (Gen 29:21, 28). Here Jacob was asking for permission to take his own family along with him on the journey back to Canaan.
[30:26] 128 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose or result.
[30:26] 129 tn Heb “for you, you know my service [with] which I have served you.”
[30:27] 130 tn The words “please stay here” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
[30:27] 131 tn Or perhaps “I have grown rich and the
[30:28] 132 tn Heb “set your wage for me so I may give [it].”
[30:29] 133 tn Heb “and he said to him, ‘You know how I have served you.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons, and the referent of the pronoun “he” (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:29] 134 tn Heb “and how your cattle were with me.”
[30:30] 136 tn Heb “before me.”
[30:30] 137 tn Heb “and it has broken out with respect to abundance.”
[30:30] 138 tn Heb “at my foot.”
[30:30] 139 tn Heb “How long [until] I do, also I, for my house?”
[30:31] 140 tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:31] 141 tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.
[30:31] 142 tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:31] 143 tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”
[30:31] 144 tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”
[30:32] 145 tn Heb “pass through.”
[30:32] 146 tn Or “every black lamb”; Heb “and every dark sheep among the lambs.”
[30:32] 147 tn Heb “and the spotted and speckled among the goats.”
[30:32] 148 tn Heb “and it will be my wage.” The referent collective singular pronoun (“it) has been specified as “these animals” in the translation for clarity.
[30:33] 149 tn Heb “will answer on my behalf.”
[30:33] 150 tn Heb “on the following day,” or “tomorrow.”
[30:33] 151 tn Heb “when you come concerning my wage before you.”
[30:33] 152 tn Heb “every one which is not speckled and spotted among the lambs and dark among the goats, stolen it is with me.”
[30:34] 153 tn Heb “and Laban said, ‘Good, let it be according to your word.’” On the asseverative use of the particle לוּ (lu) here, see HALOT 521 s.v. לוּ.
[30:35] 154 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[30:35] 155 tn Heb “and he gave [them] into the hand.”
[30:36] 156 tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”
[30:36] 157 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced by the vav with subject) is circumstantial/temporal; Laban removed the animals while Jacob was taking care of the rest.
[30:38] 158 sn He put the branches in front of the flocks…when they came to drink. It was generally believed that placing such “visual aids” before the animals as they were mating, it was possible to influence the appearance of their offspring. E. A. Speiser notes that “Jacob finds a way to outwit his father-in-law, through prenatal conditioning of the flock by visual aids – in conformance with universal folk beliefs” (Genesis [AB], 238). Nevertheless, in spite of Jacob’s efforts at animal husbandry, he still attributes the resulting success to God (see 31:5).
[30:39] 159 tn The Hebrew verb used here can mean “to be in heat” (see v. 38) or “to mate; to conceive; to become pregnant.” The latter nuance makes better sense in this verse, for the next clause describes them giving birth.
[30:39] 160 tn Heb “the sheep.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“they”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[30:40] 161 tn Heb “and he set the faces of.”
[30:41] 162 tn Heb “and at every breeding-heat of the flock.”
[30:42] 163 tn Heb “he did not put [them] in.” The referent of the [understood] direct object, “them,” has been specified as “the branches” in the translation for clarity.
[30:42] 164 tn Heb “were for Laban.”
[30:43] 165 tn Heb “the man”; Jacob’s name has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[30:43] 166 tn Heb “and there were to him.”
[49:1] 167 tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.
[49:1] 168 tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.
[49:4] 169 tn The Hebrew noun פַּחַז (pakhaz) only occurs here in the OT. A related verb occurs twice in the prophets (Jer 23:32; Zeph 3:4) for false prophets inventing their messages, and once in Judges for unscrupulous men bribed to murder (Judg 9:4). It would describe Reuben as being “frothy, boiling, turbulent” as water. The LXX has “run riot,” the Vulgate has “poured out,” and Tg. Onq. has “you followed your own direction.” It is a reference to Reuben’s misconduct in Gen 35, but the simile and the rare word invite some speculation. H. Pehlke suggests “destructive like water,” for Reuben acted with pride and presumption; see his “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985).
[49:4] 170 tn Heb “Do not excel!” The Hiphil of the verb יָתַר (yatar) has this meaning only here. The negated jussive is rhetorical here. Rather than being a command, it anticipates what will transpire. The prophecy says that because of the character of the ancestor, the tribe of Reuben would not have the character to lead (see 1 Chr 5:1).
[49:4] 171 sn This is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse with Jacob’s wives (see Gen 35:22).
[49:4] 172 tn The last verb is third masculine singular, as if for the first time Jacob told the brothers, or let them know that he knew. For a discussion of this passage see S. Gevirtz, “The Reprimand of Reuben,” JNES 30 (1971): 87-98.
[49:5] 173 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word מְכֵרָה (mÿkherah) is uncertain. It has been rendered (1) “habitations”; (2) “merchandise”; (3) “counsels”; (4) “swords”; (5) “wedding feasts.” If it is from the verb כָּרַת (karat) and formed after noun patterns for instruments and tools (maqtil, miqtil form), then it would refer to “knives.” Since the verb is used in Exod 4:25 for circumcision, the idea would be “their circumcision knives,” an allusion to the events of Gen 34 (see M. J. Dahood, “‘MKRTYHM’ in Genesis 49,5,” CBQ 23 [1961]: 54-56). Another explanation also connects the word to the events of Gen 34 as a reference to the intended “wedding feast” for Dinah which could take place only after the men of Shechem were circumcised (see D. W. Young, “A Ghost Word in the Testament of Jacob (Gen 49:5)?” JBL 100 [1981]: 335-422).
[49:6] 174 tn The Hebrew text reads “my glory,” but it is preferable to repoint the form and read “my liver.” The liver was sometimes viewed as the seat of the emotions and will (see HALOT 456 s.v. II כָּבֵד) for which the heart is the modern equivalent.
[49:7] 175 sn Divide…scatter. What is predicted here is a division of their tribes. Most commentators see here an anticipation of Levi being in every area but not their own. That may be part of it, but not entirely what the curse intended. These tribes for their ruthless cruelty would be eliminated from the power and prestige of leadership.
[49:8] 176 sn There is a wordplay here; the name Judah (יְהוּדָה, yÿhudah) sounds in Hebrew like the verb translated praise (יוֹדוּךָ, yodukha). The wordplay serves to draw attention to the statement as having special significance.
[49:10] 177 tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.
[49:10] 178 tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.
[49:10] 179 tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.
[49:11] 180 tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically, describing coming events as though they have already taken place.
[49:12] 181 tn Some translate these as comparatives, “darker than wine…whiter than milk,” and so a reference to his appearance (so NEB, NIV, NRSV). But if it is in the age of abundance, symbolized by wine and milk, then the dark (i.e., red or perhaps dull) eyes would be from drinking wine, and the white teeth from drinking milk.
[49:13] 182 tn The verb שָׁכַן (shakhan) means “to settle,” but not necessarily as a permanent dwelling place. The tribal settlements by the sea would have been temporary and not the tribe’s territory.
[49:13] 183 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[49:15] 184 tn The verb forms in this verse (“sees,” “will bend,” and “[will] become”) are preterite; they is used in a rhetorical manner, describing the future as if it had already transpired.
[49:15] 185 sn The oracle shows that the tribe of Issachar will be willing to trade liberty for the material things of life. Issachar would work (become a slave laborer) for the Canaanites, a reversal of the oracle on Canaan. See C. M. Carmichael, “Some Sayings in Genesis 49,” JBL 88 (1969): 435-44; and S. Gevirtz, “The Issachar Oracle in the Testament of Jacob,” ErIsr 12 (1975): 104-12.
[49:16] 186 sn The name Dan (דָּן, dan) means “judge” and forms a wordplay with the following verb.
[49:17] 188 sn The comparison of the tribe of Dan to a venomous serpent is meant to say that Dan, though small, would be potent, gaining victory through its skill and shrewdness. Jewish commentators have linked the image in part with Samson. That link at least illustrates the point: Though a minority tribe, Dan would gain the upper hand over others.
[49:18] 189 sn I wait for your deliverance, O
[49:19] 190 tc Heb “heel.” The MT has suffered from misdivision at this point. The initial mem on the first word in the next verse should probably be taken as a plural ending on the word “heel.”
[49:20] 191 tc Heb “from Asher,” but the initial mem (מ) of the MT should probably be moved to the end of the preceding verse and taken as a plural ending on “heel.”
[49:20] 192 tn The Hebrew word translated “rich,” when applied to products of the ground, means abundant in quantity and quality.
[49:20] 193 tn The word translated “delicacies” refers to foods that were delightful, the kind fit for a king.
[49:21] 194 tn Heb “a doe set free.”
[49:21] 195 tn Heb “the one who gives words of beauty.” The deer imagery probably does not continue into this line; Naphtali is the likely antecedent of the substantival participle, which is masculine, not feminine, in form. If the animal imagery is retained from the preceding line, the image of a talking deer is preposterous. For this reason some read the second line “the one who bears beautiful fawns,” interpreting אִמְרֵי (’imre) as a reference to young animals, not words (see HALOT 67 s.v. *אִמֵּר).
[49:22] 196 tn The Hebrew text appears to mean “[is] a son of fruitfulness.” The second word is an active participle, feminine singular, from the verb פָּרָה (parah, “to be fruitful”). The translation “bough” is employed for בֵּן (ben, elsewhere typically “son”) because Joseph is pictured as a healthy and fruitful vine growing by the wall. But there are difficulties with this interpretation. The word “son” nowhere else refers to a plant and the noun translated “branches” (Heb “daughters”) in the third line is a plural form whereas its verb is singular. In the other oracles of Gen 49 an animal is used for comparison and not a plant, leading some to translate the opening phrase בֵּן פָּרָה (ben parah, “fruitful bough”) as “wild donkey” (JPS, NAB). Various other interpretations involving more radical emendation of the text have also been offered.
[49:22] 197 tn Heb “daughters.”
[49:23] 198 tn The verb forms in vv. 23-24 are used in a rhetorical manner, describing future events as if they had already taken place.
[49:24] 199 tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”
[49:24] 200 tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”
[49:25] 202 tn Heb “and he will help you.”
[49:25] 203 tn Heb “Shaddai.” See the note on the title “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1. The preposition אֵת (’et) in the Hebrew text should probably be emended to אֵל (’el, “God”).
[49:25] 204 tn Heb “and he will bless you.”
[49:25] 205 sn Jacob envisions God imparting both agricultural (blessings from the sky above, blessings from the deep that lies below) and human fertility (blessings of the breasts and womb) to Joseph and his family.
[49:26] 206 tn Heb “have prevailed over.”
[49:26] 207 tn One could interpret the phrase הוֹרַי (horay) to mean “my progenitors” (literally, “the ones who conceived me”), but the masculine form argues against this. It is better to emend the text to הַרֲרֵי (harare, “mountains of”) because it forms a better parallel with the next clause. In this case the final yod (י) on the form is a construct plural marker, not a pronominal suffix.
[49:26] 208 tn For further discussion of this passage, see I. Sonne, “Genesis 49:24-26,” JBL 65 (1946): 303-6.
[49:28] 209 tn Heb “All these.”
[49:28] 210 tn Heb “and he blessed them, each of whom according to his blessing, he blessed them.”
[49:29] 211 tn The Hebrew text adds “and he said to them,” which is not included in the translation because it is redundant in English.
[49:29] 212 tn Heb “I am about to be gathered” The participle is used here to describe what is imminent.
[49:32] 213 tn Some translate the Hebrew term “Heth” as “Hittites” here (see also Gen 23:3), but this gives the impression that these people were the classical Hittites of Anatolia. However, there is no known connection between these sons of Heth, apparently a Canaanite group (see Gen 10:15), and the Hittites of Asia Minor. See H. A. Hoffner, Jr., “Hittites,” Peoples of the Old Testament World, 152-53.
[49:33] 214 tn Heb “was gathered.”
[1:1] 215 sn Chapter 1 introduces the theme of bondage in Egypt and shows the intensifying opposition to the fulfillment of promises given earlier to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The first seven verses announce the theme of Israel’s prosperity in Egypt. The second section (vv. 8-14) reports continued prosperity in the face of deliberate opposition. The third section (vv. 15-21) explains the prosperity as divine favor in spite of Pharaoh’s covert attempts at controlling the population. The final verse records a culmination in the developing tyranny and provides a transition to the next section – Pharaoh commands the open murder of the males. The power of God is revealed in the chapter as the people flourish under the forces of evil. However, by the turn of affairs at the end of the chapter, the reader is left with a question about the power of God – “What can God do?” This is good Hebrew narrative, moving the reader through tension after tension to reveal the sovereign power and majesty of the
[1:1] 216 tn Heb “now these” or “and these.” The vav (ו) disjunctive marks a new beginning in the narrative begun in Genesis.
[1:1] 217 sn The name of the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible is שְׁמוֹת (shÿmot), the word for “Names,” drawn from the beginning of the book. The inclusion of the names at this point forms a literary connection to the book of Genesis. It indicates that the Israelites living in bondage had retained a knowledge of their ancestry, and with it, a knowledge of God’s promise.
[1:1] 218 tn The expression בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (bÿne yisra’el, “sons of Israel”) in most places refers to the nation as a whole and can be translated “Israelites,” although traditionally it has been rendered “the children of Israel” or “the sons of Israel.” Here it refers primarily to the individual sons of the patriarch Israel, for they are named. But the expression is probably also intended to indicate that they are the Israelites (cf. Gen 29:1, “eastern people,” or “easterners,” lit., “sons of the east”).
[1:1] 219 tn Heb “a man and his house.” Since this serves to explain “the sons of Israel,” it has the distributive sense. So while the “sons of Israel” refers to the actual sons of the patriarch, the expression includes their families (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
[1:5] 220 tn The word נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often translated “soul.” But the word refers to the whole person, the body with the soul, and so “life” or “person” is frequently a better translation.
[1:5] 221 tn The expression in apposition to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) literally says “those who went out from the loins of Jacob.” This distinguishes the entire company as his direct descendants.
[1:5] 222 sn Gen 46 describes in more detail Jacob’s coming to Egypt with his family. The Greek text of Exod 1:5 and of Gen 46:27 and two Qumran manuscripts, have the number as seventy-five, counting the people a little differently. E. H. Merrill in conjunction with F. Delitzsch notes that the list in Gen 46 of those who entered Egypt includes Hezron and Hamul, who did so in potentia, since they were born after the family entered Egypt. Joseph’s sons are also included, though they too were born in Egypt. “The list must not be pressed too literally” (E. H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests, 49).
[1:5] 223 tn Heb “and Joseph was in Egypt” (so ASV). The disjunctive word order in Hebrew draws attention to the fact that Joseph, in contrast to his brothers, did not come to Egypt at the same time as Jacob.
[6:14] 224 sn This list of names shows that Moses and Aaron are in the line of Levi that came to the priesthood. It helps to identify them and authenticate them as spokesmen for God within the larger history of Israel. As N. M. Sarna observes, “Because a genealogy inherently symbolizes vigor and continuity, its presence here also injects a reassuring note into the otherwise despondent mood” (Exodus [JPSTC], 33).
[6:14] 225 tn The expression is literally “the house of their fathers.” This expression means that the household or family descended from a single ancestor. It usually indicates a subdivision of a tribe, that is, a clan, or the subdivision of a clan, that is, a family. Here it refers to a clan (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 46).
[6:14] 226 tn Or “descendants.”
[6:14] 227 tn Or “families,” and so throughout the genealogy.
[6:16] 228 tn Or “generations.”
[6:1] 229 sn The expression “I will do to Pharaoh” always refers to the plagues. God would first show his sovereignty over Pharaoh before defeating him.
[6:1] 230 tn The expression “with a strong hand” (וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה, uvÿyad khazaqah) could refer (1) to God’s powerful intervention (“compelled by my strong hand”) or (2) to Pharaoh’s forceful pursuit (“he will forcefully drive them out”). In Exod 3:20 God has summarized what his hand would do in Egypt, and that is probably what is intended here, as he promises that Moses will see what God will do. All Egypt ultimately desired that Israel be released (12:33), and when they were released Pharaoh pursued them to the sea, and so in a sense drove them out – whether that was his intention or not. But ultimately it was God’s power that was the real force behind it all. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 74) considers that it is unlikely that the phrase would be used in the same verse twice with the same meaning. So he thinks that the first “strong hand” is God’s, and the second “strong hand” is Pharaoh’s. It is true that if Pharaoh acted forcefully in any way that contributed to Israel leaving Egypt it was because God was acting forcefully in his life. So in an understated way, God is saying that when forced by God’s strong hand, Pharaoh will indeed release God’s people.”
[6:1] 231 tn Or “and he will forcefully drive them out of his land,” if the second occurrence of “strong hand” refers to Pharaoh’s rather than God’s (see the previous note).
[2:1] 232 sn The chapter records the exceptional survival of Moses under the decree of death by Pharaoh (vv. 1-10), the flight of Moses from Pharaoh after killing the Egyptian (vv. 11-15), the marriage of Moses (vv. 16-22), and finally a note about the
[2:1] 233 tn Heb “house.” In other words, the tribe of Levi.
[2:1] 234 tn Heb “went and took”; NASB “went and married.”
[2:1] 235 tn Heb “a daughter of Levi.” The word “daughter” is used in the sense of “descendant” and connects the new account with Pharaoh’s command in 1:22. The words “a woman who was” are added for clarity in English.
[8:1] 236 sn Beginning with 8:1, the verse numbers through 8:32 in English Bibles differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 8:1 ET = 7:26 HT, 8:2 ET = 7:27 HT, 8:3 ET = 7:28 HT, 8:4 ET = 7:29 HT, 8:5 ET = 8:1 HT, etc., through 8:32 ET = 8:28 HT. Thus in English Bibles chapter 8 has 32 verses, while in the Hebrew Bible it has 28 verses, with the four extra verses attached to chapter 7.
