Genesis 3:6

3:6 When ¹  the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, ²  was attractive ³  to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, ⁴  she took some of its fruit and ate it. ⁵  She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ⁶ 

Genesis 16:3

16:3 So after Abram had lived ⁷  in Canaan for ten years, Sarai, Abram’s wife, gave Hagar, her Egyptian servant, ⁸  to her husband to be his wife. ⁹ 

Genesis 19:9

19:9 “Out of our way!” ¹⁰  they cried, and “This man came to live here as a foreigner, ¹¹  and now he dares to judge us! ¹²  We’ll do more harm ¹³  to you than to them!” They kept ¹⁴  pressing in on Lot until they were close enough ¹⁵  to break down the door.

Genesis 23:6

23:6 “Listen, sir, ¹⁶  you are a mighty prince ¹⁷  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ¹⁸  from burying your dead.”

Genesis 30:15

30:15 But Leah replied, ¹⁹  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ²⁰  Rachel said, “he may sleep ²¹  with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

Genesis 38:25

38:25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word ²²  to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” ²³  Then she said, “Identify ²⁴  the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.”

Genesis 43:11

43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man – a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

Genesis 46:34

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ²⁵  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ²⁶  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ²⁷  to the Egyptians.”

Genesis 47:20

47:20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each ²⁸  of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. ²⁹  So the land became Pharaoh’s.

[3:6]  ¹ tn Heb “And the woman saw.” The clause can be rendered as a temporal clause subordinate to the following verb in the sequence.

[3:6]  ² tn Heb “that the tree was good for food.” The words “produced fruit that was” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[3:6]  ³ tn The Hebrew word תַּאֲוָה (ta’avah, translated “attractive” here) actually means “desirable.” This term and the later term נֶחְמָד (nekhmad, “desirable”) are synonyms.

[3:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “that good was the tree for food, and that desirable it was to the eyes, and desirable was the tree to make one wise.” On the connection between moral wisdom and the “knowledge of good and evil,” see the note on the word “evil” in 2:9.

[3:6]  ⁵ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied (here and also after “ate” at the end of this verse) for stylistic reasons.

[3:6]  ⁶ sn This pericope (3:1-7) is a fine example of Hebrew narrative structure. After an introductory disjunctive clause that introduces a new character and sets the stage (3:1), the narrative tension develops through dialogue, culminating in the action of the story. Once the dialogue is over, the action is told in a rapid sequence of verbs – she took, she ate, she gave, and he ate.

[16:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “at the end of ten years, to live, Abram.” The prepositional phrase introduces the temporal clause, the infinitive construct serves as the verb, and the name “Abram” is the subject.

[16:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “the Egyptian, her female servant.”

[16:3]  ⁹ sn To be his wife. Hagar became a slave wife, not on equal standing with Sarai. However, if Hagar produced the heir, she would be the primary wife in the eyes of society. When this eventually happened, Hagar become insolent, prompting Sarai’s anger.

[19:9]  ¹³ tn Heb “approach out there” which could be rendered “Get out of the way, stand back!”

[19:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to live as a resident alien.”

[19:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he has judged, judging.” The infinitive absolute follows the finite verbal form for emphasis. This emphasis is reflected in the translation by the phrase “dares to judge.”

[19:9]  ¹⁶ tn The verb “to do wickedly” is repeated here (see v. 7). It appears that whatever “wickedness” the men of Sodom had intended to do to Lot’s visitors – probably nothing short of homosexual rape – they were now ready to inflict on Lot.

[19:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and they pressed against the man, against Lot, exceedingly.”

[19:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and they drew near.”

[23:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Hear us, my lord.”

[23:6]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn The phrase “to prevent you” has been added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:15]  ²⁵ tn Heb “and she said to her”; the referent of the pronoun “she” (Leah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “therefore.”

[30:15]  ²⁷ 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.

[38:25]  ³¹ tn Heb “she was being brought out and she sent.” The juxtaposition of two clauses, both of which place the subject before the predicate, indicates synchronic action.

[38:25]  ³² tn Heb “who these to him.”

[38:25]  ³³ tn Or “ recognize; note.” This same Hebrew verb (נָכַר, nakhar) is used at the beginning of v. 26, where it is translated “recognized.”

[46:34]  ³⁷ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

[46:34]  ³⁸ sn So that you may live in the land of Goshen. Joseph is apparently trying to stress to Pharaoh that his family is self-sufficient, that they will not be a drain on the economy of Egypt. But they will need land for their animals and so Goshen, located on the edge of Egypt, would be a suitable place for them to live. The settled Egyptians were uneasy with nomadic people, but if Jacob and his family settled in Goshen they would represent no threat.

[46:34]  ³⁹ tn Heb “is an abomination.” The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “abomination”) describes something that is loathsome or off-limits. For other practices the Egyptians considered disgusting, see Gen 43:32 and Exod 8:22.

[47:20]  ⁴³ tn The Hebrew text connects this clause with the preceding one with a causal particle (כִּי, ki). The translation divides the clauses into two sentences for stylistic reasons.

[47:20]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “upon them.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.