Genesis 31:32
Context31:32 Whoever has taken your gods will be put to death! 1 In the presence of our relatives 2 identify whatever is yours and take it.” 3 (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.) 4
Genesis 38:16
Context38:16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” 5 (He did not realize 6 it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 7
Genesis 39:6
Context39:6 So Potiphar 8 left 9 everything he had in Joseph’s care; 10 he gave no thought 11 to anything except the food he ate. 12
Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. 13


[31:32] 1 tn Heb “With whomever you find your gods, he will not live.”
[31:32] 3 tn Heb “recognize for yourself what is with me and take for yourself.”
[31:32] 4 tn The disjunctive clause (introduced here by a vav [ו] conjunction) provides supplemental material that is important to the story. Since this material is parenthetical in nature, it has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
[38:16] 5 tn Heb “I will go to you.” The imperfect verbal form probably indicates his desire here. The expression “go to” is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[38:16] 6 tn Heb “for he did not know that.”
[38:16] 7 tn Heb “when you come to me.” This expression is a euphemism for sexual intercourse.
[39:6] 9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[39:6] 10 sn The Hebrew verb translated left indicates he relinquished the care of it to Joseph. This is stronger than what was said earlier. Apparently Potiphar had come to trust Joseph so much that he knew it was in better care with Joseph than with anyone else.
[39:6] 11 tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.
[39:6] 12 tn Heb “did not know.”
[39:6] 13 sn The expression except the food he ate probably refers to Potiphar’s private affairs and should not be limited literally to what he ate.
[39:6] 14 tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.