Genesis 37:12

37:12 When his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,

Genesis 29:9

29:9 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel arrived with her father’s sheep, for she was tending them. ¹ 

Genesis 37:16

37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Please tell ²  me where they are grazing their flocks.”

Genesis 41:2

41:2 seven fine-looking, fat cows were coming up out of the Nile, ³  and they grazed in the reeds.

Genesis 41:18

41:18 Then seven fat and fine-looking cows were coming up out of the Nile, and they grazed in the reeds. ⁴ 

Genesis 4:2

4:2 Then she gave birth ⁵  to his brother Abel. ⁶  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ⁷ 

Genesis 29:7

29:7 Then Jacob ⁸  said, “Since it is still the middle of the day, ⁹  it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. You should water the sheep and then go and let them graze some more.” ¹⁰ 

Genesis 30:36

30:36 Then he separated them from Jacob by a three-day journey, ¹¹  while ¹²  Jacob was taking care of the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Genesis 36:24

36:24 These were the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah (who discovered the hot springs ¹³  in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon).

Genesis 37:13

37:13 Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers ¹⁴  are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” “I’m ready,” ¹⁵  Joseph replied. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 46:32

46:32 The men are shepherds; ¹⁷  they take care of livestock. ¹⁸  They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’

Genesis 47:3

47:3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s ¹⁹  brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.” ²⁰ 

Genesis 48:15

48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my fathers

Abraham and Isaac walked –

the God who has been my shepherd ²¹ 

all my life long to this day,

Genesis 49:24

49:24 But his bow will remain steady,

and his hands ²²  will be skillful;

because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

because of ²³  the Shepherd, the Rock ²⁴  of Israel,

Genesis 30:31

30:31 So Laban asked, ²⁵  “What should I give you?” “You don’t need to give me a thing,” ²⁶  Jacob replied, ²⁷  “but if you agree to this one condition, ²⁸  I will continue to care for ²⁹  your flocks and protect them:

Genesis 37:2

37:2 This is the account of Jacob.

Joseph, his seventeen-year-old son, ³⁰  was taking care of ³¹  the flocks with his brothers. Now he was a youngster ³²  working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. ³³  Joseph brought back a bad report about them ³⁴  to their father.

Genesis 46:34

46:34 Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle ³⁵  from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen, ³⁶  for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting ³⁷  to the Egyptians.”

[29:9]  ¹ tn Heb “was a shepherdess.”

[37:16]  ¹ tn The imperative in this sentence has more of the nuance of a request than a command.

[41:2]  ¹ tn Heb “And look, he was standing by the Nile, and look, from the Nile were coming up seven cows, attractive of appearance and fat of flesh.” By the use of the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), the narrator invites the audience to see the dream through Pharaoh’s eyes.

[41:18]  ¹ tn Heb “and look, from the Nile seven cows were coming up, fat of flesh and attractive of appearance, and they grazed in the reeds.”

[4:2]  ¹ tn Heb “And she again gave birth.”

[4:2]  ² sn The name Abel is not defined here in the text, but the tone is ominous. Abel’s name, the Hebrew word הֶבֶל (hevel), means “breath, vapor, vanity,” foreshadowing Abel’s untimely and premature death.

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “and Abel was a shepherd of the flock, and Cain was a worker of the ground.” The designations of the two occupations are expressed with active participles, רֹעֵה (ro’eh, “shepherd”) and עֹבֵד (’oved, “worker”). Abel is occupied with sheep, whereas Cain is living under the curse, cultivating the ground.

[29:7]  ¹ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:7]  ² tn Heb “the day is great.”

[29:7]  ³ 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.

[30:36]  ¹ tn Heb “and he put a journey of three days between himself and Jacob.”

[30:36]  ² 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.

[36:24]  ¹ tn The meaning of this Hebrew term is uncertain; Syriac reads “water” and Vulgate reads “hot water.”

[37:13]  ¹ tn The text uses an interrogative clause: “Are not your brothers,” which means “your brothers are.”

[37:13]  ² sn With these words Joseph is depicted here as an obedient son who is ready to do what his father commands.

[37:13]  ³ tn Heb “and he said, ‘Here I am.’” The referent of the pronoun “he” (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity, and the order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged for stylistic reasons.

[46:32]  ¹ tn Heb “feeders of sheep.”

[46:32]  ² tn Heb “for men of livestock they are.”

[47:3]  ¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Joseph) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[47:3]  ² tn Heb “both we and our fathers.”

[48:15]  ¹ tn Heb “shepherded me.” The verb has been translated as an English noun for stylistic reasons.

[49:24]  ¹ tn Heb “the arms of his hands.”

[49:24]  ² tn Heb “from there,” but the phrase should be revocalized and read “from [i.e., because of] the name of.”

[49:24]  ³ tn Or “Stone.”

[30:31]  ¹ tn Heb “and he said.” The referent (Laban) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[30:31]  ² tn The negated imperfect verbal form has an obligatory nuance.

[30:31]  ³ tn The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[30:31]  ⁴ tn Heb “If you do for me this thing.”

[30:31]  ⁵ tn Heb “I will return, I will tend,” an idiom meaning “I will continue tending.”

[37:2]  ¹ tn Heb “a son of seventeen years.” The word “son” is in apposition to the name “Joseph.”

[37:2]  ² tn Or “tending”; Heb “shepherding” or “feeding.”

[37:2]  ³ tn Or perhaps “a helper.” The significance of this statement is unclear. It may mean “now the lad was with,” or it may suggest Joseph was like a servant to them.

[37:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he [was] a young man with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father.”

[37:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “their bad report.” The pronoun is an objective genitive, specifying that the bad or damaging report was about the brothers.

[46:34]  ¹ tn Heb “your servants are men of cattle.”

[46:34]  ² 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]  ³ 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.