Genesis 4:3

4:3 At the designated time ¹  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering ²  to the Lord.

Genesis 8:18

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives.

Genesis 9:21

9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself ³  inside his tent.

Genesis 19:27

19:27 Abraham got up early in the morning and went ⁴  to the place where he had stood before the Lord.

Genesis 24:1-2

The Wife for Isaac

24:1 Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years, ⁵  and the Lord had blessed him ⁶  in everything. 24:2 Abraham said to his servant, the senior one ⁷  in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh ⁸ 

Genesis 26:26

26:26 Now Abimelech had come ⁹  to him from Gerar along with ¹⁰  Ahuzzah his friend ¹¹  and Phicol the commander of his army.

Genesis 29:14

29:14 Then Laban said to him, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” ¹²  So Jacob ¹³  stayed with him for a month. ¹⁴ 

Genesis 31:2

31:2 When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed. ¹⁵ 

Genesis 34:1

Dinah and the Shechemites

34:1 Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet ¹⁶  the young women ¹⁷  of the land.

Genesis 40:7

40:7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” ¹⁸ 

Genesis 43:25

43:25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s arrival ¹⁹  at noon, for they had heard ²⁰  that they were to have a meal ²¹  there.

[4:3]  ¹ tn Heb “And it happened at the end of days.” The clause indicates the passing of a set period of time leading up to offering sacrifices.

[4:3]  ² tn The Hebrew term מִנְחָה (minkhah, “offering”) is a general word for tribute, a gift, or an offering. It is the main word used in Lev 2 for the dedication offering. This type of offering could be comprised of vegetables. The content of the offering (vegetables, as opposed to animals) was not the critical issue, but rather the attitude of the offerer.

[9:21]  ³ tn The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (galah) in the Hitpael verbal stem (וַיִּתְגַּל, vayyitggal) means “to uncover oneself” or “to be uncovered.” Noah became overheated because of the wine and uncovered himself in the tent.

[19:27]  ⁵ tn The words “and went” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[24:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “days.”

[24:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “Abraham.” The proper name has been replaced in the translation by the pronoun (“he”) for stylistic reasons.

[24:2]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term זָקֵן (zaqen) may refer to the servant who is oldest in age or senior in authority (or both).

[24:2]  ¹⁰ sn Put your hand under my thigh. The taking of this oath had to do with the sanctity of the family and the continuation of the family line. See D. R. Freedman, “Put Your Hand Under My Thigh – the Patriarchal Oath,” BAR 2 (1976): 2-4, 42.

[26:26]  ¹¹ tn The disjunctive clause supplies pertinent supplemental information. The past perfect is used because the following narrative records the treaty at Beer Sheba. Prior to this we are told that Isaac settled in Beer Sheba; presumably this treaty would have allowed him to do that. However, it may be that he settled there and then made the treaty by which he renamed the place Beer Sheba. In this case one may translate “Now Abimelech came to him.”

[26:26]  ¹² tn Heb “and.”

[26:26]  ¹³ tn Many modern translations render the Hebrew term מֵרֵעַ (merea’) as “councillor” or “adviser,” but the term may not designate an official position but simply a close personal friend.

[29:14]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (Jacob) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[29:14]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a month of days.”

[31:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and Jacob saw the face of Laban, and look, he was not with him as formerly.” Jacob knew from the expression on Laban’s face that his attitude toward him had changed – Jacob had become persona non grata.

[34:1]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “went out to see.” The verb “to see,” followed by the preposition בְּ (bÿ), here has the idea of “look over.” The young girl wanted to meet these women and see what they were like.

[34:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “daughters.”

[40:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “why are your faces sad today?”

[43:25]  ²¹ tn The construction uses the infinitive construct after the preposition, followed by the subjective genitive.

[43:25]  ²² tn The action precedes the action of preparing the gift, and so must be translated as past perfect.

[43:25]  ²³ tn Heb “eat bread.” The imperfect verbal form is used here as a historic future (future from the perspective of the past).