Genesis 50:23

50:23 Joseph saw the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. ¹  He also saw the children of Makir the son of Manasseh; they were given special inheritance rights by Joseph. ² 

Job 3:12

3:12 Why did the knees welcome me, ³ 

and why were there ⁴  two breasts ⁵ 

that I might nurse at them? ⁶ 

[50:23]  ¹ tn Heb “saw Ephraim, the children of the third.”

[50:23]  ² tn Heb “they were born on the knees of Joseph.” This expression implies their adoption by Joseph, which meant that they received an inheritance from him.

[3:12]  ³ tn The verb קִדְּמוּנִי (qiddÿmuni) is the Piel from קָדַם (qadam), meaning “to come before; to meet; to prevent.” Here it has the idea of going to meet or welcome someone. In spite of various attempts to connect the idea to the father or to adoption rites, it probably simply means the mother’s knees that welcome the child for nursing. See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 42.

[3:12]  ⁴ tn There is no verb in the second half of the verse. The idea simply has, “and why breasts that I might suck?”

[3:12]  ⁵ sn The commentaries mention the parallel construction in the writings of Ashurbanipal: “You were weak, Ashurbanipal, you who sat on the knees of the goddess, queen of Nineveh; of the four teats that were placed near to your mouth, you sucked two and you hid your face in the others” (M. Streck, Assurbanipal [VAB], 348).

[3:12]  ⁶ tn Heb “that I might suckle.” The verb is the Qal imperfect of יָנַק (yanaq, “suckle”). Here the clause is subordinated to the preceding question and so function as a final imperfect.