Genesis 6:7

6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, ¹  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

Genesis 9:23

9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ²  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ³  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

Genesis 16:6

16:6 Abram said to Sarai, “Since your ⁴  servant is under your authority, ⁵  do to her whatever you think best.” ⁶  Then Sarai treated Hagar ⁷  harshly, ⁸  so she ran away from Sarai. ⁹ 

Genesis 19:33

19:33 So that night they made their father drunk with wine, ¹⁰  and the older daughter ¹¹  came and had sexual relations with her father. ¹²  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ¹³ 

Genesis 19:35

19:35 So they made their father drunk ¹⁴  that night as well, and the younger one came and had sexual relations with him. ¹⁵  But he was not aware that she had sexual relations with him and then got up. ¹⁶ 

Genesis 26:9

26:9 So Abimelech summoned Isaac and said, “She is really ¹⁷  your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac replied, “Because I thought someone might kill me to get her.” ¹⁸ 

Genesis 27:19

27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I’ve done as you told me. Now sit up ¹⁹  and eat some of my wild game so that you can bless me.” ²⁰ 

Genesis 30:20

30:20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. Now my husband will honor me because I have given him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun. ²¹ 

Genesis 31:35

31:35 Rachel ²²  said to her father, “Don’t be angry, ²³  my lord. I cannot stand up ²⁴  in your presence because I am having my period.” ²⁵  So he searched thoroughly, ²⁶  but did not find the idols.

Genesis 37:28

37:28 So when the Midianite ²⁷  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ²⁸  him ²⁹  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ³⁰  then took Joseph to Egypt.

Genesis 39:6

39:6 So Potiphar ³¹  left ³²  everything he had in Joseph’s care; ³³  he gave no thought ³⁴  to anything except the food he ate. ³⁵ 

Now Joseph was well built and good-looking. ³⁶ 

Genesis 41:36

41:36 This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” ³⁷ 

Genesis 43:14

43:14 May the sovereign God ³⁸  grant you mercy before the man so that he may release ³⁹  your other brother ⁴⁰  and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them.” ⁴¹ 

Genesis 43:21

43:21 But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money – the full amount ⁴²  – in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. ⁴³ 

Genesis 43:34

43:34 He gave them portions of the food set before him, ⁴⁴  but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk. ⁴⁵ 

[6:7]  ¹ tn The text simply has “from man to beast, to creatures, and to birds of the air.” The use of the prepositions עַד…מִן (min...’ad) stresses the extent of the judgment in creation.

[9:23]  ² tn The word translated “garment” has the Hebrew definite article on it. The article may simply indicate that the garment is definite and vivid in the mind of the narrator, but it could refer instead to Noah’s garment. Did Ham bring it out when he told his brothers?

[9:23]  ³ tn Heb “their faces [were turned] back.”

[16:6]  ³ tn The clause is introduced with the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), introducing a foundational clause for the coming imperative: “since…do.”

[16:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “in your hand.”

[16:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”

[16:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “her”; the referent (Hagar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:6]  ⁷ tn In the Piel stem the verb עָנָה (’anah) means “to afflict, to oppress, to treat harshly, to mistreat.”

[16:6]  ⁸ tn Heb “and she fled from her presence.” The referent of “her” (Sarai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:33]  ⁵ tn Heb “the firstborn.”

[19:33]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the firstborn came and lied down with her father.” The expression “lied down with” here and in the following verses is a euphemism for sexual relations.

[19:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he did not know when she lay down and when she arose.”

[19:35]  ⁵ tn Heb “drink wine.”

[19:35]  ⁶ tn Heb “lied down with him.”

[19:35]  ⁷ tn Heb “And he did not know when she lied down and when she arose.”

[26:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “Surely, look!” See N. H. Snaith, “The meaning of Hebrew ‘ak,” VT 14 (1964): 221-25.

[26:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” Since the verb “said” probably means “said to myself” (i.e., “thought”) here, the direct discourse in the Hebrew statement has been converted to indirect discourse in the translation. In addition the simple prepositional phrase “on account of her” has been clarified in the translation as “to get her” (cf. v. 7).

[27:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “get up and sit.” This may mean simply “sit up,” or it may indicate that he was to get up from his couch and sit at a table.

[27:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that your soul may bless me.” These words, though not reported by Rebekah to Jacob (see v. 7) accurately reflect what Isaac actually said to Esau (see v. 4). Perhaps Jacob knew more than Rebekah realized, but it is more likely that this was an idiom for sincere blessing with which Jacob was familiar. At any rate, his use of the precise wording was a nice, convincing touch.

[30:20]  ⁸ sn The name Zebulun (זְבֻלוּן, zevulun) apparently means “honor.” The name plays on the verb used in the statement made earlier in the verse. The Hebrew verb translated “will honor” and the name Zebulun derive from the same root.

[31:35]  ⁹ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rachel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:35]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “let it not be hot in the eyes of my lord.” This idiom refers to anger, in this case as a result of Rachel’s failure to stand in the presence of her father as a sign of respect.

[31:35]  ¹¹ tn Heb “I am unable to rise.”

[31:35]  ¹² tn Heb “the way of women is to me.” This idiom refers to a woman’s menstrual period.

[31:35]  ¹³ tn The word “thoroughly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[37:28]  ¹⁰ sn On the close relationship between Ishmaelites (v. 25) and Midianites, see Judg 8:24.

[37:28]  ¹¹ tn Heb “they drew and they lifted up.” The referent (Joseph’s brothers) has been specified in the translation for clarity; otherwise the reader might assume the Midianites had pulled Joseph from the cistern (but cf. NAB).

[37:28]  ¹² tn Heb “Joseph” (both here and in the following clause); the proper name has been replaced both times by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[37:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Ishmaelites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Potiphar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[39:6]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Heb “hand.” This is a metonymy for being under the control or care of Joseph.

[39:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “did not know.”

[39:6]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “handsome of form and handsome of appearance.” The same Hebrew expressions were used in Gen 29:17 for Rachel.

[41:36]  ¹² tn Heb “and the land will not be cut off in the famine.”

[43:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “El Shaddai.” See the extended note on the phrase “sovereign God” in Gen 17:1.

[43:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “release to you.” After the jussive this perfect verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) probably indicates logical consequence, as well as temporal sequence.

[43:14]  ¹⁵ sn Several Jewish commentators suggest that the expression your other brother refers to Joseph. This would mean that Jacob prophesied unwittingly. However, it is much more likely that Simeon is the referent of the phrase “your other brother” (see Gen 42:24).

[43:14]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “if I am bereaved I am bereaved.” With this fatalistic sounding statement Jacob resolves himself to the possibility of losing both Benjamin and Simeon.

[43:21]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “in its weight.”

[43:21]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “brought it back in our hand.”

[43:34]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he lifted up portions from before his face to them.”

[43:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and they drank and were intoxicated with him” (cf. NIV “drank freely with him”; NEB “grew merry”; NRSV “were merry”). The brothers were apparently relaxed and set at ease, despite Joseph’s obvious favoritism toward Benjamin.