Genesis 9:11-12

9:11 I confirm ¹  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ²  be wiped out ³  by the waters of a flood; ⁴  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ⁵  of the covenant I am making ⁶  with you ⁷  and every living creature with you, a covenant ⁸  for all subsequent ⁹  generations:

Genesis 34:16

34:16 Then we will give ¹⁰  you our daughters to marry, ¹¹  and we will take your daughters as wives for ourselves, and we will live among you and become one people.

Genesis 43:3

43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned ¹²  us, ‘You will not see my face ¹³  unless your brother is with you.’

Genesis 43:5

43:5 But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

Genesis 44:23

44:23 But you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’

Genesis 47:23

47:23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate ¹⁴  the land.

Genesis 48:21

48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you ¹⁵  and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

Genesis 49:1

The Blessing of Jacob

49:1 Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you ¹⁶  what will happen to you in the future. ¹⁷ 

Genesis 50:21

50:21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly ¹⁸  to them.

Genesis 50:25

50:25 Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

[9:11]  ¹ tn The verb וַהֲקִמֹתִי (vahaqimoti) is a perfect with the vav (ו) consecutive and should be translated with the English present tense, just as the participle at the beginning of the speech was (v. 9). Another option is to translate both forms with the English future tense (“I will confirm”).

[9:11]  ² tn Heb “all flesh.”

[9:11]  ³ tn Heb “cut off.”

[9:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “and all flesh will not be cut off again by the waters of the flood.”

[9:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “sign.”

[9:12]  ⁶ sn On the making of covenants in Genesis, see W. F. Albright, “The Hebrew Expression for ‘Making a Covenant’ in Pre-Israelite Documents,” BASOR 121 (1951): 21-22.

[9:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “between me and between you.”

[9:12]  ⁸ tn The words “a covenant” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[9:12]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew term עוֹלָם (’olam) means “ever, forever, lasting, perpetual.” The covenant would extend to subsequent generations.

[34:16]  ⁹ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces the apodosis of the conditional sentence.

[34:16]  ¹⁰ tn The words “to marry” (and the words “as wives” in the following clause) are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[43:3]  ¹³ tn The infinitive absolute with the finite verb stresses the point. The primary meaning of the verb is “to witness; to testify.” It alludes to Joseph’s oath, which was tantamount to a threat or warning.

[43:3]  ¹⁴ tn The idiom “see my face” means “have an audience with me.”

[47:23]  ¹⁷ tn The perfect verbal form with the vav consecutive is equivalent to a command here.

[48:21]  ²¹ tn The pronouns translated “you,” “you,” and “your” in this verse are plural in the Hebrew text.

[49:1]  ²⁵ tn After the imperative, the cohortative with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose/result.

[49:1]  ²⁶ tn The expression “in the future” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, ’akharit hayyamim, “in the end of days”) is found most frequently in prophetic passages; it may refer to the end of the age, the eschaton, or to the distant future. The contents of some of the sayings in this chapter stretch from the immediate circumstances to the time of the settlement in the land to the coming of Messiah. There is a great deal of literature on this chapter, including among others C. Armerding, “The Last Words of Jacob: Genesis 49,” BSac 112 (1955): 320-28; H. Pehlke, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Genesis 49:1-28” (Th.D. dissertation, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1985); and B. Vawter, “The Canaanite Background of Genesis 49,” CBQ 17 (1955): 1-18.

[50:21]  ²⁹ tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”