Joshua 22:6

22:6 Joshua rewarded ¹  them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes. ² 

Genesis 47:7

47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him ³  before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed ⁴  Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:10

47:10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. ⁵ 

Genesis 47:1

Joseph’s Wise Administration

47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of

Canaan. They are now ⁶  in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 1:17

1:17 God placed the lights ⁷  in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,

The Song of Songs 6:9

6:9 But she is unique! ⁸ 

My dove, my perfect one!

She is the special daughter ⁹  of her mother,

she is the favorite ¹⁰  of the one who bore her.

The maidens ¹¹  saw her and complimented her; ¹² 

the queens and concubines praised her:

[22:6]  ¹ tn Heb “blessed.” However, see v. 8, where rewards are given.

[22:6]  ² tn Heb “and they went to their tents.”

[47:7]  ³ tn Heb “caused him to stand.”

[47:7]  ⁴ sn The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “blessed” is difficult in this passage, because the content of Jacob’s blessing is not given. The expression could simply mean that he greeted Pharaoh, but that seems insufficient in this setting. Jacob probably praised Pharaoh, for the verb is used this way for praising God. It is also possible that he pronounced a formal prayer of blessing, asking God to reward Pharaoh for his kindness.

[47:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “from before Pharaoh.”

[47:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Look they [are] in the land of Goshen.” Joseph draws attention to the fact of their presence in Goshen.

[1:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:9]  ⁸ tn Alternately, “She alone is my dove, my perfect one.” The term אַחַת (’akhat) is used here as an adjective of quality: “unique, singular, the only one” (DCH 1:180 s.v. אֶחָד 1b). The masculine form is used elsewhere to describe Yahweh as the “only” or “unique” God of Israel who demands exclusive love and loyalty (Deut 6:4; Zech 14:9). Although Solomon possessed a large harem, she was the only woman for him.

[6:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “the only daughter of her mother.” The phrase אַחַת לְאִמָּה (’akhat lÿ’immah) is sometimes translated as “the only daughter of her mother” (NIV, NASB) or “the only one of her mother” (KJV). K&D 18:112 suggests that she was not her mother’s only daughter, but her most special daughter. This is supported by the parallelism with בָּרָה (barah, “favorite”) in the following line. Similarly, Gen 22:2 and Prov 4:3 use the masculine term אֶחָד (’ekhad, “the only one”) to refer to the specially favored son, that is, the heir.

[6:9]  ¹⁰ tn The term בָּרָה (barah) is sometimes nuanced “pure” (NASB) because the root ברר I denotes “to purify, purge out” (BDB 140-41 s.v. בָּרַר). However, the root בָּרַר also denotes “to choose, select” (BDB 141 s.v. 2) (Neh 5:18; 1 Chr 7:40; 9:22; 16:41). Most translations adopt the second root, e.g., “the choice one” (KJV), “the favorite” (NIV), “favorite” (JB). This is supported by the exegetical tradition of LXX, which translates בָּרָה as ἐκλεκτή (eklekth, “the chosen one”).

[6:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “daughters.”

[6:9]  ¹² tn Heb “to call blessed.” The verb אָשַׁר (’ashar) is used of people whom others consider fortunate because they have prospered or are to be commended (Gen 30:13; Ps 72:17; Mal 3:12, 15). Likewise, the verb הָלַל (halal, “to praise”) is used elsewhere of people who are held in high esteem by others either due to a commendable moral quality (Prov 31:28, 31) or due to one’s physical beauty (Gen 12:15; 2 Sam 14:25). The actual content of their praise of her appears in Song 6:10 in which they compare her beauty to that of the dawn, moon, sun, and stars.