Then he washed his face and came out: in some languages the transition from crying to returning to the room may need to be more detailed than in Revised Standard Version; for example, “After he had finished crying…” or “When he had cried for a while….” The purpose of washing his face was to wash away the tears from his eyes and face.

Controlling himself: controlling translates a verb meaning to be strong. To be strong toward yourself is to restrain yourself. In some languages this is expressed as “he would not let them see how he felt” or “he hid his true feelings from them.”

Let food be served: these words are directed to the steward. We may also say, for example, “You may bring in the food now” or “Serve the meal.” If indirect speech is more natural, we may say “and he ordered the servants to bring the food.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .