Genesis 27

Genesis 27:1

his eyes were dim

"he was nearly blind" or "he was almost blind"

Here I am

"I am here" or "I am listening." See how you translated this in Genesis 22:1.

Genesis 27:2

See now, I

"Please listen carefully: I" See how you translated this phrase in Genesis 12:11.

I do not know the day of my death

"I may die any day now"

Genesis 27:3

your weapons

"your hunting equipment"

your quiver

"your quiver of arrows"

hunt game for me

"hunt a wild animal for me"

Genesis 27:4

Make delicious food for me, the sort that I love

"Cook for me the tasty meat that I love"

bless you

In Bible times, a father would often pronounce a formal blessing on his children.

Genesis 27:5

Now

This verse is background information for the description of the events that follow. The word "now" shows that the author is going to begin to talk about Rebekah and Jacob.

to Esau his son

Esau was the son of both Isaac and Rebekah. The author calls Esau "his son" to emphasize that Isaac preferred Esau over Isaac.

Genesis 27:6

to Jacob her son

Jacob was the son of both Isaac and Rebekah. The author calls Jacob "her son" here to emphasize that Rebekah preferred Jacob over Esau.

Genesis 27:7

'Bring me game and make me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of Yahweh before my death.'

"He told Esau to hunt a wild animal, and to make the tasty meat that he loves. Then before he dies, your father will bless Esau in the presence of Yahweh."

Bring me game

"Bring me a wild animal that you hunt and kill"

Genesis 27:8

obey my voice as I command you

"obey me and do what I tell you"

Genesis 27:10

so that he may eat it, so that he may bless you

"and after he eats it, he will bless you"

Genesis 27:11

I am a smooth man

"I am a man with smooth skin" or "I am not hairy"

Genesis 27:12

I will seem to him as a deceiver

"he will think that I am a liar" or "he will know that I am deceiving him"

I will bring a curse upon me and not a blessing

"Then because of this, he will curse me and not bless me"

Genesis 27:13

My son, let any curse fall on me

"let your father curse me instead of you, my son"

bring them to me

"bring me the young goats"

Genesis 27:16

She put the skins of the kids on his hands

The goat skins still had the hair on them.

Genesis 27:17

She put the delicious food and the bread that she had prepared into the hand of her son Jacob

"She gave to her son Jacob the delicious food and bread which she had prepared"

Genesis 27:19

I have done as you said to me

"I have done what you told me to do"

some of my game

The word "game" refers to wild animals that someone hunts and kills.

Genesis 27:20

He said

"Jacob replied"

brought it to me

"helped me to succeed while hunting"

Genesis 27:21

whether you are my true son Esau or not

"if you are really my son Esau"

Genesis 27:22

Jacob went over to Isaac his father

"Jacob approached Isaac his father"

The voice is Jacob's voice

"You sound like Jacob"

but the hands are the hands of Esau

"but your hands feel like Esau's hands"

Genesis 27:24

He said

"But first Isaac asked"

Genesis 27:25

he drank

"Isaac drank it"

Genesis 27:27

he smelled the smell of his clothes and blessed him

"Isaac smelled his clothes and they smelled like Esau's clothes, so Isaac blessed him"

the smell

"the scent"

blessed him

"then he blessed him." This refers to the formal blessing a father pronounces on his children.

See, the smell of my son

"Truly, the smell of my son"

that Yahweh has blessed

"that Yahweh has caused to be very productive"

Genesis 27:28

give you

Here "you" is singular and refers to Jacob. But the blessing would also apply to Jacob's descendants.

dew of heaven

"night mist from heaven to water your crops"

fatness of the earth

"good soil for producing crops"

plenty of grain and new wine

"plenty of food and drink"

Genesis 27:29

nations bow down

"people from all nations bow down"

Be master over your brothers

"Become a master over your brothers"

your brothers ... your mother's sons

Isaac is speaking this blessing directly to Jacob. But, it also applies to Jacob's descendants who will rule over the descendants of Esau and the descendants of any other of Jacob's brothers that he may have.

May every one who curses you be cursed

"May God curse everyone who curses you"

may every one who blesses you be blessed

"May God bless everyone who blesses you"

Genesis 27:30

had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father

"had just left the tent of Isaac his father"

Genesis 27:31

some of your son's game

Here "your son's" was a polite way of Esau referring to his own food he prepared.

your son's game

The word "game" refers to wild animals that people hunt to eat.

Genesis 27:32

said to him

"said to Esau"

Genesis 27:33

Isaac trembled

"Isaac began to shake"

Genesis 27:34

he cried with a very great and bitter cry

"he cried loudly"

Genesis 27:35

has taken away your blessing

"I have blessed him instead of you"

Genesis 27:36

Is he not rightly named Jacob?

"Jacob is certainly the right name for my brother!"

Jacob

Translators may also add a footnote that says: "The name Jacob means 'he grasps the heel.' In the original language the name 'Jacob' also sounds like the word for 'he deceives.'"

He took away my birthright

"What was once my birthright is now his because he tricked me"

now he has taken away my blessing

"now he has tricked you into blessing him instead of me"

Have you not reserved a blessing for me

Esau knows that his father cannot bless him with the same things that he blessed Jacob. Esau is asking if there is anything left to say to him that Isaac did not say while blessing Jacob.

Genesis 27:37

What more can I do for you, my son?

"There is nothing else I can do for you!"

Genesis 27:39

said to him

"said to Esau"

Look, the place

"Pay attention, because what I am about to say is both true and important: the place"

far from the richness of the earth

"far from the fertile soil"

dew of the sky above

"the night mist from the sky to water your crops"

Genesis 27:40

your ... you

In 27:39-40 these pronouns are singular and refer to Esau, but what Isaac says also applies to Esau's descendants

By your sword you will live

"You will rob and kill people in order to get what you need to live"

you will break his yoke off of your neck

"you will free yourself from his control"

Genesis 27:41

Esau bore a grudge against Jacob

Esau believed that Jacob had wronged him, and so Esau did not want to forgive Jacob.

Esau said in his heart

"Esau said to himself"

days of mourning for my father are near

This refers to a number of days a person grieves when a family member dies.

Genesis 27:42

The words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah

"Someone told Rebekah about Esau's plan"

See

"Look" or "Listen" or "Pay attention to what I am about to tell you"

is consoling himself

"is making himself feel better"

Genesis 27:43

flee to Laban

"leave here quickly and go to Laban"

Genesis 27:44

for a while

"for a period of time"

until your brother's fury subsides

"until you brother calms down"

Genesis 27:45

until your brother's anger turns away from you

: "until he is no longer angry with you"

Why should I lose you both in one day?

"I do not want to lose both of you in one day!"

Genesis 27:46

I abhor life

"I am terribly upset"

the daughters of Heth

"these Hittite women" or "descendants of Heth"

like these women, some of the daughters of the land

"like these women who live in this land"

what good will my life be to me?

"My life will be awful!"